The first week in review
The preseason Top 25 went 58-15 in games with posted scores over the first nine days of the season. Fifteen teams are still unbeaten, and five of them are perfect after four or more games.
No. 20 Mineral Area leads the way at 5-0. No. 1 Howard, No. 5 Odessa, No. 7 Northwest Florida State, and No. T-10 Walters State are all 4-0.
Odessa made the loudest statement. The Wranglers beat No. 24 Seminole State by 10 in Plano, then ran past No. T-10 Butler 101-76 at the Bob Chapman Classic in Midland.
Not everyone escaped. No. 6 South Plains dropped its opener 64-63 to Casper, and No. 9 Vincennes lost 61-59 at home to Columbia State. No. 8 Indian Hills fell 106-101 in overtime to Snow.
Ranked vs. ranked
All six games between preseason Top 25 teams have final scores posted. Odessa owns two of the six ranked wins, and no other team has more than one.
● Oct. 31: No. 5 Odessa 80, No. 24 Seminole State 70 (at Collin College, Plano, Texas)
● Nov. 1: No. T-10 Butler 97, No. 16 Midland 94 (at Butler)
● Nov. 3: No. 20 Mineral Area 81, No. 19 John A. Logan 67 (at Mineral Area)
● Nov. 6: No. 16 Midland 104, No. T-10 Butler 100 (Bob Chapman Classic, Midland, Texas)
● Nov. 7: No. 5 Odessa 101, No. T-10 Butler 76 (Bob Chapman Classic, Midland, Texas)
● Nov. 7: No. 2 Trinity Valley 66, No. 8 Indian Hills 60 (at Indian Hills)
Butler is the only team to play three ranked games so far. The Grizzlies went 1-2. They beat Midland by three, dropped the rematch 104-100, and then ran into an Odessa team that shot past 100.
Team by team
No. 1 Howard (4-0). The Hawks looked the part of a No. 1 team. They opened with a 79-52 win at Seward County on Oct. 30 and beat Dodge City 90-62 the next day. On Nov. 6, they handled Casper 66-59, one night after Casper knocked off No. 6 South Plains, and they closed the week with a 91-68 win over Southwestern Christian.
No. 2 Trinity Valley (2-0). The Cardinals did not open until Nov. 6, when they beat Sauk Valley 95-61. They followed with a 66-60 win at No. 8 Indian Hills on Nov. 7.
No. 3 Chipola (2-0). The Indians beat South Georgia Tech 76-65 on Oct. 30 and rolled past Southwest Mississippi 78-39 on Oct. 31. The opener looks better by the day: South Georgia Tech went on to beat No. 21 Eastern Florida State in overtime. Chipola faces South Georgia State on Nov. 8.
No. 4 Southern Idaho (2-0). The Golden Eagles survived a 65-61 opener against Eastern Wyoming at their own ICCU Invitational. Cutter Beus scored 18, and Carlo Mulford added 16. They followed with a 105-56 rout of Central Wyoming on Oct. 31. CSI hosts the Battle for the Boot next.
No. 5 Odessa (4-0). No team helped itself more. The Wranglers beat Murray State 80-69 and No. 24 Seminole State 80-70 at Collin College in Plano. At the Bob Chapman Classic in Midland, they beat Weatherford 83-73 on Nov. 6 and then blew out No. T-10 Butler 101-76 on Nov. 7. Odessa is the only team in the poll with two ranked wins.
No. 6 South Plains (0-1). The Texans did not open until Nov. 5, and it did not go their way. They lost 64-63 to Casper at Howard. A Kansas trip is next, starting at Dodge City on Nov. 10 and including a stop at No. 15 Barton.
No. 7 Northwest Florida State (4-0). The Raiders have not been tested. They beat Southern Union 93-76, Central Georgia Tech 92-64, Lawson State 84-44 and Chattahoochee Valley 103-46, a 35.5-point average margin. That Southern Union win aged well: the Bison beat No. 18 Gulf Coast State the next night.
No. 8 Indian Hills (1-2). The Warriors opened Nov. 3 with a 79-73 win over North Platte behind 20 points from Al’Tariq Reevey. On Nov. 6 they lost 106-101 in overtime to Snow. They hosted No. 2 Trinity Valley on Nov. 7 and fell 66-60.
