OSKALOOSA — The Statesmen men’s basketball will open a new season sitting high nationally as the NAIA released its top-25 preseason poll Wednesday.
WPU, which was 31-2 last year, is #7 in the ranking with 457 points. It is the 60th-consecutive time the Statesmen have been in the top 25, but it also snaps a streak of 16 times in a row in the top five.
Despite the lower ranking, William Penn did receive one first-place vote; there are 20 total first-place votes.
William Penn is the lone Heart of America Athletic Conference representative in the top 25, while Evangel (#28) and MidAmerica Nazarene (#40) are found in the receiving votes section.
National semifinalist Arizona Christian tops the poll with 553 points at 15 first-place votes, while Thomas More (Ky.) is second with three votes. College of Idaho, Oklahoma Wesleyan (final first-place nod), and Indiana Wesleyan round out the top five. Defending national champion Loyola (La.) did not receive any points and is not in the poll.
The Statesmen begin the season this weekend at the Governors State Tip-Off Classic. On Friday, WPU faces Great Lakes Christian (Mich.) at 5 p.m. The squad then meets host Governors State Saturday at 2 p.m.
NAIA Men’s Basketball Preseason Rating – October 26, 2022
(Number in parentheses is first-place votes)
1. Arizona Christian (15)
2. Thomas More (Ky.) (3)
3. College of Idaho
4. Oklahoma Wesleyan (1)
5. Indiana Wesleyan
6. William Jessup (Calif.)
7. William Penn (1)
8. Grace (Ind.)
9. Jamestown (N.D.)
10. Georgetown (Ky.)
11. Faulkner (Ala.)
12. LSU Shreveport
13. Science & Arts (Okla.)
14. Marian (Ind.)
15. Southwestern (Kan.)
16. Carroll (Mont.)
17. Southeastern (Fla.)
18. Wayland Baptist (Texas)
19. Indiana-South Bend
20. Cumberland (Tenn.)
21. Florida College
22. Oregon Tech
23. Montana Tech
24. Briar Cliff
25. Indiana Tech
Receiving Votes: Union (Ky.) 117, Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) 112, Evangel (Mo.) 80, Kansas Wesleyan 70, Huntington (Ind.) 60, Hope International (Calif.) 57, WVU Tech (W.Va.) 57, Xavier (La.) 56, Ottawa (Ariz.) 35, Missouri Baptist 26, Northwestern 23, Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) 22, Mid-America Christian (Okla.) 22, Madonna (Mich.) 18, MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) 16, Langston (Okla.) 16, Stillman (Ala.) 15, Bellevue (Neb.) 14, Cumberlands (Ky.) 14, IU Kokomo (Ind.) 9, Concordia (Neb.) 6, Reinhardt (Ga.) 5.
