Nova Southeastern took care of business, won the SSC and heads to the DII men's basketball championship as the unquestioned No. 1 team in the Power 10 rankings. Unfortunately, after a shocking weekend of conference tournaments, that was one of the few unquestioned picks as new question marks were abundant.
This is the single hardest Power 10 ranking across all sports in the history of these rankings. The number of teams that lost in conference tournaments, and specifically — whom those teams lost to — opened many cans of worms to dissect. And dissect them we will.
Well, at least we will try.
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Remember, the Power 10 rankings are mine — there is no voting body or committee. I use and the to pair selection metrics with what I watch. This often leads to a different top 10 than you'll see in the national polls, which is precisely why I started the Power 10 rankings over half a decade ago.
The Final Power 10 before the tournament
(games through Sunday, March 9)
No. 1 Nova Southeastern | Previous: 1. Nearly five years ago, the Sharks defeated Florida Southern to begin a record-setting home-court winning streak. It came full circle this past Sunday, as the Sharks defeated Florida Southern to win the SSC tournament for their 81st home game in a row — a DII men's basketball record. This is still the team with the No. 1 KPI, RPI, SoS and scoring offense. Yes, they have a loss. No, I don't care at all.
No. 2 UAH | Previous: 2. The Chargers have the longest winning streak in all college basketball, rolling into the tournament as winners of 30 in a row. They held off Valdosta State for the third time this year to win the Gulf South, but it wasn't easy. Alabama Huntsville is second to only Nova Southeastern in many of the major metrics, which means it would be No. 1 in any other region, but have to settle for the No. 2 seed in the deep South Region.
No. 3 Daemen | Previous: 3. The Wildcats faced St. Thomas Aquinas for the fifth straight year in the ECC championship game and, despite STAC keeping it close, the Wildcats delivered. That puts them at 27-0 and the only undefeated team in the DII men's basketball championship. St. Thomas Aquinas is the only team in the East Region that I think could beat the Wildcats... and the Wildcats have defeated them three times this season. The way Daemen is playing, with the dynamic duo of Benjamin Bill and Justin Hemphill paired with the suffocating defense, the Wildcats are the easiest pick for the DII Men's Elite Eight... but it's March. Anything can happen.
No. 4 Point Loma| Previous: 7. The Sea Lions are heading into the tournament winners of seven straight and 16 of their 17 games since the calendar flipped to 2025. There is no team hotter in the West Region and few are hotter in the country. This team is gritty and will grind you down — and has three players who can match up with anyone in the division. The West is heavy at the top, so it won't be easy for Point Loma, but this team seemed destined for the DII Men's Elite Eight on opening weekend and has certainly lived up to the billing all season long.
No. 5 West Liberty | Previous: 4. Yes, the Hilltoppers lost the MEC championship. Let's face reality. They are still the No. 1 team in the Atlantic by quite a bit, and it took three overtime periods for Fairmont State — a top 20 team for most of the season, mind you — to snap their winning streak. They went 2-1 against Fairmont State this year and have one of the best RPI and KPI in DII. The Hilltoppers also have scored north of 100 points in seven straight games entering the tournament, so I don't think that loss will deter too much of the momentum they already had going.
No. 6 Colorado School of Mines | Previous: 9 (tied) The Orediggers went into the RMAC tournament and took care of business, defeating Regis (CO) by 28 points to win their third RMAC tourney crown in program history. This squad has been in the Power 10 all season and is the top seed in a typically tough region. They are also coming in hot, winning 12 of their last 13 heading into the DII tournament.
No. 7 DBU| Previous: 9 (tied). This is simple. DBU has been a top-10 team all season long. To win the LSC, the Patriots had to take down Lubbock Christian — a Power 10 team last week — and did just that in a tightly contested ball game, 76-70. That victory avenged the early loss to the Chaps, one of just four this season for the Patriots. Momentum is a theme among these Power 10 teams, and DBU has plenty heading into the tournament as winners of 15 of their last 16.
No. 8 Lenoir-Rhyne | Previous: First five out. The Bears had a rough little swing in early February. They lost an overtime thriller to tournament-bound Carson-Newman and then lost by 28 to rival and former Power-10er Lincoln Memorial. But they haven't lost since, winning six in a row, culminating by exacting revenge on the Railsplitters when it mattered most — in the SAC championship game. It was the Bears' first SAC tournament title in 22 years. Talk about momentum.
No. 9 Washburn | Previous: 5. This was hard. A first-round exit as the No. 1 seed in the MIAA tournament is not a good thing heading into the DII championship. The Ichabods still got the No. 1 seed in the Central Region, though, and that shows how far ahead of everyone else they were in the metrics. We are at the point that when teams are close — and mind you, I highly considered MSU Moorhead sneaking in here — but when teams are that close, you have to go to the metrics. And Washburn still has the top RPI in the Central Region, had a better KPI than both Moorhead and Winona State, and bested both with its in-region record of 22-3. Central Oklahoma nearly winning the MIAA made the 'Bods upset exit less harsh, and with their trio of star players, the 'Bods still get to host in March.
No. 10 (tie) Columbus State, Valdosta State| Previous: 7, NR, respectively. I almost had the Blazers by themselves here with the Cougars' early exit from the PBC tournament. However, conference tournaments are a beast of their own, and that shouldn't deprive Columbus State of top-10 honors with the RPI and KPI it has. But here's the bottom line: The South Region is the toughest in DII men's basketball this season. Others are competitively balanced — the Midwest and Southeast come immediately to mind — but the South is stacked. Four of the best teams in all DII live here, and Valdosta State is one of them.
First five (ish) out (in alphabetical order):
- Fairmont State. The Fighting Falcons needed to beat West Liberty just once to break into this category, and they did it in true March fashion in a triple-overtime thriller.
- Florida Southern. I don't care how many losses this team has. It has one of the best RPIs, a top-10 KPI and has played one of the toughest schedules in DII this year. They also have Jadin Booth and Alex Steen who can take over a game.
- Lake Superior State. Yes, the Lakers lost to a red-hot Northern Michigan team, but they have been very good all season. Now we'll see if that loss in the GLIAC championship game was a bump in the road or the end of it.
- Lincoln Memorial. The Railsplitters are a solid team and quite honestly, it may have simply been Lenoir-Rhyne's time. But their inconsistencies and that loss have them just outside the top 10.
- Lubbock Christian. The Chaps have been strong for most of the second half and even in defeat, they played DBU super tough. This team has a lot of balance and heart, and that keeps them in the conversation.
- MSU Moorhead. I spoke a bit about the Dragons above, but here is the important thing to know. The final regional rankings had seven NSIC teams in the top eight of the Central. That is a loaded conference, and MSU Moorhead won it — and that says something.
- USC Aiken. The Pacers won the PBC, but that's not why they are here. This team has had the selection metrics all season long. They simply had too many losses to crack the Power 10, but now losses don't matter — and the Pacers enter the tournament with a lot of momentum.
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