Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - I don't care what level of college basketball we are talking about. There's Division I, Division II, Division III and Junior College. If you have a team that reaches the top spot in the national ranking, that is something special.
It has been rare for a college basketball program in Western New York to reach the top of the mountain, but one program is there right now.
Daemen University's men's basketball team is the No. 1 ranked team in the country in Division II in this week's coaches poll.
The Wildcats are a perfect 23-0 on the season, the lone unbeaten team left in all of Division II, and one of only two undefeated college hoops teams left in the country. Division III Wesleyan is the other.
It truly is an amazing accomplishment, but more so for Daemen when you take into account the fact that their program operates on just five scholarships. The full allotment is 10.
The Wildcats also play in one of the smaller facilities in Lumsden Gymnasium. In fact, when the East Coast Conference, where Daemen is a member, used to rotate sites for their conference basketball tournament, they wouldn't let Daemen host because the facility is too small.
To some extent, Daemen has to recruit against four Division I programs in Western New York, and they have two ECC rivals in the area with D'Youville in Buffalo and Roberts Wesleyan in Rochester.
But if you look at the Wildcats' current roster, you will see that six of the top-nine, in terms of minutes played, are from Western New York. In addition to all of that, Daemen is just in its 10th year as a Division II program, which makes them relatively young.
Despite all of that, the Wildcats are currently looking down at the other 299 teams in Division II.
Daemen's games are basically over by halftime. They average 84 points a game, while giving up 61. Only one time in 23 games has the final margin of victory been in single digits.
Out of their 14 conference wins, 12 have been by, at least, 20 points. The other two were by 11 and 16 points.
In terms of national rankings, the Wildcats lead the country in field goal percentage defense. They are second in scoring margin, and third in both scoring defense and bench points. Daemen is also the fourth-best shooting team in Division II.
Individually, Hamburg high school product Benjamin Bill leads the country in field goal percentage at an eye-popping 72%.
They are led by a terrific head coach in Mike MacDonald, formerly the head coach at Medaille and before that Canisius. MacDonald is approaching 500 wins in his coaching career, as he's currently at 484.
MacDonald's record at Daemen is 227-83.
He recruits talented players, but also players that will play for the team and not just themselves. This is as unselfish a team as I have ever seen in all my years of watching college basketball here.
There isn't a flaw in the Wildcats' game, which wouldn't surprise you since they are 23-0. They pass well, they shoot well, their transition game is deadly. They defend, they rebound, and they take pride in seeing other teammates succeed. Every player truly enjoys setting up a teammate for a basket.
When Daemen is on a roll, its an amazing thing to witness in person. They make the game of basketball look like an art form.
They never take their foot off the gas pedal, no matter how big a lead they have. And to their credit, not once have they rested on their laurels or taken any team for granted. This team has stayed focused from game-to-game, and have played hard from start-to-finish.
Perhaps in the back of their mind, they have started to think about making a run in the NCAA tournament. But MacDonald and his staff have made sure to keep the players in the present.
I have had the chance to call a number of their games this season. From a broadcast standpoint, it's challenging since the games are all blowouts. That means you have to go deep into the fill material.
Personally I've had so much fun watching a team play at an elite level. Thanks Daemen, and congratulations on an historic season.