Bears back in Top 15 after weekend MSC Sweep

PIKEVILLE, Ky. – Pikeville College’s slide down the NAIA Div. I poll was reversed on Monday afternoon with the news that it moved back up eight places this week. Kelly Wells’ team is now ranked 14th in the country after a weekend sweep of Mid-South Conference foes Georgetown and St. Catharine.

The Bears are 15-2 overall and 3-1 in the league, tied at the top with the Tigers – both Campbellsville and Georgetown – heading into this weekend’s Thursday-Saturday contests.

Pikeville reached No. 6 two weeks ago before opening league play with a loss at Campbellsville. Since then the Bears have won three straight, knocking off Lindsey Wilson, then-No. 7 Georgetown and St. Catharine to improve to 3-1.

This week the Bears play out of the league against Temple Baptist College on Tuesday at 7 before hitting the road for two Mid-South Conference games. They are at Rio Grande on Thursday night at 8 p.m. and then visit WVU Tech on Saturday at 4 p.m.

The Top 6 remain the same in this week’s ratings. Mountain State is 21-0 and remains atop the poll, while Concordia (Calif.) is 19-0 and in second place. They are the only remaining teams in NAIA Div. I this season.

They are followed by Oklahoma Baptist, Biola (Calif.), LSU-Shreveport and Southern Nazarene (Okla.).

Campbellsville (15-5) is the highest rated MSC team at No. 9. The Bears follow, while Georgetown’s loss to Pikeville dropped the Tigers 11 places to No. 18. The Tigers are 15-4 on the season.

Lindsey Wilson (five votes) and Cumberlands (one) got votes but landed outside the Top 25.

2009-2010 NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll – (Rating #5 – Jan. 25)
RANK LAST WEEK SCHOOL (1st PLACE VOTES) 2009-10 RECORD* TOTAL POINTS
1 1 Mountain State University (W.Va.) (9) 21-0 310
2 2 Concordia University (Calif.) (3) 19-0 304
3 3 Oklahoma Baptist University 18-1 288
4 4 Biola University (Calif.) 18-1 286
5 5 Louisiana State University-Shreveport 16-2 268
6 6 Southern Nazarene University (Okla.) 16-4 262
7 8 McKendree University (Ill.) 16-5 245
8 9 Southern Polytechnic State University (Ga.) 15-2 230
9 14 Campbellsville University (Ky.) 15-5 220
10 10 Texas Wesleyan University 14-4 219
11 13 Westminster College (Utah) 15-5 214
12 20 Belhaven University (Miss.) 16-2 203
13 15 Central Methodist University (Mo.) 14-5 195
14 22 Pikeville College (Ky.) 15-2 178
15 18 Union University (Tenn.) 15-6 170
16 19 Olivet Nazarene University (Ill.) 14-5 161
17 12 Oklahoma Christian University 16-4 148
18 7 Georgetown College (Ky.) 15-4 139
19 RV Montana State University-Northern 16-5 126
20 11 Trevecca Nazarene University (Tenn.) 13-5 113
21 16 Tougaloo College (Miss.) 13-2 102
22 21 Westmont College (Calif.) 13-5 99
23 RV Lee University (Tenn.) 14-6 97
24 25 Park University (Mo.) 13-6 68
25 17 University of Montana Western 16-6 41

Others receiving votes:
Saint Xavier University (Ill.) 36; Emmanuel College (Ga.) 34; William Jewell College (Mo.) 32; The Master's College (Calif.) 29; William Carey University (Miss.) 22; Mid-America Christian University (Okla.) 16; Freed-Hardeman University (Tenn.) 13; Texas College 11; Azusa Pacific University (Calif.) 11; Oklahoma City University 9; Life University (Ga.) 9; Missouri Valley College 6; Lindsey Wilson College (Ky.) 5; Fresno Pacific University (Calif.) 1; Our Lady of the Lake University (Texas) 1; Evangel University (Mo.) 1; Lambuth University (Tenn.) 1; University of the Cumberlands (Ky.) 1; Mid-Continent University (Ky.) 1; John Brown University (Ark.) 1; Robert Morris University (Ill.) 1; Spring Hill College (Ala.) 1; Benedictine College (Kan.) 1; California Baptist University 1

* Records as submitted by schools and raters

PC