No. 10 IU East leads KIAC in NAIA DII MBB Preseason Top 25
No. 10 IU East leads KIAC in NAIA DII MBB Preseason Top 25
NAIA RELEASE
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- KIAC preseason favorite IU East is ranked No. 10 in the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll released Tuesday by the national office on Tuesday (Oct. 27). The Red Wolves lead three KIAC teams that were mentioned in the rankings.
IU East, which is coming off a 26-8 season and a KIAC Tournament and regular-season championship, experienced one of the biggest jumps in the poll from the end of last year. The Red Wolves moved up 13 spots from their No. 23 ranking at the conclusion of last season.
IU East is the preseason favorite in the KIAC this year after topping the conference preseason coaches' poll released last week. The Red Wolves reached the NAIA Division II national tournament in 2014-15 along with Brescia (Ky.) University as the KIAC's two national representatives.
Brescia, 20-11 last year, is just outside the NAIA Division II Top 25 this preseason coming in at No. 27 overall and in the 'others receiving votes' category. The Bearcats were picked second in the KIAC this year.
The University of Rio Grande is the third KIAC team to gain mention in the preseason poll as the RedStorm comes in at No. 34 overall and in the receiving-votes section. Rio Grande was picked third in the KIAC this year and was 19-12 last year.
2015 – 16 NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll – (Oct. 27)
| RANK | LAST WEEK^ | SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES) | 2014-15 RECORD | TOTAL POINTS |
| 1 | 1 | Cornerstone (Mich.) (12) | 33-5 | 312 |
| 2 | 5 | Indiana Wesleyan | 33-3 | 300 |
| 3 | 4 | Davenport (Mich.) | 30-7 | 292 |
| 4 | 7 | Saint Francis (Ind.) | 27-8 | 280 |
| 5 | 21 | Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) | 25-9 | 264 |
| 6 | 6 | College of Idaho | 30-6 | 260 |
| 7 | 11 | Union (Ky.) | 30-5 | 252 |
| 8 | 14 | Bellevue (Neb.) | 28-6 | 248 |
| 9 | 25 | Briar Cliff (Iowa) | 22-11 | 233 |
| 10 | 23 | Indiana East | 26-8 | 223 |
| 11 | 24 | St. Francis (Ill.) | 23-10 | 204 |
| 12 | NR | Northwest Christian (Ore.) | 17-11 | 189 |
| 13 | NR | Dordt (Iowa) | 18-13 | 172 |
| 14 | 19 | Grace (Ind.) | 23-13 | 167 |
| 15 | 10 | Mount Mercy (Iowa) | 27-5 | 166 |
| 16 | RV | St. Thomas (Fla.) | 17-13 | 162 |
| 17 | 22 | Northwestern Ohio | 25-8 | 152 |
| 18 | 15 | Warner Pacific (Ore.) | 26-8 | 132 |
| 19 | 11 | Midland (Neb.) | 26-8 | 130 |
| 20 | RV | Tabor (Kan.) | 19-13 | 116 |
| 21 | NR | Robert Morris (Ill.) | 16-16 | 100 |
| 22 | 16 | Bethel (Ind.) | 27-7 | 94 |
| 23 | RV | Southeastern (Fla.) | 18-12 | 91 |
| 24 | 2 | Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) | 32-5 | 81 |
| 25 | NR | Warner (Fla.) | 20-11 | 46 |
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Dropped from the Top 25: Embry-Riddle (Fla.) (Moved to NCAA DII) (No. 3), Morningside (Iowa) (No. 8), Southern Oregon (No. 9), Concordia (Ore.) (moved to NCAA DII) (No. 12), Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) (No. 17), Ashford (Iowa) (No. 18) and College of the Ozarks (Mo.) (No. 19).
Others receiving votes: Saint Xavier (Ill.) 40; Brescia (Ky.) 39; Dakota State (S.D.) 32; Cal Matitime 30; Saint Mary (Kan.) 28; Oregon Tech 19; Jamestown (N.D.) 19; Northern New Mexico 15; Rio Grande (Ohio) 13; Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) 10; Northwestern (Iowa) 7; College of the Ozarks (Mo.) 5; Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) 4;