As expected, the Thomas More women’s basketball team, defending NAIA national champions and an undefeated 17-0 this season, remained atop the NAIA Coaches’ Poll released Wednesday.
Once again, through this fourth bi-weekly national poll, the Saints received all 21 first-place votes.
The Thomas More men (14-2), who were as high as No. 1 and No. 2 in the previous polls, fell to No. 10 in Wednesday’s poll, which probably more accurately reflects where the Saints belong as they work in a new combination of personnel.
That’s not something the Saints women are having to do, despite Coach Jeff Hans’ take last week that this team “hasn’t won anything yet . . . we have a long way to go.”
But with five wins since the last poll on Dec. 14, including four on the road, the Saints women, now 11-0 in the Mid-South Conference, are getting there. They’ve recorded wins over Freed-Hardman (67-60), Bethel (Tenn.) (90-52), West Virginia Tech (122-61), No. 3 Campbellsville (78-66) and Lindsey Wilson (70-56).
The 122 points at West Virginia Tech are the most for a TMU team in nine years, since a 127-34 romp over Thiel in 2014. TMU’s win over Campbellsville gave the Saints the first-place slot in the Mid-South with their fifth win this season against a ranked opponent. TMU has four players averaging in double figures with five players scoring more than 100 points.
Senior Zoie Barth from Fort Thomas and Highlands High School is team leader in points (230) and assists (56). She’s tied with Rachel Martin (Cincinnati Summit Country Day) for the steals’ lead with 26. Another senior, Emily Simon from Hilliard, Ohio, leads TMU in rebounding with 110 while freshman Rylee Turner out of Newport Central Catholic leads the team in blocks with 25. On offense, TMU is tied for No. 8 in the NAIA in field goal percentage at 46.1 percent and No. 6 in three-point field goal percentage at 37.5. On defense, TMU is No. 14 in opponents’ points allowed with 55.1. The Saints are back in action Thursday at Lebanon, Tenn., in a 6:30 p.m. MSC game against Cumberland University, a team TMU beat 63-40 at home Dec. 3.
NAIA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL COACHES POLL
RANK LAST TIME SCHOOL [FIRST-PLACE VOTES] RECORD POINTS1 1 Thomas More (Ky.) [21] 17-0 591
2 4 Central Methodist (Mo.) 14-0 564
3 5 Dordt (Iowa) 16-0 549
4 3 Campbellsville (Ky.) 15-1 537
5 2 Westmont (Calif.) 13-1 516
6 6 Marian (Ind.) 16-1 503
7 7 Indiana Wesleyan 14-3 473
8 8 Clarke (Iowa) 13-2 444
9 9 Loyola (La.) 13-0 441
10 10 Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) 14-1 436
11 12 Rio Grande (Ohio) 15-2 381
12 18 Montana Western 15-2 375
13 14 Vanguard (Calif.) 11-3 342
14 13 Indiana Tech 14-3 340
15 15 Northwestern (Iowa) 12-3 323
16 20 Eastern Oregon 13-2 264
17 NR Texas Wesleyan 14-1 258
18 11 Carroll (Mont.) 12-5 253
19 17 Science & Arts (Okla.) 14-1 241
20 NR Rocky Mountain (Mont.) 12-4 239
21 22 Briar Cliff (Iowa) 12-4 186
22 16 Sterling (Kan.) 12-4 181
23 23 Southern Oregon 12-3 145
24 NR Cumberlands (Ky.) 14-3 143
25 NR Rust (Miss.) 8-3 116
Dropped from the Poll: Mid-America Christian (Okla.), St. Francis (Ill.), Georgetown (Ky.), Dakota Wesleyan
Receiving Votes: Mid-America Christian (Okla.) 106, IU South Bend (Ind.) 82, Pikeville (Ky.) 55, Texas A & M Texarkana 50, Reinhardt (Ga.) 43, Dakota State (S.D.) 40, Jamestown (N.D.) 32, St. Francis (Ill.) 32, Hope International (Calif.) 29, Faulkner (Ala.) 21, Grace (Ind.) 16, Siena Heights (Mich.) 9, Philander Smith (Ark.) 6, Oakland City (Ind.) 6, Georgetown (Ky.) 4, Midway (Ky.) 3
TMU MEN DROP TO NO. 10
It was no surprise that the TMU men would drop in this poll after an 88-59 MSC road loss to then No. 19 Freed Hardman, a team that jumped to No. 8, the largest advance in this week’s poll. College of Idaho is the new No. 1, Oklahoma Wesleyan No. 2, Langston (Okla.) No. 3, Southwestern (Kan.) No. 4 and Arizona Christian No. 5.
