Saturday was an absolutely bonkers night in DII men’s basketball. Nova Southeastern, MSU Moorhead, Benedict, Northwest Missouri State, California (PA), Ferris State and several other top 25 teams lost some surprising matchups. That led to a new-look Power 10 rankings, including a first-timer at the No. 1 spot: Minnesota State.
The Mavericks are the last remaining undefeated team in DII men’s basketball and claim the top spot in the Power 10 rankings for the first time in program history. Before we get into the rest, here is your weekly reminder: The Power 10 rankings are mine and mine alone — there is no voting body, just me, some stats and a whole bunch of notes. I attempt to mesh the good ol’ eye test with some of the numbers the selection committee uses to fill the bracket in March. It is also important to note that the only games that matter to me are those played against DII competition.
As I mentioned in the initial Power 10 rankings, this season I will be using stats from InkblotSports. You can see those metrics — which include RPI and PI amongst other selection metrics — here or join the Inkblot Sports Patreon here.
DII MEN’S BASKETBALL CENTRAL:
The second DII men’s basketball Power 10 for 2024 (through 1/13/24)
No. 1 Minnesota State | Previous: 2 (tied)
MSU Moorhead and Minnesota State were both 15-0 overall heading into the weekend, and it was really close as to what separated the two. Prior to Saturday’s loss, the Dragons had the top spot locked down, but that all changed as the Mavericks reached the 100-point mark for the fifth time this season to reach a 13-0 record against DII opponents and become the only undefeated team still standing in the division. This team scores more than 93 points per game as all five starters are averaging double figures. The Mavericks are deep and ready for a big run.
No. 2 West Texas A&M | Previous: 6
If Minnesota State wasn’t undefeated, I think the Buffs are the top team in DII men’s basketball. To be honest, they still may be. West Texas A&M has won 11 in a row since that one-point loss to a very good MSU Denver team, and that includes wins against Power 10 Colorado Mesa, and most recently this week, a 15-point victory over “first-five-out” Angelo State. Larry Wise and Zach Toussaint continue to lead the way, but this team has so many people that help in so many different ways they are beginning to look unbeatable.
No. 3 Saint Martin’s | Previous: 4
Just keep winning. As long as the Saints do just that, they have a clear path in a wild West Region. Thursday’s upcoming showdown with MSU Billings (which is undefeated in conference play) will show us a lot about what St. Martin’s can do. This team is very well-balanced, winning games by more than 17 points per game, and has shown it can go off for 100 points or lock you down on defense to win ball games. The Saints’ postseason resume is littered with big West Region wins… a victory against the Yellow Jackets would make the Saints tough to top.
No. 4 Nova Southeastern | Previous: 1
The Sharks have lost two of their last four games, so I would be up for debate that No. 4 may be a little too high. However, the Sharks lost to Florida Southern and Florida Tech, two teams that don’t get nearly enough respect in DII men’s basketball and, in my eyes, are tournament-ready teams. While this team isn’t as good on paper right now as last year’s national championship team, we have to remember they lost nearly everyone from that squad. This current Sharks team has played a mere 14 games together and are still gelling, and I think they learn from these losses.
No. 5 MSU Moorhead | Previous: 2 (tied)
That was a stunner of a loss to 8-9 Sioux Falls this past weekend, but let’s not forget how good the Dragons’ start to the season was. MSU Moorhead is now 15-1, and all 15 wins were against DII competition, so we know they can play in a tough Central Region. The starting five is deep, with each regular starter chipping in at least nine points per night, but keep an eye on Dane Zimmer, who is the real X-factor, averaging 9.9 points and 8.9 rebounds per game while leading the team in blocks. We’ll see how well they rebound from a loss for the first time this season with a huge matchup against Minnesota Duluth this week.
No. 6. DBU | Previous: 4
The Patriots are another team that simply keeps winning. They are fueled by the Lone Star Conference’s top offense, scoring more than 92 points per game. The Patriots are led by Cameron Kahn, who is second in the conference with 20.5 points per game while adding a team-high 7.1 rebounds per game. They are also tough on defense, boasting the top turnover margin in the LSC. The South Central Region is a beast, but in a couple weeks, the Patriots have a chance to put a huge exclamation point on their No. 1 seed chances with back-to-back games against Lubbock Christian and West Texas A&M.
No. 7 North Georgia | Previous: 7
The Nighthawks have been playing with fire lately with some very tight victories, but at the end of the day, North Georgia has won nine in a row, including four straight Peach Belt Conference matchups. Having Frank Champion and AJ White — each of whom scores at least 20 points per game and are Nos. 1 and 2 in the PBC in scoring, respectively — is a huge help. A tremendous matchup against Lander’s top PBC defense awaits this week. It pits the best shooting team in the PBC against the best shooting defense in the conference.
