Welcome to another wild week of DII men’s basketball. Seven teams from last week’s Power 10 had at least one loss, while a pair suffered multiple losses to fall out of the top 10. Two teams, however, continue to roll, refusing to lose and inching closer to undefeated seasons.
Let’s take a quick look at No. 1 Washburn. How likely is it that the Ichabods can run the table and finish the regular season undefeated? Throw talent aside, there are bitter rivalries aplenty in the MIAA, so no matter what is left on the table, it won’t be easy. Washburn’s remaining schedule is against a slate that has gone 97-72. Of those opponents, only Fort Hays State, which the Ichabods play at home on Jan. 30, is in the national rankings conversation, receiving votes in the previous NABC poll. FHSU also has the top defense in the MIAA, so if there is a chance to shut down the Ichabods’ No. 1 MIAA offense, that may be it.
Daemen is coming off a huge win off of Power-10er Gannon to improve to 16-0 overall. The Wildcats’ schedule is much more favorable than Washburn’s, with a combined opponents’ record of 66-101 remaining. There are just two teams of that bunch with a winning record on their slate, and one happens to be ECC rival St. Thomas Aquinas. The Spartans do have the top ECC offense, but Daemen’s defense is one of the best in DII, and showed that holding the No. 5 scoring offense in DII (Gannon) to just 70 points. I don’t see a team that is capable of beating the Wildcats in the East, but going undefeated is a daunting task, and those losses often come when we least expect it.
DII MEN’S BASKETBALL CENTRAL
Now, here comes the weekly disclaimer. The Power 10 rankings are just me, my spreadsheets, talking to coaches and people inside the game and a whole mess of stats. There is no voting body, so yes, there will be disagreements among fans and disparities among the other national polls.
As I did last year, I will 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 amount of out-of-division games before January.
The fourth Power 10 of the regular season
(games through Sunday, Jan. 19)
No. 1 Washburn | Previous: 1. This was still no easy pick, as Nova Southeastern is way too close, but more on the Sharks in a moment. We covered most of what make Washburn great above, and being 17-0 overall this time of year — especially in a season with so much parity and unpredictability — is why the ‘Bods stay No. 1.
No. 2 Nova Southeastern | Previous: 2. The Sharks bounced back and won a tightly contested battle over Florida Southern and continue to roll. They have played the toughest schedule in DII men’s basketball, the only team with a SoS over 70 percent and playing in the South, it doesn’t get much easier. Nova Southeastern continues to lead DII in scoring, scoring margin, steals, field-goal percentage, and assist-to-turnover ratio. This team is absurdly good.
No. 3 Daemen | Previous: 7. The Wildcats are 16-0 and I already discussed the impressive way they got here. It will take an apocalyptic breakdown for the Wildcats not to get the No. 1 seed in the East the way things stand right now, but again, stranger things have happened in DII men’s basketball this season.
No. 4 UAH | Previous: 6. Like I said last week, the Chargers lost their opening game to No. 2 Nova Southeastern by one point and that’s it. They have rumbled to 16-straight wins often in dominating fashion. The Chargers are one of the most efficient teams in DII with a top five field-goal and effective field-goal percentage and are one of the best rebounding teams in DII, which helps a ton in the paint. They have a huge matchup against 15-2 Valdosta State this week. A win there and it fully justifies the lofty ranking.
No. 5 Colorado School of Mines | Previous: 8. Seven of the Power 10 teams (which included the “first five out”) lost last week, and you know what? The Orediggers weren’t one of them. In fact, they haven’t lost in three weeks. Right now, they are the team to beat in the South Central, and score just over 85 points per game to go with the RMAC’s top defense. There is a long way to go, but the Orediggers continue to trend upwards.
No. 6 Ferris State | Previous: 3. The Bulldogs fall a little bit simply because they lost a game to 6-8 Parkside this past week. They have some big wins already this year — none bigger than defeating Findlay and Lake Superior State in a 10-day swing to give them a huge leg up in the Midwest Region. Statistically, the Bulldogs may be chasing Missouri S&T in the Midwest, but the Bulldogs have played a more complete schedule in my opinion, which has them ranked higher than the Miners… for now.
