KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The fifth NAIA Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 poll brings clarity at the top and chaos beneath it, as Grace (Ind.) and Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) continue to hold the top 2 spots in the poll, while everyone else reshuffles in a big way. Oklahoma Wesleyan, Ave Maria, Fla., and Indiana Wesleyan round out the top 5 this week. Indiana Wesleyan makes the week’s biggest leap into the top five,from number 11, and Nelson (Texas) cracks the top 10 for the first time this season at number 8, climbing 9 spots from its previous ranking.
There are no GPAC teams in the top 25. Conference leader Morningside, and Northwestern are receiving votes.
| TREND | RANK | LAST TIME | INSITIUTION [FIRST-PLACE VOTES] | RECORD | POINTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ● | 1 | 1 | Grace (Ind.) [17] | 20-0 | 509 |
| ● | 2 | 2 | Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) [1] | 20-1 | 493 |
| ▲ | 3 | 4 | Oklahoma Wesleyan | 18-2 | 476 |
| ▲ | 4 | 5 | Ave Maria (Fla.) | 19-2 | 430 |
| ▲ | 5 | 11 | Indiana Wesleyan | 17-3 | 410 |
| ▲ | 6 | 8 | Cumberlands (Ky.) | 17-3 | 391 |
| ▲ | 7 | 10 | Arizona Christian | 16-5 | 376 |
| ▲ | 8 | 17 | Nelson (Texas) | 16-3 | 361 |
| ▼ | 9 | 7 | Langston (Okla.) | 15-4 | 345 |
| ▼ | 10 | 3 | Bethel (Ind.) | 17-3 | 331 |
| ▼ | 11 | 6 | Keiser (Fla.) | 16-3 | 299 |
| ▲ | 12 | 13 | Indiana Tech | 16-3 | 283 |
| ▼ | 13 | 12 | Pikeville (Ky.) | 17-3 | 277 |
| ▼ | 14 | 9 | Hope International (Calif.) | 16-4 | 253 |
| ● | 15 | 15 | LSU Shreveport (La.) | 15-4 | 250 |
| ▲ | 16 | 22 | Columbia (Mo.) | 18-2 | 237 |
| ▼ | 17 | 14 | Friends (Kan.) | 16-4 | 230 |
| ● | 18 | 18 | Georgetown (Ky.) | 15-5 | 205 |
| ▲ | 19 | 23 | William Carey (Miss.) | 19-1 | 181 |
| ▼ | 20 | 15 | Montana Tech | 16-4 | 179 |
| ▼ | 21 | 20 | Graceland (Iowa) | 18-3 | 150 |
| ▼ | 22 | 21 | Oregon Tech | 15-5 | 137 |
| ▲ | 23 | RV | Rocky Mountain (Mont.) | 17-3 | 124 |
| ▼ | 24 | 23 | Taylor (Ind.) | 16-4 | 113 |
| ▲ | 25 | RV | IU Kokomo (Ind.) | 18-2 | 79 |
Dropped from Top 25: Benedictine-Mesa (Ariz.), Bethel (Kan.)
Receiving Votes: Morningside (Iowa) 76; Benedictine-Mesa (Ariz.) 63; Southeastern (Fla.) 51; Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) 29; Huntington (Ind.) 21; LSU Alexandria (La.) 18; Northwestern (Iowa) 18; Bethel (Kan.) 15; Loyola (La.) 11; Shawnee State (Ohio) 11; The Master’s (Calif.) 10; Texas Wesleyan 7; Bellevue (Neb.) 5
