KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A new team sits atop the NAIA DII Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll. Oklahoma Wesleyan ascended back to the top spot, replacing Indiana Wesleyan in the fifth regular-season edition.

Top 25 Highlights:

• Oklahoma Wesleyan moves back to the No. 1 spot after falling to the No. 2 spot in the previous poll. The Eagles received nine of the 12 possible first-place votes and 310 points.
• After receiving its first loss on Jan. 7, Oklahoma Wesleyan has won eight games in-a-row, all by at least 10 points.
• No. 2 Morningside (Iowa) picked up the remaining three first-place votes.
• Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) and WVU Tech (W. Va.) remained at No. 6 and No. 9 respectively, making them the only teams in the top-10 to stay in the same spot.
• Montreat (N.C.) moves up six spots to No. 18, highlighting the positive movement in the top-25.
• Two teams joined the Top 25: No. 24 IU Kokomo (Ind.) and No. 25 Northwest Christian (Ore.). The Cougars are No. 3 in NAIA Division II in total blocks with 111 on the season while the Beacons are ranked No. 3 in scoring offense per game with a blazing average of 92.9 points per game.
• Indiana Tech (No. 22) and St. Francis (Ill.) (No. 25) dropped out of the top-25 this week.
• Indiana Wesleyan holds the longest active streak in the poll with 80-straight appearances. Bethel (Ind.) is next with 70, with Cornerstone (Mich.), currently ranked eighth in the poll, with 59.

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) for 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.

2018-2019 NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll – No. 5 (Feb. 5, 2019)

Dropped out: Indiana Tech (No. 22) and St. Francis (Ill) (No. 25)

Others receiving votes: Presentation (N.D.) 50; Madonna (Mich.) 39; Milligan (Tenn.) 23; Indiana Tech 23; Indiana Southeast (Ind.) 20; Bellevue (Neb.) 16; Ave Maria (Fla.) 10; Corban (Ore.) 7; Washington Adventist (Md.) 3; Mayville State (N.D.) 3

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