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It has been a wild few weeks since the previous DII men's basketball Power 10. No. 1 Nova Southeastern lost to a red-hot Palm Beach Atlantic, and Washburn keeps reeling off wins. The two are perched atop the latest Power 10, but picking who is No. 1 is not so easy.

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There will certainly be some disagreements in my latest Power 10. Before we get there, remember, the Power 10 rankings are just me, my spreadsheets, talking to coaches and people inside the game and a whole mess of stats. There is no voting body.

As I did last year, I will use  in my "grading" of teams. Additionally, since the selection committee is using the  for the DII Men's and Women's Elite Eight, I do consider it when teams are close; however, it is important to note that KPI uses overall record in determining its rankings and myself and Inkblot Sports only use records against DII opponents. This is important to note in DII basketball more than any other sport due to the amount of out-of-division games before January. 

The third Power 10 of the regular season 

(games through Sunday, Jan. 12)

No. 1 Washburn | Previous: 2. You would think this was an easy pick, right? After all, the Ichabods are one of two remaining undefeated teams in DII men's basketball. However, it was anything but. Yes, Nova Southeastern lost, but it is still 14-1 (12-1 against DII) against the second-toughest schedule in the division. Still, the 'Bods are more than deserving of this spot, sitting in the No. 1 spot in the Central Region — one of the toughest in DII. They are winning games by 21.7 points, have the MIAA's top offense and four guys that can score pretty much at will. 

No. 2 Nova Southeastern | Previous: 1. That loss to Palm Beach Atlantic is the only reason the Sharks aren't No. 1. Of course, they can't rest with fellow Power-10er Florida Southern on the slate this week. The Sharks lead DII in scoring (109.4 points per game), margin of victory (28.0 points per game), field goal percentage (53.2), steals (13.3 per game) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.33). They also have played that grueling schedule and have the fourth-best RPI in DII. Although it is always tough to judge RPI across regions, the South has been one of the toughest this year, so it speaks volumes. 

No. 3 Ferris State | Previous: 3. The Bulldogs jumped from unranked to No. 3 in the previous Power 10 — and they have gone 5-0 since. They have played a super tough schedule (0.611) and per Inkblot Sports have a pretty 0.643 RPI, a top-10 mark in the division. I like this team's toughness: The 'Dawgs are third in DII in 3-point defense (26.6 percent) and field goal defense (37.5 percent) and lead DII in defensive rebounds per game (31.2). 

No. 4 Florida Southern | Previous: 10. The Mocs make a big jump ahead of their Wednesday matchup against No. 2 Nova Southeastern. So, why was Florida Southern able to jump so many teams, including undefeated Daemen? For one, they are the top team in the South (for now) per Inkblot Sports, and the South has three Power 10 teams. The Mocs have won 10 in a row, score more than 91 points per game, and yes I talk about them ad nauseam, but you'd be hard pressed to find a more dynamic duo than Alex Steen and Jadin Booth in DII. 

No. 5 West Liberty | Previous:  5. Yes, both Daemen and Pace have fewer losses than West Liberty, but remember, the Power 10 looks at the selection committee metrics as well. West Liberty has played a SoS of 0.608, has the top RPI in the Atlantic (.632), a higher KPI than both Daemen and Pace and scores a ton of points (94.3 per game, sixth best in DII). Everyone in the starting lineup can score, everyone works the glass, and as usual, you're going to have to run to keep up with the Hilltoppers. 

No. 6 UAH | Previous: 6. The Chargers lost on opening night to Nova Southeastern. And that's it. They have won 15 in a row, most of which haven't been particularly close. Metrics-wise, they check all the boxes: They have a 0.569 SOS, a top-10 KPI and an impressive 0.644 RPI in the South Region. They shoot nearly 40 percent from 3, which in today's game, is pretty important. Tommy Murr leads four scorers that put up at least 12.6 points per game. 

