By: Chad Waller, Director of Athletics Communications and Media

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — For the first time in school history, The Master’s (Calif.) claims the No. 1 ranking in the fifth regular-season edition of the 2017-18 NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, announced Tuesday by the national office. After holding the No. 2 position in the previous edition (Jan. 30), the Mustangs bumped up after previous No. 1-William Penn (Iowa) lost on Feb. 3.

Top 25 Highlights (historical information dates back to 2000):

• With all nine first-place votes, The Master’s (Calif.) gathered 219 points. The team boasts the most wins in NAIA Division I with a 25-1 record.
• The Mustangs own a 24-game win streak, dating back to early November. The last loss was Nov. 3, 2017 against Antelope Valley (Calif.) in the 87-84 contest.
• Prior to this year, The Master’s vaulted up to No. 8 for it’s highest ever ranking. Starting the year at No. 5 in the Preseason Top 25, the Mustangs gradually improved to No. 4 and then in the second slot last week.
• The Master’s will next face No. 8 Westmont (Calif.) for a battle of first-place in the Golden State Athletic Conference on Saturday in Santa Barbara, Calif. The Mustangs currently hold a 1.0-game lead over Westmont in the league standings.
• In national statistics, the Mustangs rank No. 1 in field goal percentage defense (.381) and blocks per game (5.5).
• Twenty-four of 25 programs shifted positions within the poll.
• No. 22 (tie) Central Baptist (Ark.) and No. 24 (tie) Graceland (Iowa) are this poll’s newcomers. The Mustangs are ranked for the first time in school history. Graceland, who upended then-No. 1 William Penn by a 91-77 score on Feb. 3, last held a national mention on Jan. 17, 2017 (No. 24).
• No. 3 (tie) Pikeville (Ky.) owns the longest active streak within the Top 25 with a 64-straight week mark. The last non-ranking poll for the Bears was the end of 2011-12 season. No. 11 Georgetown (Ky.) is next with 60-straight mentions, followed by No. 5 Columbia (Mo.) and No. 18 LSU Alexandria (La.) both at 38-straight.
• There have been 38 different teams since 2000 to hold the No. 1 position. Former NAIA member Mountain State (W.Va.) leads the all-time charts with 48 all-time No. 1 rankings, followed by NAIA Division II member Robert Morris (Ill.) with 24. Georgetown is next with 16, former member Concordia (Calif.) at 12, LSU Alexandria and former member Cal State San Marcos at 11 and Columbia at nine No. 1 recognitions.
• Robert Morris, now a NAIA Division II member in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC), is the only program to start and end a season ranked No. 1, doing so during the 2006 – 07 season.

Poll Methodology:

• The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences and Association of Independent Institutions.
• The Top 25 is determined by a points system based on how each voter ranks the best teams. A team receives 30 points for each first-place vote, 29 for second-place and so on through the list.
• The highest and lowest ranking for each team (a non-rating is considered a low ratings) is removed and the team’s ranking will be recalculated with an additional point added to each team for every ballot (including discounted ballots) that the teams appears on.
• Teams that receive only one point in the ballot are not considered “receiving votes”
• Frequency of polls occur bi-weekly. This policy was approved by the National Administrative Council (NAC) beginning in the 2016-17 academic season. This change will allow raters the opportunity to consider a larger body of work in between rating periods.
• For the complete Top 25 calendar, click here.

2017 – 18 NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll – No. 5 (Feb. 13)

Others Receiving Votes: Dillard (La.) 44; SAGU (Texas) 26; Harris-Stowe State (Mo.) 18; Wayland Baptist (Texas) 14; Campbellsville (Ky.) 13; Wiley (Texas) 13; Peru State (Neb.) 10; Missouri Baptist 9; Vanguard (Calif.) 5; William Jessup (Calif.) 3.

Dropped Out: No. 20 Wayland Baptist (Texas), No. 22 Missouri Baptist

^ Previous ranking occurred Jan.30, 2018 (Poll No. 4)