KANSAS CITY, Mo. – After the first three weeks of the season with a plethora of exciting men’s basketball played, Oklahoma Wesleyan emerges at the top of the first regular season Gared-NAIA Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 with 14 first-place votes and a 6-0 record. Indiana Wesleyan climbed three spots to No. 2 this week carrying a 4-0 record and holding five first-place votes. Arizona Christian, who dropped to No. 6 received the final available first-place nod.
Several teams jumped significantly with OKWU up 10 spots, Morningside (Iowa) up 24 spots, then Montana Tech, St. Thomas (Fla.), Life (Ga.), Bethel (Kan.), and Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) all joining the top 25.
Oklahoma Wesleyan (6-0) climbed from its preseason ranking of No. 11 to the top spot in this week’s NAIA Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, earning 14 first-place votes. The Eagles have opened the 2026-27 season with a 6-0 record, averaging 81.3 points per game while holding opponents to 61.7 points per contest. Two of OKWU’s wins came against top 25 teams in Langston (Okla.) and LSU Shreveport (La.).
Oklahoma Wesleyan has recorded a scoring margin of 19.7 points and is averaging 16.3 steals per game. Malachi Okunbor leads the Eagles with 14.8 points per game, while Yashi McKenzie and Ethan Williams are each averaging 10.7 points per contest.
OKWU is back in action on Saturday, November 14 against Southwestern (Kan.) for the KCAC opener. Opening tip off is set for 3 p.m. CT from Bartlesville, Okla.
Indiana Wesleyan (4-0) climbed three spots from No. 5 to No. 2 in this week’s NAIA Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, earning five first-place votes. The Wildcats have opened the season averaging 90.5 points per game while holding opponents to 57.5 points, a scoring margin of 33 points.
Indiana Wesleyan is shooting 48.9% from the field and 39.1% from beyond the arc while averaging 45.3 rebounds and 21.5 assists per game. Brady Scholl leads the Wildcats with 18.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, while Isaac Andrews adds 16.8 points per contest and is shooting 40% from three-point range.
The Wildcats are back in action on Thursday, November 12 against IU East (Ind.) in Upland, Ind., on the campus of Taylor University (Ind.), tip off is slated for 5 p.m. CT.
Grace (Ind.) (4-1), the preseason No. 1 team, slipped to No. 3 in this week’s NAIA Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll. The Lancers have averaged 92.0 points per game through five contests while holding opponents to 78.4 points, good for a 13.6 scoring margin.
Grace is shooting 51.2% from the field and averaging 41.0 rebounds and 20.8 assists per game. Ian Raasch leads the Lancers with 18.0 points per game while shooting 60.9% from the field and 57.1% from three-point range. Michael Wellman adds 13.8 points per game, while Gavin Betten is averaging 12.0 points and shooting 73.5% from the field.
The Lancers return to the court later this evening, November 11 in Chicago against St. Xavier (Ill.) opening tip is set for 7 p.m. CT.
Rocky Mountain (Mont.) held steady at No. 4 in this week’s NAIA Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll after earning the same ranking in the preseason poll. The Battlin’ Bears have yet to open the 2026-27 season, with their first contest scheduled for Nov. 21 at Carroll (Mont.). Under first-year head coach Danny Neville last season, Rocky Mountain set program records for wins (31), conference wins (20) and consecutive victories (21). The Battlin’ Bears return three starters in Royce Robinson, Mekhi Jourdan and Jacob Bilodeau, along with six other student-athletes who gained key rotational experience last season.
Georgetown (Ky.) (4-1) climbed two spots from No. 7 to No. 5 in this week’s NAIA Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll. The Tigers are averaging 86.2 points per game while holding opponents to 68.0 points, good for an 18.2 scoring margin.
Georgetown has been strong on the boards, averaging 46.6 rebounds per game and holding a 16.6 rebounding margin. Khore Furlow leads the Tigers with 11.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game while shooting 62.5% from the field. Julius Edmonds adds 11.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per contest, while Dantwan Grimes is averaging 10.4 points per game and leads the team with 18 made free throws.
The Tigers will take on Midway (Ky.) tomorrow, November 12 from Davis-Reid Alumni Gym in Georgetown, Ky., tip off is set for 7 p.m. ET.
| TREND | RANK | LAST TIME | INSTITUTION [FIRST-PLACE VOTES] | RECORD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ▲ | 1 | 11 | Oklahoma Wesleyan [14] | 6-0 |
| ▲ | 2 | 5 | Indiana Wesleyan [5] | 4-0 |
| ▼ | 3 | 1 | Grace (Ind.) | 4-1 |
| ● | 4 | 4 | Rocky Mountain (Mont.) | 0-0 |
| ▲ | 5 | 7 | Georgetown (Ky.) | 4-1 |
| ▼ | 6 | 3 | Arizona Christian [1] | 5-1 |
| ▼ | 7 | 6 | Nelson (Texas) | 3-0 |
| ▲ | 8 | 10 | Cumberlands (Ky.) | 5-0 |
| ▲ | 9 | 25 | Morningside (Iowa) | 4-0 |
| ▲ | 10 | 13 | Ave Maria (Fla.) | 4-0 |
| ▼ | 11 | 2 | Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) | 3-1 |
| ▲ | 12 | 18 | Georgia Gwinnett | 6-0 |
| ▲ | 13 | 15 | Eastern Oregon | 3-0 |
| ▲ | 14 | RV | Montana Tech | 4-0 |
| ▼ | 15 | 9 | LSU Shreveport (La.) | 3-2 |
| ▼ | 16 | 14 | Loyola (La.) | 4-1 |
| ▼ | 17 | 16 | College of Idaho | 3-1 |
| ▲ | 18 | NR | St. Thomas (Fla.) | 3-1 |
| ▲ | 19 | 24 | Wayland Baptist (Texas) | 2-1 |
| ▲ | 20 | 21 | Pikeville (Ky.) | 2-1 |
| ▼ | 21 | 8 | Langston (Okla.) | 2-2 |
| ▼ | 22 | 11 | Keiser (Fla.) | 1-1 |
| ▲ | 23 | RV | Life (Ga.) | 4-0 |
| ▲ | 24 | NR | Bethel (Kan.) | 3-0 |
| ▲ | 25 | RV | Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) | 4-1 |
| Dropped from Top 25: Concordia (Neb.), Madonna (Mich.), The Master’s (Calif.), Hope International, William Carey (Miss.) | ||||
| Receiving Votes: Bellevue (Neb.), Columbia (Mo.), Concordia (Neb.), Dalton State (Ga.), Dordt (Iowa), Grand View (Iowa), Huntington (Ind.), Indiana Tech, IU Kokomo (Ind.), LSU Alexandria (La.), Madonna (Mich.), Oregon Tech, Talladega (Ala.), Taylor (Ind.), Texas A&M -Texarkana, The Master’s (Calif.), Williams Baptist (Ark.) | ||||
About the NAIA
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., is a governing body of small college athletics programs dedicated to character-driven, education-based athletics. Since 1937, the NAIA has balanced high-level competition with holistic student-athlete development through its commitment to The Right Way to Play®. Each year more than 87,000 NAIA student-athletes compete in college athletics, earn over $1.3 billion in financial aid, and pursue opportunities to participate in 30 national championships. naia.org | @NAIA | #TheRightWayToPlay
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