Washburn, Daemen, Anderson (SC) and Cal State East Bay remain undefeated as the new year of play opens. All four are in the latest DII men’s basketball Power 10 rankings. For Cal State East Bay, it marks their Power 10 debut, making it one of two teams to make their first appearance ever in these top 10 rankings.
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Before we get to the Power 10 rankings, remember these are mine and mine alone. There are no other votes, and the NCAA selection committee is not involved. It is a combination of selection committee metrics and what is happening on the court, a blend of the national polls and regional rankings, if you would. I no longer rely on KPI as a deciding factor, and instead I will be using Inkblot Sports performance index more strongly moving forward. As a reminder, the Power 10 rankings are every other week, so there is a lot more fluctuation than a typical weekly ranking.
The DII men’s basketball Power 10 (through Sunday, Jan. 11)
No. 1 Washburn | Previous: 1. The Ichabods are now 16-0 and don’t look like they are slowing down any time soon. They have won each 2026 game by double digits and are winning games by 28 points per game on the season. Dillon Claussen and Jack Bachelor remain as dangerous a duo in DII that there is. There is a strong chance they run the table in the MIAA.
No. 2 Daemen | Previous 2. The Wildcats are one of four undefeated teams left in DII. They are one of two teams, along with Washburn, that has a real chance to enter the DII men’s basketball championship with a perfect record. They have a big matchup on Jan. 21 against Gannon, but outside of that, they should have little resistance in the ECC. All five starters are averaging at least 10 points per game, and three of them — Zach Phillipkowski, Benjamin Bill and Justin Hemphill — add more than seven rebounds per game. This team is deep in talent and look ready to run.
No. 3 Nova Southeastern | Previous: 3. The loss to Palm Beach Atlantic has reignited the Sharks. They have now won five in a row by an average of 34 points per game. They lead DII men’s basketball in scoring as the only team scoring north of 100 points per game (104.5) and also lead the division in assist to turnover ratio. Nova Southeastern looks well on its way to its fifth-straight DII Men’s Elite Eight.
No. 4 Lubbock Christian | Previous: 7. Since the Chaps lost to No. 1 Washburn on Dec. 16, they have won six in a row. That includes wins against nationally ranked West Liberty, St. Edward’s and St. Mary’s. It doesn’t get any easier with nationally ranked Eastern New Mexico and West Texas A&M on deck. If you judge this team on their two losses, you are missing out on one of the best squads in all DII with the No. 1 PI and No. 2 RPI in the South Central while playing a stronger SoS than St. Edward’s, West Texas A&M, DBU and St. Mary’s…all tournament teams right now.
No. 5 Anderson (SC) | Previous: 8. The Trojans are the No. 1 PI in the Southeast Region. They are 14-0 and blowing out opponents by an average of 26.1 points per game. Rashawn Inglemon and Osmar Garcia-Araujo are two big-time scoring machines and power this attack. We are about to see what this team is made of; their next three games are against potential tournament teams in Catawba, UVA Wise and Lenoir-Rhyne.
No. 6 Michigan Tech | Previous: 5 The Huskies came out of the break and lost a tight ball game to a tough Grand Valley State team. They quickly rebounded with three big wins, including one over nationally ranked Northern Michigan. Per Inkblot Sports, they have the No. 1 RPI and PI in the Midwest Region and are driven by one of the best defenses in DII men’s basketball, allowing just 62.5 points per game. Marcus Tomashek continues to lead the scoring offense, averaging more than 20 points per game and scoring 35 in the big win over Northern Michigan.
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No. 7 Cal State East Bay | Previous: NR. It has taken me awhile to get the Pioneers into the top 10, but at 14-0, it is time. They have the No. 1 RPI and PI in the West Region, but it is important to point out that among the eight likely tournament teams at this point in the season (based purely on metrics), the Pioneers have the weakest SoS. That is to no fault of their own, but it does mean the toughest part of the schedule remains. It has been “proceed with caution” to this point, but being one of four remaining undefeated teams into the new year means the Pioneers get the recognition. Their next four games are against teams with a combined record of 27-26, so expect the Pioneers to maintain their hold on the Power 10 for awhile.
