Moccasins Up to No. 11 in NABC Coaches Poll

 After holding steady at No. 14 in last week’s NABC Coaches Poll, Florida Southern College men’s basketball has moved up to No. 11 in the latest rankings, the National Association of Basketball Coaches released on Tuesday afternoon. The Moccasins went 1-0 last week by downing Rollins, 85-83, in Sunshine State Conference action and have won 10 of their last 11 games. Its lone loss since November came in a tightly-contested overtime defeat to then-No. 4 Nova Southeastern on Jan. 4.

The Mocs’ latest ranking is its highest since ascending to No. 7 in week five of the 2018-19 campaign. Florida Southern is one of three SSC schools ranked in this week’s poll, with Nova Southeastern dropping five spots to No. 9 and Barry cracking the top-25 at No. 19. Southern has now been ranked in the NABC Coaches Poll a total of 221 weeks, including 20 times under head coach Mike Donnelly.

The top three spots in the new NABC/Division II rankings remained the same this week, but losses by then-No. 4 Nova Southeastern, No. 8 West Chester and No. 10 DBU allowed teams to rise. West Texas A&M moved up to fourth and UC San Diego to fifth following the Nova Southeastern setback at Lynn, while St. Edward’s rose one spot as well to sixth.

Bellarmine, the last remaining undefeated team in NCAA Division II following West Chester’s loss last week to Shippensburg, is atop the rankings for the fifth straight week. Two new teams reentered the top 10 this week, as Ferris State came in at No. 8 and Missouri Southern is at No. 10; both had been in the top 10 earlier this season.

The Lone Star Conference and Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association have two teams apiece in the top 10 this week. Three additional leagues – the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, and Sunshine State Conference – each have a team ranked between 11^th and 15^th along with a team in the top 10 this week.

For the second week in a row, the new poll has four newcomers. The highest-ranked among them is Barry at No. 19, while Jefferson checked in at No. 22 and Bridgeport makes its inaugural appearance at No. 24.  Chico State, who handed UC San Diego its only loss this season, joins the rankings at No. 25.

Chico State’s entry into the top 25 gives the California Collegiate Athletic Association three teams in this week’s poll, joining the Great Lakes Valley Conference, Lone Star Conference, and Sunshine State Conference with three teams apiece. A total of 13 conferences have teams ranked in this week’s top 25.

NABC COACHES POLL – WEEK 8

RANK	SCHOOL (FPV)	RECORD	POINTS	LAST WEEK
1	Bellarmine (16)	12-0	400	1
2	Northwest Missouri State	15-1	384	2
3	Lincoln Memorial	15-1	365	3
4	West Texas A&M	15-1	350	5
5	UC San Diego	15-1	338	6
6	St. Edward’s	14-1	320	7
7	Indiana (Pa)	13-1	282	9
8	Ferris State	17-2	271	11
9	Nova Southeastern	11-2	269	4
10	Missouri Southern	13-2	241	12
11	Florida Southern	13-2	240	14
12	West Chester	14-1	222	8
13	St. Thomas Aquinas	14-1	219	15
14	Bentley	14-2	189	17
15	Grand Valley State	13-2	179	18
16	DBU	13-2	145	10
17	Azusa Pacific	12-3	130	21
18	Missouri-St. Louis	14-1	129	23
19	Barry	13-2	83	NR
20	Cal Poly Pomona	12-3	75	25
21	Alabama Huntsville	13-3	62	13
22	Jefferson	13-2	53	NR
23	Indianapolis	10-3	49	16
24	Bridgeport	12-2	33	NR
25	Chico State	12-3	28	NR

2019-20 opponents in BOLD ITALIC

Others receiving votes: Catawba (N.C.) 20, Dixie State (Utah) 20, East Central (Okla.) 16, Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.) 15, Queens (N.C.) 12, Southern Indiana 12, Lee (Tenn.) 11, Dominican (N.Y.) 8, Charleston (W.Va.) 7, Sioux Falls (S.D.) 5, Walsh (Ohio) 5, Cal State San Bernardino 4, Lander (S.C.) 4, Point Loma (Calif.) 2, Shippensburg (Pa.) 2, Texas A&M-Kingsville 1.

Dropped out: Dixie State (19), Southern Indiana (20), Catawba (22), Western Oregon (24)

2019-20 opponents in BOLD ITALIC