NCAA Division II Basketball Preseason Rankings: A Comprehensive Overview

The landscape of NCAA Division II men’s basketball is ever-evolving. The transfer portal era has brought significant changes, with entire starting lineups being transformed. While this influx of talent promises excitement, it also necessitates time for teams to coalesce and build chemistry. As the season is set to commence, this article aims to provide an in-depth look at the top teams and potential contenders in DII men’s basketball.

The Current Landscape of NCAA Division II Basketball

DII basketball is a tough beast, especially in the transfer portal era. Entire starting fives have been wiped out, and while many talented new faces have been brought in, it will take time to adjust.

Top 10 Teams in NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball

Here’s a breakdown of the top 10 teams, highlighting their key players, strengths, and potential challenges:

1. Nova Southeastern

Nova Southeastern stands as the clear frontrunner. The team boasts a core of returning national champions in guards Dallas Graziani, Ross Reeves, and Ryan Davis. Their familiarity with the team's fast-paced, full-court attack gives them a distinct advantage. Reinforcements arrive in the form of Bobby Rosenberger III from Saint Francis and Jaxson Nap from Seattle Pacific. Rosenberger III averaged 8.2 points per game in a swingman role from the bench and starting five. Nap scored 11.6 points per game to go along with 10 rebounds per game.

2. DBU (Dallas Baptist University)

DBU, a national semifinalist, enters the season at No. 2, largely due to the dynamic backcourt duo of Trevor Frank and Xavion Brown. Brown, the team's offensive engine, excels in assists and steals while contributing eight points per game. Frank complements him with 10.5 points per game and an impressive 81 steals. The experience of Drew Calderon (7.4 points per game) adds further depth to a team poised to replicate their historic 34-win season.

3. Washburn

Washburn faces the challenge of replacing significant starting experience. However, the return of Jack Bachelor, who contributed 13.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, and a team-high 5.5 assists per game, provides a solid foundation. Key reserves Dillon Claussen, Brady Christiansen, and Sam Ungashick are poised to step into larger roles. The team is further bolstered by the arrival of Isaiah Saams-Hoy from Alaska Fairbanks, alongside Bryson Smith (11.4 points per game with a team-high 131 assists for Northeastern State), Jeremiah Jones (a team-high 11.9 points per game for UMary), and Marcus Glock (9.1 points per game for Northwest Missouri State).

4. Daemen

Daemen returns all four of their top scorers from last season. The Wildcats were upset by archrival St. Thomas Aquinas in the tournament. Both Benjamin Bill and Justin Hemphill were Bevo Francis Award watchlist members last year and contributed 28.8 points, 14.6 rebounds and 5.3 per game.

5. Lenoir-Rhyne

Lenoir-Rhyne, fresh off their first-ever DII Men’s Elite Eight appearance, returns three starters. Julian Dozier, the team's sparkplug, is back after scoring 11.7 points per game to go with a team-high 172 assists and 66 steals. He’ll get to feed the ball to monster, 7-foot-2 center Conrad Luczynski in the paint, who scored 12.0 points per game with a team-high 7.3 rebounds per game. Sam Martin and Junior Hodnett bring additional experience, having scored more than 8.0 points per game last season. The Bears have also brought in some very nice transfer talent, but two that stand out are Amarion Savage and Blessin Kimble. Savage scored 10.1 points per game while leading his team in assists and steals at the JUCO level, while Kimble contributed 12.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game for DII New Mexico Highlands.

6. Point Loma

Point Loma enters the rankings ahead of the West Region champion and national runner-up Cal State Dominguez Hills, based on the program's proven ability to contend even amidst significant changes. The return of Jake Lifgren, who had a monster season in 2023-24 with 18.1 points per game, and Tyce Paulsen solidifies their backcourt. Both Jaden Matingou and Andrew Hommes return after being the top two, reliable options off the bench last year. Additionally, Caden Harris transfers in from Chico State and has familiarity with the Wild West Region and can score and rebound, as does James Noble, who should have the ability to put up big numbers at Sonoma State.

7. West Liberty

West Liberty sees a change in leadership as Ben Howlett departs and Michael Lamberti takes over. Lamberti, familiar with the program's successful past, brings three of Coker’s top scorers - Jamie Muldowney (12.6 points per game), Judson Coan (12.4 points per game), and Max Hurray (12.1 points per game) - with him. West Liberty only returns Dante Spadafora, who played meaningful minutes last year.

Read also: Crafting Your NCAA Profile

8. Cal State Dominguez Hills

Cal State Dominguez Hills, the returning national runners-up, are ranked No. 8. They return only one starter from the historic club, albeit one of their best in David Cheatom. To head coach Steve Becker’s advantage is the fact that he brought in several transfers already comfortable in the West Region, in Josiah Sanders and Jayden Johnson. Jalen Brown from Regis brings scoring potential after averaging 13.0 points per game last year, and DeSean Stevens could be a name to watch. Stevens comes from Seattle U, but prior to that was a JUCO All-American.

