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Wayne Cavadi | NCAA.com | March 2, 2025

The DII men's basketball February all-stats starting five

Minnesota State hits game-winner to win DII men's basketball championship

March is here. That means that conference tournaments and the selection show are right around the corner. Before the madness gets underway, let's take a look back at some of the stars of February. 

The DII men's basketball all-stats starting five is my monthly dream team based purely on statistical leaders. If you are looking for a snapshot of who the "best" players are, take a peek at the Bevo Francis Award watchlist. This is a snapshot of the moment, looking at some players that may be outright No. 1 in a single category, and others are sometimes top five in several categories. 

DII MEN’S BASKETBALL CENTRAL

The February DII men’s basketball All-Stats Starting Five

(Note: All stats through Feb. 28 per NCAA.org)

Guard (tie): Tray Alexander, Pace; Dallas Graziani, Nova Southeastern

Pace Athletics Tray Alexander drives to the hoop for Pace's DII men's basketball team. Tray Alexander, Pace

All season long, this spot has gone back and forth between Alexander and Graziani, and in this final full month of the season, it was simply too close to call. Graziani leads DII in assists with 9.5 per game, Alexander is right behind with 9.0 and no one is even close to the two of them. Alexander is second in DII with 3.00 steals per game. Right behind him? Graziani with 2.78. Both Graziani and Alexander are top 15 with 12 double-doubles each, and both were on the latest Bevo Francis Award watchlist. I suppose Alexander has the slightest of edges since he scores four more points per game, but he also has to, as his team's leading scorer. This one was just too close to call. 

Guard: Adrian McIntyre, Westmont

McIntyre is on a tear. The 6-foot-3 guard has now finished the months of December, January and February as the DII men's basketball scoring leader and is showing no signs of slowing down. He closed January with his first 40-point performance of the season and topped that in February when he dropped 51 on Point Loma — a team that has been in the Power 10 for the better part of the season. He averaged 30.8 points per game in February and is now up to 27.8 points per game, a full 1.2 points per game better than No. 2. He also leads his team in assists with more than two per game, is second in assists and chips in 5.2 rebounds per game as a well-rounded weapon.

Also considered: MJ Iraldi, Nova Southeastern; Cam McDowell, Northwestern Oklahoma State; Walter Peggs Jr., Spring Hill; Chris Terrell, Delta State.

Forward: Caleb Van De Griend, Minot State

Minot State Athletics Caleb Van De Griend of Minot State is off to a huge start in DII men's basketball.

Another month has passed, and it has been another month that the Beavers' 6-foot-8 forward has been in total beast mode. He had one of his best months of the season, averaging 21.9 points per game and raising his season average to over 20 points per game for the first time in 2025. He averaged 14.4 rebounds per game in February and is second overall in DII with 13.0 per game. Van De Griend double-doubled in six of his seven February games, bringing his total to 26 on the season, which is first by six double-doubles. He's doing it all shooting north of 71 percent from the floor, the third-best mark in DII. 

Forward: Cenker Evran, Edinboro

Last month was too close to call, but Evran was able to separate himself from Hobart Grayson — who is still having a strong season. Evran closed February with a season-high 31 points, bringing his scoring average to 15.5 points per game on the season. He also finished the month with four-straight double-doubles, bringing his season total to 20, second behind Van De Griend. The 6-foot-8 forward is also very efficient, shooting 67.4 percent from the floor, the sixth-best mark in DII. In short, Evran has been a consistent machine all season long. 

Also considered: Hobart Grayson, Ouachita Baptist; Paul Greene, Southern New Hampshire; Nick Reid, Upper Iowa; Maceo Williams, Ashland

Center: Benjamin Bill, Daemen

Daemen Athletics Benjamin Bill fights at the basket for undefeated Daemen.

Daemen is the sole undefeated team remaining in DII men's basketball, and Bill is a large reason why. The 6-foot-10 center has been steady all season and is one of two Wildcats on the Bevo Francis watchlist for his efforts. He now leads all DII centers in scoring with 16.5 points per game and is second overall in DII, shooting 71.7 percent from the floor, the best mark among centers by more than 10 percent. He has been a solid rebounder all season, but this past month he set his season high with 12 on Feb. 2... and matched that total two more times, doubling his double-double output on the season. He also leads his team in blocks, a team that has one of the best defenses in DII. 

Also considered: Max Amadasun, Augusta; Sergey Grishaev, Rollins

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