KANSAS CITY, Mo. – For the first time at the NCAA DII level, the University of Sioux Falls Men's Basketball Team (13-3, 9-1 NSIC, 1^st) has received votes in the National Association of Basketball Coaches Top 25 Poll which was released Tuesday afternoon (Jan. 14). The Cougars, which have won six straight games, received five votes in balloting this week. 

If the poll was extended out, USF would be ranked 35^th in DII. The Cougars also were ranked No. 5 in the D2SIDA Central Region DII poll and moved up one spot from a week ago. USF stands 13-3 overall with a 9-1 NSIC mark for first in the NSIC. The Cougars, which travel to U-Mary on Friday (Jan. 17) and Minot State on Saturday (Jan. 18), have opened with their best start in  the program's DII era.
 
NABC Top 25 Poll (As of games through Jan. 12)
1. Bellarmine (16)                     12-0     400      1
2. Northwest Missouri St.         15-1     384      2
3. Lincoln Memorial                  15-1     365      3
4. West Texas A&M                  15-1     350      5
5. UC San Diego                      15-1     338      6
6. St. Edward's                         14-1     320      7
7. Indiana (Pa)                         13-1     282      9
8. Ferris State                          17-2     271      11
9. Nova Southeastern             11-2     269       4
10. Missouri Southern             13-2     241      12
11. Florida Southern                13-2    240      14
12.West Chester                      14-1    222      8
13. St. Thomas Aquinas          14-1    219      15
14. Bentley                              14-2    189       17
15. Grand Valley State            13-2    179      18
16. DBU                                  13-2    145       10
17. Azusa Pacific                    12-3    130       21
18. Missouri-St. Louis             14-1    129       23
19. Barry                                 13-2      83       NR
20. Cal Poly Pomona              12-3      75       25
21. Alabama Huntsville           13-3      62       13
22. Jefferson                           13-2      53        NR
23. Indianapolis                      10-3      49        16
24. Bridgeport                         12-2      33        NR
25. Chico State                       12-3      28        NR
Others receiving votes: Catawba (N.C.) 20, Dixie State (Utah) 20, East Central (Okla.) 16, Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.) 15, Queens (N.C.) 12, Southern Indiana 12, Lee (Tenn.) 11, Dominican (N.Y.) 8, Charleston (W.Va.) 7, Sioux Falls (S.D.) 5, Walsh (Ohio) 5, Cal State San Bernardino 4, Lander (S.C.) 4, Point Loma (Calif.) 2, Shippensburg (Pa.) 2, Texas A&M-Kingsville 1. 

Central Region Poll – Week 7 (Jan. 12)               
1. Northwest Missouri State (6), 15-1
2. Missouri Southern State, 13-2
T3. Minnesota Duluth, 13-3
T3. Southeastern Oklahoma, 12-3
5. Sioux Falls, 13-3
6. East Central, 12-2
7. Henderson State, 11-3
8. Northern State, 12-4
9. Southern Nazarene, 11-5
10. Rogers State, 12-4
 
RV: Arkansas-Monticello - 6; Augustana - 14