WEEK OF NOVEMBER 1, 2026 • ISSUE 6
By Junior • Week in review: October 25–31
The Upsets Landed. So Did the Responses.
The top of the preseason poll took some hits this week. No. 25 Morningside beat No. 1 Grace 83–68, St. Thomas went to No. 2 Freed-Hardeman and won 76–70, and Arizona Christian’s trip to Parkville began with a loss. Then came the responses—and a Talladega weekend that deserves your attention.
Morningside–Grace recap · St. Thomas–FHU recap · ACU’s official results
The National Picture
The word of the week: bounce-back. Grace followed Friday’s loss with a 95–73 win over Briar Cliff on Saturday, October 31. The Lancers made 12 of 23 threes after going 4-for-26 from deep against Morningside. One rough night did not become two. Grace’s Saturday recap
Arizona Christian lost 74–58 to Georgetown on October 29, then beat Park 76–66 on October 30 and LSU Shreveport 81–74 on October 31. That is a useful early reminder: a ranked loss can tell us something without becoming the whole story. Official Remy weekend results
Keep the rankings straight. All rankings in this issue refer to the October 21 NAIA preseason coaches’ poll—not new rankings or NHR projections. Oklahoma Wesleyan and Keiser share No. 11. The NAIA says its biweekly coaches’ poll schedule begins November 11. We have new results to weigh, not a new official order. Official poll and release schedule
The Week’s Biggest Games
Morningside makes the loudest introduction. The Mustangs’ 83–68 win over top-ranked Grace on October 30 was no last-second escape. Morningside turned a six-point halftime lead into a decisive victory while Grace went 4-for-26 from three. Then the Mustangs backed it up with a 94–82 win over Huntington on Saturday. Two Crossroads opponents, two wins.
St. Thomas finishes the job at FHU. The Bobcats erased a 41–35 halftime deficit to beat the defending champions 76–70 on October 30. Zyier Beverly delivered 26 points, seven rebounds and four blocks. Winning the second half 41–29 is the part that stands out: St. Thomas had the better finish on a difficult road floor.
Remy delivered the heavyweight matchups. Georgetown beat Arizona Christian 74–58 Thursday, LSU Shreveport edged Georgetown 63–61 Friday, and ACU beat LSUS 81–74 Saturday. Nobody in that top-10 trio left without a loss. The Firestorm’s consecutive wins to finish and Georgetown’s milestone win over Park gave both teams a positive ending.
Oklahoma Wesleyan separates from Langston. The Eagles led only 38–35 at halftime on October 31, then outscored Langston 51–29 after the break to win 89–64. That is a statement second half against the preseason No. 8 team, not merely a good final margin.
Ave Maria survives the one-point test. The Gyrenes beat Wayland Baptist 82–81 on October 27 in a No. 13–No. 24 matchup. Ave Maria followed it with a 99–80 win over Florida College Saturday. A narrow ranked win and a comfortable follow-up made for a productive week.
The Master’s answers, and Keiser sees both sides. Keiser escaped Life Pacific 66–64 Friday, but The Master’s won Saturday’s ranked matchup 80–67. The Mustangs outscored Keiser 45–30 after halftime, responding immediately to their own 89–82 loss to Texas A&M–San Antonio.
More results that changed the conversation. Talladega’s 97–90 win over William Carey, Montana Tech’s 83–71 win over College of Idaho, Bethel’s 81–74 win over Concordia and Rio Grande’s 86–84 win over Madonna all gave ranked teams a difficult Friday. College of Idaho responded Saturday by holding Montana Western to 39 in a 59–39 victory.
Sources and further reading: Friday recaps and official links · Saturday recaps and boxes · Ave Maria–Wayland rewind.
Top 25 Weekly Scoreboard — October 25–31
All 25 teams in the October 21 NAIA coaches’ poll are listed below. Scores are from the ranked team’s perspective; “vs.” identifies the opponent, not necessarily the venue. Exhibitions are labeled separately and do not count toward regular-season records.
| Rank / team | Week’s results |
|---|---|
| 1 Grace | 10/30 L 68–83 vs. #25 Morningside; 10/31 W 95–73 vs. Briar Cliff |
| 2 Freed-Hardeman | 10/30 L 70–76 vs. St. Thomas |
| 3 Arizona Christian | 10/29 L 58–74 vs. #7 Georgetown; 10/30 W 76–66 vs. Park; 10/31 W 81–74 vs. #9 LSU Shreveport |
| 4 Rocky Mountain | 10/31 Exhibition: 57–58 at Black Hills State, No. 6 in the NCAA Division II NABC preseason poll |
| 5 Indiana Wesleyan | 10/30 W 90–66 vs. Indiana Tech; 10/31 W 83–66 vs. Cornerstone |
| 6 Nelson | 10/29 W 101–72 vs. Arlington Baptist |
| 7 Georgetown | 10/29 W 74–58 vs. #3 Arizona Christian; 10/30 L 61–63 vs. #9 LSU Shreveport; 10/31 W 64–58 vs. Park |
| 8 Langston | 10/30 W 97–62 vs. Saint Mary; 10/31 L 64–89 vs. T-#11 Oklahoma Wesleyan |
| 9 LSU Shreveport | 10/26 W 85–78 vs. East Texas Baptist; 10/30 W 63–61 vs. #7 Georgetown; 10/31 L 74–81 vs. #3 Arizona Christian |
| 10 Cumberlands | 10/31 W 79–75 vs. Union Commonwealth |
| T-11 Keiser | 10/30 W 66–64 vs. Life Pacific; 10/31 L 67–80 vs. #17 The Master’s |
| T-11 Oklahoma Wesleyan | 10/26 W 83–52 vs. Our Lady of the Lake; 10/30 W 71–53 vs. Texas Wesleyan; 10/31 W 89–64 vs. #8 Langston |
