A storm is brewing in the DII women's basketball Power 10 rankings with a new No. 1

Welcome to February, where resumes for the 2024 DII women's basketball championship truly begin to take shape. There is one remaining undefeated team in all DII college basketball, and the 20-0 Southern Nazarene Crimson Storm are the new No. 1 in the Power 10 rankings. 

That is a first for the program, reaching the summit of the DII women's basketball Power 10 rankings with the top RPI and PI in the division. For those new to the Power 10, these are my rankings, and mine alone. The goal is an overall picture of DII women's basketball and that means my rankings can look different from the national rankings. I try to combine selection committee metrics with the simple eye test while looking at what lies ahead to see if teams can maintain their current hot-streak status. As with the DII men's basketball Power 10 rankings, 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 . 

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The fourth DII women's basketball Power 10 rankings of the regular season

(all stats and records through Saturday, Feb. 3)

No. 1 Southern Nazarene | Previous: 4

The Crimson Storm is 20-0 and the only undefeated team in DII college basketball, men’s included. They have a tougher SOS than both Ashland and Union (TN), the No. 1 and 2 team in the last Power 10 and have an absurd .655 RPI in the very tricky Central Region. The Crimson Storm have already defeated Harding — a top-5 team in the Central — and have the rematch coming up this weekend. This team is good.

No. 2 Ashland | Previous: 1

Ashland did nothing wrong to fall to No. 2 and you can probably pencil them in as more of a 1B to the Storm’s 1A. When you look at the metrics, Ashland is No. 2 in the Midwest Region in RPI and PI and its lone loss is a tightly contested battle with Ferris State (currently the No. 1 RPI and PI in the region). What keeps Ashland at No. 2 for me is the fact that the Eagles have been absolutely pummeling teams of late, and the ol’ eye test says this looks a lot like the national champs of last year. 

No. 3 Ferris State | Previous: 3

You can make the argument that Ferris State is the No. 1 host seed in the Midwest Region should the tournament start today, and you may very well be right. Ferris State has wins against both Ashland and Grand Valley State yet is somehow ranked behind both in the national polls. The Bulldogs also have the No. 1 RPI and PI in arguably the toughest region in DII women’s basketball and have won nine in a row. You can argue I have this team too low and I'd listen.

No. 4 Gannon | Previous: 6

The Golden Knights just keep on winning, now winners of 20 in a row. The most recent win came against Cal (PA), which completes the regular-season sweep of one of the more competitive teams in the Atlantic Region. Stat to know: Entering February, Gannon had the fifth-best scoring defense in DII women’s basketball. 

No. 5 Union (TN) | Previous: 2

Though the Bulldogs drop a bit in the rankings, it’s important to point out how close Nos. 1-6 really are — we're talking the tiniest metrics separating the bunch. They have won 11 in a row and still have DII women’s basketball’s top-scoring offense by a wide margin, scoring 97.0 points per game behind one of the most balanced attacks in the division. The defense is stout as well, winning games by a DII-best 33.9 points per game. 

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No. 6 Grand Valley State | Previous: 5

Man, these Lakers can sure play defense, boasting the second-best scoring defense in the division with a stingy 48.2 points allowed per game. The Lakers struggle from a weaker SOS than their Midwest counterparts and is why they are lower than both but make no mistake… this team has DII Women’s Elite Eight potential. 

No. 7 Bentley | Previous: 9

The Falcons look really good right now and are without a doubt the team to beat in the East. No. 1 in both RPI and PI, Bentley has won 11 games in a row… and none have been particularly close. The Falcons don’t score a ton of points, but it’s the defense that makes them go, allowing just 51.9 points per game.

No. 8 Harding | Previous: NR

The Bisons are playing very good basketball right now, winners of seven in a row heading into this week’s big showdown with No. 1 Southern Nazarene. Despite that loss, this team still has ranked wins over Texas Woman’s and Northwestern Oklahoma State on its resume with the third-best RPI in the Central. If you haven’t been watching Sage Hawley, you should — she’s a double-double machine. 

No. 9 Azusa Pacific | Previous: 7

The Cougars simply keep winning but fall due to other teams simply winning more meaningful games. This is still a very good team and are stuck among the four-team cluster atop the West Region. Still, this team hasn’t lost since Nov. 21 and that’s impressive. 

No. 10 Texas Woman’s | Previous: First five out

I had a hard time having Texas Woman’s in my top 15 since back-to-back losses to Harding and UT Tyler to close out 2023. But 2024 has been a different story and the Pioneers have been ascending rapidly. Their current 10-game winning streak includes wins over nationally ranked Texas A&M-International and Lubbock Christian and they now have the top PI in the South Central. 

First five out (in alphabetical order):

• Catawba: I think Catawba is still the team to beat in the Southeast, but its losses in 2024 have been by double-digits to beatable teams. Still, Lyrik Thorne is amazing and should lead this team far. 
• Colorado School of Mines: I had the Orediggers as high as No. 8 this week until Saturday’s one-point loss to unranked Adams State. Ashley Steffeck is a special player, and despite the loss, I still she thinks leads this team deep into the tournament. 
• Jefferson: The metrics aren’t in their favor, but the Rams' offense will be tough with Morgan Robinson and Sam Yencha leading the charge. 
• Missouri Southern: This team is terribly under-ranked in both national polls, and maybe even here. The Lions have won 14 in a row and the streak started by downing four top-15 teams in a five-game stretch. 
• Western Washington: The debate can be made that the Vikings should be in the Power 10 with victories over both Azusa Pacific and MSU Billings. If it weren’t for Saturday’s loss, they would be.