Augustana College men’s basketball earned one first-place vote and 384 points and is ranked No. 2 in this week’s National Association of Basketball Coaches Top 25 Poll. The No. 2 ranking in the national poll is the highest ranking in program history.
Augustana’s previous high occurred on Jan. 11, 1988, when the Vikings were ranked third.
For the second straight week there is a new No. 1 team in the NABC Top 25 Poll with Florida Southern earning 15 first-place votes and the top spot for the first time since 2001.
Four of the top eight teams lost games last week, creating a shuffle in the top five teams. Following Florida Southern and Augustana is Bellarmine in third, Angelo State in fourth and Lincoln Memorial in fifth.
Augustana is one of two NSIC teams in this week’s top 25 poll, with MSU Moorhead coming in at No. 9 after dropping three spots after Saturday’s loss to the Vikings at the Sioux Falls Arena. Minnesota State received votes in the poll for the second straight week.
Augustana has now tied its longest stretch in the NABC Top 25 poll, being ranked for 11 straight weeks.
The Vikings are off to their best start in school history at 23-1 on the season, and with one more win the team would tie a single season record for wins in a season. Augustana is 17-1 in NSIC play, marking the most conference wins in a single season in program history.
Augustana closes-out a four-game homestand this Friday and Saturday at the Sioux Falls Arena. The Vikings welcome Southwest Minnesota State at 8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 13 before taking on USF at 6 p.m. on Saturday.
