Tiger men up to No. 23 in NAIA poll

Iowa Wesleyan’s Allante Pickens flies in for a layup during the Tigers’ win over College of the Ozarks on Dec. 3, 2022. (Andy Krutsinger/The Union)

MT. PLEASANT — What a run it was been thus far for the Iowa Wesleyan men’s basketball team.

In the fifth edition of the 2022-23 NAIA Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Poll, the Tigers are up to No. 23.

For Iowa Wesleyan, that’s two spot higher than last week, when they were slated at No. 25.

Iowa Wesleyan’s Joey Brown goes up for a layup during the first half of the Tigers’ nonconference win over William Woods University on Nov. 2, 2022. (Andy Krutsinger/The Union)

It’s been nearly 13 years since the Tigers were last ranked, dating back to the 2010-11 season.

This season has been one of the best in school history. Thus far, the Tigers have amassed a 19-1 overall record and are currently on a 18-game winning streak, the longest in NAIA.

Iowa Wesleyan’s most recent victory came against Haskell Indian Nations University on January 20, in which the Tigers were winners 81-60. The win pushed the Tigers Continental Athletic Conference (CAC) record to 3-0.

Leading the Tigers in scoring on the season are Allante Pickens with 13.3 points per game, followed by Henry Shannon with 13 points. Shannon also leads the Tigers in rebounding with six per contest.

Iowa Wesleyan will return to the hardwood on Jan. 27 and 28 in the Bacone Classic hosted by Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas.

Game one is at 7 p.m. against Bacone College on Friday and game two is at 3 p.m. on Saturday against Northern New Mexico College.

The full list of NAIA rankings can be found below.

2022-23 NAIA Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll Five (Jan. 25, 2023)

RANK, LAST WEEK, SCHOOL [1st Place Votes], RECORD, FINAL POINTS

1) 1College of Idaho [18]18-1559

2) 2Oklahoma Wesleyan [2]19-1543

3) 3Langston (Okla.)18-1513

4) 5Arizona Christian17-4483

5) 9Union (Ky.)19-1472

6) 7Indiana Wesleyan16-5456

7) 6Grace (Ind.)18-3447

8) 11Indiana Tech17-3441

9) 13William Penn (Iowa)18-2434

10) 15Georgetown (Ky.)18-3401

11) 14Jamestown (N.D.)17-3391

12) 12Montana Tech18-3341

13) 17Kansas Wesleyan18-2327

14) 8Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.)16-5295

15) 22Loyola (La.)16-3288

16) 19Faulkner (Ala.)17-3278

16) 16Marian (Ind.)17-4278

18) 20Morningside (Iowa)16-3272

19) 18Evangel (Mo.)17-3260

20) 21Florida College16-3228

21) 4Southwestern (Kan.)16-4211

22) 10Thomas More (Ky.)15-5180

23) 25Iowa Wesleyan19-1153

24) RVTexas A&M Texarkana16-4107

25) RVAntelope Valley (Calif.)18-184

Dropped from the Top 25: LSU Shreveport (La.), Menlo (Calif.)

Others Receiving Votes: Ottawa (Ariz.) 74, LSU Shreveport (La.) 43, Saint Xavier (Ill.) 43, Madonna (Mich.) 28, Shawnee State (Ohio) 27, Dordt (Iowa) 26, The Master's (Calif.) 26, Thomas (Ga.) 25, Huntington (Ind.) 22, Tougaloo (Miss.) 20, Rio Grande (Ohio) 13, Eastern Oregon 12, St. Thomas (Fla.) 11, Mayville State (N.D.) 10, Wayland Baptist (Texas) 10, UNT Dallas (Texas) 8, Hope International (Calif.) 7, Northwestern (Iowa) 4, Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) 4, Lourdes (Ohio) 3.