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DSU men’s basketball receives vote recognition in the NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball national poll
February 20, 2012
NAIA DIVISION II MEN'S BASKETBALL NATIONAL POLL No. 10
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Dakota State University men's basketball team made their fifth appearance in the tenth installment of the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball national poll, announced by the national office Monday afternoon. The Trojans received a vote after splitting a pair of road games in western South Dakota last weekend.
DSU (16-12 overall record) concluded their regular-season schedule last weekend on the road versus two NCAA Division II teams and former Dakota Athletic Conference foes. The Trojans dropped a 74-42 double overtime thriller at Black Hills State on Feb. 17, but bounced back to defeat South Dakota Mines 79-74 on Feb. 18.
Dakota State finished the regular-season with 16 wins for the first time since 1992. The Trojans had their first back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in more than 20 years.
Northwood (Fla.) returned back to the top of the national poll with 12 first-place votes. Dordt (Iowa) ranks No. 2 with a 26-3 record.
DSU heads in the post-season play this weekend. The Trojans are the No. 3 seed in the 2012 State Farm Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.) Basketball Tournament and will face No. 2 seed Valley City State (20-9, No. 25 in the national poll) in the semifinals. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. at DSU Memorial Fieldhouse. The championship game takes place on Sunday at 6 p.m.
The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences and independents. The final regular-season Division II Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 poll will be announced on Feb. 29.
At the conclusion of conference tournaments on Feb. 28, the 32-team national championship field will be announced on Feb. 29. In addition, the bracket for the 21st annual Division II Men's Basketball National Championships will be released.
Below is the 10th edition of the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball national poll:
| RANK | LAST WEEK | SCHOOL (1st PLACE VOTES) | 2011-12 RECORD | TOTAL POINTS |
| 1 | 2 | Northwood (Fla.) (12) | 27-3 | 373 |
| 2 | 4 | Dordt (Iowa) (2) | 26-3 | 358 |
| 3 | 1 | Oregon Tech | 26-4 | 344 |
| 4 | 3 | Davenport (Mich.) | 26-4 | 337 |
| 5 | 5 | McPherson (Kan.) | 27-3 | 330 |
| 6 | 6 | Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) | 25-5 | 312 |
| 7 | 8 | Bellevue (Neb.) | 25-5 | 300 |
| 8 | 9 | Jamestown (N.D.) | 24-5 | 292 |
| 9 | 10 | Northwest (Wash.) | 25-3 | 283 |
| 10 | 14 | Indiana Wesleyan | 20-10 | 257 |
| 11 | 13 | Saint Thomas (Fla.) | 21-7 | 248 |
| 12 | 15 | Northwestern (Iowa) | 22-6 | 242 |
| 13 | 7 | Grace (Ind.) | 21-7 | 225 |
| 14 | 17 | Indiana Southeast | 22-7 | 217 |
| T15 | 12 | Warner Pacific (Ore.) | 22-7 | 195 |
| T15 | 16 | Saint Ambrose (Iowa) | 22-8 | 195 |
| 17 | 11 | Indiana East | 23-6 | 182 |
| 18 | 19 | Indiana Tech | 22-6 | 170 |
| 19 | 15 | Briar Cliff (Iowa) | 20-9 | 150 |
| 20 | 21 | Warner (Fla.) | 21-9 | 138 |
| 21 | 23 | Marian (Ind.) | 18-9 | 137 |
| 22 | 22 | Saint Mary (Kan.) | 23-4 | 132 |
| 23 | RV | Cornerstone (Mich.) | 19-11 | 89 |
| 24 | RV | Tennessee Wesleyan | 21-9 | 86 |
| 25 | 19 | Valley City State (N.D.) | 20-9 | 83 |
| Other receiving votes: Saint Francis (Ind.) 79; Daemen (N.Y.) 49; Eastern Oregon 26; Morningside (Iowa) 21; Midland (Neb.) 19; Ashford (Iowa) 18; Cal Maritime 18; Southeastern (Fla.) 9; William Penn (Iowa) 3; Central Christian (Kan.) 3; Spring Arbor (Mich.) 3; Taylor (Ind.) 1; Madonna (Mich.) 1; Corban (Ore.) 1; Dakota State (S.D.) 1; Sterling (Kan.) 1; Embry-Riddle (Fla.) 1; Calumet (Ind.) 1; Reinhardt (Ga.) 1; Huntington (Ind.) 1. | ||||
Nick Huntimer, Dakota State University Sports Information Director
