Power 10 Rankings Updated: 3 New Teams Debuts in DII Women’s Basketball

Grand Valley State has now won 21 straight games dating back to last season, keeping the Lakers atop the DII women’s basketball Power 10 rankings. Aside from the Lakers, the top 10 teams experienced a lot of change this week.

There are still lots of undefeated teams — and plenty of one-loss teams — so selecting ten teams based just on record is a difficult chore. That is why we must examine the statistics to see which teams stand out, and this appears to be changing on a weekly, if not daily, basis.

These DII women’s basketball Power 10 rankings are exclusively mine, and they are based on a combination of selection committee measures and on-court results. Remember that these rankings are released every other week, and there may be some significant fluctuations, although this is usually due to five to six games being played, allowing new teams to enter more regularly than in a weekly ranking.

The DII women’s basketball Power 10 (until December 7)

No. 1: Grand Valley State | Previous: 1. Remember, the Lakers are the defending national champs. This version of the team may be better. They are now 8-0 and winning by 29.5 points per game, ranking fifth in DII. That’s even more astounding given that they played a schedule with a winning percentage of.595. Paige VanStee is having a breakout season, averaging 14.3 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, while leading the team in steals (25).

No. 2 Minnesota State | Previous: 6. The Mavericks are one of this week’s big climbers, currently 9-0 and dominating the competition. Concordia-St. Paul, the DII’s No. 24 team, was defeated 104-66 on Saturday. They lead DII in points per game (99.3) in turnovers caused, while winning by 29.0 points per game, which is also a top-five figure. Natalie Bremer is among DII’s leaders with 20.6 points per game. The Mavericks are on a roll and look very scary right now.

No. 3: Gannon | Previous: 2. If you remember, I kept Gannon at No. 2 last season despite losing an early-season game. They do lose a slot this week, but it’s primarily due to Minnesota State’s incredible start. The Golden Knights remain excellent, currently 9-1, and have DII women’s basketball’s best scoring defense, allowing only 48.1 points per game. Bri Claxton is having another strong season, leading the team with 15.2 points per game. They have Kutztown this week, which has DII’s poorest scoring defense, so we’ll see if they can grind it out.

No. 4 Lubbock Christian | Previous: 4. The Chaps are still undefeated, with a perfect 9-0 season record. They don’t shoot the lights out, but they do allow 57.3 points per game. Kennedy Chappell (16.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.9 assists per game) and Meg Meekins (15.4 points, 4.6 rebounds per game) are proving to be a difficult duo to keep. The Chaparrals have championship heritage, and this team is showing it.

No. 5: Indiana (PA) | Previous: Also considered. The Crimson Hawks are the genuine deal, jumping from outside the top 10 to No. 5. They have signature victories over Fairmont State and Ashland, as well as defeating Kutztown’s tough defense. IUP is 6-0 overall (5-0 vs DII) and has faced the 11th-toughest schedule in the division. In addition, the Crimson Hawks average 81.7 points per game and outscored opponents by 29.3 points per game. This team is cooking.

No. 6: West Texas A&M Previous: Also considered. The Buffs are creating an impressive resume. They’ve played the 10th-toughest schedule in DII, have the seventh-best KPI, and, according to Inkblot Sports, have the second-best RPI in the loaded South Central, due to a 7-0 in-region record. Yes, they lost to Grand Valley State, but so has everyone since February 13th last season. The Buffs edged past Colorado Mesa in the standings with a 15-point victory over the Mavericks on November 14. The South Central will be a region to monitor all season.

No. 7, Central Washington| Previous: Also considered. The Wildcats are off to a fast start, jumping to No. 7 owing to a slew of key selection metrics. They are 7-0 against the schedule, with a.632 winning %, giving them the top RPI in the West and the third-best KPI in DII. Asher Cai (23.1 points, 5.1 rebounds per game), Capri Sims (14.7 points, 8.9 rebounds), and Fiona Snashall (12.3 points, 6.4 rebounds per game) are among the West’s most fearsome Big Three. They have a tough few games coming up, so we’ll know more by the next Power 10.

No. 8 – Texas Woman’s | Previous: 9. The Pioneers had a bad loss to Harding on opening weekend, but have since returned with a 25-point triumph over Pittsburg State and a 2-0 start to LSC play. They score 71.0 points per game while allowing opponents to score only 57.1 points per game, demonstrating balance on both ends of the court. They also have four starters who average over 11 points each game. The Pioneers have won 67 games over the last two seasons and appear to have the talent to win another 30 this year.

No. 9 Coker | Previous: 3. Yes, the Cobras lost to Augusta, but they can stay in the top ten since, metrically speaking, they are still the top team in the Southeast Region, have a top-10 KPI, and have played a decent enough schedule to receive another week off. Shawnteanna Tillman averages 22.1 points per game, and Kamari Thompson is a beast down low, scoring 9.6 points and 11.7 rebounds a game. This team is good.

No. 10 Fort Hays State | Previous: 8. This a spot was decided between MIAA power Pittsburg State and these Tigers. And it was difficult. Metrics are what divides the two, as both are one-loss teams. You’ve learned that KPIs are important to the selection committee (but not to me), so we use them when we need to split hairs. The Tigers have a top-10 KPI and a superior RPI than the Gorillas, therefore they will remain in the top ten for the time being. Of course, the two will play this week, so this might change rapidly.

Also considered (in alphabetical order, bold denotes new team): Anchorage, Ashland, Colorado Mesa, Embry-Riddle, Fairmont State, Harding, Henderson State, and Northwestern. Oklahoma State, Nova Southeastern, and Pittsburgh State.