11 pleasantly surprising teams in DII men’s basketball, so far

While it may seem like the DII men’s basketball season is a never-ending rerun of Northwest Missouri State championship runs, each year, there are a few teams that seemingly come out of nowhere to surprise us. Black Hills State and its Cinderella semifinals run from last year immediately come to mind.

Now, November and December play is a tough time to truly gage just how well a team will be in March with all of the non-conference and out-of-division play, but there are certainly a few teams that have caught the attention of the DII men’s basketball world… so far.

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Here’s a look at 11 of those teams.

(Note: All games through Dec. 23)

Claflin

The Panthers are off to a 9-1 start, which is very surprising considering they won seven games all of last year. Though they closed the pre-break schedule with a tough loss to Virginia State, the 9-0 run to start the season was still very impressive. The team is scoring more than 15 points per game more than last season while improving on defense as well, so it’s easy to see why they are out to a hot start. The scoring comes from a deep lineup, with seven players averaging more than 7.7 points per game.

Florida Southern

A year ago, the Mocs finished 16-14. They were 2-5 by the time December hit and had really dug a hole for themselves. This year, Florida Southern opened in and hosted the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic and put on one of the better, and more surprising, performances in the field, taking down Flagler and West Texas A&M, both of which garnered preseason attention in the polls. It has set the tone for the season: Now 9-2, the Mocs are scoring 90 points per game (nearly 10 more per game than last year) and have four players that can score, rebound and defend with the best of them.

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Florida Tech

The Panthers were a 13-13 team last year, so the 10-2 start in 2022 is very impressive. Looking at the roster, it is easy to see why: They have not one, but two of DII men’s basketball’s best players so far this season. Sesan Russell is averaging 21.9 points per game while chipping in 6.5 rebounds and a team-high 74 assists while Sean Houpt adds 19.8 points per game. Florida Tech does have several SSC wins under its belt so far, as well as a tightly contested loss against the aforementioned Florida Southern. How they hang with Nova Southeastern after the break will be something to watch.

Illinois Springfield

The Prairie Stars were a mere 12-17 last season and entered the break four wins shy of tying that mark, sitting at 8-3. Jack Weber has played strong so far, with nightly averages of 12.9 points and 7.3 rebounds to lead the team. UIS went into the break on a two-game losing streak, so it will be interesting to see how it comes back. An out-of-division contest before GLVC play resumes could help get the momentum rolling again.

Lock Haven

How about Lock Haven? The Bald Eagles haven’t had a winning season since the 2013-14 season when they went 17-10, so the 7-2 start is certainly a pleasant surprise. Senior transfer Jayy Davis has helped, leading the team with 15.6 points per game. It dropped its last game before the break in a big way to that Mercyhurst defense, so it will be interesting to see how they respond in the 2023 slate.

Maryville

The Saints are coming off a 12-17 season, so the 9-3 start is certainly a surprise. They do have a couple of nice, signature wins as well against Southwest Baptist and Upper Iowa. Maryville has shown a balanced scoring attack thus far, with four players averaging more than 10 points nightly, but the margin of victory (3.5 points per game) is something that will need to improve in the heart of conference play. That said, the GLVC is a mess at the top heading into the post-break portion of the schedule, so it is anyone’s ball game.

North Georgia

The women's team for the Nighthawks has been top-25 and tournament regulars over the past several seasons, to which the men's team usually took a back seat. However, this year, they are off to a red-hot 9-1 start, including a big PBC win over Flagler. Frank Champion has played exceptionally well with nightly averages of 19 points and 9.5 rebounds. North Georgia closed the first half with a sweep in the Tampa Classic and will have a ton of momentum heading into the heart of PBC play when it returns on Jan. 4.  

Sioux Falls

There are three teams — Sioux Falls, Wayne State (NE) and Minnesota State — in the NSIC South that are 10-3, and each one is rather surprising. However, it is the Cougars that are the biggest surprise. Sioux Falls was 11-14 last season, so to be at 10 wins with a little more than half the season left is impressive. The Cougars have quite the resume as well with wins over Augustana (SD), Southern Nazarene and both Minnesota State and Wayne State (NE), which is ultimately why they make the list over the other two 10-3 teams. Matt Cartwright is building off his big 2021-22, averaging 22.2 points per game to lead the way.

Slippery Rock

Back to the PSAC, we turn to The Rock. When we talk the PSAC, especially the West, it is usually all about Indiana (PA) and Mercyhurst. While both teams are off to hot starts, they are joined at the top of the standings by The Rock. Slippery Rock, which has 17 and 15 wins the past two seasons respectively, is already 9-1 after starting 6-0, just its sixth 6-0 start in more than 100 years of program history. Transfer Khalid Gates (15.8 points, 6.5 rebounds per game) has certainly been a large reason why. The Rock is winning right now, but the games are close… it will be one to watch once the heart of PSAC play is underway.

Virginia State

Sitting atop the CIAA Northern Division is the Trojans with a 9-3 record overall and 3-0 start in conference play (including that victory over Claflin). This team had just 10 wins all last year, so heading into the season’s second half one game shy of that is a bit surprising. Terrence Hunter-Whitfield has led the way, averaging 18 points and 5.3 rebounds with a team-high 33 steals. While they have a few solid victories, perhaps the most impressive was a three-point loss to nationally ranked UNC Pembroke that came down to the final seconds. Virginia State is showing it can hang, and a few adjustments over break may propel them even further.

Wisconsin-Parkside

The Rangers were a mere 14-14 last year and 9-10 the year prior. At the pace they are on heading into the new year, they may finish with more wins than both years combined. Parkside is 10-2 as it awaits its New Year’s Eve bout with undefeated UMSL. Minus their top scorer from last season, the Rangers are much more balanced, no longer relying on two big scorers but a balanced attack from four players currently averaging more than 10 points per game. Along with that balance, the key has been defense, currently allowing nine points less per game than they did last year.