Dragons Men’s Basketball Atop NABC Poll for First Time Ever
For the first time in program history, MSU Moorhead men’s basketball sits atop the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Poll. The weekly rankings were announced Tuesday.
The Dragons earned 399 points in the poll including 15 first-place votes to earn the top spot. Reigning national champion Nova Southeastern saw their 62-game regular season winning streak snapped last week, which allowed the Dragons to move into the top position.
It is the first time in program history that the Dragons earned a top spot in a national poll. Prior to Tuesday’s rankings, MSUM had been slotted second for the past three ranking cycles. Before this season, MSUM’s highest rank in the Division II era was third in 2014-15. In the NAIA era, MSUM made it as high as fourth in 1970-71.
MSUM is off to the second-best start in school history with a 14-0 record and an 8-0 mark in NSIC competitions. The aforementioned 1970-71 team holds the school’s best start to a season, rattling off 15 straight games to begin that year. MSUM’s school record for consecutive wins sits at 16 games, which was set during the 2015-16 season.
It is just the third time in MSU Moorhead athletics history where a program has garnered a number one national ranking. This year’s Dragons join the 1981 football team and the 1964 wrestling team as the lone programs to earn the distinction. In 1981, the Dragons went 10-0-1 in the regular season and entered the NAIA playoffs as the top-ranked team in the country. The 1964 wrestling team won the national championship, finishing the year at the top of the heap in NAIA. It is still the lone team national championship in school history.
Other NSIC teams in the poll this week include Minnesota State (2), Minot State and Minnesota Duluth.
Tickets are now available for Dragons home games as the team looks to remain undefeated.