November 8, 2026
The first few weeks have already given us ranked wins, early upsets and several teams forcing their way into the conversation. Oklahoma Wesleyan leads this edition of the NHR Top 25, followed by Rocky Mountain, Indiana Wesleyan, Grace and Georgetown.
Here is our NHR Top 25 through November 7, with each team’s record and preseason ranking in both our poll and the October 21 NAIA Coaches’ Top 25 Poll. NR means not ranked; RV means receiving votes.
1. Oklahoma Wesleyan 6-0 | NHR Preseason Rank 9 | Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll T-11
OKWU is 6-0 with two Top 25 wins over Langston and LSU Shreveport. The Eagles have an average win margin of 20ppg. The 89-64 win over Langston helped push OKWU to the top of our rankings.
2. Rocky Mountain (MT) 0-0 | NHR Preseason Rank 4 | Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll 4
Rocky Mountain moves from fourth in our preseason ranking to second in this edition. The Battlin’ Bears are still 0-0, as the 58-57 loss to NCAA Division II No. 6 Black Hills State was an exhibition. Rocky was also fourth in the coaches’ preseason poll.
3. Indiana Wesleyan 3-0 | NHR Preseason Rank 5 | Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll 5
Indiana Wesleyan is 3-0 after beating Indiana Tech 90-66, Cornerstone 83-66 and Kuyper 108-32. The Wildcats have won all three by at least 17 points, and move up two spots from our preseason ranking.
4. Grace (IN) 4-1 | NHR Preseason Rank 1 | Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll 1
Grace has rebounded well since its loss to a good Morningside team. The Lancers are 4-1, with wins over IU Northwest, 99-83, Briar Cliff, 95-73, and UNOH. They remain one of the favorites to win a national title and shouldn’t drop much in this week’s coaches’ poll.
5. Georgetown (KY) 4-1 | NHR Preseason Rank 7 | Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll 7
Georgetown’s 74-58 win over Arizona Christian stands out as one of its best early results. The Tigers also beat Park 64-58 and were on the other side of a close one against LSU Shreveport, falling 63-61. The Tigers have already had a tough early schedule, with a 16-point win over ACU and a two-point loss to LSUS.
6. Arizona Christian 5-1 | NHR Preseason Rank 2 | Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll 3
Arizona Christian has won three straight since its loss to Georgetown, including an 81-74 win over LSU Shreveport. The Firestorm followed that with an 86-78 victory over Southeastern. ACU is 5-1 and stays inside our top 10.
7. Cumberlands (KY) 5-0 | NHR Preseason Rank 6 | Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll 10
Cumberlands is off to a 5-0 start. The Patriots beat Union 79-75 and followed with a 76-66 victory over Pikeville on November 3. The Patriots stay inside our top 10 with those two wins.
8. Freed-Hardeman (TN) 3-1 | NHR Preseason Rank 3 | Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll 2
Freed-Hardeman has already been tested in close games. The Lions edged Marian 76-75 before falling 76-70 to St. Thomas. Two close games for a team that started inside the top three of both preseason polls. Sam Powell just returned, and Rodney Henderson should be back soon, giving the Lions two important returning pieces.
9. Nelson (TX) 3-0 | NHR Preseason Rank 10 | Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll 6
Nelson scored 98 points in its November 6 win over Our Lady of the Lake, holding off the Saints 98-92. The Lions are 3-0 and move up one spot from our preseason ranking.
10. Ave Maria (FL) 4-0 | NHR Preseason Rank NR | Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll 13
Ave Maria moves into our top 10 after opening the season outside the NHR preseason Top 25. The Gyrenes have shown they can win different types of games, edging Wayland Baptist 82-81 and putting up 99 points in a 99-80 win over Florida College. The one-point win over Wayland is an important early result against another ranked opponent.
11. Georgia Gwinnett 6-0 | NHR Preseason Rank 16 | Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll 18
Georgia Gwinnett is 6-0 after a strong weekend away from home. The Grizzlies beat St. Thomas 94-65, then used a 22-2 second-half run to pull away from Tennessee Wesleyan for an 89-69 win. Josh Ray scored 16 in the Saturday victory, while Chaney added 15 points, nine rebounds and five assists.
12. LSU Shreveport 3-2 | NHR Preseason Rank 11 | Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll 9
LSU Shreveport has already faced a challenging stretch. The Pilots beat Georgetown 63-61 and sit at 3-2, with both losses coming against teams in our top 10: No. 6 Arizona Christian and No. 1 Oklahoma Wesleyan. The Georgetown win is a good one for LSUS, and the tough early schedule gives some context to those two losses.
