Top 25 Poll - No. 5
January 16, 2012
The next three teams remain the same as last week. Briar Cliff holds at No. 2, winners of eight of its last night, including a key victory over then-No. 5 Morningside (Iowa), 97-84, on Jan. 7. The Chargers earned 358 points. Up next are No. 3 Davenport (Mich.) with 352 points and No. 4 College of the Ozarks (Mo.) with 338 points. Davenport tops the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference with an 8-0 league mark while College of the Ozarks is in first place in the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference at 3-0 in league play. Concordia (Neb.) rounds out the top five with 325 points.
No. 15 Corban (Ore.) makes the biggest splash among ranked teams with a six-spot jump from a week ago. The ranking is the highest for the Warriors since coming in at No. 12 in the Nov. 28 poll. Corban has won nine of 10, including an impressive 73-59 road win over then-No. 9 Eastern Oregon on Jan. 7. No. 7 Northwestern (Iowa) also continues its ascent up the poll, climbing three places after jumping 10 spots last week. The red-hot Red Raiders have won 11 in-a-row. Meanwhile, no one fell further than No. 22 Montreat (N.C.), No. 12 last week, who lost to a pair of unranked teams in Bluefield (Va.) and Reinhardt (Ga.) in the past week.
Union (Ky.), Marian (Ind.) and Indiana Southeast were bounced from the Top 25 due to losses suffered since the release of the last poll. Union, Marian and Indiana Southeast are replaced by No. 19 Bluefield, No. 21 Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) and No. 25 Saint Francis (Ind.). Bluefield vaults up on the strength of seven-consecutive victories, including the big one over Montreat. Cardinal Stritch boasts a six-game winning streak, headlined by triumphs over then-No. 23 Daemen (N.Y.) and then-NAIA Division I No. 20 Georgetown (Ky.). Saint Francis took down then-No. 23 Marian (Ind.), 81-66, on Jan. 11 and has won three straight.
The Great Plains Athletic Conference placed the most teams of any league in the poll with five: Briar Cliff, Concordia, Northwestern, No. 9 Morningside and No. 19 Hastings (Neb.). The Mid-Central College Conference was second with four ranked teams: Indiana Wesleyan, No. 11 Bethel (Ind.), No. 18 Grace (Ind.) and Saint Francis.
The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences and independents. The next poll will be announced on Jan. 23.
Notes: (All information as of the 1999 – 2000 season) Indiana Wesleyan has now appeared at the top of the poll on 19 occasions, tying Morningside (Iowa) for the most No. 1 rankings all-time … Hastings (Neb.) has appeared at No. 1 a total of 13 times, followed by Saint Francis (Ind.) and Davenport (Mich.), who have both made a dozen No. 1 appearances … There have been 14 different teams to garner the No. 1 ranking all-time … Northwestern made 33-consesecutive appearances in the top 10 until falling out of the rankings in this season’s first regular-season poll … The Red Raiders have now been placed in the top 10 of 88 polls all-time … Three schools have spent an entire season at No. 1: Morningside in 2008-09, College of the Ozarks (Mo.) in 2007-08 and Saint Francis (Ind.) in 1999-2000 … In the last 12 years, five teams that have been rated No. 1 in the preseason have gone on to win the national championship … Saint Francis is back in the Top 25 for the first time since checking in at No. 14 on Nov. 28 … Bluefield (Va.) is making its first appearance all-time in the rankings.
| RANK | LAST WEEK | SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES) | RECORD | TOTAL POINTS |
| 1 | 1 | Indiana Wesleyan (14) | 19-1 | 374 |
| 2 | 2 | Briar Cliff (Iowa) | 17-3 | 358 |
| 3 | 3 | Davenport (Mich.) | 18-2 | 352 |
| 4 | 4 | College of the Ozarks (Mo.) | 15-3 | 338 |
| 5 | 6 | Concordia (Neb.) | 16-2 | 325 |
| 6 | 7 | Concordia (Mich.) | 16-3 | 306 |
| 7 | 10 | Northwestern (Iowa) | 15-4 | 292 |
| 8 | 9 | Mount Mercy (Iowa) | 15-4 | 285 |
| 9 | 5 | Morningside (Iowa) | 14-6 | 273 |
| 10 | 11 | Eastern Oregon | 15-4 | 272 |
| 11 | 8 | Bethel (Ind.) | 14-5 | 242 |
| 12 | 15 | Grand View (Iowa) | 14-5 | 231 |
| 13 | 13 | Jamestown (N.D.) | 18-3 | 226 |
| 14 | 17 | St. Thomas (Fla.) | 14-4 | 198 |
| 15 | 20 | Friends (Kan.) | 14-6 | 172 |
| 15 | 21 | Corban (Ore.) | 13-5 | 172 |
| 17 | 18 | Saint Mary (Neb.) | 14-5 | 171 |
| 18 | 16 | Grace (Ind.) | 13-7 | 164 |
| 19 | 14 | Hastings (Neb.) | 14-6 | 160 |
| 19 | RV | Bluefield (Va.) | 11-5 | 160 |
| 21 | NR | Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) | 14-5 | 117 |
| 22 | 12 | Montreat (N.C.) | 12-4 | 113 |
| 23 | 22 | Southwestern (Kan.) | 13-5 | 107 |
| 24 | 24 | Daemen (N.Y.) | 14-4 | 105 |
| 25 | RV | Saint Francis (Ind.) | 13-7 | 83 |
Others Receiving Votes: Oregon Tech 80; Ave Maria (Fla.) 68; Indiana Southeast 48; Union (Ky.) 48; Siena Heights (Mich.) 37; Huntington (Ind.) 20; Tennessee Wesleyan 11; College of Idaho 9; Warner Pacific (Ore.) 8; Doane (Neb.) 7; Cornerstone (Mich.) 3; Kansas Wesleyan 3; Cal Maritime 1; Taylor (Ind.) 1; Reinhardt (Ga.) 1; Mount Marty (S.D.) 1; Valley City State (N.D.) 1; Marian (Ind.) 1; Northwestern Ohio 1.
