Not much will change in DII college basketball rankings after a week that the top 10 went a combined 18-1. That said, the one loss led to a debut at No. 10 while 14-0 Bellarmine continues its reign atop the DII men's basketball Power 10.
RANKINGS: How the Power 10 fared last week
Before we jump into this week's rankings, let's remember: These are my picks, and mine alone. I base them off several categories that the DII men's basketball selection committee will use come NCAA DII tournament time such as — but not limited to — ranked teams beaten, record against winning teams, strength of schedule and average scoring margin.
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DII men's basketball Power 10: Jan. 20
(Note: All records and stats through games played Sunday, Jan. 19.)
No. 1 Bellarmine | 14-0 | Previous: 1
Bellarmine added to its impressive resume, taking down then-No. 18 Missouri-St. Louis this past week in a tight 65-60 victory. It is the third top 25 team the Knights have taken down this season, and a fourth is looming Monday night with Indianapolis coming to town. Alex Cook and Ben Weyer continue to lead one of the most balanced attacks in the Division.
This week: Jan 20. vs. UIndy; Jan. 23 vs. Southwest Baptist; Jan. 25 vs. Drury
UNDEFEATED TRACKER: Follow Bellarmine's run to a perfect season
No. 2 Northwest Missouri State | 16-1 | Previous: 2
What else can be said about the run this team is on. Diego Bernard, Ryan Hawkins and Trevor Hudgins made the Bevo Francis top 100 watchlist as the three combine for a 56.1 points, 16.7 rebounds and 11.2 assists per game average. The Bearcats have won 26 in a row at home where they will play both games this coming week.
This week: Jan. 23 vs. Nebraska-Kearney; Jan. 25 vs. Fort Hays State
2019 UPSETS: Central Missouri over Northwest Missouri State | Rollins over Nova Southeastern
No. 3 Lincoln Memorial | 17-1 | Previous: 3
This team is rolling now averaging 93.4 points per game on the season. Courvoisier McCauley continues to lead the charge averaging 20.6 points per game, but Devin Whitfield, Cameron Henry and dunk-master Anthony Brown all pitch in with more than 12 points per game. This team was young last year and those growing pains are well in the rearview mirror with 17 straight wins under their belt.
This week: Jan. 22 at Tusculum; Jan. 25 vs. Coker
No. 4 West Texas A&M | 17-1 | Previous: 4
The Buffs are another dominant team at home, now winners of 36 in a row at the First United Bank Center. West Texas A&M hits the road twice this week, however in two Lone Star Conference matchups. Qua Grant and Joel Murray may be getting better, now pitching in 42 combined points of the Buffs 95.6 points per game. This team has a lot of weapons and looks to be heading for another deep NCAA DII tournament run.
This week: Jan. 23 at Texas A&M-Kingsville; Jan. 25 at Texas A&M International
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No. 5 UC San Diego | 17-1 | Previous: 5
The Tritons opened their week of play with a big double-digit win against nationally-ranked Cal Poly Pomona. Christian Oshita and Scott Everman both dropped 22 points apiece in 69-57 victory. This team is all about outscoring its opponents and a 3.3 edge per game in the turnover battle certainly helps the Tritons continue to pour on buckets. UCSD travels a long way from home in two very winnable games this week.
This week: Jan. 23 at San Francisco State; at Sonoma State
No. 6 Indiana (Pa) | 15-1 | Previous: 6
The Crimson Hawks are handling the PSAC with relative ease of late. They have scored at least 85 points in their last three games, winning by an average of 24.3 per game. Armoni Foster and Malik Miller provide the power in the offense, but this team has plenty of options that can score. They showed that this past Saturday with an impressive 58-36 half after trailing by 18 points at one point in the first.
This week: Jan. 22 at Pitt-Johnstown; Jan. 25 vs. Clarion
No. 7 Nova Southeastern | 13-2 | Previous: 7
The Sharks and Embry-Riddle faced off in a battle of top 3 offenses and surprisingly went to the wire in a low-scoring (for them at least) 83-82 affair. This was a tremendous win for Nova Southeastern to show it can win a tight game when its No. 1 scoring offense doesn't go off for 100 points, especially after two tough losses this season by a combined four points. It doesn't get any easier this week, traveling to No. 19 Barry and then hosting a rematch with Tampa, which held the Sharks to just 81 points earlier this season.
This week: Jan. 22 at Barry; Jan. 25 vs. Tampa
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No. 8 St. Edward's | 16-1| Previous: 8
The Hilltoppers gave head coach Andre Cook plenty to be happy about this past week. The long-time St. Edward's leader picked up his 300th career victory in a 94-68 win over Texas A&M International. While opposing teams can shoot off of the Hilltoppers, they roll off wins via the turnovers, averaging an 8.1 margin per game that translates into 25.6 points off of turnovers per night.
This week: Jan. 23 at Angelo State; Jan. 25 at Lubbock Christian
No. 9 Florida Southern | 15-2 | Previous: 10
I put Florida Southern ahead of Ferris State in a close race for the No. 10 spot last week and the Mocs responded with a perfect week. The Mocs will have to tighten up their defense to survive a long run into the NCAA DII tournament — allowing a Sunshine State Conference-worst 82.0 points per game — but thus far, the offense has kept them on top. A big matchup against Barry will let us no more come Monday.
This week: Jan. 22 vs. Tampa; Jan. 25 vs. Barry
No. 10 St. Thomas Aquinas | 16-2 | Previous: NR
Welcome to the Power 10, Spartan Nation. St. Thomas Aquinas hasn't lost in 2020, winners of six straight. The Spartans have a three-headed scoring machine in Demetre Roberts, Osbel Carabello and Sekou Cisse that contribute 46.5 of their 80.3 points per game. They haven't played the toughest of schedules thus far, but their solid start to January sees them make their Power 10 debut.
Last week: Jan. 22 vs. Bridgeport; Jan. 25 at District of Columbia
Just missed (in alphabetical order) :
- Alabama-Huntsville
- DBU
- Ferris State
- Grand Valley State
- Missouri Southern
Ferris State has a DII-best 18 wins, but a 12-point loss to unranked Michigan Tech keeps the Bulldogs right on the outside of the Power 10. It's also time to put Grand Valley State on official Power 10 watch: the Lakers only loss in their last 16 games is to the aforementioned Ferris State Bulldogs.
Team to watch: Keep your eye on Barry this week. The Bucs can make up for their third loss of the season with two Power 10 teams — Nova Southeastern and Florida Southern — on this week's slate. If they pull off a sweep, they immediately become a team to watch.
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