No. 9 Vincennes (3-1). The Trailblazers started 3-0 with wins over Truman (102-73), East Mississippi (90-75) and Volunteer State (89-68). Then Columbia State came into Vincennes on Nov. 7 and left with a 61-59 win.
No. T-10 Butler (1-2). The Grizzlies beat No. 16 Midland 97-94 on Nov. 1, then lost the rematch 104-100 at Midland on Nov. 6. Odessa handed them a 101-76 loss on Nov. 7.
No. T-10 Walters State (4-0). The Senators beat Union College JV 125-48 and Tusculum JV 84-47, then took care of Caldwell 72-53 on Nov. 6 and Richard Bland 66-51 on Nov. 7.
No. 12 Coffeyville (3-0). The Red Ravens opened with a 130-53 win over Southwestern JV on Nov. 2. They went 2-0 at the Barton Classic, beating Lee 98-79 on Nov. 6 and North Dakota State College of Science 95-67 on Nov. 7.
No. 13 Jones (3-0). The Bobcats beat Marion Military 69-59 on Nov. 3, won 92-81 at ASU Mid-South on Nov. 6 and beat Connors State 85-71 on Nov. 7.
No. 14 Angelina (2-0). The Roadrunners beat Dallas College Eastfield 81-66 on Nov. 2 and SAU Tech 95-50 on Nov. 6. The schedule picks up fast: at Temple on Nov. 9, then No. 16 Midland on Nov. 13 and No. 6 South Plains on Nov. 14 in Plano.
No. 15 Barton (2-0). The Cougars won two close ones at home. Terez Holmes scored 26, Mikey Williams 21 and Blake Rucker 17 in a 100-94 win over North Dakota State College of Science on Nov. 6, and Barton followed with a 92-87 win over Lee on Nov. 7.
No. 16 Midland (2-1). The Chaparrals dropped a 97-94 decision at Butler on Nov. 1. They hosted Butler again on Nov. 6 and won 104-100, then beat Weatherford 76-59 on Nov. 7 at the Bob Chapman Classic.
No. 17 New Mexico JC (3-0). The Thunderbirds put up 109 in a win over Otero on Oct. 30, won 99-73 at Trinidad State on Oct. 31 and held off Panola 90-85 on Nov. 6. Fort Hays Tech Northwest is next on Nov. 8.
No. 18 Gulf Coast State (1-1). The Commodores beat Central Georgia Tech 88-68 in the opener, then lost 76-69 to Southern Union on Oct. 31. They play Albany Tech on Nov. 8.
No. 19 John A. Logan (1-2). The Volunteers lost 81-67 at No. 20 Mineral Area on Nov. 3. They took care of business in their home opener with a win over Kennedy King. On Nov. 7 they lost 95-93 in overtime to Missouri State-West Plains.
No. 20 Mineral Area (5-0). The Cardinals are the only 5-0 team in the poll. They beat Northwest Mississippi 85-73 on Oct. 30 and Henry Ford 87-79 on Oct. 31 at Three Rivers, took down No. 19 John A. Logan 81-67 on Nov. 3, and then beat Olive-Harvey 96-68 and Lake Land 110-71 on Nov. 6 and 7.
No. 21 Eastern Florida State (3-2). The Titans have had the bumpiest ride. They won 70-63 at Caldwell, lost 83-76 to Gaston, beat Wake Tech 84-69 and then fell 97-88 in overtime to South Georgia Tech on Nov. 6. They bounced back with an 89-42 win over Gordon State on Nov. 7.
No. 22 North Idaho (1-0). The Cardinals rolled past Pacific Northwest Christian 113-79 on Nov. 4. Nyale Robinson scored 21 and hit 5 of 7 threes, Braylon Haman added 17, Aly Toure had 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Austin Ouko scored 10. NIC faces McCook next at the Battle for the Boot in Twin Falls.
No. 23 Shelton State (2-0). The Buccaneers opened with two road wins, 72-50 at Reid State on Oct. 30 and 91-70 at Hinds on Oct. 31.
No. 24 Seminole State (2-1). The Trojans won 72-68 at Collin on Oct. 30, then lost 80-70 to Odessa the next day. They beat Western Iowa Tech 92-84 on Nov. 7.
No. 25 Kilgore (2-2). The Rangers won 86-83 at Grayson on Oct. 30 but lost 64-60 to Southwestern Christian a day later. They bounced back with a 91-51 win over Temple on Nov. 4, then lost 75-74 at Southern University at Shreveport on Nov. 7.
