NAIA DII Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll — No. 1
CI No. 7, SOU No. 13, OIT No. 22, WPC and NCU RV
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Northwestern (Iowa) claims the No. 1 ranking in the first regular-season NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, the national office announced Tuesday. The Red Raiders claimed seven first-place votes and 302 total points.
Top 25 Highlights (historical information dates back to 1998)
• Northwestern is ranked in the No. 1 position for the first time since the 2005-06 preseason poll. Since 1998, the Red Raiders have been in the top spot nine times.
• Northwestern is off to a 9-0 start this season – one of only five unbeaten teams in Division II. The opening stretch is the best start for the Red Raiders since they opened the 2011-12 season 7-0.
• Northwestern returns to the court Wednesday when they travel to No. 15 Morningside (Iowa) in a key Great Plains Athletic Conference contest.
• Three other teams claimed first-place votes in the poll – No. 2 Cornerstone (Mich.) (1), No. 3 Saint Francis (Ind.) (1) and No. 5 Indiana Tech (3).
• There are seven newcomers to the poll – Indiana Tech, No. 11 Southeastern (Fla.), Morningside, No. 17 College of the Ozarks (Mo.), No. 18 Jamestown (N.D.), No. 20 Oklahoma Wesleyan and No. 21 Spring Arbor (Mich.).
• No. 16 Bethel (Ind.) boasts the most appearances at No. 1 with 38.
• No. 4 Indiana Wesleyan holds the longest active streak in the poll with 68-straight mentions. Bethel is next with 58-consecutive appearances, while Cornerstone is third at 47-straight.
Poll Methodology
• The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences and Association of Independent Institutions.
• The Top 25 is determined by a points system based on how each voter ranks the best teams. A team receives 30 points for each first-place vote, 29 for second-place and so on through the list.
• The highest and lowest ranking for each team (a non-rating is considered a low ratings) is removed and the team’s ranking will be recalculated with an additional point added to each team for every ballot (including discounted ballots) that the teams appear on.
• Teams that receive only one point on the ballot are not considered “receiving votes”
• The frequency of polls occurs bi-weekly. This policy was approved by the National Administrative Council (NAC) for the 2016-17 academic season. This change will allow raters the opportunity to consider a larger body of work in between rating periods.
• For the complete Top 25 calendar, click here.
2017-18 NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll – No. 1 (November 28, 2017)
| RANK |
PRVS |
SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES) |
RECORD |
TOTAL POINTS |
| 1 |
5 |
Northwestern (Iowa) (7) |
9-0 |
302 |
| 2 |
1 |
Cornerstone (Mich.) (1) |
8-2 |
295 |
| 3 |
3 |
Saint Francis (Ind.) (1) |
7-2 |
290 |
| 4 |
6 |
Indiana Wesleyan |
7-1 |
276 |
| 5 |
NR |
Indiana Tech (3) |
8-0 |
274 |
| 6 |
9 |
IU East (Ind.) |
9-2 |
266 |
| 7 |
7 |
College of Idaho |
6-3 |
252 |
| 8 |
13 |
Southwestern (Kan.) |
9-0 |
244 |
| 9 |
18 |
Briar Cliff (Iowa) |
9-1 |
232 |
| 10 |
8 |
Trinity International (Ill.) |
8-2 |
216 |
| 11 |
RV |
Southeastern (Fla.) |
6-1 |
201 |
| 12 |
15 |
Taylor (Ind.) |
7-1 |
200 |
| 13 |
11 |
Southern Oregon |
5-3 |
189 |
| 14 |
2 |
Union (Ky.) |
5-4 |
165 |
| 15 |
RV |
Morningside (Iowa) |
5-1 |
141 |
| 16 |
22 |
Bethel (Ind.) |
8-1 |
131 |
| 17 |
NR |
College of the Ozarks (Mo.) |
7-1 |
128 |
| 18 |
NR |
Jamestown (N.D.) |
9-2 |
123 |
| 19 |
23 |
Montreat (N.C.) |
9-0 |
122 |
| 20 |
RV |
Oklahoma Wesleyan |
8-2 |
115 |
| 21 |
RV |
Spring Arbor (Mich.) |
9-1 |
108 |
| T22 |
16 |
Oregon Tech |
6-3 |
107 |
| T22 |
20 |
St. Thomas (Fla.) |
4-2 |
107 |
| 24 |
25 |
Warner (Fla.) |
7-3 |
105 |
| 25 |
19 |
IU Southeast (Ind.) |
5-4 |
85 |
Others Receiving Votes: Roosevelt (Ill.) 47; Midland (Neb.) 47; Michigan-Dearborn 35; Allen (S.C.) 26; Stillman (Ala.) 26; Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) 18; Cal Maritime 18; Keiser (Fla.) 16; Warner Pacific (Ore.) 15; Northwest Christian (Ore.) 6; Friends (Kan.) 6; Bellevue (Neb.) 3; York (Neb.) 3; Dakota State (S.D.) 3.