Winning five straight certainly helped Justin Ray’s TMU team remain in the Top 10 after wins over Bethel (in overtime) 84-81, followed by a pair of tourney wins over St. Francis (Ill.) 70-68 and Roosevelt University (85-72) with a return to the MSC, where TMU is 9-2, with a home win over Campbellsville (70-62) and a road win at Lindsey Wilson (78-72).
Reid Jolly, a 6-foot-5 redshirt junior from Alexandria and Campbell County, continues to lead TMU in scoring, recording 22 or more points in three of those five wins. Sophomore Casey George from Pickerington, Ohio, earned MSC Player of the Week honors for his 37-point scoring in the two tournament games.
Newcomer Kyle Ross, a 6-7 sophomore transfer from Milwaukee and St. John, Ind., has been a big part of the streak, scoring in double digits in four of the six games he’s played since becoming eligible.
The TMU men return to action Thursday in the second game of a women’s/men’s doubleheader at Cumberland University in an 8:30 p.m. MSC game. Thomas More won the first game between the teams, 70-63, Dec. 3.
2022-23 NAIA Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll
RANK LAST WEEK SCHOOL [1st Place Votes] RECORD FINAL POINTS
1 3 College of Idaho [17] 14-1 558
2 5 Oklahoma Wesleyan [2] 15-1 539
3 7 Langston (Okla.) [1] 15-0 520
4 6 Southwestern (Kan.) 15-1 496
5 1 Arizona Christian 14-3 459
6 4 Grace (Ind.) 15-2 457
7 11 Indiana Wesleyan 13-4 445
8 19 Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) 14-3 402
9 12 Union (Ky.) 13-1 401
10 2 Thomas More (Ky.) 14-2 394
11 16 Indiana Tech 15-2 385
12 13 Montana Tech 15-2 375
13 17 William Penn (Iowa) 13-2 358
14 9 Jamestown (N.D.) 13-3 343
15 15 Georgetown (Ky.) 15-2 337
16 14 Marian (Ind.) 14-3 258
17 21 Kansas Wesleyan 15-1 247
18 20 Evangel (Mo.) 13-2 234
19 8 Faulkner (Ala.) 13-3 226
20 23 Morningside (Iowa) 12-3 224
21 10 Florida College 13-3 205
22 RV Loyola (La.) 13-2 194
23 18 LSU Shreveport (La.) 12-3 189
24 NR Menlo (Calif.) 14-3 96
25 RV Iowa Wesleyan 16-1 65
Dropped from the Top 25: Wayland Baptist (Texas), Carroll (Mont.), Huntington (Ind.)
Others Receiving Votes: Saint Xavier (Ill.) 56, Texas A&M Texarkana 52, MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) 36, Antelope Valley (Calif.) 34, Dordt (Iowa) 34, Cornerstone (Mich.) 28, Science & Arts (Okla.) 28, Ottawa (Ariz.) 24, Thomas (Ga.) 23, Huntington (Ind.) 21, Tougaloo (Miss.) 20, Shawnee State (Ohio) 17, Corban (Ore.) 14, Rio Grande (Ohio) 12, Wayland Baptist (Texas) 10, Life (Ga.) 9, Madonna (Mich.) 4, Northwestern (Iowa) 4, Eastern Oregon 4, IU Kokomo (Ind.) 3.
Dan Weber is sports reporter for the NKyTribune.