KANSAS CITY - The fifth NAIA Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 poll brings clarity at the top and chaos beneath it, as Grace (Ind.) and Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) continue to separate themselves while everyone else reshuffles in a big way—including Texas Wesleyan receiving votes for the second time this season. The Lancers remain the nation's standard behind elite efficiency and balanced scoring, while the Lions' physical, mistake-forcing style keeps them firmly planted at No. 2. Behind them, Indiana Wesleyan makes the week's biggest leap into the top five, and Nelson (Texas) cracks the top 10 for the first time this season. Rocky Mountain (Mont.) and IU Kokomo (Ind.) join the top 25 after receiving votes in the previous release.
| TREND |
RANK |
LAST TIME |
INSITIUTION [FIRST-PLACE VOTES] |
RECORD |
POINTS |
| ● |
1 |
1 |
Grace (Ind.) [17] |
20-0 |
509 |
| ● |
2 |
2 |
Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) [1] |
20-1 |
493 |
| ▲ |
3 |
4 |
Oklahoma Wesleyan |
18-2 |
476 |
| ▲ |
4 |
5 |
Ave Maria (Fla.) |
19-2 |
430 |
| ▲ |
5 |
11 |
Indiana Wesleyan |
17-3 |
410 |
| ▲ |
6 |
8 |
Cumberlands (Ky.) |
17-3 |
391 |
| ▲ |
7 |
10 |
Arizona Christian |
16-5 |
376 |
| ▲ |
8 |
17 |
Nelson (Texas) |
16-3 |
361 |
| ▼ |
9 |
7 |
Langston (Okla.) |
15-4 |
345 |
| ▼ |
10 |
3 |
Bethel (Ind.) |
17-3 |
331 |
| ▼ |
11 |
6 |
Keiser (Fla.) |
16-3 |
299 |
| ▲ |
12 |
13 |
Indiana Tech |
16-3 |
283 |
| ▼ |
13 |
12 |
Pikeville (Ky.) |
17-3 |
277 |
| ▼ |
14 |
9 |
Hope International (Calif.) |
16-4 |
253 |
| ● |
15 |
15 |
LSU Shreveport (La.) |
15-4 |
250 |
| ▲ |
16 |
22 |
Columbia (Mo.) |
18-2 |
237 |
| ▼ |
17 |
14 |
Friends (Kan.) |
16-4 |
230 |
| ● |
18 |
18 |
Georgetown (Ky.) |
15-5 |
205 |
| ▲ |
19 |
23 |
William Carey (Miss.) |
19-1 |
181 |
| ▼ |
20 |
15 |
Montana Tech |
16-4 |
179 |
| ▼ |
21 |
20 |
Graceland (Iowa) |
18-3 |
150 |
| ▼ |
22 |
21 |
Oregon Tech |
15-5 |
137 |
| ▲ |
23 |
RV |
Rocky Mountain (Mont.) |
17-3 |
124 |
| ▼ |
24 |
23 |
Taylor (Ind.) |
16-4 |
113 |
| ▲ |
25 |
RV |
IU Kokomo (Ind.) |
18-2 |
79 |
| Dropped from Top 25: Benedictine-Mesa (Ariz.), Bethel (Kan.) |
| Receiving Votes: Morningside (Iowa) 76; Benedictine-Mesa (Ariz.) 63; Southeastern (Fla.) 51; Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) 29; Huntington (Ind.) 21; LSU Alexandria (La.) 18; Northwestern (Iowa) 18; Bethel (Kan.) 15; Loyola (La.) 11; Shawnee State (Ohio) 11; The Master's (Calif.) 10; Texas Wesleyan 7; Bellevue (Neb.) 5 |
Key:
RV - Receiving Votes | NR - Not Ranked | Climbed -▲ |Dropped -▼ | Steady - ●
Poll Methodology
- The national poll is for publicity purposes only and does not influence the selection process for national championship consideration.
- A panel of head coaches representing each conference and the Continental Athletic Conference (Independents) votes in the poll.
- The Top 25 teams are selected using a points-based system:
- 30 points for a 1st-place vote, 29 for 2nd, 28 for 3rd, and so on.
- The highest and lowest rankings received by each team are discarded before final tallying.
- Teams receiving only one point are not listed as "receiving votes."
- For the Preseason Poll, there is no "previous ranking" column since it is the initial poll and differs from the prior rating system.
