By Scott Barker, Communications and Sports Information Intern

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Davenport (Mich.) is No. 1 for the second-straight week in the fifth regular-season edition of the NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, the national office announced Tuesday. The sixth regular-season installment will be released on Jan. 26.

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

• After making its first-ever appearance at No. 1 last week, Davenport (Mich.) (17-3) remains in the top spot after receiving ten first-place votes and a total of 311 points.
• No. 2 St. Francis (Ill.) (17-2) received one first-place votes and 295 total points. The Fighting Saints have been ranked in the top five in five-straight polls.
• No. 4 Briar Cliff (Iowa) (19-2) received the final first-place vote and 386 total points.
• Four new teams join the Top 25 – No. 22 Mount Mercy (Iowa) (15-5), No. 23 Cal Maritime (13-6), No. 24 Southeastern (Fla.) (13-6) and No. 25 WVU Tech (13-6).
• Mount Mercy finds itself in the Top 25 for the first time since March 25, 2015 when it was ranked No. 10.
• Southeastern is in the Top 25 for the first time since the Dec. 1 poll, while Cal Maritime and WVU Tech was ranked on Dec. 8.
• No. 9 Bethel (Ind.) (15-4) has the most all-time No. 1 mentions with 35. Former-member Embry-Riddle (Fla.) is second with 21.
• No. 8 Tabor (Kan.) is in the top 10 for the first time since the 1997 preseason poll, when it was ranked No. 10.
• This is the first-ever top 10 billing for No. 10 Northwest Christian (Ore) (16-4)
• Davenport holds the longest active streak of being consecutively ranked with 82-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.
• Northwest Christian moved up seven spots and No. 17 Aquinas (Mich.) (15-5) moved up five spots highlighting the positive movement.
• Cornerstone (Mich.) (14-5) had the biggest drop in the Top 25, as it fell seven spots from No. 9 to No. 16. No. 18 Southern Oregon (15-5) fell six spots.
• All twelve conference/Association of Independent Institutions are represented in the Top 25.
• The Crossroads League leads all leagues with five teams represented – No. 3 Saint Francis (Ind.) (17-3), No. 5 Indiana Wesleyan (17-3), Bethel, No. 13 Marian (Ind.) (17-3) and No. 21 Grace (Ind.) (16-4).
• Indiana Wesleyan has been ranked in the Top 25 for 50-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. 5 (Jan. 19)

Dropped from the Top 25: Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) (No. 14); College of Idaho (No. 25), Rochester (Mich.) (No. 23); Rio Grande (Ohio) (No. 20).

Others Receiving Votes: Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) 48; College of the Ozarks (Mo.) 47; Warner Pacific (Ore.) 34; Indiana Tech 31; College of Idaho 28; Indiana East 16; Saint Xavier (Ill.) 10; Southwestern (Kan.) 10; Dordt (Iowa) 8; Rochester (Mich.) 5; Hastings (Neb.) 4.

^ Ranking based off the NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll No. 4 (Jan. 12)