[Men's Basketball] Mustangs on verge of NAIA top 25

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Mount Mercy, which picked up a few votes in last week's national ranking, jumped up to 27th in this week's NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Top 25 Coaches' Poll, the NAIA announced on Monday night.

The Mustangs (14-7, 7-2 MCC) are 6-2 over their last eight games, and made a move in the poll despite a split of two games last week. They dropped a 75-73 contest at 13th-ranked Iowa Wesleyan on Jan. 19, but rebounded for an 83-62 rout at Viterbo (Wis.) on Saturday. Mount Mercy is a half-game behind Iowa Wesleyan (15-2, 7-1 MCC) in the Midwest Collegiate Conference race.

The Tigers are the only MCC team in the top 25, sliding down one notch to No. 14 in this week's rating. St. Ambrose handed Iowa Wesleyan its first loss in league play on a last-second shot on Saturday in Mount Pleasant. The Bees are one of three MCC squads receiving votes this week. Mount Mercy is 27th with 40 points, Ashford is 35th with five points, and St. Ambrose is 36th with three points.

Walsh (Ohio), the only undefeated team left in NAIA Division II with an overall mark of 20-0, is No. 1 for the sixth straight week. The Cavaliers collected all 16 first-place votes and 436 points. Northwood (Fla.) (18-2), led by former Villanova head coach Rollie Massimino, is second with 421 points. Cornerstone (Mich.) (19-3/398 points), Oklahoma Wesleyan (19-2/393), and Indiana Wesleyan (20-3/371) round out the top five.

Mount Mercy, which finished the 2009-10 season at 27th in the final coaches' poll, hasn't cracked the top 25 since Jan. 17, 2007, when the Mustangs were 25th. They host a pair of conference games this week, beginning with Clarke on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. William Penn visits Hennessey Recreation Center for a 3:00 p.m. start on Saturday.