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College of Idaho climbs to No. 1 in latest NAIA Coaches' Poll

The Yotes' 14-game winning streak landed them the No. 1 spot in Wednesday's NAIA Men's Basketball Coaches' Poll for the first time since the 2019-2020 season.

BOISE, Idaho — The College of Idaho men's basketball team is officially the No. 1 NAIA team in the country, jumping from No. 3 to the top spot in Wednesday's NAIA Coaches' Top 25 Poll

This marks the second time this week the Yotes (14-1, 9-0 CCC) have landed a No. 1 ranking, as well-known blog NAIA Hoops Report also put the Cascade Collegiate Conference leaders atop their poll on Monday. 

The official poll carries more weight, with a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences and the Continental Athletic Conference determining the bi-weekly rankings. 

Head coach Colby Blaine and the red-hot Yotes certainly made their case as the country's best NAIA squad last weekend in Caldwell. C of I dominated Evergreen 112-61 on Jan. 6, before defeating Northwest 99-35 the following day. 

35 is the fewest points scored against the Yotes since Warner Pacific in 2004. The 64-point win also marked C of I's 14-straight victory and ninth CCC win of the season. 

College of Idaho's only loss came in its first game of the season back on Nov. 4, 2022, at Arizona Christian University. ACU was the No. 1 ranked team in the previous NAIA Coaches' Top 25 Poll (Dec. 12, 2022), before dropping to No. 5 on Wednesday. 

The Yotes hit the road for a pair of conference contests this weekend. C of I battles Bushnell in Eugene, Ore., at 8:30 p.m. MT Friday, before visiting Corban at 6 p.m. MT on Saturday in Salem, Ore.

Wednesday's full NAIA Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll with first-place votes is included below:

  1. College of Idaho [17]
  2. Oklahoma Wesleyan [2]
  3. Langston (Okla.) [1]
  4. Southwestern (Kan.)
  5. Arizona Christian
  6. Grace (Ind.)
  7. Indiana Wesleyan
  8. Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.)
  9. Union (Ky.)
  10. Thomas More (Ky.)
  11. Indiana Tech
  12. Montana Tech
  13. William Penn (Iowa)
  14. Jamestown (N.D.)
  15. Georgetown (Ky.)
  16. Marian (Ind.)
  17. Kansas Wesleyan
  18. Evangel (Mo.)
  19. Faulkner (Ala.)
  20. Morningside (Iowa)
  21. Florida College
  22. Loyola (La.)
  23. LSU Shreveport (La.)
  24. Menlo (Calif.)
  25. Iowa Wesleyan

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