Bruins ranked No. 14 in final national poll
The Bellevue University men's basketball team was ranked No. 14 in the final NAIA top 25 poll released today.
The Bellevue University men's basketball team was ranked No. 14 in the final NAIA top 25 poll released today.
The 2012-13 Bruins advanced to their 11th-straight NAIA National Tournament, finishing with a 24-11 overall record, while sharing the MCAC regular season crown with a 12-4 conference mark.
Bellevue advanced to the Sweet Sixteen of the NAIA National Tournament for the seventh-straight season, losing to eventual national champion Cardinal Stritch University.
Two of Bellevue's losses this season were to teams ranked in the top 5 in the nation (No. 1 Cardinal Stritch, No. 4 Dordt College). The Bruins defeated second-ranked William Penn University, 82-71, on Dec. 7 in Bellevue.
| RANK | LAST WEEK^ | SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES) | 2012 – 13 RECORD | TOTAL POINTS |
| 1 | 2 | Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) (12) | 35-3 | 312 |
| 2 | 1 | William Penn (Iowa) | 34-2 | 302 |
| 3 | 10 | Indiana Southeast | 30-5 | 289 |
| 4 | 11 | Dordt (Iowa) | 28-7 | 274 |
| 5 | 20 | Grace (Ind.) | 24-10 | 271 |
| 6 | 3 | Northwood (Fla.) | 30-4 | 266 |
| 7 | 6 | Indiana Wesleyan | 26-7 | 240 |
| 8 | 7 | Saint Xavier (Ill.) | 29-6 | 237 |
| 9 | 4 | Northwestern (Iowa) | 24-7 | 234 |
| 10 | 18 | Southern Oregon | 25-10 | 203 |
| 11 | 9 | Davenport (Mich.) | 27-7 | 202 |
| 12 | 17 | Bethel (Ind.) | 25-10 | 197 |
| 13 | 5 | Warner Pacific (Ore.) | 27-7 | 187 |
| T14 | RV | Dakota State (S.D.) | 24-10 | 173 |
| T14 | 19 | Bellevue (Neb.) | 24-11 | 173 |
| 16 | 12 | Mount Mercy (Iowa) | 27-6 | 156 |
| 17 | 15 | Embry-Riddle (Fla.) | 25-9 | 151 |
| 18 | 25 | Midland (Neb.) | 21-13 | 132 |
| 19 | 22 | York (Neb.) | 24-9 | 130 |
| T20 | 8 | Eastern Oregon | 28-5 | 122 |
| T20 | 21 | St. Thomas (Fla.) | 21-12 | 122 |
| 22 | 14 | Madonna (Mich.) | 25-9 | 113 |
| 23 | RV | Cal Maritime | 25-7 | 107 |
| 24 | 13 | Tennessee Wesleyan | 25-8 | 92 |
| T25 | NR | College of the Ozarks (Mo.) | 23-13 | 72 |
| T25 | 16 | Rochester (Mich.) | 23-5 | 72 |
Others receiving votes: Valley City State (N.D.) 42; Northwest (Wash.) 38; Lourdes (Ohio) 35; Taylor (Ind.) 12; Ave Maria (Fla.) 10; Saint Mary (Kan.) 5; Morningside (Iowa) 4; Hastings (Neb.) 3; Oklahoma Wesleyan 3.