We are two full weekends into the 2025-26 DII men's basketball season. While some teams have played just a couple teams, we are seeing some separate themselves while others are out to surprisingly inauspicious starts. Nova Southeastern is already 2-0 and locked in atop the DII men's basketball Power 10 rankings, but several teams are making their season debuts.
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What are the DII men’s basketball Power 10 rankings? These are mine and don't reflect the input of any voting body or the NCAA selection committee. It is a combination of selection committee metrics and what is happening on the court, a blend of the national polls and regional rankings. There still aren't strong enough metrics to separate these teams — some have played just one game so far, and many early season slates feature out-of-division matchups which render useless in selection metrics.
The DII men’s basketball Power 10 (through Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025)
No. 1 Nova Southeastern | Previous: 1. Here we are, a few games into the DII men’s basketball season and the Sharks have yet to score 100 points in a game. Talk about a new age of DII basketball. Still, Nova Southeastern is off to a 2-0 start, including a victory over then-top 10 UAH. Their returning Big Three (Dallas Graziani, Ross Reeves and Ryan Davis) are averaging 59.5 points per game while Davis leads the team in rebounding and Graziani leads in both assists and steals. This team is alive and well, and when some of the new transfers gel in, the Sharks will be even more dangerous than they already are.
No. 2 Washburn | Previous: 3. The Ichabods came out of the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic, with a pair of wins and the momentum kept rolling this past weekend in the Central Region Challenge with two more wins. Every victory has been by at least 12 points. The starting five is deep and each player contributes in a variety of ways. Jack Bachelor leads the team in scoring (19.3 per game) and assists (5.0 per game), Jeremiah Jones chips in 12.0 points per game and leads the teams with 4.25 steals per game and Dillon Claussen adds 18.0 points per game with a team-high 8.8 rebounds. Throw in Bryson Smith and Brady Christiansen and this is an exciting starting five.
No. 3 Daemen | Previous: 4. The Wildcats went undefeated through the East Region last year until that shocking second-round upset in the DII men's basketball championship. We should see more of the same this season. They are absolutely stomping its competition, off to a 4-0 start, winning games by an 18.5 points-per-game margin. Big man Benjamin Bill is off to a hot start with two double-doubles already, averaging 17.3 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. This is a total team effort, though, as four of the five starters are averaging 11.0 points or better.
No. 4 Point Loma | Previous: 6. The Sea Lions opened their season against No. 12 Cal State Dominguez Hills and a Cal State San Bernardino team receiving votes in the preseason poll. They left that opening weekend of play 2-0 with two commanding victories. A pair of transfers in Andrew Nagy (18.0 points, 9.0 rebounds per game) and James Nobles (16.5 points, 6.0 rebounds per game) fueled the big opening weekend, while experienced returners like Tyce Paulsen and Jaden Matingou didn’t miss a beat from last year.
No. 5 Lubbock Christian | Previous: NR. The Chaps are flat-out good at basketball. That is impressive, considering they lost four starters from last year, which was basically why they began the season right outside the Power 10. Lubbock Christian is 4-0 and three of the wins have been in utterly dominating fashion, winning games by an average of 26.3 points per game thus far. All five starters are averaging double-digit points, led by Amondo Miller Jr.’s 23.0 points per game. Antonio Pusateri has been a double-double force thus far, contributing 12.0 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. This team has a very balanced starting five.
No. 6 Valdosta State | Previous: Just missed. The Blazers are off to a 2-0 start with each victory coming by at least 15 points. Blaise Wallace, who transferred in from Albany State (GA), has been an absolute beast with two double doubles in his first two games with the Blazers, one of which was 19-rebound game in which he ripped down 10 offensive boards. The Blazers have back-to-back contests with DII newcomer Middle Georgia State, which is off to a decent start in DII, so it could be a nice early test.
No. 7 Gannon | Previous: NR. Every year, it feels like the Golden Knights need to retool and will take a step back. And every year, they seemingly just pick up where they left off, as they have in 2025. Gannon is 2-0 having scored a combined 201 points in both wins. So, yes, this offense is doing just fine in the early stages of the season. Pace Prosser, Mackenzie Morgan and Lucas Morgan are all averaging at least 15 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, so there is depth here as well. Gannon is looking like the PSAC favorite once again.
No. 8 Missouri S&T | Previous: 10. The Miners haven’t showed us too much yet as they have played just one game. Still, that one game was a victory, and the defense was suffocating, holding Kentucky Wesleyan to just 56 points. Their Big Three of Andrew Young, Cameron Stovall and Alex Benassi all showed out, contributing 44 of the team’s 68 points. They should roll for the next few games.
No. 9 Michigan Tech | Previous: 9. Yes, the Huskies have a loss, but they also have two wins over nationally ranked teams, starting the season at 3-1. Marcus Tomashek has cooled off since his scorching hot opening weekend, but he is still averaging 22.0 points per game. There is just a grittiness about this team that keeps them in the Power 10 for a bit longer.
No. 10 North Georgia | Previous: Just missed. Speaking of grittiness, the Nighthawks have opened the season at 2-0 with two tightly contested wins. The first was an upset of nationally ranked Lincoln Memorial 90-89 in overtime. AJ White led the charge with a career-high 37 points. White will be the motor that makes this team go, but it will be the defense that helps them win a tough PBC.
First five out (in alphabetical order)
- Alabama Huntsville. I'm going to keep the Chargers in here for one more week, but it is still tough to determine who they are. They were the second-best team in DII men's basketball last year, but the roster is hardly recognizable. Still, they hung tough with Nova Southeastern, so let's see what they got.
- Black Hills State. The Yellow Jackets haven't played the toughest schedule, but they have annihilated the competition by a margin of 32.0 points per game.
- Fairmont State. The Falcons lost to Daemen on Tuesday, but won their other two games. The MEC seems like it is going to be a fun battle between the Falcons and Hilltoppers.
- Florida Southern. The Mocs were decimated by graduation and the transfer portal but have rolled out to a 3-1 start. Their one loss is by a basket, so this team could easily be 4-0.
- West Liberty. The Hilltoppers came out of opening weekend 2-0, but slip just outside the top 10. Per usual they have a deep starting five with a bunch of scorers led by Jamie Muldowney's 19.0 points per game.
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