No. 8 Colorado Mesa | Previous: 10
This will be met with ire by RMAC fans, but the numbers don’t lie. The Mavericks have played a tougher schedule than Colorado School of Mines, MSU Denver and Fort Lewis (the other top teams in the RMAC) and have the third-best RPI and PI in the South Central. Both marks are tops among all RMAC teams in the region. They lead the conference in scoring with nearly 87 points per game and have won five in a row, streaking into a big matchup against Fort Lewis in a couple of weeks.
No. 9 Florida Southern | Previous: NR
The Mocs have the highest RPI in the South Region, and that is a huge accomplishment. While they do have a loss to Florida Tech, they also have signature wins against Nova Southeastern and UNC Pembroke as well as Lynn (which is the top eight in the South Region) and Catawba (which was nationally ranked in one of the top 25 polls). Perhaps most impressively, they are doing it without Jadin Booth, who was a preseason player-of-the-year candidate. Alex Steen has become a double-double machine and Luke Anderson is on absolute fire, with at least 22 points in six of his last seven games. This team is sneaky good, and while they will be much lower in the national rankings, it’s time to pay serious attention.
No . 10 (tied) Cal (PA), Gannon | Previous: No. 8 and first five out, respectively
The Atlantic Region is a mess at the top, as it is very close between the Big Three. East Stroudsburg has the top PI, but Gannon has the top RPI. Gannon has also played the toughest schedule of the three — but enter Cal into the conversation… the Vulcans currently own the head-to-head over Gannon. Picking which one is the No. 1 seed will be fun for the selection committee.
Gannon has the best offense in DII men’s basketball, scoring 109.3 points per game. The Golden Knights also have a top-3 scoring margin, winning games by 23.8 points per game. The Vulcans can certainly score — KJ McClurg leads five Vulcans in double-figure scoring — but don’t win games in blowout fashion. That may be the difference maker down the stretch, but for now this is arguably the team to beat in the Atlantic.
The first five out (listed alphabetically)
- Colorado School of Mines: This will probably surprise some people, but the Orediggers have a better RPI than both Lubbock Christian and Fort Lewis, have more wins against DII opponents than both, and while Lubbock Christian has a higher SOS, the Orediggers own the head-to-head, giving them the slight edge right now.
- Lincoln Memorial: This probably is also a surprise, especially with the Railsplitters already racking up five losses. But they have played one of the toughest schedules in DII men’s basketball and have the top RPI in the Southeast Region. This team is very good, and if it gets hot, their region is in trouble.
- Missouri Western: I still think Northwest Missouri State is a very tough team, but the Griffons just beat them, and that boosts them into the first five out over the Bearcats. After two brutal back-to-back losses to Nebraska-Kearney and Fort Hays State, Missouri Western has won five of six, including two big wins over nationally ranked Northwest Missouri State and Emporia State. The MIAA is anyone’s to take right now, and I like what the Griffons are doing.
- St. Michael’s: Nobody wants to claim the East. Every time I get high on one of the teams, they drop a big game. Right now, St. Thomas Aquinas may have the best shot to win the East, but St. Michael’s may be playing the best. The Purple Knights have played a tough schedule, have key wins against Saint Anselm, Southern New Hampshire and Pace, and currently own the top RPI in the East. With a depth of scorers, St. Michael’s moves back into the first five out.
- West Georgia: There is one undefeated team remaining this season. I say that because teams are going to lose basketball games this year. Sometimes you don’t judge a team by the number of losses, but how they respond after. The Wolves hit a rough two-game losing skid but have responded with five dominating wins in a row. With a top-5 RPI and PI in the South Region, this team is proving to be pretty strong.
The best of the rest: Alabama-Huntsville, Benedict, Cal State LA, Central Oklahoma, Ferris State, Florida Tech, Fort Lewis, Lander, Minnesota Duluth, Northwest Missouri State, St. Thomas Aquinas, West Liberty
Team to watch
Each week, I’ll highlight teams that may not be getting national attention… but very well should. This week we look at Trevecca Nazarene.
Why are more people not talking about the Trojans? This team was 2-24 last year and is now 11-3 and undefeated in the G-MAC. They beat preseason favorites Ashland for the first time ever and have recently added Findlay and Hillsdale to the list of program firsts with victories over both. Trevecca has three players (Jalen Page, Peter Lambesis and Tommy Gankhuyag) that are averaging double-digit points and more than 6.6 rebounds per game. This team scored 55.7 points per game last year and is improved by nearly 30 points per game thus far (84.4) this season.