William Penn Men Up to School-Record #2
Brandon Beasley in action against Central Christian (Mo.)as the Statesmen basketball team won 140-53.
Oskaloosa–The Statesmen cagers have matched their highest ranking in school history as the fifth NAIA Division II men’s basketball poll was released Tuesday.
William Penn (19-1, 3-0 MCC) jumps two spots to #2 with 331 points. The navy and gold were also #2 on January 30, 2008.
The program managed its ranking as the previous #2 and #3 were both upset last week. Eastern Oregon tops all programs with 343 points and all 13 first-place votes. Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) is now third, while Indiana Wesleyan and Northwestern round out the top five.
Fellow Midwest Collegiate Conference program Mount Mercy is equally hot, sitting 7th in the division. The two top-ten squads meet up in Cedar Rapids Saturday and the matchup is part of the NAIA’s Game of the Week Fan Poll. Vote here https://www.facebook.com/PlayNAIA?ref=hl
William Penn returns to action Wednesday to host Viterbo in MCC action at 7:30 p.m.
NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball Rating #5 – January 15, 2013
(Number in parentheses is first-place votes)
1. Eastern Oregon (13)
2. William Penn
3. Cardinal Stritch (Wis.)
4. Indiana Wesleyan
5. Northwestern
6. St. Thomas (Fla.)
7. Mount Mercy
8. Warner Pacific (Ore.)
9. Embry-Riddle (Fla.)
10. Northwood (Fla.)
11. Davenport (Mich.)
12. Dordt
13. Rochester (Mich.)
14. Indiana-Southeast
15. Northwest (Wash.)
16. Bethel (Ind.)
17. Doane (Neb.)
18. Saint Xavier (Ill.)
19. Madonna (Mich.)
20. Valley City State (N.D.)
21. Southern Oregon
22. Grace (Ind.)
23. Cal-Maritime
24. Ave Maria (Fla.)
25. Ozarks (Mo.)
Others receiving votes: Briar Cliff 60; Saint Mary (Kan.) 56; Cornerstone (Mich.) 48; York (Neb.) 25; Hastings (Neb.) 14; Oklahoma Wesleyan 8; Indiana Tech 6; Dakota State (S.D.) 5; Tennessee Wesleyan 5; Taylor (Ind.) 4.
