March is quickly approaching and there is now just one undefeated team remaining in DII men’s basketball. That perfect team comes in the unlikeliest of places, with Cal State East Bay at 22-0 after finishing 11-17 a year ago.
🖐 🏀 Jarnel Rancy swats his way to DII men’s basketball history
DII hoops fans can thank Central Missouri for the latest shakeup in the DII men’s basketball Power 10 rankings. The Mules — led by freshman sensation Lazerek Houston and his 31 points — took down former No. 1 Washburn in a 74-72 thriller on Saturday night. Central Missouri is one of the best seven-loss teams in DII and having shown it can hang with everyone in the Central Region, could be a sneaky pick to make the DII Men’s Elite Eight this March.
There seems to be fewer utterly dominant teams this year, which is both good and bad. The good is competition is more level across the board. There are just seven undefeated, one-loss or two-loss teams remaining, which means four- and five-loss teams can very much be a part of the Power 10 conversation. That is not the norm, and led to three teams making their first-ever Power 10 appearance.
As a reminder, there is no voting committee, and the NCAA selection committee is not involved. The Power 10 rankings are mine and mine alone, where I attempt to combine selection committee metrics and what I watch in real-time. It doesn’t necessarily matchup with the NABC rankings, nor does it look to be a duplicate of regional rankings. Also, I no longer rely on KPI as a deciding factor, and instead I will be using Inkblot Sports RPI and performance index more strongly moving forward.
The DII men’s basketball Power 10 (through Saturday, Feb. 7)
Nova Southeastern Athletics
No. 1 Nova Southeastern | Previous: 2. The reigning champs are back where they belong, perched atop the Power 10 rankings. Despite the fact that they returned three key pieces from their national championship run last year, there were still plenty of new faces that needed to gel. They are now doing just that: Now 18-1, the Sharks have scored at least 102 points in six of their last seven games… and the opposing teams haven’t broken 82. That includes the 21-point revenge victory over then-Power 10 and nationally ranked Palm Beach Atlantic.
No. 2 Gannon | Previous: 3.Yes, I have the Golden Knights all the way up to No. 2. I understand many will disagree, especially since Gannon has been inexplicably low in the national polls all year, but the Golden Knights are quite deserving. They are the No. 1 RPI and PI in the Atlantic, which is proving to be a very tough region this year. They are amid a seven-game winning streak which includes wins over tournament-bound Indiana (PA), Power 10 Daemen, and likely tournament-bound Cal (PA). The Golden Knights are an offensive juggernaut, third in DII in scoring with 94.9 points per game and are led by a player-of-the-year candidate in Pace Prosser. This team is looking DII Men’s Elite Eight bound.
No. 3 Washburn | Previous: 1. If I believe that Central Missouri is a true contender to come out of the Central Region and make the DII Men’s Elite Eight, then Washburn should only fall a few spots. This is still the No. 1 team in RPI and PI in the Central Region by a large margin and the Ichabods still have one of the best “Big Threes’ in all DII with Dillon Claussen, Jack Bachelor and Jeremiah Jones. For the first time all season, we’ll have to see how Washburn bounces back, and it won’t be easy with tournament contender Arkansas-Fort Smith on deck this week. The Ichabods will be a team on a mission and should they win big at home against the Lions, they could climb back to No. 2.
No. 4 Cal State East Bay | Previous: 5. I will gladly continue to take heat for having the last undefeated team in DII men’s basketball at No. 4. First, the good. This team is 22-0 and now that we are in February, that is impressive. The Pioneers have a nasty defense that is top 10 in DII allowing just 63.3 points per game. On the flip side, they have played the 237th strength of schedule in DII, and no other top 25 team has played an “easier” schedule. If you look at the current top 10 of the West Region by RPI, only two teams hail from the CCAA: these Pioneers, and the defending national runners-up, Cal State Dominguez Hills at 16-6. There is a month left of conference play, and the Pioneers have already clinched a tournament spot and have a six-game lead on the conference. For as good as Gannon and Washburn have been, they only have a two or three-game lead in their conferences, playing a much tougher schedule. For Power 10 rankings, we have to look at the overall resume, and I hope to have outlined that here.
