As we approach the new year and the second half of the DII women’s basketball season, one thing is absolutely certain: The Midwest Region is going to be an all-out Battle Royale. The top three teams hailing from the Midwest aren’t simply the best in the region, but the entire land.
Not much has changed at the top since the previous Power 10 rankings with the holiday tournaments ending and winter break commencing. Some movement in the bottom half sets the stage for 2023. These are the last DII women’s basketball Power 10 rankings of 2022, and a good gauge on what to expect when the second half resumes.
LOOK BACK: The first Power 10 rankings of the regular season
Remember, the krikya18.com Power 10 rankings are mine, and mine alone. There is no committee voting, and I like to try and blend the metrics the selection committee uses with the ol’ eye test and which teams are playing good basketball.
The second DII women’s Power 10 rankings of the regular season (Note: All games through Dec. 23)
No. 1 Grand Valley State | Previous: 1: My preseason No. 1 maintains its stranglehold on the top spot. The Lakers have wins everywhere in the region on their resume, sweeping their GLVC and G-MAC foe, and picking up a huge win over nationally ranked, GLIAC rival Ferris State to open conference play. GVSU is rolling with a top-10 scoring offense (84.1 points per game, ranked No. 6) and scoring defense (53.1 per game, ranked No. 7) and, at 11-0, have a ton of momentum entering 2023.
No. 2 Ashland | Previous: 2: The Eagles are soaring and look pretty much unstoppable. Their 12-0 start includes a win over Drury and a powerful 6-0 start in G-MAC play. Annie Roshak leads one of the most dynamic offenses in DII, but transfer Zoe Miller from Bowling Green has been a big X-factor, second on the team in scoring. The Eagles ability to share the ball and spread the offense — leading DII with nearly 21 assists per game — makes them a juggernaut that is tough to stop.
No. 3 Drury | Previous: 3: The Panthers are the third Midwest Region team in the mix for the No. 1 spot. As I mentioned last time, I don’t hold the one loss against them, considering it came to No. 2 Ashland in overtime by one point. Drury has recovered with seven wins in a row, all of which came in blowout fashion. As always, the Panthers have depth, but Kaylee DaMitz-Holt, Alana Findley, and Terrion Moore are a lethal “Big Three” and make this team so tough to beat on both sides of the ball.
No. 4 Glenville State | Previous: 5: The defending champs are looking the part, as this offense seems to be getting more comfortable, now scoring nearly 93 points per game. It’s tough that their one loss is to a Charleston (WV) team that should threaten them for the MEC title, but that will make the Feb. 22 rematch all the better. As always, this potent offense is led by an opportunistic defense, and the Pioneers lead DII with 16.9 steals per game fueling their high-octane offense.
ALL-STATS TEAM: A dream starting five of the best stats through November
No. 5 Western Washington | Previous: 6: The 2022 national runners-up are on a roll, winning seven in a row heading into the break. The Vikings lone loss came on opening night, a one-point loss to nationally ranked Azusa Pacific, which they clearly took to heart. They responded with a blowout win against nationally ranked Cal State San Marcos and have limited opponents to just 56.1 points per game over the seven-game winning streak. They resume play this weekend against GNAC rivals Alaska Anchorage in a huge test to open the second half.
No. 6 Central Missouri | Previous 10 (tied): The Jennies are playing very good basketball, but most impressively, it has come against one of the toughest schedules in DII. Posting an 8-0 record against a .627 opponents’ schedule tells you all you need to know about the start to the season. Brooke Littrell is putting up player-of-the-year numbers to open the season, posting nightly averages on 20.5 points and 9.5 rebounds. The MIAA is stacked; with a win against Missouri Southern under its belt, Central Missouri is in the driver’s seat… for now.
No. 7 Tampa | Previous: 9: The Spartans continue to roll, now 11-0 with some strong, resume-building wins along the way. Closing out the pre-break slate with a 16-point win over then-Power-10 and nationally ranked West Texas A&M shows how strong this defense and team has been playing. Sydney Kin leads the way in scoring, but this team is dangerously deep in scoring in its starting five.
No. 8 Missouri Southern | Previous: 8: Yes, the Lions lost to Central Missouri. Yes, technically, there are three teams ahead of them in the MIAA standings. However, sitting at 11-1 against the fifth-toughest schedule in DII — a ridiculous combined .694 opponents winning percentage — lets you see how tough this team is. A brutal two-game stretch the first full week of January against Fort Hays State and Nebraska-Kearney will tell us more. Lacey Stokes is one of the best players in DII and will lead this team far.
No. 9 Minnesota State | Previous: 4: The Mavericks are off to an impressive 10-1 start, but the loss to Southwest Minnesota State to end the first half dings their resume just a tad. Still, this squad has played the 21st toughest schedule in the division, so winning 10 in a row to open things up was impressive and keeps them in the top 10 for now. I like the depth of scoring among their top six and they are pretty much blowing out the competition, winning games by an average of just about 15 points per game. This should be an interesting run through the NSIC for Minnesota State.
No. 10 (tie) Lenoir-Rhyne, Assumption | Previous: No. 10 (tie), not ranked, respectively: Closing things out for 2022 are a pair of undefeated teams. Why are they tied for the 10th spot then? Neither has played an extremely tough schedule; in fact, Lenoir-Rhyne has played one of the softest schedules in DII to this point.
Still, the Bears are 13-0 one year after going 11-14 and that’s an impressive feat. They are scoring 77 points per game and winning by about 20 points per matchup. The Greyhounds, winners of just 12 games a year ago, are already 11-0 against a reasonably tough schedule, statistically speaking. A perfect 5-0 start in the NE10 is huge as well. It will be really interesting to see how both teams keep up after the winter layoff.
DII WOMEN'S HOOPS CENTRAL: News, stats, history and scores
First five (ish) out (in alphabetical order)
This spot is typically reserved for what would be Nos. 11-15. However, with it the end of the first half, I’ve included all the teams that were considered this final week of the calendar year for full recognition of first-half accomplishments.
- Alaska Anchorage
- Azusa Pacific
- Cal State San Marcos
- Cal State Dominguez Hills
- Central Washington
- Charleston (WV)
- Colorado School of Mines
- Eckerd
- Georgia Southwestern
- Indiana (PA)
- Jefferson
- North Georgia
- Union (TN)
- West Texas A&M
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