No. 7 Daemen | Previous: 4. The Wildcats have done nothing wrong to deserve this drop. However, once the calendar flips to January, metrics matter more than overall record. Now, the Wildcats haven't played the toughest schedule — in fact they have one of the lowest SoS in the top 25 — but they are annihilating the competition with the second-highest margin of victory in DII behind one of the best scoring defenses in the division (fifth best). Daemen is an impressive 14-0 and edges out Pace simply because it has a couple of wins over teams that were nationally ranked at the time the Wildcats beat them. Benjamin Bill and Justin Hemphill can also take over a game, and the Wildcats have shown they know how to play in March. This feels like the team to beat in the East. 

No. 8 Colorado School of Mines | Previous: First five out. The Orediggers enter the Power 10 after moving into the No. 1 spot in the tricky South Central (per Inkblot Sports). They have played a tough schedule (tougher than DBU, which is right on their tail) and have the top RPI in the South Central by a wide margin and are the only one-loss team in the region. I wonder how their depth will play come March, but Majok Deng is having a strong season leading the way. 

No. 9 Saint Martin's | Previous: First five out. The Saints are the top team in the West Region, and outside of Point Loma, it's not really close. They are on fire, winners of eight in a row and check a lot of the boxes with a SoS near 0.600 and an RPI over 0.610. The Saints have five players scoring in double figures and Jaden Nielsen-Skinner — the only Saint to start all 18 games — averages 9.6 points per game and leads the team in assists and steals. If they can get Dae'Kwon Watson back, this should be a potent team out West. 

No. 10 (tie) Lake Superior State, Gannon | Previous: 7, first five out. Don't get me wrong, both of these teams have the selection metrics to justify being in the top 10, but both are influenced by what I saw in the opening weekend in Lakeland, Florida at the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic. Granted, they were two opposing forces at work.

Gannon, with a very new-look team from last year's record-setting squad, went 0-2... and it hasn't lost since. The Golden Knights are rolling teams by scoring 97.8 points per game, and once again, it looks like the Atlantic will be a high-scoring chase to the finish line between Gannon and West Liberty. 

LSSU went 2-0 on opening weekend — with one of those wins against Gannon — but it was the Lakers' grit and toughness that made this feel like a tournament contender. Their last loss was on Dec. 3, a two-point defeat to No. 3 Ferris State, showing they can hang with anyone. 

First five out (in alphabetical order):

• DBU. Like I said, the Patriots, by the numbers, are right behind the Orediggers in the South Central. However, they recently picked up their third loss of the season which bumped them just outside the top-10 conversation. 
• Lincoln Memorial. This was a tough one between the Railsplitters and Lenoir-Rhyne. The Railsplitters dropped that close one to Lenoir-Rhyne, but the Bears then went and lost in overtime. Lincoln Memorial played a tough three-game swing against the Bears, Coker and Carson-Newman and still have the metrics to be No. 1 in the Southeast. We'll see how that head-to-head looms come March.
• Missouri S&T. The Miners were one of my teams to watch in the last Power 10 — and they have won four straight since. Per Inkblot Sports, this is the top team in the Midwest, so they get the bump into the top 15... for now. 
• Pace. Okay, I finally am getting the Setters some much-deserved love. The metrics have been against them all season, but 15-1 in January is impressive. Inkblot also has them at No. 1 in the East. 
• Point Loma. The Sea Lions missed the Power 10 by a hair. This is another tough team with a nice balance on offense and defense, and it has the metrics (a 0.588 SoS and 0.599 RPI) to justify a lofty ranking. 

Two to watch:

• Palm Beach Atlantic: The Sailfish were 17-12 last year and are currently 13-2 with wins over both Nova Southeastern and Florida Southern. They have the top defense in the Sunshine Conference and a top-10 KPI. This team just missed the first five out. 
• Southwest Minnesota State. Remember when the Mustangs were the top team in the Central Region? Me neither, but per Inkblot Sports, the Mustangs have a higher RPI than even Washburn. After going 19-13 a year ago, they sit at 13-3 with wins over Fort Hays State, Minnesota State, Winona State, MSU Moorhead, Minot State and Minnesota Duluth. We have ourselves a new contender in the NSIC.