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.
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.