Ladies and gentlemen, a rare and amazing feat happened this week in DII men’s basketball. Only one of last week’s top 10 lost a game — and that was Southwest Minnesota State which quickly bounced back with a win ahead of its big showdown with Minnesota Duluth this week.
Washburn and Daemen remain undefeated and Nova Southeastern kept scoring 100 points with ease. A few teams flip-flopped here and there, but for the most part, not much has changed. It has been very hard to figure out where to slot Alabama Huntsville. With two undefeated teams and Nova Southeastern on another Shark attack, UAH is the best team not enough people are talking about.
DII MEN’S BASKETBALL CENTRAL
Your weekly refresher (or introduction to) my Power 10 rankings. I compile these all by my lonesome using metrics the selection committee favors come March, my notes from coaches, and what I hear around the division. This leads to disparities in the national polls and is precisely why I started the Power 10 rankings more than half a decade ago.
I use Inkblot Sports RPI in my rankings. Additionally, since the selection committee is using the KPI from Faktor Sports for the DII Men’s and Women’s Elite Eight, I do consider it when teams are close; however, it is important to note that KPI uses overall record in determining its rankings and myself and Inkblot Sports only use records against DII opponents. This is important to note in DII basketball more than any other sport due to the number of out-of-division games before January.
The sixth Power 10 of the regular season
(games through Sunday, Feb. 2)
No. 1 Nova Southeastern | Previous: 1. Believe it or not, the Sharks no longer have the top RPI in DII men’s basketball. That honor belongs to UAH — the team the Sharks handed their only loss to. That’s how Nova Southeastern keeps the top spot once again this week. Well, that and the simple fact that the Sharks have arguably the best offense in DII and a top-notch defense to go with it. Plus the best KPI… and Jim Crutchfield as head coach… and have five players scoring more than 12 points per game with a combined 52.8 percent field goal percentage. I could keep going, but I think you get the point.
No. 2 Washburn | Previous: 2. The Ichabods improved to 21-0 this week with a massive signature win against Fort Hays State and its MIAA-best scoring defense (and second-best defense in all DII). Washburn isn’t out of the woods yet — the ‘Bods have several teams with winning records remaining — but it sure feels like they can run the table. They are miles ahead as the No. 1 seed in the Central Region, which is always a tremendous advantage come March. The starting five is all talented and deep, but Brady Christiansen may be the best — or at least most important — sixth man in DII.
No. 3 UAH | Previous: 4. It may seem like I give no love to undefeated teams, but this is less about Daemen and more about how good the Chargers have been. They have played a far superior SoS than Daemen and have the No. 4 KPI in DII. They played three games this past week, including one against NABC top 10 Valdosta State and one against 15-6 Trevecca Nazarene, and won all three. That is a season sweep against the Blazers as well, giving the Chargers the upper hand in the GSC. This team scores nearly 90 points per game and wins by an average of 16 points per game as one of the most well-rounded teams in the division.
No. 4 Daemen | Previous: 3. The Wildcats are now 19-0 overall, and are the only other undefeated team in DII. They got there on the heels of Benjamin Bill’s fourth double-double of the season as he continues his Bevo Francis-type year. Daemen has its toughest remaining matchup of the season this week against St. Thomas Aquinas, and if the Wildcats get past the Spartans, they should run the table. The only reason they drop is that we are roughly one month from selections and at this time of year, metrics matter. In my opinion, the Chargers going 20-1 against a SoS of 56.1 percent gives them the edge over Daemen’s 19-0 record against a 46.5 percent SoS.
No. 5 Missouri S&T | Previous: 6. The Miners haven’t lost since Dec. 19 and are a perfect 12-0 in the GLVC. They are going to absolutely dwarf last year’s team which finished 15-12, now 18-1 overall on the season. With yet another Ferris State loss this past week, the Miners’ lead as top dog in the Midwest Region grows with every win, as they have a top 5 RPI and KPI in DII — two numbers that helped them squeak past Point Loma this week.