9. Michigan Tech

Michigan Tech, despite not advancing past the second round of the tournament last year, returns all five of its starters and Ty Fernholz. Topping the list is Marcus Tomashek, who has finished in the top 15 in scoring in each of the past two seasons. The Huskies have a pretty brutal non-conference schedule to open things up, including DBU and Lenoir-Rhyne in the Classic this coming weekend, but if they can walk away .500 or better, they will be in great shape.

10. Missouri S&T

Missouri S&T rounds out the top 10. They bring back three starters that should help get things off on the right foot. Andrew Young should find his way onto the Bevo Francis Watchlist after a breakout season in which he posted averages of 16.7 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Joining Young back in the rotation are Alex Benassi and Cameron Stovall, as well as the top two reserves, Blaise Beauchamp and Zac Brown. It will be interesting to see what Darron Henry contributes after an All-American JUCO campaign.

Other Teams to Watch

Several other teams are on the cusp of breaking into the top 10:

Alabama Huntsville: The Chargers lost their entire starting five.
Colorado School of Mines: The Orediggers lose seven seniors, but do return two starters.
Columbus State:
Fairmont State:
Valdosta State: The Blazers return two big scorers in Drew Mills and Maalik Leitch, as well as starter MJ Jones and sixth man Lucas Brown Jr.
Florida Southern: The Mocs were a contender with Jadin Booth and Alex Steen. Both are gone, along with the entire starting five.
Lake Superior State: The Lakers were one of the feel-good stories of 2024-25, but return zero starters.
Lincoln Memorial: The Railsplitters are a DII powerhouse, but have a new coaching regime and a roster of transfers.
Lubbock Christian: The Chaps were a strong team last year, but lost four starters. They do return Amondo Miller Jr.

WBCA NCAA Division II Coaches Poll

The WBCA (Women's Basketball Coaches Association) also releases a Division II Coaches Poll, providing another perspective on the top teams in the nation. The committee is composed of one head coach from each of the 23 NCAA Division II conferences.

Here's a snapshot of a recent poll:

Rank	School (Record)	Points	Rank in Last Week’s Poll	First-Place Votes
1	Texas Woman’s (24-1)	566	2	15
2	Grand Valley State (25-1)	544	3	13
3	Minnesota State Mankato (27-1)	529	1	6
4	Colorado Mesa (28-1)	516	4	15
5	Indiana, PA (23-1)	484	5	0
6	Gannon (24-3)	456	8	0
7	West Texas A&M (24-3)	410	11	0
8	Fort Hays State (24-3)	390	6	0
9	Nova Southeastern (23-3)	368	9	0
10	Cal Poly Pomona (23-3)	354	7	0
11	Columbus State (22-3)	346	14	0
12	Bentley (20-3)	276	17	0
13	Ferris State (22-4)	274	16	0
14	Harding (22-4)	244	10	0
15	Daemen (21-3)	228	18	0
16	Lincoln Memorial (22-3)	209	19	0
17	Central Washington (23-4)	187	13	0
18	Lenoir-Rhyne (22-4)	185	22	0
19	Winston-Salem State (23-3)	174	15	0
20	Missouri-St.

Dropped out: No. 23 Lubbock Christian (21-6)

Others receiving votes: Northwood (21-5) 36; Wayne State, MI (20-6) 27; Lubbock Christian (21-6) 19; Central Missouri (21-5) 16; Pittsburg State (18-8) 16; Concordia-St. Paul (21-6) 14; California State-L.A.

Committee Members: The committee for the 2025-26 season: LaSheena Brooks, Shorter; Mario Caetano, Adams State; Kevin Clifford, Roberts Wesleyan; Kyle Cooper, West Liberty; Carmen Dolfo, Western Washington; Charity Elliott, Point Loma Nazarene; Steve Fagan, Felician; Darin Grover, Southeastern Oklahoma; Sarah Hopkins-Chery, Cal State Monterey Bay; Matt Houser, Columbus State; Beth Jillson, Texas Woman’s; Mike Mincey, Carson-Newman; Kerry Phayre, Assumption; Ashlee Phillips, Auburn Montgomery; Kari Pickens, Ashland; Jenny Pruett, Saginaw Valley State; Ashley Raley-Ross, Florida Tech; James Rice, Benedict; Jess Strom, California University (Pa.); Ebony Tanner, Elizabeth City State; Katie Vaughn, Missouri-St.

Other teams receiving votes include St. Cloud State (52), North Carolina-Pembroke (49), St. Mary's (TX) (46), Lake Superior State (45), Valdosta State (42), South Carolina-Aiken (39), Minnesota State-Moorhead (37), Assumption (36), Rogers State (35), Miles (27), Lincoln (MO) (25), Minnesota-Duluth (25), Adelphi (24), Minnesota State-Mankato (22), Northern Michigan (22), Cal State-Chico (21), Clark Atlanta (20), North Georgia (20), Catawba (15), Tampa (15), Concordia-St. Paul (12), Central Oklahoma (11), Dominican (10), St. Thomas Aquinas (10), Carson-Newman (9), Northwest Nazarene (9), Fayetteville State (8), Cal State-San Bernardino (7), Missouri-St.

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