MCC News
Mon, Feb 15, 2010 - [Men's Basketball]
For the past four weeks the MCC has enjoyed three teams gracing the top 10 of the NAIA Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll, but with each of the top three teams in the league posting a loss last week things have changed in the latest edition of the top 25 released Monday by the national office.
Indiana Wesleyan (23-5, 11-3) currently holds the top spot in the conference with a one game lead over Saint Francis and Bethel. With two overtime contests last week (80-76 loss at USF, 80-75 win vs. Marian) the Wildcats hold the No. 5 spot for the third consecutive week.
USF followed up their win over IWU with a 91-83 loss at Grace. As a result the Cougars (22-6, 10-4) fell three spots to No. 10, their lowest ranking since Jan. 11.
Losing 83-69 at Marian in their only league contest of the week, Bethel (23-5, 10-4) falls to No. 12, their lowest ranking since Dec. 12, 2007 when they checked in at No. 24.
Joining Goshen as the only two-win team of last week, Spring Arbor (21-8, 10-5) helped its case and jumped back to No. 19 after a one week slide to No. 22.
In the final week of the regular season teams are vying for conference tournament positioning and qualification. While each game could affect the final standings, the marquee matchup will take place when No. 12 Bethel travels to No. 10 Saint Francis on Saturday.
The final top 25 poll will be released on Feb. 22 with the conference tournament opening on Feb. 24.
