By Scott Barker, Communications and Sports Information Intern

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Davenport (Mich.) is the new No. 1 team in the fourth regular-season edition of the NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, the national office announced Tuesday. The fifth regular-season installment will be released on Jan. 19.

Top 25 Highlights (Historical information dates back to 1991):

• Davenport (Mich.) (15-3) makes it’s first-ever No. 1 appearance after receiving six first-place votes and 306 total points. The Panthers knocked off then-No. 7 Cornerstone (Mich.) on Jan. 9, 90-84
• Indiana Wesleyan (16-2) received four first-place votes and 303 total points. The Wildcats suffered their second loss of the season on Jan. 9, against Grace (Ind.), 91-80.
• No. 3 St. Francis (Ill.) (15-2) (284 total points) and No. 4 Briar Cliff (Iowa) (17-2) (283 total points) each received one first-place vote. No. 5 Saint Francis (Ind.) (15-3) (275 total points) rounds out the top 5.
• Four new teams join the Top 25 – No. 21 Tennessee Wesleyan (13-1), No. 23 Rochester (Mich.) (16-2), No. 24 Grace (14-4) and No. 25 College of Idaho (11-6).
• Tennessee Wesleyan finds itself in the Top 25 for the first time since the 2013-14 Preseason Poll.
• Rochester, Grace and College of Idaho have all been ranked at one points this season.
• No. 13 Bethel (Ind.) (13-4) has the most all-time No. 1 mentions with 35. Former-member Embry-Riddle (Fla.) is second with 21.
• Davenport holds the longest active streak of being consecutively ranked with 81-straight mentions, dating back to Feb. 22, 2010.
• Jamestown (N.D.) (2003-04) and Embry-Riddle (2000-01) are the only Division II teams to go the entire season ranked No. 1.
• Davenport, No. 10 Keiser (Fla.) (16-1) and No. 11Tabor (Kan.) (16-3) moved up four spots each, highlighting the positive movement.
• Marian (Ind.) (16-2) had the biggest drop in the Top 25, as it fell five spots from No. 3 to No. 8.
• Eleven of the 12 conference/Association of Independent Institutions are represented in the Top 25.
• The Crossroads League leads all leagues with five teams represented – Indiana Wesleyan, Saint Francis, Marian, Bethel and Grace.
• Indiana Wesleyan has been ranked in the Top 25 for 49-straight weeks, dating back to Jan. 30, 2012.
• For more information on NAIA Men’s DII Basketball, click here.
• For the complete ratings calendar, click here.

Poll Methodology:
• The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences and the 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”
• For the complete Top 25 calendar, click here.

2015 – 16 NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll - No. 4 (Jan. 12)

Dropped from the Top 25: Hastings (Neb.) (No. 18), Warner Pacific (Ore.) (No. 24), Indiana Tech (No. 20) and College of the Ozarks (Mo.) (No. 9)

Others Receiving Votes: Cal Maritime 50; Dordt (Iowa) 36; Cincinnati Christian (Ohio) 36; Southeastern (Fla.) 27; Hastings (Neb.) 27; Warner Pacific (Ore.) 20; Mount Mercy (Iowa) 14; Indiana Tech 7; WVU Tech 3.

^ Ranking based off the NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll No. 3 (Jan. 5)