No. 5 Daemen | Previous 4. In a year of wild upsets, it is a risky proposition keeping the Wildcats this high with a game still to be played late Sunday afternoon. However, Daemen, which travels to Staten Island, has won the last five in a row against the Dolphins, all in blowout fashion. That’s because the Wildcats have been the cream of the crop in the East Region for two years running. Ironically, their last conference loss came nearly three years to the day… on the road at Staten Island. But this is a much different team. They have one loss to No. 2 Gannon, and to be fair, Benjamin Bill — a Bevo Francis candidate — did not play. Bill returned from a long hiatus on Jan. 31 and the Wildcats have celebrated, winning both games he’s been back for by 21 points. This teams is cooking.
No. 6 Anderson (SC) | Previous: 6. The Trojans have rebounded from its one loss and have won six in a row, improving to 21-1 on the season. After falling to a sneaky good UVA Wise on Jan. 17, they have beaten the likes of nationally ranked Lenoir Rhyne, regionally ranked Emory & Henry and a tricky Carson-Newman squad. The Trojans have a stingy defense that allows just over 64 points per game, and Rashawn Inglemon and Osmar Garcia-Araujo continue to thrive and can both take over a game if needed. This team will be tough to take down in a pretty deep Southeast Region.
No. 7 West Liberty | Previous: 10. It’s not how you start, but how you finish. West Liberty came into the season with a new coaching staff and close to a new-look roster and had to work out some kinks. However, with a system very similar to that which started decades ago under Jim Crutchfield, the Hilltoppers are flying high again, winners of nine in a row, having scored 100 or more points in seven of their 12 2026 games. They score 98 points per game behind one of the most balanced scoring attacks in DII with nine players chipping in at least 7.2 points per game. Let’s see how they handle the rematch against nationally ranked Fairmont State this coming Saturday.
No. 8 Eastern New Mexico | Previous: NR. Last week, the Greyhounds were a team to watch. This week, they are making program history with their first-ever appearance in the DII men’s basketball Power 10 rankings. Eastern New Mexico is now 19-3 and winners of seven in a row, with tournament resume-building wins against Lubbock Christian, West Texas A&M and DBU during that span. The Greyhounds entire starting five scores in double figures making it difficult to shut down this offense. Another big one awaits Tuesday in a rematch with West Texas A&M.
No. 9 Grand Valley State | Previous: NR. In the last Power 10 rankings, we took a look at five teams on the rise. The Lakers have certainly risen since those rankings two weeks ago. They took down the then-top two teams in the Midwest Region, beating nationally ranked Northern Michigan 85-80 on Jan. 29 followed by then-Power-10-er Michigan Tech 55-46 two nights later. The Lakers have a tough defense, and their offense gets the job done with a balanced attack. Until this point, I thought Michigan Tech was the team to beat in the Midwest Region, but the Lakers are making a very strong case.
No. 10 Oklahoma Baptist | Previous: NR. Here is another team that was “on the rise” in the last Power 10 that jump into the mix. The Bison make their first-ever appearance in the Power 10 rankings in any sport, now sitting at 19-2 amid a 10-game winning streak. Terry Coner Jr. leads the offense as one of DII’s most proficient scorers, averaging 20.4 points per game with a team-high 73 assists. The Bison play some tight ball games, only defeating opponents by an average of 9.0 points per game, but they have found a recipe that works. Let’s see what they do against tournament-contender Southern Nazarene this week.
First five out (in alphabetical order)
DBU: Like West Liberty, it is about the finish, not the start. This was the preseason No. 2 but lost three of their first five games and have gone 16-3 since. That includes wins against St. Edward’s, West Texas A&M and Lubbock Christian in the past two weeks.
Fairmont State: The Fighting Falcons have won nine in a row, including one over West Liberty. It may seem odd to have them outside and the Hilltoppers in, but let’s see how their rematch plays out this week. If Fairmont State wins, the Falcons will be Power 10 bound.
Lubbock Christian: The Chaps dropped a tough one to DBU but are still one of the best four-loss teams in DII. Amondo Miller Jr. and Antonio Pusateri are all-out ballers, able to score, rebounds and defend. The LSC is tough, and no team is going to make it through unscathed. This team has the pieces to make a deep run come March, though.
Michigan Tech: Despite the recent losses, the Huskies are still 20-4, and thanks to a win over Northern Michigan earlier this season, still have the No. 1 PI and No. 2 RPI in the Midwest Region. This team is still very much a contender for the DII Men’s Elite Eight.
Palm Beach Atlantic: The Sailfish dropped two games they need to win recently, but the bottom line is this: They are the No. 2 team in the South in both RPI and PI, do have that win against Nova Southeastern, and avenged an earlier season loss to Florida Southern last week. This team is right on the cusp but hang around for now.