KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Steve Keller's University of Providence men's basketball team is ranked 12th in the NAIA Division I coaches' top 25 preseason poll, leading three Frontier Conference teams in the rankings, which were released Wednesday.
The Argos weren't ranked at the end of last season when they finished 18-12 in Keller's first year with the program. They were selected to win the Frontier Conference this year, though, and are now the league's highest-ranked team in the national poll. Montana State-Northern and Lewis-Clark State are also in the top 25, while Carroll College is among the other teams to receive votes.
Shawn Huse's Lights are ranked No. 19 after last year's 18-14 campaign, and Lewis-Clark is 23rd. The Warriors were seventh in last season's final rankings after advancing to the semifinal round of the NAIA national tournament.
Carroll College, which is starting Year 2 of the Kurt Paulson era, was the national runner-up last season, but the Fighting Saints graduated key players Match Burnham and Matt Wyman off that squad. Dane Warp, the Frontier Conference's preseason player of the year, will help lead a young Carroll team into the 2019-20 season.
Defending national champion Georgetown (Ky.) received nine first-place votes to top the poll with the No. 1 ranking. The Master's (Calif.), Wayland Baptist (Texas), William Penn (Iowa) and Pikeville (Ky.) complete the top five.
2019-20 NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll – Preseason (Oct. 23, 2019)
| RANK | LAST WEEK | SCHOOL [1st Place Votes] | RECORD | FINAL POINTS |
| 1 | 1 | Georgetown (Ky.) [9] | 33-4 | 219 |
| 2 | T4 | The Master's (Calif.) | 27-6 | 210 |
| 3 | 8 | Wayland Baptist (Texas) | 24-8 | 199 |
| 4 | 23 | William Penn (Iowa) | 22-12 | 196 |
| 5 | 13 | Pikeville (Ky.) | 25-9 | 191 |
| 6 | 2 | LSU Alexandria (La.) | 30-4 | 187 |
| 7 | 14 | William Carey (Miss.) | 25-10 | 178 |
| 8 | 20 | Talladega (Ala.) | 24-8 | 166 |
| 9 | 3 | Benedictine (Kan.) | 31-4 | 155 |
| 10 | RV | Arizona Christian | 25-9 | 153 |
| 11 | 17 | LSU Shreveport (La.) | 23-11 | 152 |
| 12 | NR | Providence (Mont.) | 18-12 | 145 |
| 13 | RV | Science & Arts (Okla.) | 22-11 | 139 |
| 14 | 6 | Stillman (Ala.) | 27-6 | 133 |
| 15 | 10 | Vanguard (Calif.) | 25-7 | 114 |
| 16 | 21 | Cumberlands (Ky.) | 21-11 | 113 |
| 17 | 24 | Loyola (La.) | 22-12 | 109 |
| 18 | RV | Mid-America Christian (Okla.) | 21-13 | 105 |
| 19 | NR | Montana State-Northern | 18-14 | 87 |
| 20 | NR | Central Methodist (Mo.) | 17-14 | 82 |
| 21 | RV | Campbellsville (Ky.) | 22-10 | 76 |
| 22 | 12 | Wiley (Texas) | 24-7 | 65 |
| 23 | 7 | Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) | 30-7 | 59 |
| 24 | NR | Park (Mo.) | 20-11 | 44 |
| 25 | 19 | Peru State (Neb.) | 23-11 | 42 |
Dropped from the Top 25: Tougaloo (Miss.), Missouri Baptist, Carroll (Mont.), John Brown (Ark.), William Jessup (Calif.), Bethel (Tenn.), St. Thomas (Texas), Oklahoma City
Others Receiving Votes: Hope International (Calif.) 36, Bethel (Tenn.) 33, Xavier (La.) 31, SAGU (Texas) 22, Dillard (La.) 20, Central Baptist (Ark.) 16, Carroll (Mont.) 15, Life (Ga.) 7, Oklahoma City 5.
