KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The sixth NAIA Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 poll has everyone but No. 4 Ave Maria (Fla.) on the move. Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.), takes over the top spot with all 18 first place votes. Grace, Ind. Slips to number 2. Indiana Wesleyan, Ave Maria (Fla.), and Oklahoma Wesleyan round out the top 5. Five new teams have climbed into the top 25 including #21 Morningside (Iowa) who clinched the first automatic bid into the 2026 NAIA Men’s Basketball National Tournament last weekend. Northwestern just missed a return to the rankings, and is receiving votes.
| TREND | RANK | LAST TIME | INSTITUTION [FIRST-PLACE VOTES] | RECORD | POINTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ▲ | 1 | 2 | Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) [18] | 24-1 | 510 |
| ▼ | 2 | 1 | Grace (Ind.) | 22-2 | 489 |
| ▲ | 3 | 5 | Indiana Wesleyan | 21-3 | 462 |
| ● | 4 | 4 | Ave Maria (Fla.) | 22-2 | 453 |
| ▼ | 5 | 3 | Oklahoma Wesleyan | 21-3 | 452 |
| ▲ | T-6 | 14 | Hope International (Calif.) | 20-4 | 383 |
| ▲ | T-6 | 8 | Nelson (Texas) | 20-4 | 383 |
| ▲ | 8 | 9 | Langston (Okla.) | 19-5 | 377 |
| ▲ | 9 | 11 | Keiser (Fla.) | 20-3 | 362 |
| ▲ | 10 | 13 | Pikeville (Ky.) | 20-3 | 351 |
| ▼ | T-11 | 10 | Bethel (Ind.) | 20-4 | 322 |
| ▲ | T-11 | 23 | Rocky Mountain (Mont.) | 21-3 | 322 |
| ▲ | 13 | 15 | LSU Shreveport (La.) | 19-4 | 319 |
| ▼ | 14 | 7 | Arizona Christian | 18-6 | 226 |
| ▲ | 15 | 18 | Georgetown (Ky.) | 19-6 | 215 |
| ▼ | 16 | 17 | Friends (Kan.) | 19-5 | 212 |
| ▼ | 17 | 6 | Cumberlands (Ky.) | 19-6 | 207 |
| ▼ | 18 | 16 | Columbia (Mo.) | 21-3 | 200 |
| ▲ | 19 | RV | Huntington (Ind.) | 18-6 | 167 |
| ▼ | 20 | 19 | William Carey (Miss.) | 22-2 | 156 |
| ▲ | 21 | RV | Morningside (Iowa) | 19-5 | 151 |
| ▲ | 22 | RV | Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) | 19-5 | 148 |
| ▲ | 23 | RV | Benedictine-Mesa (Ariz.) | 21-4 | 107 |
| ▲ | 24 | RV | Shawnee State (Ohio) | 20-4 | 99 |
| ▼ | 25 | 21 | Graceland (Iowa) | 20-4 | 89 |
Dropped from Top 25: Indiana Tech, Montana Tech, Oregon Tech, Taylor (Ind.), IU Kokomo (Ind.)
Receiving Votes: Northwestern (Iowa) 67; Texas Wesleyan 55; Loyola (La.) 50; Montana Tech 44; Indiana Tech 35; LSU Alexandria (La.) 26; Madonna (Mich.) 22; Oregon Tech 18; The Master’s (Calif.) 11; Southeastern (Fla.) 7; William Penn (Iowa) 5; Eastern Oregon 3; IU Kokomo (Ind.) 2; Montana State Northern 2
