The Chowan University men’s basketball team had a big win last weekend.

The Hawks played in the BC Powder/North Carolina Central Classic and came away with a win over NCCU, an NCAA Division I school. It was the Hawks’ first-ever win over a DI team.

Tuesday night, Chowan beat Elizabeth City State University, a CIAA powerhouse, 82-76. Chowan head coach Jim Tribbett said the two wins are significant to his program, which continues to improve how it competes at the NCAA Division II level.

“It’s a stepping stone for us. Those were both signature wins for us. Anytime a two beats a one, it’s important, but in the CIAA, the league we’re going to play in next year, that’s an NCAA tournament team there,” Tribbett said, referring to ECSU. “Those are the people we want to be able to compete with. We are gaining momentum and they are playing like I envisioned they could play. We are capable of being a dangerous team.”

As of Monday, Chowan was ranked ninth in the national National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) poll. The win over ECSU will probably move the Hawks up in the rankings next week. The Hawks are ranked 14th in the NCAA in free-throw percentage at 76 percent.

This is an exciting team. I would not have said that back at the beginning of the season. The Hawks looked pretty flat when I saw them lose to Barton College in their home opener on Nov. 18. We will see how much they have improved when the Hawks get a rematch with Barton on Jan. 27 in Wilson, N.C.

The team has really gelled offensively and has many weapons. There is a good possibility Chowan will do some damage in the NCCAA tournament, which begins in March at North Greenville University.

■ Tidewater Academy (14-1) is still ranked No. 1 in the Virginia Independent Schools boys’ basketball poll this week despite losing 46-40 to Durham Academy on Saturday. Isle of Wight Academy (11-4) is ranked eighth in the state. On the girls side, Southampton Academy is ranked fourth in the state at 11-1.

■ If you are going to watch a wrestling match this season, go to the Southampton-Franklin match at Franklin at 1 p.m. on Feb. 3.

This is an unusual starting time, but the teams have agreed to wrestle during school so that students can be exposed to the sport.

Last year, the two teams battled to a tie twice with the same score in both matches. Franklin was victorious in both matches because of tiebreaker rules.

■ Are you a fan of the Norfolk Admirals? You can listen to the Admirals for free on the internet. The American Hockey League Web site has all of the radio broadcasts of all AHL games. Go to www.ahllive.com for details. You can also listen to all of the NHL games on www.nhl.com. Since you can barely see hockey on TV, I have had a blast listening to the games while I write. I am a Carolina Hurricanes fan, but by the time I usually get to listen in, I am listening to the Western Division games.

■ OK, so I made a bad pick when I chose the Detroit Lions as division champs. But, do you remember when I said the Arizona Cardinals would be this year’s sleeper team. They are more than a sleeper. They are going to the Super Bowl. All i can say is, go Cards!