Oredigger Men ranked #8 in latest NAIA Coaches’ Poll

The following is a release from the Montana Tech Athletic Department:

KANSAS CITY, Mo.- The fourth edition of the NAIA Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 has been released, and the Orediggers of Montana Tech are ranked No. 8 in the country.

Over a month has passed since the last national poll, and in that time the Orediggers have gone 6-2 with a big win over Rocky Mountain at home, and road wins at both Carroll and Northern.  The Orediggers are the only Frontier Conference team on the list, with Rocky Mountain College falling from their previous No.15 spot out of the Top 25, but still receiving votes.

Grace (Ind.) compiled all first-place votes for the third consecutive week to stay on top in the fourth edition of the NAIA Coaches' Poll. The Lancers have tallied six more wins from the last poll and now sit a perfect 16-0 on the year. Langston (Okla.) remained at No. 2 this week, also with an undefeated record to boast. College of Idaho jumped two spots to No. 3 while Oklahoma Wesleyan and Indiana Wesleyan both rose four spots to No. 4 and 5 respectively. Roosevelt (Ill.) made the most positive movement of the week at seven spots while Cumberlands (Ky.) and Florida Memorial both jumped six places. Five newcomers made appearances in the poll this week in Tennessee Southern, Antelope Valley (Calif.), Point Park (Pa.), Bethel (Ind.) and SAGU (Texas).

Poll Methodology:

• The NAIA Men's Basketball Poll is for publicity purposes only and has no weight or bearing in the selection process for national championship field consideration.
• The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences and Continental Athletic Conference (Independents)
• The Top 25 is determined by a points system based on how each voter ranks the best teams. A team receives 30 points for each first-place vote, 29 for second place and so on through the list
• The highest and lowest ranking for each team (a non-rating is considered a low ratings) is removed
• Teams that receive only one point in the ballot are not considered "receiving votes"
• Frequency of polls occur bi-weekly
• Records listed are as of the end of the day on Monday of the poll week

 
Dropped From Top 25: Florida College, Xavier (La.), The Master's (Calif.), Wayland Baptist (Texas), Rocky Mountain (Mont.)
Others Receiving Votes: Florida College 107, Central Methodist (Mo.) 100, Ave Maria (Fla.) 69, Talladega (Ala.) 48, Marian (Ind.) 41, Madonna (Mich.) 34, The Master's (Calif.) 22, Mayville State (N.D.) 17, Xavier (La.) 14, MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) 7, Kansas Wesleyan 6, Hastings (Neb.) 5, Wayland Baptist (Texas) 4, Vanguard (Calif.) 3, WVU Tech (W.Va.) 3, Central Baptist (Ark.) 3, Pikeville (Ky.) 3
 

The Oredigger Men will play the second half of a Frontier Conference doubleheader with the Montana Western Bulldogs tomorrow night at Kelvin Sampson Court.  The women tip off at 5pm and the men at 7pm.