What a difference a few months can make.
After being unranked and somewhat overlooked when the season began, the Lewis-Clark State men’s basketball team vaulted into the NAIA Division I rankings with a flourish on Tuesday, taking the No. 10 spot in the polls behind a 10-0 start to the 2012-13 season.
It’s the highest ranking for the program since the 2004-05 season’s preseason poll, where the Warriors were also No. 10. They’ve never been ranked higher.
LCSC did not receive any votes in the NAIA’s preseason rankings and were picked to finish fourth in the Frontier Conference, but have opened eyes nationwide with its hot start.
The Warriors are one of just four remaining unbeaten teams in the nation, all of whom are ranked inside the top 10.
“It’s really a tribute to our guys and the work that they’ve put in this year,” Lewis-Clark State coach Brandon Rinta said. “We have to give a lot of credit to our returning players that have worked hard since last season to get to this point.”
Nine of the teams in the top 25 were unranked in the preseason poll, including LCSC, but none made a higher leap into the poll.
“These pre-conference rankings obviously don’t mean a whole lot, but it matters because in the NAIA you’re constantly jockeying for position,” Rinta said. “For us to be able to start out at No. 10 going into conference play, that’s a good place to start.”
The Warriors received 188 points in the nationwide poll of NAIA coaches, which was topped by Oklahoma Baptist. The Bison earned 279 points and nine of 11 first-place votes after defeating Concordia (Calif.) on Saturday in a rematch of the 2012 national championship game.
Cumberlands (Ky.), Lee (Tenn.), Pikeville (Ky.) and Rogers State (Okla.) round out the top five.
Through these first 10 games, the Warriors lead the NAIA’s Division I in scoring margin (29.4 points per victory) and total rebound margin (15.6 boards per game) and are second in scoring defense per game (56.8 points).
Those stats are evidence that the Warriors are doing all of the little things that Rinta and the coaching staff has preached.
LCSC is also in the top 10 in the NAIA in assists per game (17.8), free throw percentage (75.8) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.328), three areas of emphasis for this squad each day in practice.
Lewis-Clark State has gotten contributions up and down the roster, with seven players averaging seven or more points per game.
Senior forward P.J. Bolte is 16th in the nation with 19.5 points per game, and has also grabbed 6.5 rebounds per game.
“It’s a reflection of our guys buying into their roles,” Rinta said. “Each guy has figured out how he can best help this team, and is doing it to the best of his ability.”
LCSC plays a pair of non-league contests this weekend before the Frontier Conference season begins on Dec. 15. The Warriors will play at Evergreen State in Olympia, Wash. on Friday evening at 7 p.m. before taking on Portland Bible at Centralia College on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.
“Playing quality teams has helped us get to No. 10,” Rinta said. “We’ve got one more tough road trip before conference starts, and we’ve got to find a way to keep it going.”
2012 - 13 NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll - (Dec. 4)
|
RANK |
LAST WEEK^ |
SCHOOL |
2012 – 13 RECORD |
TOTAL POINTS |
|
1 |
2 |
Oklahoma Baptist (9) |
9-1 |
279 |
|
2 |
25 |
Cumberlands (Ky.) (1) |
10-0 |
266 |
|
3 |
15 |
Lee (Tenn.) |
9-0 |
264 |
|
T4 |
9 |
Pikeville (Ky.) |
11-1 |
246 |
|
T4 |
5 |
Rogers State (Okla.) |
9-1 |
246 |
|
6 |
10 |
Columbia (Mo.) (1) |
9-0 |
236 |
|
7 |
13 |
Westminster (Utah) |
9-1 |
235 |
|
8 |
11 |
Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) |
9-1 |
217 |
|
9 |
20 |
Cal State San Marcos |
7-3 |
201 |
|
10 |
NR |
Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) |
10-0 |
188 |
|
11 |
17 |
Texas Wesleyan |
6-1 |
181 |
|
12 |
16 |
MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) |
9-2 |
179 |
|
13 |
19 |
Xavier (La.) |
9-1 |
177 |
|
14 |
NR |
Science & Arts (Okla.) |
7-1 |
176 |
|
15 |
NR |
William Carey (Miss.) |
7-1 |
160 |
|
16 |
21 |
Evangel (Mo.) |
8-3 |
152 |
|
17 |
NR |
Faulkner (Ala.) |
10-1 |
116 |
|
T18 |
RV |
Campbellsville (Ky.) |
7-2 |
112 |
|
T18 |
RV |
Life (Ga.) |
6-3 |
112 |
|
20 |
RV |
SAGU (Texas) |
7-1 |
111 |
|
21 |
24 |
Southern-New Orleans (La.) |
3-1 |
106 |
|
22 |
RV |
Oklahoma City |
5-1 |
101 |
|
23 |
23 |
Montana State-Northern |
11-2 |
95 |
|
24 |
NR |
Bethel (Tenn.) |
11-1 |
75 |
|
25 |
17 |
John Brown (Ark.) |
8-1 |
72 |
Others receiving votes: Georgetown (Ky.) 47; Texas College 39; Rocky Mountain (Mont.) 27; West Virginia Tech 19; Central Methodist (Mo.) 18; Emmanuel (Ga.) 18; Park (Mo.) 9; Wiley (Texas) 5 Philander Smith (Ark.) 3; Loyola (La.) 3.
