Lights, Skylights nationally ranked

Both Montana State University-Northern basketball teams were ranked in the NAIA Top 25 for much of the Frontier Conference basketball teams. And it stayed that way right to the end.

The NAIA released its final Men’s and Women’s Coaches Polls for 2014, and the Skylights finished ranked No. 20, while the Lights were ranked No. 25.

The Northern women capped a remarkable 22-10 season with a run to the Sweet 16 at the NAIA national tournament last month in Kentucky. Northern’s season came to an end against eventual national champion Oklahoma City. The Skylights were one of three Frontier teams to finish in the NAIA Top 25. Westminster was No. 4 in the final poll and Lewis-Clark State was No. 17.

Meanwhile, the Lights’ 23-9 season ended with a close loss to Freed-Hardeman in the first round of the NAIA national tournament last month in Kansas City. Northern has had eight straight seasons of 20 wins or more and has reached the national tournament for four straight years and five of the last six.

Like the women’s side, the Frontier had three men’s teams finish in the final NAIA Poll. Rocky Mountain College is ranked No. 16 and Westminster is ranked No. 24.

NAIA Men's Postseason Poll

Rnk. Prv. Rec. Pts.

1 8 Vanguard (Calif.) (10) 32-6 250

2 7 Emmanuel (Ga.) 33-4 242

3 1 Cal State San Marcos 32-2 230

4 19 MidAmerica Nazarene 26-11 225

5 2 Pikeville (Ky.) 31-3 216

6 18 St. Gregory's (Okla.) 24-10 206

7 3 William Carey (Miss.) 28-3 203

8 9 Freed-Hardeman 29-6 200

9 4 Columbia (Mo.) 32-3 185

10 16 Georgetown (Ky.) 24-11 171

11 6 Talladega (Ala.) 29-6 166

12 5 SAGU (Texas) 26-6 163

13 14 Culver-Stockton (Mo.) 24-8 157

14 11 Benedictine (Kan.) 23-9 153

15 22 Hope International 23-11 135

T16 12 Xavier (La.) 23-9 118

T16 10 Rocky Mountain 23-8 118

18 RV St. Catharine (Ky.) 20-13 116

19 15 Wiley (Texas) 25-7 113

20 24 Cumberlands (Ky.) 20-12 96

21 13 LSU Shreveport (La.) 21-9 94

22 20 Wayland Baptist 23-11 80

23 17 Arizona Christian 23-8 78

24 21 Westminster (Utah) 19-13 71

25 23 MSU-Northern 23-9 56

Others Receiving Votes: St. Thomas (Texas) 48; Evangel (Mo.) 47; Life (Ga.) 38; Philander Smith (Ark.) 30; Lindenwood-Belleville (Ill.) 11; Belhaven (Miss.) 8.

NAIA Women's Postseason Poll

Rnk. Prv. Rec. Pts.

1 5 Oklahoma City (10) 27-4 250

2 2 Freed-Hardeman 36-2 242

3 1 Vanguard (Calif.) 27-2 229

4 3 Westminster (Utah) 26-3 221

5 4 Campbellsville (Ky.) 32-4 219

6 11 Wiley (Texas) 30-5 218

7 19 John Brown (Ark.) 28-8 200

8 9 Our Lady of the Lake 27-5 189

9 6 Oklahoma Baptist 29-6 183

10 8 Georgetown (Ky.) 21-9 175

11 12 Baker (Kan.) 27-7 166

12 7 The Master's (Calif.) 24-9 157

13 14 MidAmerica Nazarene 28-4 151

14 10 Columbia (Mo.) 26-8 141

15 RV Loyola (La.) 23-12 134

16 RV Bethel (Tenn.) 23-11 133

17 15 Lewis-Clark State 27-6 130

18 13 Westmont (Calif.) 20-10 117

19 20 Xavier (La.) 24-10 116

20 21 MSU-Northern 22-10 96

21 25 Shawnee State (Ohio) 20-13 87

22 16 Hope International 23-10 82

23 17 Lyon (Ark.) 24-9 75

24 18 Wayland Baptist 20-12 62

25 22 Talladega (Ala.) 26-5 59

Others Receiving Votes: Cumberlands (Ky.) 47; Mobile (Ala.) 46; Langston (Okla.) 36; Southern Poly (Ga.); William Woods (Mo.) 16; Martin Methodist (Tenn.) 9.