What a start to the DII men's basketball season. Both teams from the record-setting 2023 national championship game — Nova Southeastern and West Liberty — are flying high again, while preseason No. 1 Northwest Missouri State has a few early season losses under its belt. That means there's a new team atop the DII men's basketball Power 10 rankings.
Because of the staggered start to DII men's basketball, I typically like to wait a month to let teams get enough meaningful games under their belts before starting up the rankings. If this is your first time reading the Power 10 rankings, these are mine and mine alone — there is no voting body, just me, some stats, and a whole bunch of notes. I attempt to mesh the good ol' eye test with some of the numbers the selection committee uses to fill the bracket in March. It is also important to note that the only games that matter to me are those played against DII competition.
Additionally, this season I will be using stats from InkblotSports. You can see those metrics — which include RPI and PI amongst other selection metrics — or join the .
DII MEN'S BASKETBALL NEWS THAT MATTERS:
- Preseason Power 10
- 15 players to watch
- Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic lessons learned
- The first DII men's basketball all-stats starting 5 for 2023-24
The first DII men's basketball Power 10 for 2023-24 (through 12/9/23)
No. 1 Nova Southeastern | Preseason: 3
File this under the no-brainer category. The defending champs are 6-0 against DII competition and have lost just once since Nov. 13, 2021 — opening day two seasons ago. Despite all the talent that was lost from the national championship team a year ago, the Sharks are still top five in scoring, dropping more than 110 points per game this season, while the intense pressure defense is allowing just 82.9 points per game, allowing for some very lopsided victories. The Sharks have seven players chipping in more than nine points a night and are shooting 51 percent as a team. This team is on fire. Kudos to head coach Jim Crutchfield: The Sharks are top three in scoring and steals per game. The other two teams in the top three? Gannon and West Liberty, both coached by his former top assistants. The Crutchfield Way certainly seems to be working.
No. 2 MSU Moorhead | Preseason: NR
Teams Nos. 2-5 are pretty tight and can go a few different ways. The Dragons haven't played the toughest schedule, but they do have the top performance index in the tricky Central Region. I don't know that we've seen the best basketball played in the Central Region yet, so a 10-0 start is a huge advantage for the Dragons. Jacob Beeninga leads the way, scoring 20.4 points per game, but the Dragons have a trio of other scorers that contribute double-digit points per week.
No. 3 Saint Martin's | Preseason: NR
The Saints do have a loss, stunned by Northwest Nazarene by one point, but are 9-1 against DII competition with several signature wins already against teams in the national rankings conversation. Wins over Point Loma, Cal State San Bernardino, Hawaii Hilo and Cal State East Bay have Saint Martin's with the highest RPI and PI in the West Region. The Saints' lineup is pretty deep with several scoring options when healthy. They don't resume GNAC play until January, so we'll see what they can do after the long layoff.
No. 4 (tie) Colorado Mesa, DBU | Preseason: 10, NR respectively
I know Patriots fans will wonder how these two teams can be tied when DBU has the head-to-head with an opening night 89-84 victory over Colorado Mesa. Despite the Mavericks' loss to DBU — their lone loss, mind you — Colorado Mesa still has the top RPI and PI in the South Central because of a 7-1 record against one of the toughest schedules in DII men's basketball. Four starters contribute double-digit scoring and the team shoots over 50 percent on the whole.
DBU just dropped its first loss of the season against an Eastern New Mexico team that is off to a surprisingly strong start. Still, the Patriots are off to a similarly strong start themselves, scoring 95.4 points per game and beating their opponents by more than 15 a night. Cameron Kahn is red-hot, averaging 19 points per game on 63.8 percent shooting with eight rebounds per game.
No. 6 West Liberty | Preseason: 2
Steal. Shoot. Score. The Hilltoppers haven't changed the formula that has worked for decades and gotten them to the national championship game last year. This year, they are already scoring 102 points per game with their high-pressure defense, leading to 14.7 steals and just 76.1 points allowed per game. Everyone in the starting lineup scores at least 8.3 points per game as this is a very balanced attack from top to bottom. West Liberty does get dinged for losing to a very tough Charleston (WV) team that should be in the top 25, but I don't expect it to hold it back too long.
