After compiling a school-record 24-8 mark during the 1996-97 season, the Mount Vernon Nazarene College men's basketball team will start the 1997-98 campaign ranked #6 in the NAIA Division II Preseason poll.
The Cougars, who return four starters and nine of their top eleven players from a year ago, spent most of last season ranked in the top 25, but where not in the final poll when it was released. MVNC actually moved as high as #5 in the January 8, 1997 poll, which marked the school's highest ranking ever in men's basketball.
Being ranked #6 in the preseason poll also marks the first time that an MVNC men's basketball team has begun the season in the top ten.
Below is the complete 1997-98 NAIA Division II Preseason Poll:
NAIA DIVISION II
MEN'S BASKETBALL RATINGS
TOP 25 - PRESEASON RATING
OCTOBER 21, 1997
Rank |
Final |
Team |
1st |
1997 |
Total |
|||||||||
1 |
2 |
Bethel (Ind.) |
17 |
34 |
- |
5 |
496 |
|||||||
2 |
4 |
Spring Arbor (Mich.) |
2 |
29 |
- |
7 |
479 |
|||||||
3 |
15 |
William Jewell (Mo.) |
1 |
29 |
- |
10 |
458 |
|||||||
4 |
9 |
Lewis & Clark (Ore.) |
22 |
- |
6 |
420 |
||||||||
5 |
5 |
Embry-Riddle (Fla.) |
1 |
25 |
- |
8 |
395 |
|||||||
6 |
NR |
Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) |
24 |
- |
8 |
364 |
||||||||
7 |
3 |
Oregon Tech |
29 |
- |
5 |
326 |
||||||||
8 |
11 |
Siena Heights (Mich.) |
30 |
- |
7 |
323 |
||||||||
9 |
1 |
St. Thomas Aquinas (N.Y.) |
1 |
32 |
- |
2 |
304 |
|||||||
10 |
18 |
Tabor (Kan.) |
24 |
- |
9 |
298 |
||||||||
11 |
23 |
Walsh (Ohio) |
26 |
- |
8 |
259 |
||||||||
12 |
7 | Northwest Nazarene (Idaho) |
26 |
- |
8 |
257 |
||||||||
13 |
19 |
Whitworth (Wash.) |
18 |
- |
7 |
250 |
||||||||
14 |
NR |
MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) |
24 |
- |
13 |
234 |
||||||||
15 |
NR |
Ozarks (Mo.) |
24 |
- |
11 |
227 |
||||||||
16 |
NR |
Mount Marty (S.D.) |
1 |
19 |
- |
9 |
215 |
|||||||
17 |
NR |
Concordia (Neb.) |
18 |
- |
14 |
194 |
||||||||
18 |
NR |
Virginia Intermont |
21 |
- |
13 |
168 |
||||||||
19 |
21 |
Huntington (Ind.) |
21 |
- |
9 |
141 |
||||||||
20 |
NR |
Husson (Maine) |
20 |
- |
12 |
135 |
||||||||
21 |
NR |
Robert Morris (Ill.) |
16 |
- |
16 |
127 |
||||||||
22 |
10 |
Malone (Ohio) |
23 |
- |
8 |
118 |
||||||||
23 |
17 |
Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) |
20 |
- |
8 |
107 |
||||||||
24 |
NR |
Viterbo (Wis.) |
17 |
- |
17 |
105 |
||||||||
25 |
NR |
Holy Family (Pa.) |
22 |
- |
11 |
91 |
||||||||
Others Receiving Votes: Trinity
International (Ill.) 86, Taylor (Ind.) 81, Northwestern (Minn.)
73, Indiana Tech 70, Green Mountain (Vt.)T 65, Pacific Lutheran
(Wash.) 60, Jamestown (N.D.) 58, St. Thomas (Fla.) 57, Evangel
(Mo.) 55, Western Oregon 53, Albertson (Idaho) 36, Holy Names
(Calif.) 33, Bethel (Kan.) 28, Northwestern (Iowa) 27, Berea
(Ky.) 24, Pacific (Ore.) 19, Briar Cliff (Iowa) 17, Tennessee
Wesleyan 16, Black Hills State (S.D.) 14, Caldwell (N.J.) 14,
Tri-State (Ind.) 14, St. Joseph's (Maine) 13, Urbana (Ohio) 12 ,
Peru State (Neb.) 9, Mount Mercy (Iowa) 8, Mary (N.D.) 7, Western
Baptist (Ore.) 7, Bartlesville Wesleyan (Okla.) 6,
Warner-Southern (Fla.) 6, Concordia (Ore.) 5, Cornerstone (Mich.)
5, Dominican (N.Y.) 3, Milligan (Tenn.) 2, Mayville State (N.D.)
1.
This top 25 rating was compiled by the NAIA-Division II Men's
Basketball Coaches Association. Points awarded on a
25-24-23-22-21-20-19-18-17-16-15-14-13-12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
basis.