The Buffaloes roam atop the latest DII men’s basketball Power 10 rankings

Finally there’s some stability atop the DII men’s basketball Power 10 rankings. After three-straight rankings of new No. 1s, the West Texas A&M Buffs maintain their hold on the top spot after surviving a near-upset in overtime against Angelo State. The rest of the Power 10 saw some movement as well while an old, familiar face returns to the rankings. 

Remember, the Power 10 rankings are mine and mine alone — there is no voting body, just me, my insane spreadsheets, and some stats. As March creeps closer, I attempt to mesh the good ol’ eye test with some of the numbers the selection committee uses to fill the bracket. It is also important to note that the only games that matter to me are those played against DII competition.

As I mentioned in the initial Power 10 rankings, this season I will be using stats from InkblotSports. You can see those metrics — which include RPI and PI amongst other selection metrics — here or join the Inkblot Sports Patreon here. 

DII MEN’S BASKETBALL CENTRAL:

The fourth DII men’s basketball Power 10 for 2024 (through 2/10/24)

No. 1 West Texas A&M| Previous: 1

The Buffs have one loss by one point three months ago. This team is showing it can win games in every which way, whether it is a runaway or hanging on in overtime against a really tough ball team. All five starters are now averaging double figures in scoring, while four of the five starters contribute four or more rebounds per game. This is a team effort, and that makes the Buffs even more dangerous. 

No. 2 Minnesota State | Previous: 2

Sharks fans won’t be happy, especially with the recent surge, but the numbers tell the tale for me. The Mavericks have a higher RPI (.628 to .619), higher PI (33.3 to 32.4) and have played a tougher schedule than Nova Southeastern — in a very deep Central Region, mind you — which keeps the Mavs at No. 2 for another week. This is another deep team that sees all five starters averaging 10.4 or more points per game. 

No. 3 Nova Southeastern | Previous: 3

The Sharks avenged an earlier loss to Florida Tech this past weekend in a 73-70 thriller and also handily disposed of (what should be) regionally ranked Embry-Riddle to move their winning streak to seven. This looks like the team we expected them to be right off the bat, and now that they are past the learning curve, they look tough. The Sharks are scoring 102.8 points per game, so the high-tempo style is alive and well in Florida. 

No. 4 DBU | Previous: 4

The Patriots have won five in a row and 13 of their last 14 with their lone loss coming to No. 1 West Texas A&M. DBU is also No. 2 in RPI and PI in an absolutely loaded South Central, so that speaks volumes in itself. Cameron Kahn, who scores 20.1 points per game while adding a team-high seven rebounds per game, leads the way for this offense that scores 90 points nightly. 

No. 5 Fort Lewis | Previous: 9 (tied)

Did someone say loaded South Central? Well, here you go, the third team…