Receiving its first loss of the season in a Saturday at Garden City, the Butler men's basketball team dropped two spots to sixth in this week's NJCAA Division I Top 25 Basketball Poll, which was released Tuesday.
Butler (22-1 overall, 8-1 Jayhawk West) had spent the last four weeks ranked fourth in the nation. The Grizzlies received 272 votes and fell behind Hill, Texas, and Connors State, Okla., who both also have one loss on the season.
With Butler's loss, only three NJCAA teams - Northwest Florida State, Vincennes, Ind., and College of Southern Idaho - remain undefeated.
For the eighth straight week, the Grizzlies were also the highest-ranked Jayhawk Conference team. Hutchinson and Coffeyville remained in the poll, while Barton dropped out after having entering the poll for the first time this season at 25th last week. Hutchinson (19-4) moved up one spot to 17th and received 117 votes, while Coffeyville (19-5) is 25th with 20 votes. Barton received one vote despite losing two straight games.
Butler will next host #17 Hutchinson this Saturday at the Power Plant. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The Grizzlies won the first meeting at the Sports Arena back on Jan. 7, defeating the Blue Dragons 72-62. Hutchinson has won five in a row and host Garden City on Wednesday before Saturday's contest with Butler.
| NJCAA TOP 25 MEN'S BASKETBALL POLL | ||||
| Feb. 3, 2014 | ||||
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Prev. |
| 1. | Northwest Florida State (7) | 23-0 | 346 | 1 |
| 2. | Vincennes, IN (8) | 22-0 | 334 | 2 |
| 3. | College of Southern Idaho (1) | 25-0 | 328 | 3 |
| 4. | Hill, TX | 22-1 | 307 | 5 |
| 5. | Connors State, OK | 21-1 | 293 | 6 |
| 6. | Butler | 22-1 | 272 | 4 |
| 7. | Eastern Florida State | 22-3 | 247 | 9 |
| 8. |
Southwest Tennessee |
17-2 | 235 | 12 |
| 9. | Trinity Valley, TX | 20-3 | 231 | 11 |
| 10. | Mineral Area, MO | 21-2 | 222 | 7 |
| 11. | Indian Hills, IA | 21-3 | 200 | 13 |
| 12. | Jones County, MS | 14-1 | 178 | 8 |
| 13. | South Georgia State | 20-2 | 147 | 10 |
| 14. | Harcum, PA | 20-3 | 147 | 17 |
| 14. | Williston State, ND | 20-3 | 147 | 16 |
| 16. | Pearl River, MS | 15-2 | 135 | 19 |
| 17. | Hutchinson, KS | 19-4 | 117 | 18 |
| 18. | Georgia Highlands | 19-3 | 108 | 14 |
| 19. | South Plains, TX | 17-4 | 104 | 20 |
| 20. | Motlow State, TN | 17-3 | 88 | 24 |
| 21. | San Jacinto-Central, TX | 18-4 | 77 | 15 |
| 22. | Southeastern, IL | 21-4 | 72 | 22 |
| 23. | McLennan, TX | 20-4 | 42 | RV |
| 24. | Northwest, WY | 20-4 | 33 | RV |
| t25. | Broward, FL | 20-5 | 20 | 23 |
| t25. | Coffeyville | 19-5 | 20 | 21 |
Other schools receiving votes: Daytona State, FL (17-6, 8); John A. Logan, IL (17-4, 4); Howard, TX (17-5, 4); Barton (18-5, 1).
Dropped from rankings: Barton (25).
