NAIA Men’s Basketball Poll 11.29.17

by | Nov 29, 2017 | RRSN News | 0 comments

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.

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