No. 8 Gannon | Previous: 4. The Golden Knights are another two-loss team that makes the Power 10. Despite their most recent game resulting in a loss, the Golden Knights are still a very strong team. They have the No. 1 RPI and PI in the Atlantic, are the No. 4 team in DII in scoring (94.7 points per game), have the No. 5 scoring margin (21.1), are No. 3 in total rebounds (44.8 per game) and are No. 1 in offensive rebounds per game (18.8) and turnovers per game (25.0). Pace Prosser is a potential player of the year, and Gannon looks like it has all the pieces for a run to the DII Men’s Elite Eight.
No. 9 Palm Beach Atlantic | Previous: 6. The Sailfish slip a few spots after a 16-point loss to a tournament-bound Florida Southern team and then eked out a four-point victory against Embry-Riddle. Still at 13-1, and with that signature win over Nova Southeastern, this is still a team with a strong tournament resume. Preston La Gassick has been a steady scorer, leading an offense that helps the Sailfish win games by 20.9 points per game. The Sunshine State Conference is loaded at the top this year, so Palm Beach Atlantic has a tough road ahead, but thus far, look like a team that can weather the storm.
No.10 West Alabama | Previous: Just missed. The Tigers are the No. 3 team in the South Region by both RPI and PI, which are strong gages for which teams power their way through to the tournament. Since being blown out by Georgia Southwestern on Nov. 19, the Tigers have won 13 in a row and a have a big win against West Florida. They have a top 5 scoring defense in DII (60.7 points per game) and a balanced scoring attack where all five starters can score in double digits on any given night. This is going to be a tough team to beat in the GSC.
Just missed (in alphabetical order)
- Black Hills State. The Yellow Jackets suffered a tough loss on Saturday, but can redeem themselves against Fort Lewis this week. They need to fend off the Skyhawks who look like they are ready to challenge BHSU for the RMAC.
- Fairmont State. The Fighting Falcons opened the year with a very tough loss to Charleston (WV) but then beat West Liberty by 10 points on Saturday. The MEC is balanced, so they will take some lumps, but continue to show they can beat the best.
- Lenoir-Rhyne. The Bears have won five in a row and are 13-1 since being swept at the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic to start the season. Don’t be surprised if this team wins the SAC.
- Missouri S&T. The Miners are starting to look like the team we thought they would be in the preseason, winners of six of their last seven. The starting five is balanced, but we’ll see if their depth holds up against a gritty Midwest Region.
- North Georgia. The Nighthawks came out of the holiday break with a four-point loss to Flagler, but rebounded with two blowout wins. They still look like the team to beat in the PBC.
- Saint Martin’s. The Saints are on fire, winners of 10 in a row and undefeated in conference play. They have a strong defense and a powerful Big Three scorers that could get them the automatic bid from the GNAC.
- St. Edward’s. The Hilltoppers had three nationally ranked teams coming out of the holiday break. They went 1-2 in those games, but played West Texas A&M tough and closed the run with a win over Eastern New Mexico.
- Southern Nazarene. The Crimson Storm are 12-2, which on paper looks like a top 10 team. However, I have them outside right now, because those two losses have come in the last four games. This team should get back on track, which could see them climb quickly.
- West Liberty. These Hilltoppers are 10-3, and the big concern is that all three losses came to likely tournament teams. West Liberty has never been outside the Power 10 since the inception nearly a decade ago, but one more loss may see that happen.
- West Texas A&M. The Buffs have a huge showdown against Lubbock Christian this week, but have handled nationally ranked teams with some success. It took three total overtimes, but the Buffs knocked off St. Edward’s and St. Mary’s (TX) this past week.
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