By Alan Grosbach, Associate Director of Athletic Communications and Media

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Hopping back into the No. 1 slot, top-ranked Cornerstone (Mich.) gathered 11-of-12 first-place votes and 312 votes in the second regular-season edition of the  NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, the national office announced Tuesday. The Golden Eagles were the preseason No. 1 team and previously held the No. 2 position last time.

Top 25 Highlights (historical information dates back to 1998)

• After dropping its first two games of the year, No. 1 Cornerstone (Mich.) has won 12-straight to stand 12-2 overall. One of those recent wins came against then-No. 5 Indiana Tech on Dec. 2.
• The Golden Eagles stand No. 2 in scoring defense (66.2) and is led by Sam Vander Sluis, who is 2nd in the NAIA individually in rebounding (12.1) and sixth in blocks per game (1.9).
• The 12 wins by Cornerstone is tied with four other programs for the NAIA high.
• Cornerstone now boasts 15 all-time No. 1 appearances, which is tied for fourth most on the active list.
• No. 2 Saint Francis (Ind.) jumps up one spot and grabbed the remaining first-place vote.
• Northwestern (Iowa), the previous No. 1 in the first regular-season edition, fell down to the No. 11 spot.
• Three newcomers enter the Top 25 this week: No. 20 Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.), No. 21 Stillman (Ala.) and No. 23 Michigan-Dearborn. Dakota Wesleyan was ranked in the 2017-18 Preseason Top 25. Both Stillman and the Wolverines are nationally recognized for the first time in school history. Stillman is in its second year of being an NAIA-member institution.
• No. 14 Bethel (Ind.) boasts the most actives appearances at No. 1 with 35. Behind Bethel for most No. 1 positions is Indiana Wesleyan at 22, former member Embry-Riddle (Fla.) at 21, Cornerstone and Oregon Tech at 15.
• No. 4 Indiana Wesleyan holds the longest active streak in the poll with 69-straight mentions. Bethel is next with 59-consecutive appearances, while Cornerstone is third at 48-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 appears on.
• Teams that receive only one point in the ballot are not considered “receiving votes”
• Frequency of polls occur 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.

2017-18 NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll – No. 2 (December 12)

Others Receiving Votes: Dakota State (S.D.) 53; Keiser (Fla.) 53; Asbury (Ky.) 46; Truett-McConnell (Ga.) 26; Warner (Fla.) 26; Concordia (Neb.) 22; WVU Tech (W. Va.) 18; Antelope Valley (Calif.) 11; Jamestown (N.D.) 11; Governors State (Ill.) 9; Alice Lloyd (Ky.) 3; Corban (Ore.) 3.

Dropped Out: No. 18 Jamestown (N.D.); No. 24 Warner (Fla.); No. 25 IU Southeast (Ind.).

^ Ranking from Nov. 28, 2017 Top 25 Poll