KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Montana Tech men's basketball team moved up four spots to No. 15 in the latest NAIA coaches' top 25 poll, the national office announced Wednesday wits its full rankings.
The Orediggers won four straight games (and an exhibition against NCAA Division I University of Montana) since the final poll of 2025, accelerating their move up to rankings. Tech currently sports a 14-3 record, 8-3 in the Frontier Conference, headed into the continuation of league play this coming weekend.
Montana Tech is the only Frontier Conference team in the top 25. Carroll, Montana Western, and Rocky Mountain all received votes.
The four-time defending conference champions, Montana Tech has appeared in 24 consecutive iterations of the top 25. That is the fourth-longest streak in the NAIA.
The Orediggers travel to Dakota State and Bellevue for games Friday and Saturday evenings, respectively. Tip is set for 6 p.m. Mountain, 7 Central both nights.
2025-26 NAIA Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 – Poll No. 4
| RANK |
LAST TIME |
INSTITUTION [FIRST-PLACE VOTES] |
RECORD |
POINTS |
| 1 |
1 |
Grace (Ind.) [18] |
17-0 |
539 |
| 2 |
2 |
Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) [1] |
17-1 |
493 |
| 3 |
7 |
Bethel (Ind.) |
16-1 |
460 |
| 4 |
6 |
Oklahoma Wesleyan |
14-2 |
459 |
| 5 |
8 |
Ave Maria (Fla.) |
16-1 |
418 |
| 6 |
11 |
Keiser (Fla.) |
14-1 |
393 |
| 7 |
5 |
Langston (Okla.) |
13-3 |
385 |
| 8 |
3 |
Cumberlands (Ky.) |
15-3 |
367 |
| 9 |
13 |
Hope International (Calif.) |
15-2 |
353 |
| 10 |
4 |
Arizona Christian |
13-4 |
350 |
| 11 |
10 |
Indiana Wesleyan |
14-3 |
344 |
| 12 |
21 |
Pikeville (Ky.) |
16-2 |
313 |
| 13 |
9 |
Indiana Tech |
13-2 |
288 |
| 14 |
14 |
Friends (Kan.) |
13-3 |
263 |
| 15 |
25 |
LSU Shreveport (La.) |
13-3 |
239 |
| 15 |
19 |
Montana Tech |
14-3 |
239 |
| 17 |
12 |
Nelson (Texas) |
13-3 |
217 |
| 18 |
16 |
Georgetown (Ky.) |
14-4 |
202 |
| 19 |
22 |
Benedictine-Mesa (Ariz.) |
17-1 |
198 |
| 20 |
22 |
Graceland (Iowa) |
15-2 |
186 |
| 21 |
20 |
Oregon Tech |
12-4 |
157 |
| 22 |
RV |
Columbia (Mo.) |
15-2 |
136 |
| 23 |
RV |
Taylor (Ind.) |
14-3 |
93 |
| 23 |
NR |
William Carey (Miss.) |
14-1 |
93 |
| 25 |
RV |
Bethel (Kan.) |
13-3 |
92 |
| Dropped from Top 25: Northwestern (Iowa), Georgia Gwinnett, Carroll (Mont.), Life (Ga.) |
| Receiving Votes: Southeastern (Fla.) 59; Georgia Gwinnett 56; Rocky Mountain (Mont.) 49; Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) 35; Morningside (Iowa) 32; Carroll (Mont.) 23; Life (Ga.) 22; Huntington (Ind.) 15; IU Kokomo (Ind.) 13; IU South Bend (Ind.) 5; Eastern Oregon 3; Oklahoma City 3; Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) 3; Concordia (Neb.) 2; Montana Western 2; Shawnee State (Ohio) 2 |
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