Remaining undefeated after Saturday's 82-74 home victory over Garden City, the Butler men moved up to fourth in this week's NJCAA Division I Top 25 Basketball Poll, which was released Tuesday.
Butler (15-0) received 307 votes, just 18 votes behind third-ranked College of Southern Idaho. The Grizzlies moved ahead of Salt Lake, Utah, who suffered three losses since the last poll on Dec. 16 and plumetted to 15th.
Vincennes, Ind., retained the top spot in the poll, receiving 345 votes and 11 of 15 first-place votes. Northwest Florida State stayed at No. 2 with 338 votes and four first-place votes. Rounding out the top five was Hill, Texas, with 277 votes.
For the fourth straight week, the Grizzlies were also the highest-ranked Jayhawk Conference team. Hutchinson, Coffeyville and Cloud County all remained in the poll. Hutchinson (13-1) was ranked sixth, while Coffeyville (14-2) and Cloud County (13-2) were 16th and 23rd, respectively.
Next up for Butler will be a Jayhawk West showdown on the road at #6 Hutchinson on Wednesday. The Jayhawk West matchup marks the first time both teams have met while being ranked in the top 10 since 1996. With a win, Butler would match its best start since the 1996-97 season, when the Grizzlies won 16 straight contests and ascended to #1 in the nation. Tipoff time from the Hutchinson Sports Arena is at 7:30 p.m.
| NJCAA TOP 25 MEN'S BASKETBALL POLL | ||||
| Jan. 6, 2014 | ||||
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Prev. |
| 1. | Vincennes, IN (11) | 15-0 | 345 | 1 |
| 2. | Northwest Florida State (4) | 17-0 | 338 | 2 |
| 3. | College of Southern Idaho (1) | 18-0 | 325 | 2 |
| 4. | Butler | 15-0 | 307 | 5 |
| 5. | Hill, TX | 13-1 | 277 | 7 |
| 6. | Hutchinson | 13-1 | 260 | 8 |
| 6. | Southwest Tennessee | 11-1 | 260 | 9 |
| 8. |
Connors State, OK |
14-1 | 237 | 12 |
| 9. | Eastern Florida State | 17-1 | 231 | 15 |
| 10. | Indian Hills, IA | 14-2 | 199 | 6 |
| 11. | Odessa, TX | 13-1 | 178 | 14 |
| 12. | Mineral Area, MO | 18-1 | 163 | 25 |
| 12. | Southeastern, IA | 16-1 | 163 | 21 |
| 14. | Cochise, AZ | 14-1 | 153 | 22 |
| 15. | Salt Lake, UT | 15-3 | 139 | 4 |
| 16. | Coffeyville | 14-2 | 132 | 10 |
| 17. | Harcum, PA | 14-2 | 116 | 11 |
| 18. | Gillette, WY | 14-2 | 107 | 18 |
| 19. | Pearl River, MS | 9-0 | 105 | 23 |
| 20. | Trinity Valley, TX | 14-3 | 97 | 17 |
| 21. | Jones County, MS | 8-0 | 84 | 24 |
| 22. | Lamar-Port Arthur, TX | 13-2 | 67 | RV |
| 23. | Cloud County | 13-2 | 65 | 13 |
| 24. | South Georgia State | 14-1 | 35 | RV |
| 25. | Broward, FL | 15-3 | 24 | RV |
Other schools receiving votes: Motlow State, TN (11-2, 21); St. Petersburg, FL (13-3, 15); North Idaho (15-2, 12); Tallahassee, FL (14-4, 12); South Plains, TX (11-3, 8); Central Arizona (12-3, 3); Georgia Highlands (12-2, 2); Blinn, TX (12-2, 1).
Dropped from rankings: Shelton State, AL (16); Tallahassee, FL (19); Motlow State, TN (20).