| 13 Ave Maria | 10/27 W 82–81 vs. #24 Wayland Baptist; 10/31 W 99–80 vs. Florida College |
| 14 Loyola (La.) | 10/26 W 107–82 vs. Texas College; 10/28 W 83–51 vs. Louisiana Christian; 10/31 W 78–75 vs. SUNO |
| 15 Eastern Oregon | No games scheduled October 25–31 |
| 16 College of Idaho | 10/30 L 71–83 vs. Montana Tech; 10/31 W 59–39 vs. Montana Western |
| 17 The Master’s | 10/30 L 82–89 vs. Texas A&M–San Antonio; 10/31 W 80–67 vs. T-#11 Keiser |
| 18 Georgia Gwinnett | 10/28 W 81–71 vs. Reinhardt |
| 19 Concordia (Neb.) | 10/29 W 89–61 vs. Kansas Wesleyan; 10/30 L 74–81 vs. Bethel (Kan.) |
| 20 Hope International | 10/28 W 111–53 vs. Bethesda |
| 21 Pikeville | No countable game listed; October 28 at Marshall was an exhibition |
| 22 Madonna | 10/28 W 92–78 vs. Great Lakes Christian; 10/30 L 84–86 vs. Rio Grande |
| 23 William Carey | 10/30 L 90–97 vs. Talladega; 10/31 W 95–80 vs. Milligan (NAIA.org official final) |
| 24 Wayland Baptist | 10/26 W 82–65 vs. New College of Florida; 10/27 L 81–82 vs. #13 Ave Maria |
| 25 Morningside | 10/30 W 83–68 vs. #1 Grace; 10/31 W 94–82 vs. Huntington |
Sources: NAIA daily results for Oct. 25 · Oct. 26 · Oct. 27 · Oct. 28 · Oct. 29 · Oct. 30 · Oct. 31. Black Hills State ranking and exhibition confirmation. Supplemental official schedules: Nelson · Rocky Mountain · Eastern Oregon · Pikeville · Loyola (La.).
Your Sunday Conference Catch-Up
Sundays at 3 p.m. Central: Get a full conference recap on our ARC/conference pages! Make it part of your Sunday routine and catch up on the week across the association. Visit the ARC & Conference Hub →
Stock Watch
↑ TALLADEGA: A 97–90 win over No. 23 William Carey on October 30, followed by a 98–75 win over receiving-votes Faulkner on October 31. That is 195 points across two games against opponents on the preseason national radar. The follow-up matters as much as the first result. Carey recap · Faulkner official result.
↑ UT SOUTHERN: The Firehawks opened 2–0 with a 92–66 win over Oakwood on October 29 and a 71–60 victory over Reinhardt on October 31. Against Reinhardt, Luke Lentz scored 20 points and Antonio Cochran added 17 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks. Two double-digit wins—and 11 team blocks on Saturday—make Andy Sharpe’s group worth watching. Official results · Reinhardt recap.
↑ ST. THOMAS: Friday’s six-point win in Henderson came after the Bobcats trailed Freed-Hardeman 41–35 at halftime. St. Thomas reports that it was the highest-ranked opponent the program has beaten on record. Winning on the defending champions’ floor is a strong opening statement. Official recap.
↔ WATCH THE RESPONSE: Grace and Arizona Christian supplied it immediately. October results are valuable evidence, but a few games should not become a March verdict. The next test is consistency.
Coaching Milestones & First Wins
Alex Ireland — 150 career wins. Dalton State’s October 27 victory over Bryan marked Ireland’s 150th career win. Congratulations, Coach! Milestone report.
Chris Briggs — 400 career wins. Georgetown beat Park 64–58 on October 31 to give Briggs his 400th career victory. A milestone finish to the Tigers’ Remy weekend—and a winning response to Friday’s loss to LSU Shreveport. Milestone report and Georgetown announcement.
Quin Rice — first head-coaching win. Rochester Christian beat IU East 90–71 on October 30, giving Rice his first victory as a head coach. A memorable start for the former Warriors assistant. Game report and official celebration links.
Nick Jones — first win at Friends. The Falcons beat Haskell 94–60 on October 30 in the Jack Kater Classic, giving Jones his first victory leading Friends. Official results · New-coach background.
Ron Miller — first win at Rio Grande. An 86–84 victory over No. 22 Madonna on October 30 opened Miller’s RedStorm tenure with a ranked win. Miller previously led Ohio Christian, so this is his first at Rio Grande—not his first career victory. Opening-night report.
Around the Association
- A strong introduction at Indiana Wesleyan. Brady Scholl scored 26 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the Wildcats’ 83–66 win over Cornerstone on October 31. Isaac Andrews added 18 points and four threes. Official recap.
- A new building, a new chapter. The NAIA’s October 29 notebook highlighted Indiana Wesleyan’s I AM THIRD Arena ahead of its November 6 debut. I’ll be in attendance Friday for the opener against Kuyper—can’t wait to see the new arena and take in opening night! It also spotlighted the broader coverage around the association—including NAIA Hoops Report. Read the NAIA notebook.
- The weekend, game by game. For more from Saturday’s slate and selected individual performances, catch up with our November 1 Daily Dive. Read the full rewind.
Road To Muni
Catch up: Chris and Ally Wright — Family, Hoops and Fun. Take a break from the scoreboard for the Chris and Ally Wright conversation. Our November 1 Daily Dive includes the YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts listening links.
Quick links: NAIA Hoops Report | Official Top 25 | NAIA Notebook | National Statistics
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