13. Morningside 4-0 | NHR Preseason Rank NR | Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll 25
Morningside makes one of the biggest moves into this edition after beating preseason No. 1 Grace 83-68. A 15-point win over the team that started atop both polls is a big reason the 4-0 Mustangs jump to No. 13.
14. Eastern Oregon 3-0 | NHR Preseason Rank 12 | Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll 15
Eastern Oregon handled its weekend trip with a 79-61 win over Dickinson State and a 90-62 victory over Bismarck State. Add in the earlier 94-67 win over Embry-Riddle, and the Mountaineers have several convincing nonconference results behind them.
15. Montana Tech 4-0 | NHR Preseason Rank NR | Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll RV
Montana Tech jumps into our Top 25 at 4-0. The Orediggers opened the regular season by beating College of Idaho 83-71 and have followed with wins over Park Gilbert, Westcliff and Lewis-Clark State. Saturday’s 94-77 win over LC State capped another productive weekend.
16. Loyola (LA) 4-1 | NHR Preseason Rank 14 | Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll 14
Loyola’s rematch with LSU Alexandria produced a much different finish. After losing the opener 85-84, the Wolf Pack won the November 3 meeting 96-69. Loyola has also shown it can survive a tight finish, edging SUNO 78-75 before that decisive response against LSUA.
17. College of Idaho 3-1 | NHR Preseason Rank 15 | Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll 16
College of Idaho has responded to its 83-71 loss to Montana Tech with three straight wins over Frontier opponents. The Yotes beat Montana Western 59-39, Providence 85-61 and Carroll 66-50. Holding two of those opponents to 50 points or fewer is an encouraging sign.
18. Wayland Baptist (TX) 2-1 | NHR Preseason Rank 18 | Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll 24
Wayland Baptist came within a point of Ave Maria, falling 82-81, and owns an 82-65 win over New College of Florida. The Pioneers later reached the century mark in a 100-60 win over Northern New Mexico. Wayland stays at its NHR preseason position in this edition.
19. Keiser (FL) 1-1 | NHR Preseason Rank 17 | Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll T-11
Keiser’s California trip included a 66-64 win over Life Pacific and an 80-67 loss to The Master’s. The Seahawks have already experienced both a tight finish and a setback against a preseason Top 25 opponent. Keiser sits at 1-1 and drops two spots from our preseason ranking.
20. Pikeville (KY) 2-1 | NHR Preseason Rank 22 | Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll 21
Pikeville remains in the Top 25 after a 76-66 loss to Cumberlands on November 3. The Bears are 2-1, with that loss coming against our No. 7 team. They also own a sneaky good win over a tough Rio Grande team and sit two spots above their NHR preseason position in this edition.
21. Langston (OK) 2-2 | NHR Preseason Rank 8 | Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll 8
Langston followed a 97-62 win over Saint Mary with an 89-64 loss to Oklahoma Wesleyan. The Lions are 2-2, with both losses coming against Top 25 teams. They fall from No. 8 in our preseason rankings, but the tough early schedule is worth keeping in mind.
22. Embry-Riddle (AZ) 4-1 | NHR Preseason Rank NR | Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll RV
Embry-Riddle is 4-1 and has won three straight since its loss at Eastern Oregon. The Eagles beat Oregon Tech 76-73 before reaching the century mark in a 101-86 win over Southeastern. Those results give Embry-Riddle momentum as it enters our Top 25.
23. Life (GA) 4-0 | NHR Preseason Rank 25 | Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll RV
Life is 4-0 and moves up two spots from our preseason ranking. The Running Eagles opened with a 104-36 win over Selma and held off Georgia Southern–East Georgia 80-75. An unbeaten start keeps Life in our Top 25 as the early nonconference schedule continues.
24. Concordia (NE) 3-1 | NHR Preseason Rank 19 | Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll 19
Concordia is 3-1 after scoring 113 points against Maharishi International and 103 against Judson. The Bulldogs won those games by 50 and 37 points, respectively. They also own an 89-61 win over Kansas Wesleyan, with their lone loss coming 81-74 at Bethel.
25. Texas A&M–Texarkana 2-1 | NHR Preseason Rank NR | Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll NR
Texas A&M–Texarkana enters our Top 25 after opening outside both preseason rankings. The Eagles are 2-1, including an 86-73 win over Champion Christian on October 29. Texarkana takes the No. 25 spot this week.
