SHREVEPORT, La. – LSUS jumped five spots in this week's NAIA Division 1 Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll, coming in at No. 19 in the latest national rankings.
The Pilots (11-5, 4-0) are beginning to gain national attention after winning five consecutive games, including four straight Gulf Coast Athletic Conference contests and a road victory over No. 14 Jarvis Christian. LSUS has won 10 of their last 12 games and is the only remaining undefeated team in GCAC play.
Westminster (Utah) becomes the fifth different team this season to be ranked No. 1, this time earning 310 total points and nine first-place votes, in the fifth edition of the 2008-09 NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, announced today (Jan. 19). The Griffins have won eight straight games and was No. 2 last week. They moved up after the reigning No. 1 team, Mountain State (W. Va.), lost a 96-91 decision to unranked West Virginia Tech last week.
Rogers State (Okla.) climbed up one spot to No. 2 and collected 300 points and two first-place votes. Winners of a nation-best 15 straight games, No. 3 Georgetown (Ky.) notched the remaining first-place vote. No. 4 Mountain State and No. 5 Oklahoma Baptist round out the Top 5.
Five teams enter the Top 25 after sitting out last week: No. 15 California Baptist, No. 20 Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.), No. 21 Oklahoma Christian, No. 23 (tied) Evangel (Mo.) and No. 25 Crichton (Tenn.).
The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences and independents. The sixth regular season Top 25 poll will be announced on Monday, Jan. 26.
For more information on NAIA men’s basketball, please click here.
Notes: In six polls this season (including preseason), there have been five different No. 1 teams (Oklahoma City, California Baptist, Cumberlands (Ky.), Mountain State and now Westminster (Utah))… With 18 wins, Westminster and Georgetown (Ky.) both lead the country in total wins… Illinois-Springfield (No. 19), Oklahoma City (No. 21) and Martin Methodist (No. 24) all fell out of the Top 25 this week… Both No. 20 Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) and No. 25 Crichton (Tenn.) are earning a spot for the first time this season – FHU earns first ranking since March 11, 2003 (No. 21) and Crichton is in the Top 25 for the first time since Oct. 31, 2007 (No. 3).
2008 NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll – (Jan. 19)
|
RANK |
LAST WEEK |
SCHOOL (1st PLACE VOTES) |
2008-09 RECORD* |
TOTAL POINTS |
|
1 |
2 |
Westminster College (Utah) (9) |
18-1 |
310 |
|
2 |
T3 |
Rogers State University (Okla.) (2) |
15-1 |
300 |
|
3 |
T3 |
Georgetown College (Ky.) (1) |
18-1 |
291 |
|
4 |
1 |
Mountain State University (W.Va.) |
14-2 |
284 |
|
5 |
7 |
Oklahoma Baptist University |
15-2 |
265 |
|
6 |
8 |
Fresno Pacific University (Calif.) |
14-3 |
264 |
|
7 |
11 |
Cumberland University (Tenn.) |
14-2 |
248 |
|
8 |
9 |
McKendree University (Ill.) |
15-4 |
238 |
|
9 |
6 |
University of the Cumberlands (Ky.) |
13-4 |
227 |
|
10 |
5 |
Union University (Tenn.) |
14-4 |
207 |
|
11 |
10 |
Robert Morris College (Ill.) |
13-3 |
202 |
|
12 |
12 |
Southern Polytechnic State University (Ga.) |
15-4 |
195 |
|
13 |
13 |
Carroll College (Mont.) |
13-1 |
194 |
|
14 |
15 |
Jarvis Christian College (Texas) |
11-3 |
181 |
|
15 |
RV |
California Baptist University |
13-3 |
180 |
|
16 |
18 |
Lindsey Wilson College (Ky.) |
14-2 |
159 |
|
17 |
16 |
Auburn University Montgomery (Ala.) |
14-3 |
156 |
|
18 |
17 |
Texas Wesleyan University |
12-3 |
136 |
|
19 |
T24 |
Louisiana State University-Shreveport |
11-5 |
128 |
|
20 |
RV |
Freed-Hardeman University (Tenn.) |
13-6 |
120 |
|
21 |
RV |
Oklahoma Christian University |
13-4 |
99 |
|
22 |
20 |
Lee University (Tenn.) |
12-4 |
83 |
|
T23 |
23 |
The Master's College (Calif.) |
12-5 |
80 |
|
T23 |
RV |
Evangel University (Mo.) |
12-5 |
80 |
|
25 |
RV |
Crichton College (Tenn.) |
14-4 |
65 |
Others receiving votes:
University of Illinois at Springfield 59; West Virginia Institute of Technology (WV) 37; Martin Methodist College (Tenn.) 28; Northwestern Oklahoma State University 25; Azusa Pacific University (Calif.) 23; MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.) 22; Loyola University (La.) 20; Central Methodist University (Mo.) 7; Oklahoma City University 5; Montana State University-Northern 4; Point Loma Nazarene University (Calif.) 3; William Jewell College (Mo.) 1; Tougaloo College (Miss.) 1; Rocky Mountain College (Mont.) 1; Emmanuel College (Ga.) 1; Lambuth University (Tenn.) 1; Trevecca Nazarene University (Tenn.) 1; Concordia University (Calif.) 1; Brescia University (Ky.) 1; Pikeville College (Ky.) 1; Xavier University (La.) 1
