There's a new No. 1 in the DII men's basketball Power 10 rankings

It is mid-December and the mighty Bearcats have picked up their first loss. With Northwest Missouri State's defeat at the hands of Emporia State, there is a new No. 1 in the final DII men's basketball Power 10 rankings of 2022. 

It's actually somewhat comical at this point — and speaks volumes to what coach Ben McCollum has created in Maryville — that a single Northwest Missouri State loss shakes the DII men's basketball universe at its foundations. After all, this team had five losses heading into last year's DII tournament — two more than the previous three seasons COMBINED — and suddenly they weren't the favorites. We saw how that ended.

POWER 10 PREP: Look back at the previous Power 10

That said, the Bearcats do fall just a tad, and Indiana (PA) grabs the No. 1 spot. Let's take a look at the latest Power 10. 

The second DII men’s basketball Power 10 rankings of the regular season

(Note: Games through Dec. 19)

No. 1 Indiana (PA) | Previous: 2: The Crimson Hawks are winning and winning big. Now 9-0, IUP is outscoring its opponents by a margin of 20.7 points per game, fifth best in DII. Tomiwa Sulaiman, the reigning PSAC West rookie of the year, is proving to be a real X-factor, stepping into an even larger role with much-improved play. This team, as always, is dangerous with depth in the scoring department. 

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No. 2 Nova Southeastern | Previous: 3: Speaking of scary depth in the scoring department, here are the Sharks. Nova Southeastern is leading DII men's basketball, scoring an utterly absurd 107.4 points per game through its first 10 games. A perfect 10-0, this team has five players scoring in double figures, including RJ Sunahara who is playing at a player-of-the-year level averaging 22.9 points per game on an impressive 65.2 percent shooting so far. 

No. 3 Northwest Missouri State | Previous: 1: Let's not kid ourselves, the Bearcats are still the Bearcats and could make the case to still be No. 1. Yes, they have one loss, but Emporia State is extremely talented and kind of has the Bearcats' number the past two seasons, beating them three times since last February. That's in the regular season, though. Come March, this is the same old Bearcats with the same old Diego Bernard (who didn't play in the loss) hopefully healthy to lead a late-season charge.  

No. 4 Black Hills State | Previous: 4: The Yellow Jackets are rolling, now 11-0 with a massive resume-building victory over fellow Power-10-er Colorado School of Mines. It was a thriller in overtime in which last year's breakout star Joel Scott ripped down 20 rebounds to go with 23 points. This is just a really good story. BHSU came out of seemingly nowhere last year, and are proving, with authority mind you, that it was no fluke.

No. 5 Hillsdale | Previous: 7: The Chargers are cruising, now a somewhat surprising 12-0 on the year. This team has talent aplenty, but I am impressed with how quickly it gelled despite the key losses from the past few seasons. Jack Gohlke, Joe Reuter, and Kyle Goessler are as formidable a "Big Three" as you'll find, each very good in their role. Perhaps most impressive was the Chargers last win, where defense propelled them on an off night from the floor. That grittiness will go far in the heart of conference play. The Chargers are one win away from tying the best start in program history. 

No. 6 Missouri-St. Louis | Previous: First five out: Raise your hand if you had UMSL 11-0 to start the season, because that's impressive. On top of that hot start, the Tritons have top-25 wins against Walsh and most recently West Texas A&M in an overtime thriller from Las Vegas. Paced by one of the stingier defenses in DII men's basketball, the Tritons have a nice blend of scorers and are very good behind the arc, sitting in the top 20 in DII men's basketball in 3-point percentage. 

No. 7 West Liberty | Previous: 5: The Hilltoppers dropped their first game of the season, but it was to a very tricky Lubbock Christian team whose record against a tough schedule is not indicative of the talent it possesses. This is still your good ol' fashioned West Liberty squad, already averaging 98.6 points per game this season, third-best in DII. Bryce Butler is an absolute beast and putting up player-of-the-year numbers, but this team is plenty deep, with all five starters averaging at least 10.3 points per game.   

No. 8 Lincoln Memorial | Previous: 8 The Railsplitters are a very dynamic and deep team and have now reeled off 11 straight wins since that opening-weekend loss at the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic. Five players score in double figures and two more add more than nine per night. That's how Lincoln Memorial is able to run you out of the gym, scoring 90.6 points per game, a top-10 mark in DII. 

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No. 9 Augusta | Previous: 9: The Jaguars hold steady, currently on a five-game winning streak since the loss to Virginia Union. The defending national runners-up have barely touched conference play but have a 2-0 start for when the heart of PBC play begins on Jan. 4. Tyshawn Crawford and Miguel Arnold lead the way offensively, but it feels like the Jaguars — who get a lot out of many — need one more person to step up in a big way as 2023 play commences. 

No. 10 (tie) Central Oklahoma, Colorado School of Mines | Previous: 6, 10: That's right, the Orediggers hold tight at No. 10 despite dropping its first game of the season since the last Power 10. Of course, that one loss came to a ridiculously good Black Hills State team in overtime, so it shows how this team can compete. Per , Mines have played a tough schedule (.523 SOS), have a .611 RPI, and the second-best Performance Index in the South Central Region.  

Central Oklahoma also has similar numbers per Inkblot Sports, but having the top PI in the Central Region, arguably the most competitive region in DII, speaks volumes. I'm not a big fan of cliches in sports, but the adage says, "defense wins championships," and the Bronchos have defense by the boatload. Central Oklahoma currently leads DII with a smothering 57.4 points per game allowed, and defense like that can be monumental in the Central Region.

First five out (in alphabetical order):

• Bentley: The Falcons are on a tear, winners of seven games in a row. They utterly dominated Dominican (NY) — a team they may very well see in the East Region again in March — in November 95-58, so we know they can beat the teams they have to. A 9-1 start against a .607 SOS is very good.
• Cal State San Bernardino: Unfortunately, due to a roof leak and a couple of postponed games, the Coyotes have played just one game since the last Power 10. This team is good enough to crack the top 10 talent wise, but I couldn't put them in there with just one win in two weeks.
• Emporia State: I'm still higher on the Hornets than most, and the win against the Bearcats shows why. Still, a loss in the next game to Missouri Western keeps them out of the top 10 for now. 
• Fort Lewis: The Skyhawks hold tight in the top 15 despite dropping their first game of the season in a big way. Now 10-1, with one of the most dominating scorers in DII in Akuel Kot, we'll learn a lot more about how "real" this team is when it returns from break in a showdown against BHSU to close out 2022. 
• UNC Pembroke: The Braves were a team in transition entering this season, so the 11-1 start is impressive. They play some tightly contested games, so I'm curious to see how they handle a ranked team, which they have not yet played. Still, this team has some nice players really starting to play well together. 

Also considered: Dominican (NY), Florida Southern, Point Loma, Southern Nazarene, West Virginia State

Team to watch: Wisconsin-Parkside: The Rangers have me intrigued. Winners of six in a row, they are now just four wins shy of matching their 2021-22 win total. Parkside returns with a lofty matchup against UMSL to get 2023 started so we'll learn a lot more rather quickly. However, what we do know is positive: Rasheed Bello (17.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists) leads a deep starting five that shoots the ball well and keeps the opponent from scoring a lot. That's a winning recipe right there.