The St. Thomas Aquinas men's basketball team has earned a No. 6 ranking in the first NCAA Division II Men's Basketball East Region poll of the season released Wednesday afternoon.
The Spartans are 21-4 overall and sit at the top of the ECC standings with a record of 15-2 in league play. The Spartans currently have the longest win streak in the Northeast having won their last 15 games.
STAC is led by sophomore Jsutin Reyes who averages 17.6 ppg and 10.2 rpg and leads the ECC in FG% at 61.8. Chaz Watler and Shaq McFarlan averaged 14.5 and 10.6 points per game, respectively. The Spartans have the highest FG% in the ECC at 49.4, as well as the best scoring defense allowing just 69.4 ppg.
The regional rankings will be released weekly on Wednesday afternoons from now through the first week of March. The top eight teams (Northeast-10, Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference and ECC champions and five at-large berths) in the poll after the conclusion of the conference tournaments will earn bids to the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament.
| Rank | School | Overall DII Record | In-Region Record |
| East | |||
| 1 | St. Anselm | 18-5 | 18-5 |
| 2 | Holy Family | 21-4 | 21-4 |
| 3 | Southern Conn. St. | 19-6 | 19-6 |
| 4 | Stonehill | 18-6 | 18-6 |
| 5 | Bentley | 17-6 | 17-6 |
| 6 | St. Thomas Aquinas | 20-4 | 20-4 |
| 7 | Philadelphia U. | 19-6 | 19-6 |
| 8 | Adelphi | 19-7 | 18-7 |
| 9 | Franklin Pierce | 14-9 | 14-9 |
| 10 | Southern N.H. | 16-9 | 16-9 |