Jan. 31, 2007

OLATHE, Kan. - After a one-week lay-off to the top spot in the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Top 25, MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) has regained the No. 1 ranking with all 17 first-place votes, while last week's No. 1, Sioux Falls (S.D.), fell 10 spots to No. 11 after a pair of losses last week.

 

Following MidAmerica is Walsh (Ohio), who is up three spots to No. 2 this week, while Bellevue (Neb.) also climbed three places into the No. 3 rating in the Division's seventh rating of the season. Warner Pacific (Ore.) dropped one slot to No. 4 this week, while Indiana Wesleyan climbed four spaces to round out the top five. Point Park (Pa.) is up two from last week to begin the Top 10's second half, followed by Oregon Tech, who climbs to No. 7 from No. 12, Huntington (Ind.) and Northwestern (Iowa), who moved to No. 9 from No. 14 with its win over Sioux Falls.

 

Kansas Wesleyan rounds out the Top 10, marking the school's first visit to the Top 10 since the 2001 season, when the Coyotes occupied the No. 9 position midway through the year. Warner Southern (Fla.) climbs into the Top 25 at No. 16, while preseason No. 1 Ozarks (Mo.) is back in the rating at No. 25 for the first time this regular season.

 

RANK	LAST WEEK	SCHOOL	1ST PLACE VOTES	RECORD	POINTS
1	2	MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.)	17	19-1	510
2	5	Walsh (Ohio)		20-3	486
3	6	Bellevue (Neb.)		21-1	479
4	3	Warner Pacific (Ore.)		20-3	444
5	9	Indiana Wesleyan		21-2	442
6	8	Point Park (Pa.)		22-1	435
7	12	Oregon Tech		22-3	391
8	4	Huntington (Ind.)		21-4	385
9	14	Northwestern (Iowa)		17-6	367
10	13	Kansas Wesleyan		18-3	354
11	1	Sioux Falls (S.D.)		21-3	337
12	10	Albertson (Idaho)		16-4	302
12	11	Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio)		18-4	302
14	16	Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.)		20-4	283
15	20	St. Francis (Ind.)		17-8	256
16	NR	Warner Southern (Fla.)		15-7	240
17	15	Cedarville (Ohio)		15-6	237
18	19	Mayville State (N.D.)		16-7	229
19	16	Benedictine (Kan.)		15-7	210
20	23	Aquinas (Mich.)		15-9	170
21	7	Embry-Riddle (Fla.)		19-5	165
22	18	Eastern Oregon		17-5	157
23	23	William Penn (Iowa)		17-7	141
23	22	Bluefield (Va.)		16-8	86
25	NR	Ozarks (Mo.)		14-8	85

 

Others Receiving Votes: Grace (Ind.), 84; Holy Names (Calif.), 73; Northwest (Wash.), 64; Cornerstone (Mich.), 57; Asbury (Ky.), 39; Calumet St. Joseph (Ind.), 22; Dordt (Iowa), 22; Evangel (Mo.), 18; Mount Mercy (Iowa), 15; Southwestern (Kan.), 9; William Jessup (Calif.), 3; Indiana Southeast, 2; Concordia (Mich.), 1; Hastings (Neb.), 1; Maine-Machias, 1; Tennessee Wesleyan, 1.