KANSAS CITY - Texas Wesleyan University is garnering notable attention in the sixth NAIA Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 poll, earning 55 votes in the receiving votes category amid a poll full of movement where everyone but No. 4 Ave Maria (Fla.) is on the shift.
A new No. 1 emerges in Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.), while five new teams climb into the top 25: Huntington (Ind.), who took down at the time No. 1 and current No. 2 Grace (Ind.); Morningside (Iowa), who clinched the first automatic bid into the 2026 NAIA Men's Basketball National Tournament last weekend; Lewis-Clark State (Idaho); Benedictine-Mesa (Ariz.); and Shawnee State (Ohio). The Bears are on an 11-game winning streak.
| TREND |
RANK |
LAST TIME |
INSTITUTION [FIRST-PLACE VOTES] |
RECORD |
POINTS |
| ▲ |
1 |
2 |
Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) [18] |
24-1 |
510 |
| ▼ |
2 |
1 |
Grace (Ind.) |
22-2 |
489 |
| ▲ |
3 |
5 |
Indiana Wesleyan |
21-3 |
462 |
| ● |
4 |
4 |
Ave Maria (Fla.) |
22-2 |
453 |
| ▼ |
5 |
3 |
Oklahoma Wesleyan |
21-3 |
452 |
| ▲ |
T-6 |
14 |
Hope International (Calif.) |
20-4 |
383 |
| ▲ |
T-6 |
8 |
Nelson (Texas) |
20-4 |
383 |
| ▲ |
8 |
9 |
Langston (Okla.) |
19-5 |
377 |
| ▲ |
9 |
11 |
Keiser (Fla.) |
20-3 |
362 |
| ▲ |
10 |
13 |
Pikeville (Ky.) |
20-3 |
351 |
| ▼ |
T-11 |
10 |
Bethel (Ind.) |
20-4 |
322 |
| ▲ |
T-11 |
23 |
Rocky Mountain (Mont.) |
21-3 |
322 |
| ▲ |
13 |
15 |
LSU Shreveport (La.) |
19-4 |
319 |
| ▼ |
14 |
7 |
Arizona Christian |
18-6 |
226 |
| ▲ |
15 |
18 |
Georgetown (Ky.) |
19-6 |
215 |
| ▼ |
16 |
17 |
Friends (Kan.) |
19-5 |
212 |
| ▼ |
17 |
6 |
Cumberlands (Ky.) |
19-6 |
207 |
| ▼ |
18 |
16 |
Columbia (Mo.) |
21-3 |
200 |
| ▲ |
19 |
RV |
Huntington (Ind.) |
18-6 |
167 |
| ▼ |
20 |
19 |
William Carey (Miss.) |
22-2 |
156 |
| ▲ |
21 |
RV |
Morningside (Iowa) |
19-5 |
151 |
| ▲ |
22 |
RV |
Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) |
19-5 |
148 |
| ▲ |
23 |
RV |
Benedictine-Mesa (Ariz.) |
21-4 |
107 |
| ▲ |
24 |
RV |
Shawnee State (Ohio) |
20-4 |
99 |
| ▼ |
25 |
21 |
Graceland (Iowa) |
20-4 |
89 |
| Dropped from Top 25: Indiana Tech, Montana Tech, Oregon Tech, Taylor (Ind.), IU Kokomo (Ind.) |
| Receiving Votes: Northwestern (Iowa) 67; Texas Wesleyan 55; Loyola (La.) 50; Montana Tech 44; Indiana Tech 35; LSU Alexandria (La.) 26; Madonna (Mich.) 22; Oregon Tech 18; The Master's (Calif.) 11; Southeastern (Fla.) 7; William Penn (Iowa) 5; Eastern Oregon 3; IU Kokomo (Ind.) 2; Montana State Northern 2 |
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.
