Point Cracks NAIA Men's Basketball Top 25

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Point is making its first-ever appearance in the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll as the Skyhawks landed at No. 25, the national office announced Tuesday.

Point (8-2 overall, 1-0 Appalachian Athletic Conference) received 64 total voting points, seven back of No. 24 Madonna (Mich.).

Tennessee Wesleyan (3-5 overall, 0-1) dropped out of the top 25 but received four total points.

For the third-straight time, Northwood (Fla.) claims the No. 1 position in the first regular-season edition of the 2012-13 NAIA Top 25 Poll. The Seahawks were the unanimous decision and received 312 total points. On its early-season 4-0 start, Northwood has won by an average of more than 30 points.

Moving up three spots is No. 2 Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) with 297 points. Checking in with the third ranking is Dordt (Iowa) with 286 points. No. 4 Eastern Oregon, who is tied for the most wins in Division II with a 12-0 mark, posted 283 points. No. 5 Indiana Wesleyan stands with 278 points.

Three teams improved at least seven spots compared to the Preseason Top 25: No. 7 William Penn (Iowa), No. 8 Embry-Riddle (Fla.) and No. 16 Southern Oregon. William Penn enjoyed the best jump with a 12-spot shift. Besides holding a 12-0 record, the Statesmen top the country in 10 different statistical categories, including first in scoring offense (107.7).

The newcomers listed are No. 14 Doane (Neb.), No. 18 Mount Mercy (Iowa), No. 20 Northwest (Wash.), No. 22 Central Christian (Kan.), No. 24 Madonna (Mich.) and No. 25 Point.

Several schools dropped out of the Top 25 since the preseason poll: Oregon Tech (No. 2), Saint Mary (Kan.) (No. 12), Saint Xavier (Ill.) (No. 14), Tennessee Wesleyan (No. 17), McPherson (Kan.) (No. 18) and Indiana Tech (No. 25).

The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences and independents. The second regular-season Coaches' Top 25 Poll will be announced on Dec. 4.

To view the entire poll, click here.