No. 7 Point Loma | Previous: First five out. The Sea Lions are rolling and with Saint Martin’s dropping a pair of games this week, they are now the team to beat in the Wild West. They have played a tough schedule and have a strong RPI to go with a depth a scorers that really grind things out. The Sea Lions don’t blow teams out, but they are gritty on defense and seem to always be in a position to win.
No. 8 Lincoln Memorial | Previous: First five out. Since its two-point loss to Lenoir-Rhyne, Lincoln Memorial has reeled off four-straight wins, including victories over Carson-Newman and Coker. The Railsplitters have two big-time scorers in Wes Enis (20.3 points per game) and freshman Elyjah Freeman (18.1 points per game) and look to be the team to beat in the Southeast at the moment. They’ll have a chance to avenge that loss to the Bears on their home court on Feb. 15.
No. 9 Missouri S&T | Previous: first five out. Welcome to the Power 10, Miners. This is Missouri S&T’s first appearance in the history of the rankings. So, how did they get here? They currently have the No. 2 KPI per Faktor Sports. They also have the top RPI — and one of the best in DII — in the Midwest Region at .647. They have wins against West Liberty and then-ranked Upper Iowa, so we know they can play. They also have great balance on both sides of the ball, allowing them to win games by rather large margins.
No. 10 West Liberty | Previous: 5. The Hilltoppers have been a bit maddening, simply because of how good they are. Their last two losses, in my opinion, were games they should have won, but I still think the Atlantic Region comes down to West Liberty or Gannon. As always the Hilltoppers are an offensive juggernaut, but this year they are allowing more points per game than they have since the 2018-19 season. If they tighten up on the defensive end, they will be tough to beat in the MEC.
First five(ish) out (in alphabetical order):
- DBU. The Patriots are right near the top of the LSC, but have a pretty tough schedule remaining — it is statistically tougher than that which they have played thus far. With so much depth in the LSC this year, they have little room for error.
- Florida Southern/Gannon. Both of these teams had a rough week, but I do still believe one or both deserve to be in the conversation. There are only 30 teams in all DII that have played a schedule strength with a plus-.600 winning percentage and the Mocs are one of them, so to be 15-4 with the No. 8 KPI and a .614 RPI speaks volumes. Gannon did lose to Daemen, but its 15-game romp through the Atlantic still has them as the top team in the region. Gannon can very well run the table and soar into the Power 10 once again.
- Lake Superior State. The Lakers dropped a game this week, and the Midwest Region is getting tough at the top. Still I think Tyson Edmundson and Kinglsey Perkins bring a grit that trickles down to this entire team.
- Palm Beach Atlantic. Look, teams are going to lose ball games, especially in the SSC. The Sailfish did drop a game this past week to go to 14-3 but I just can’t overlook those wins over Nova Southeastern and Florida Southern. There’s a reason this team has a top-10 KPI in DII.
- Southwest Minnesota State. The Mustangs just keep winning and are now 14-3 overall on the season. All five starters can score and while this team doesn’t score a massive amount of points, it has one of the stingiest defenses in DII, allowing just 65.3 points per game.
Two to watch:
Findlay. The Oilers are gettin g a lot of love in the national polls as a one loss team, but they haven’t played the toughest of schedules. They have some nice scorers and put up just over 90 points per game, so there is a lot to like here. That said, even if they run the table in the G-MAC — which they very well could — they still may be the fourth or fifth best team (by the metrics) in the stacked Midwest Region.
Southern Nazarene. Someone has to win the GAC and get the automatic bid, and the Storm look like they could very well be that team. A huge showdown against second-place Oklahoma Baptist this week will provide more clarity. As usual, this team has a solid defense, allowing just 64.4 points per game and with as wide open as the Central Region is… this team can really work its way into the top three of the region with a few more statement wins.