No. 7 Minnesota State | Preseason: NR
The Mavericks are 10-0 on paper but did have a three-game run against NAIA competition, so let's focus on the 7-0 mark. That mark has earned them the top RPI in the Central Region, and that is quite impressive. There are just eight undefeated teams left in DII men's basketball — which before January is pretty low — so this hot start is certainly worth noting. Malik Willingham is the Mavs' big scorer with 19.5 points per game, and he leads the team in both assists and steals, but Minnesota State has plenty of scorers on a team that puts up more than 93 points per game.
No. 8 West Georgia | Preseason: NR
The Wolves are 8-0 against DII men's basketball competition and are looking very strong. They opened the season out of conference with a pair of wins against very tough Palm Beach Atlantic (currently 7-2) and Embry-Riddle (currently 6-2) programs. The momentum has kept rolling into conference play, where West Georgia has a comfortable 5-0 cushion as the last undefeated team in the Gulf South. Zawdie Jackson and Camron Donatlan are scoring machines, combining for 38.2 points per game while shooting just about 54 percent from the floor combined.
No. 9 Emporia State | Preseason: NR
The Hornets opened the season in Florida with a loss to then-nationally ranked UNC Pembroke — and apparently, took it to heart. They haven't lost since and have won eight of their nine games by double-digits. Alijah Comithier, Owen Long, and Solomon Oraegbu are all scoring at least 17.7 points and contributing to all stats consistently, making quite the formidable Big Three to contend with. The MIAA is always a gauntlet so being the last undefeated team in conference play is a big leg up, even this early in the season.
No. 10 Gannon | Preseason: NR
The Golden Knights were 3-23 last year. Enter new head coach Jordan Fee — coming off a national championship run — and now Gannon is a whole new program (6-0 against DII opponents). That includes a huge opening weekend victory over Charleston (WV). This team is leading DII men's basketball with 117. 3 points per game — a massive number through seven total games, and doesn't seem to be slowing down. They are checking the boxes as well — the Golden Knights have played a schedule with a winning record (.529 winning percentage) and have the top RPI and PI in the Atlantic Region. It is very early, but this could be the feel-good story of the year.
The first five out (listed alphabetically)
- Ashland: The Eagles were one of many undefeated teams that picked up their first loss this past week, but they still are very good coming off the huge win over nationally ranked Walsh.
- Benedict: The Tigers are one of the last remaining undefeated teams and have done it against a plus-.500 schedule to sit atop the PI rankings in the South Region.
- Cal State San Bernardino: The Yotes picked up their first loss of the season, but they have a signature win over conference rival and then-top-10-ranked Chico State.
- Saint Michael's: I like what I'm seeing from the Purple Knights. In two weeks, they defeated Saint Anselm and Southern New Hampshire — both receiving votes in the polls — before downing nationally-ranked Pace. At 7-1 — after going 11-18 a year ago — Saint Michael's is a team to watch.
- West Texas A&M: The Buffs are 7-1 and their lone loss was a one-point doozy to nationally ranked MSU Denver. Head coach Tom Brown has another strong team in Canyon. The High Desert Classic will be a huge test against Colorado Mesa.
Just missed: Central Oklahoma, Lander, Point Loma
Don't be fooled: Minnesota Duluth, Lincoln Memorial and Northwest Missouri State are three teams I wanted to include here because of the depth of talent on all three rosters. However, the Bulldogs are a two-loss team while both the Railsplitters and Bearcats have three losses already. It feels like these are three programs that can right the early wrongs when the calendar flips to 2024.
Team to watch
Each week, I'll highlight teams that may not be getting national attention... but very well should. This week we look at the Valkyries.
Converse
The Valkyries are relatively new to the DII men's basketball scene. They improved from a six-win team in 2021-22 to a 15-15 team last year and are now off to a sizzling 8-0 start, including 6-0 against DII opponents. That includes a recent victory over Emmanuel (GA) in which they held KJ Jones II to a season-low 12 points. Converse hasn't played a tough schedule, but it is more than halfway to its program-record win total with about three months to go. With Uzziah Dawkins, CJ Jamison, and Edoardo Buffo contributing 48 points and 14.9 rebounds per game, the Valkyries have a tough Big Three and could look at making some noise in Conference Carolinas this season.
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