DII Men’s Basketball Power 10 Ranking: Nova Southeastern Retains Lead

We’re halfway through January, and while the top two teams remain the same, there have been some serious shifts in DII Men’s Basketball’s new Power 10 rankings.

POWER 10 PREP: A look back at the Power 10 so far

Nova Southeastern and Indiana (PA) are the last remaining undefeated teams in DII men’s basketball, placing first and second respectively. Since the last Power 10, Northwest Missouri, the Black Hills and UMSL have all posted losses, giving the rest of the rankings a new look.

4th DII Men’s Basketball Regular Season Power 10 Ranking

(* Matches until January 16th)

No. 1 Nova Southeastern | Before: 1: The Sharks are 16-0, with two contenders for the Bebo Francis Award, and are simply outpacing their opponents. They lead his DII with 107.1 points per game and beat his opponents with 29.7 points per game, putting him more than six points ahead of the second-best team. Embry has a big matchup against Riddle this week, but the Sharks have done well so far with a demanding schedule.

POY WATCHLIST: First Top 100 Bevo Francis Watchlist Released

2nd Indiana (PA) | Before: 2: The Crimson Hawks continue to perform as well as the Sharks, backed by a pair of Bevo Francis Top 100 contenders. In contrast to the Sharks, this team is more focused on defense, allowing just 58.7 points per game, making him one of the best teams in the country. I’m not one of his clichés, but the defense wins championships and is a big reason why the IUP is a DII Men’s Elite 8 threat every year.

No. 3 Central Oklahoma | Before: 9: Speaking of good defense, the Bronchos have the top 5 scoring defense in DII men’s basketball, allowing just 58.9 points per game. A solid ball he makes up the team, considering he’s against his sixth-tightest schedule in DII. Last week, they held the Bearcats to just 38.2% shooting, giving him an 11-point victory over a three-time champion. That’s all we need to know right away about how well this team is playing right now.

No. 4 Lincoln Memorial | Before: 8: The Railsplitters are an absolute firepower, winning 16 straight in one of the top offenses in DII Men’s Basketball and scoring 92.8 points per game. Defense doesn’t seem to be an issue either, as they’re beating out teams with his 22.5 points per game. Usually he has a great many weapons, all five of his players scoring double digits. They haven’t played the toughest schedule, but he’s one of the deepest teams in the division, so the test of the eye reigns here.

Surprise, surprise: 11 teams get off to an unexpected start in 2022-23

No.5 Augusta | Before: 8: The Jaguars had their first major Peach Belt Conference victory over nationally-ranked Young Harris, beating out their opponents by 21 points since their last Power 10. Unsurprisingly, Tyshawn Crawford is a Bebo Francis contender, leading the team in points, rebounds and blocks, and has the best stats in the division.

No. 6 Colorado School of Mines | Before: 10 (Tie): I love what’s happening in Golden, Colorado. Orediggers has a great blend of talent, consistent on both sides of the ball, and he beats his opponents by nearly 20 points per game. Brendan Sullivan has long been one of the best in DII and continues to lead the way, but Sam Beskind (Stanford) and his Adam Thistlewood (Colorado) made it to the Bevo Francis Top 100 . The depth of this team. An overtime loss to conference rival Black Hills State is the only blemish on their record.

No. 7 Black Hills State | Before: 4: Did someone say Black Hills State? The Yellow Jackets dropped their first game since last year’s national semifinals. To be fair, it was against a very good Colorado Mesa his team that advanced to the national rankings. I don’t know when the RMAC became a basketball powerhouse, but here we have four teams in the top 25. This shows what toughness the Yellow Jackets have, surviving a grueling schedule with a 14-1 record and one of his No. 1 rankings. Joel Scott’s best player in his DII.

All Stats Team: The starting five players on the December Box Score Staff

No. 8 Northwest Missouri | Before: 3: The Bearcats dropped that game to Central Oklahoma and now have two losses in the top 25 tournaments within MIAA. so what? Last year, when the sky seemed to be falling, when I knocked the Bearcats to their “first five-out,” they ran away and never lost again. Yes, especially when expectations are so high in Maryville, the Bearcats stumble a bit… for now.

No.9 Hillsdale | Before: 10 (Tie): The Chargers have bounced back from a tough loss to go on a four-game winning streak to go 16-1 this season. There’s so much balance between this first five of him that he looks so dangerous and ready to sneak and rampage. With UMSL a little out of the way, the Chargers are the team to beat in the Midwest at the moment, and each win helps set them apart from the herd. But there’s a long way to go, so let’s see how Hillsdale deals with the grueling whoops of the second half of the season.

No. 10 West Liberty | Before: 7: Despite the recent crash, I keep Hilltoppers in my top 10. The team lost three of his big players from last year’s squad and expected a few bumps and bruises along the way. With a 14-2 record and only one loss for him in the conference, it’s clear that this team is progressing well. It certainly helps that Bryce Butler continues to play at the elite level.

First 5 outs (in alphabetical order):

• Bentley: The Falcons are 14-1, making it difficult for anyone in the Eastern region to secure the No. 1 seed. This team has Zach Laput (he has 20.9 points per game) leading the five starters, all scoring 11 or more points each night.
• Fort Lewis: The Skyhawks keep winning and Akuel Kot keeps scoring. Big trials await in his week-long span with Colorado Mesa and Colorado School of Mines.
• Point Loma: Kaden Anderson is an absolute beast, and after a rough start to the season, the team is on track to win their 12th straight title. Sea lions and San Bernardino, California would make the West fun.
• UNC Pembroke: The Braves are on a 10-game winning streak and are now 17-1 on the season. They do it with solid defense and a very balanced offense.
• West Virginia: The Yellow Jackets are 1-2 behind the West Liberty this year. Otherwise, this team is on track and is currently 15-1 with a strong offense scoring 91 points per game.

Team to watch: Fairmont State — I ranked Fairmont State high this preseason, but three tough games in early December knocked them off people’s radar. Fighting, the Falcons straightened out the ship, going 8-1 since then, and he lost one in overtime to the nationally-ranked Virginia Union. Throwing in the biggest Western Liberty defeat since 2018, this team is on the right track heading into the new year.