No. 6 Point Loma | Previous: 5. The Sea Lions sure make it interesting, don’t they? This week, they eked out a victory against DII newcomer Jessup by a mere five points, yet another close game they have played this January. However, no matter how close the games are, they have won them all — every game since the calendar flipped to 2025 as a matter of fact. They have a huge lead in the PacWest and have season sweeps over Biola, Hawaii Hilo and Academy of Art — the three teams chasing the Sea Lions.
No. 7 West Liberty | Previous: 7. I continue to be baffled at how the national poll has Fairmont State ranked seven spots higher than its MEC counterpart. The Hilltoppers are the No. 1 team in the Atlantic in RPI per Inkblot sports. They have played a SoS much stronger than the Fighting Falcons and own a top 10 KPI in all DII. None of this is to say Fairmont State is a bad team — the Falcons are a very good team, to be perfectly clear — but they are ranked considerably higher than the Hilltoppers, making them the point of comparison. It becomes even stranger when you consider the Hilltoppers already beat them once. West Liberty is a top 10 team right now, and I can’t find any reason to think otherwise.
No. 8 Lake Superior State | Previous: 10. I continue to be unforgivably high of the Lakers, but this past week justifies exactly why I am. They are now 19-3 overall on the season and have wins against Carson-Newman, Gannon, Minnesota Duluth, UMSL and Michigan Tech — all teams that would likely be in the bracket if the season ended today. This past week, they evened the season series against Ferris State, downing the Bulldogs by nine to avenge their earlier two-point loss to Ferris State. None of the Lakers’ losses have been blowouts, with the last two coming by a total of six points. This team is going to find itself in every ball game it plays, making it very dangerous come March.
No. 9 Colorado School of Mines | Previous: First five out. As I said last week, the Orediggers had to spend time in the limbo that the “first five out” may feel like after losing a game. This week, they bounced back with two wins, including an important RMAC victory over Fort Lewis. Per Inkblot Sports they are back to the No. 1 spot in the South Central and have a top 15 KPI. The RMAC isn’t what it has been the past few seasons, but it is still pretty tough at the top. The Orediggers have two huge matchups remaining against MSU Denver and Regis, but right now are in control of their tournament destiny.
No.10 (tie) DBU, Southwest Minnesota State | Previous: 8, 9 respectively
The Mustangs fall simply because they lost a game. It was their first loss of the 2025 calendar year, so they get a chance to redeem themselves against Minnesota Duluth this week. Per Inkblot Sports, they are still the No. 2 seed in the Central and are No. 11 in KPI.
DBU is tough to figure out just exactly where they slot it. All the Patriots do is win, now up to 21 victories on the season. However, they have played one of the weakest SoS in the top 15 and have that loss to St. Mary’s that has them second place in their own division. They’ll have a chance to redeem that loss this week.
First five out (in alphabetical order):
- Florida Southern. The Mocs have played the 28th toughest SoS in DII, have the 11th-best RPI, and are ranked 6th in KPI. And they are third in their own region. Don’t tell me the South Region isn’t the toughest this year.
- Lenoir-Rhyne. Yes, the Bears lost this week, but it took Carson-Newman two overtimes to beat them by a mere two baskets. And the Eagles are much better than their seven losses suggest. Lenoir-Rhyne has big wins already on their resume and could fill it out even more.
- Lincoln Memorial. The Railsplitters bounced back from their loss with two commanding victories. The Southeast Region is a little wacky right now, but I think it is theirs to lose.
- St. Mary’s (TX). Why is no one giving the Rattlers love? They are on a 10-game winning streak, and they have tremendously important wins over Lubbock Christian and DBU in its region and a big win against Missouri S&T. This squad seems to be at its best when the lights are shining brightest.
- Valdosta State. The Blazers lost in overtime by one basket to the Chargers, which by the numbers are one of the best teams in DII. They don’t get penalized for that, especially after scoring 104 points in their very next game to sweep West Florida.
