Oredigger Men finish regular season at #21, waiting on Monday’s tourney opponent

The following is from the Montana Tech Sports Information Department:

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Montana Tech's men's basketball team remained among the top 25 teams in the NAIA, sitting at No. 21 in the latest biweekly coaches' poll, announced by the national office Wednesday.  The regular-season Frontier Conference champions carry a 22-6 record into the postseason after going 2-2 in the final two weeks of the schedule. Montana Tech clinched its fourth-consecutive league title with a pair of home wins this past week against Montana Western and Providence.  Tech is the only Frontier team in the poll.

This week's rankings feature a new No. 1 for a third-straight iteration of the poll. College of Idaho climbed into the top spot with 16 of the 17 first-place votes. No. 2 LSU Alexandria, which was No. 1 in the penultimate ballot of the season, snagged the other top vote.

Montana Tech will chase an unprecedented fourth-straight Frontier Conference tournament championship next. The Orediggers carry the top seed into the Pacific Steel & Recycling Four Seasons Arena in Great Falls and will await the lowest remaining seed from Sunday's first-round games in the semifinal round. That game will be played at a to-be-determined time Monday, March 3.

2024-25 NAIA Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll - Final (February 26)

Dropped from Top 25: Hope International (Calif.), Florida Memorial

Receiving Votes: Florida Memorial 95, Hope International (Calif.) 75, Life (Ga.) 62, Indiana Tech 55, Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) 24, Mobile (Ala.) 17, St. Francis (Ill.) 13, Indiana Wesleyan 10, Friends (Kan.) 6, St. Mary-Woods (Ind.) 5, Mid-America Christian (Okla.) 3, Graceland (Iowa) 3, Morningside (Iowa) 2, Spring Arbor (Mich.) 2

Rating Methodology:

• The NAIA Men's Basketball Poll is for publicity purposes only and has no weight or bearing in the selection process for national championship field consideration
• The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences and Continental Athletic Conference (Independents)
• The Top 25 is determined by a points system based on how each voter ranks the best teams. A team receives 30 points for each first-place vote, 29 for second place and so on through the list
• The highest and lowest ranking for each team (a non-rating is considered a low ratings) is removed
• Teams that receive only one point in the ballot are not considered "receiving votes"
• Frequency of polls occur bi-weekly
• Records listed are as of the end of the day on Monday of the poll week

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