We are heading into February of the DII men's basketball season. While there are only 25 teams that can fill the NABC and D2SIDA national rankings, there are 64 teams that fill the bracket. That means there are quite a few teams playing really good basketball that are tournament bound but may not be getting the attention they rightfully deserve on the national level.
Until now.
Here is a look at a few teams that have been playing well since opening tip and already have a solid postseason resume. Some are red-hot, some have been consistently strong, but all are dangerous to play right now.
DII MEN'S BASKETBALL CENTRAL:
5 teams you don't want to play right now
Cal State LA
Go all the way back to 2016 and you'll notice a trend in the West Region. No team has won the region in back-to-back seasons since, and only Chico State (2017, 2022) have made an appearance twice. With so much variety and teams seemingly coming out of nowhere to win the West Region, Cal State LA becomes very dangerous. For one, the Golden Eagles are currently atop the CCAA, tied at 14-3 with Cal State Dominguez Hills, which they beat by 15 points, so have the edge for now. That's exactly what Cal State LA has been doing: Beating the teams that matter most. Cal State San Bernardino, Cal State Dominguez Hills and Chico State all join their CCAA foe in Inkblot Sports latest top-8 of RPI teams in the West Region, and Cal State LA has defeated them all. The Nos. 1-3 seeded teams are the only teams to win the West Region for most of the past decade, and that's exactly where Cal State LA fits in right now. History may be on the Golden Eagles' side.
Eastern New Mexico
The Greyhounds had 17 wins last season and are already at 11 for the 2023-24 season. That includes some very key victories against Power 10 DBU and Lubbock Christian. But, and this may seem incredibly bizarre, it is their losses that stand out more. Eastern New Mexico has very tight losses to three current top-25 teams: a one-point loss to No. 12 Fort Lewis, a three-point loss to No. 19 Angelo State, and this past weekend, a two-point loss to No. 2 West Texas A&M, which is arguably the best team in DII men's basketball right now. What we are seeing is not simply a team improving its win-loss total from a year ago, but bringing it every night, even against the best competition in DII men's basketball. It feels like this team is very 2022 Black Hills State-like, which went on to upset Nova Southeastern in the DII Men's Elite Eight that season.
Missouri Western
The Griffons are on fire and winning meaningful ball games at that. They hit a skid in December in which they lost three of four games... and have won every game since. That includes a big win over nationally-ranked Northwest Missouri State and its most recent victory over Central Oklahoma, which has been in and out of the top-25 all season. The starting five is shooting over 50 percent and has started all 17 games of the season together. They combine for the second-best scoring offense in the MIAA, and defensively, the Griffons allow just 68.2 points per game, so they are balanced. In fact, in their four wins against nationally ranked teams, they are allowing just 63 points per game.
Lincoln Memorial
The Railsplitters have five losses and have lost some of their shine in the national rankings. But you have to break it down a little further than that to see how good this team is and why they are a real threat down the stretch. Despite the five losses, the Railsplitters have an RPI well north of .600 — it's one of the best in all DII and no other four-loss team comes close to a .600 RPI, never mind a five-loss team. They have played the toughest SOS of current tournament-bound teams in the Southeast. And Chase Rankin, Martez Brown and Me'Kell Burries are one of the best "Big Threes" in DII — Rankin and Brown even got Bevo Francis love of the first watchlist. This team seems like it is just dancing around the ring and is about to come out swinging in the final rounds of the season.
Northern Michigan
The Wildcats are on an 11-game winning streak and are scorching hot. Per , the Wildcats own the top RPI in the Midwest Region... and didn't tally a vote in the Jan. 17 NABC rankings. This is why coaches' polls are sometimes misleading — they aren't based on the same metrics as what gets a team into the DII men's basketball championship bracket. Northern Michigan is 15-5 overall and has done so against a SOS of .549, which is much higher than fellow Midwest Region teams Ferris State (which is nationally ranked) and Walsh (which received votes). The Wildcats' .588 RPI is tops in the Midwest and their 29.3 PI is No. 2. When you throw in that they currently have the head-to-head advantage over Ferris State (thanks to a 75-71 victory on Jan. 13), we aren't merely looking at a potential tournament team, but possibly the No. 1 host seed in the Midwest. That is flying very low under the radar.
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