1. South Dakota State: 111 pts (8)
Last week 2
The Jacks and the Bison flip spots again. Jacks lose to George Mason and beat Southern Miss, in doing so they reclaim the top spot. Voters mentioned that the Jacks are starting to find a little bit more rhythm and getting contributions from the bench they weren’t getting earlier in the year. Obviously the vote was close but the Jacks get the top spot.
2. North Dakota State: 108 (4)
Last week 1
In the biggest debate of the week the Bison fall from 1 to 2. The Bison beat a non-division 1 before losing to Grand Canyon. Voters who voted for the Bison on top seemed to think the North Dakota State team we saw in the first half is closer to who the team is and others saw the team that got beat up in the second half.
3. North Dakota: 80 (1)
Last week 6
The Fighting Hawks make a huge leap this week. Somewhat understandably, considering they did this week what other Summit League teams have failed to do consistently. Win against Division 1 opponents. It even earned them a first-place vote this week. This week North Dakota racked up 3 wins against Pacific, New Orleans, and Eastern Michigan.
4. Oral Roberts: 64 pts
Last week 5
This is the spot where things get really tight in spots 4-6. The Golden Eagles only had one game this week and it was a win against Texas Southern. So it’s possible Oral Roberts moving up had more to do with other teams moving down, than anything they did on the court.
5. St. Thomas: 63 pts
Last week 4
The Tommies only had one game this week and it was against Green Bay on the road. The Portland State victory from last week still has voters hopeful for the Tommies potential this season. At the pace they’ve been playing at there is going to be a lot of close games for St. Thomas this season.
6. South Dakota: 56 pts
Last week: 3
Interesting drop for the Coyotes this week. They beat a non-division 1 squad and lost at home to Air Force. North Dakota rising definitely impacted them, but dropping below St. Thomas and Oral Roberts may have been a bit of a surprise although Oral Roberts did win this week.
7. Denver: 41 pts
Last week 8
A pair of wins, one against a non-division 1 and another against Texas A+M Commerce moves Denver up one spot. Tommy Bruner highlights this squad as he is currently the top scorer in Division 1 basketball.
8. Omaha: 39pts
Last week 7
The Mavericks get edged by the Pioneers in the rankings this week. They won their only game but was against a non-division 1 opponent, so voters moved up Denver after their division 1 victory this week.
9. Kansas City: 18 pts
Last week 9
Kansas City still in search of its first Division 1 victory fell short in 3 games this week, including 2 close ones. However, they need to start putting together victories before the voters move them up.