Well, that was a close one. The 8-16 D'Youville Saints took undefeated Daemen to the wire, but the Wildcats prevailed in overtime and remain in the top three of the latest DII men's basketball Power 10 rankings.
Not much has changed at the top for the third week in a row, but there was some movement. Lubbock Christian made its 2025 Power 10 debut, and Missouri S&T is back in the mix.
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Your weekly reminder: These are my rankings, there is no voting body or committee. I come to these rankings by pairing the metrics the selection committee uses to fill the bracket come March (I use Inkblot Sports RPI in my rankings and now the KPI from Faktor Sports) and what I am seeing on the court. This often leads to a different top 10 that you'll see in the national polls and that is precisely why I started the Power 10 rankings more than half a decade ago.
The ninth Power 10 of the regular season
(games through Sunday, Feb. 23)
No. 1 Nova Southeastern | Previous: 1. That's 12 in a row for the Sharks and they continue to lead DII in just about every significant category — they've played the toughest schedule, have the best RPI and KPI, and the offense is tops in a bevy of categories. It's really hard to find a weakness on this team — there certainly isn't one in the starting five and Alex Mangold has been a key piece off the bench for years. The Sharks have two tricky games remaining against Embry-Riddle and Rollins before the SSC tournament begins.
No. 2 UAH | Previous: 2. The Chargers now have the longest winning streak in college basketball at any level, winning a staggering 26 games in a row. As a reminder, they are one basket away from winning 27 in a row, losing to Nova Southeastern in overtime by one point on opening night. The last two have been tight, beating Auburn Montgomery by two and Montevallo by eight, but this time of year, it's all about the end result... and that continues to be wins for UAH.
No. 3 Daemen | Previous: 3. The Wildcats have one game remaining before the ECC tournament begins and is against 9-15 Roberts Wesleyan. It's fair to wonder if the long season and focus of being undefeated is wearing on them after struggling with a D'Youville they clearly overmatched, but that also may have been what they needed to put the pedal to the metal. I've said it for weeks: I don't see a team in the East Region that can beat them and I think they are as close to a sure pick for the DII Men's Elite Eight as there is.
No. 4 West Liberty | Previous: 4. The Hilltoppers have an 11-game winning streak of their own and this past weekend clinched a share of the MEC crown. They have really been clicking of late, breaking the century mark in four of their last five games. The Atlantic Region looks like it may be running through West Liberty, but the MEC has some tough teams that could make the conference tournament tough for the Hilltoppers.
No. 5 Colorado School of Mines | Previous: 6. Last week I wrote about how Regis was one of five teams you wanted to avoid heading into March as the Rangers were smoking hot of late. The Orediggers didn't get the memo, as they trampled Regis by 31 points this week, securing their spot atop the South Central Region and clinching the RMAC title.
No. 6 Washburn | Previous: 9. The Ichabods rebounded from the two-game losing streak — their first two losses of the season — with two utterly dominating victories this past week. They were clearly not happy with those losses. The 30-point victory over Rogers State clinched their 11th MIAA title and keeps them as the host seed in the Central. This is a little fun fact: That same victory gave Washburn 1,700 wins, just the seventh DII team to reach that lofty number.
No. 7 Point Loma| Previous: 10. I'm trying to figure out why the Sea Lions aren't getting more love in the national polls. This past weekend, they locked up at least a share of their fourth-straight PacWest title. They are the No. 1 team in the West Region by a landslide (metrically speaking) and have the fifth-best KPI in DII. I saw this team up close beat two nationally ranked teams and, quite honestly, they may be better than No. 7.
No. 8 Columbus State | Previous: 8. The Cougars hold pat, now winners of seven straight. They have two more must-win games to take the conference over Augusta and get the No. 1 seed for the tournament. I like how this team just wins ball games; there isn't a Bevo Francis candidate or division leader among the bunch, just a cohesive unit that seemingly always comes out on top.
No. 9 Lubbock Christian | Previous: First five out. The Chaps have won 10 in a row and are in a heated battle with Colorado School of Mines and DBU for the South Central No. 1 seed. You could argue that Lubbock Christian deserves to be as high as No. 5 and I would listen — the Chaps have beaten both DBU and Colorado School of Mines this year with both wins by double digits. Don't be fooled by the six losses, this is one of the toughest teams in the division.
No. 10 (tie) DBU, Missouri S&T| Previous: 5, first five out, respectively.
The Patriots are probably being penalized too much, as this is still a very good team. They have won 12 of their last 13, but get dinged for their loss this week with Lubbock Christian just reeling off wins. I'd be curious to see where they sit in the South Central if the season ended today. I have them at No. 3.
The Miners put those two consecutive losses in the rearview mirror and have won three in a row. That last win was something, wasn't it? A game-winning tip-in with just over one second remaining to clinch their fifth GLVC regular-season title and second since 2022. This is the top team in the Midwest Region right now, although I think that is anything but a given. The GLIAC and GLVC should both have interesting conference tournaments, which the Miners will have to win to keep this spot... and the No. 1 spot in the Midwest.
First five out (in alphabetical order):
- Adelphi. If this portion was in numerical order, the Panthers would be No. 15. But they get the nod purely on metrics: They have a higher SoS, KPI, and RPI than some of the other teams considered here, and despite a recent loss, swept a Pace team that has been nationally ranked all season.
- Lake Superior State. Florida Southern dropped two in a row (grant it, one was to Nova Southeastern) and that opened the door for the Lakers' return. The GLIAC tournament is going to be insane, and as good as the Miners have been, I think the winner of the Midwest is lurking here.
- Lincoln Memorial. The Railsplitters are maddening, this week being held to their lowest-scoring output of the season and losing to a UVA Wise team by 11 which they beat by 10 just a few weeks earlier. They stay here because I still think they are the team to beat in the Southeast.
- Michigan Tech. The Huskies have won five in a row and if you take away that three-game losing streak in November (against three regionally ranked teams mind you), this is the No. 1 team in the Midwest. They have wins against Ferris State and Lake Superior State and may be playing their best hoops when it matters most.
- Valdosta State. The South Region is tough, and the Blazers are No. 3, so that speaks volumes. Half of their losses came to UAH, so it could be worse in Valdosta. With Montevallo in the regional rankings, next Saturday's regular-season finale is of great importance.
