Grand Valley State heads to the holiday break undefeated and look, as last year, like the team to beat. That helps the Lakers remain at No. 1 in the DII women's basketball Power 10 rankings. There wasn't a tremendous amount of movement this week; however, two teams make their 2025 debut.
DII WBB 2025: Previous Power 10 | Guards to watch | Forwards
These Power 10 rankings are mine and mine alone. There is no input from other voters or the NCAA selection committee. It is a combination of selection committee metrics and what is happening on the court, a blend of the national polls and regional rankings, if you would. I no longer rely on KPI as a deciding factor, and I will be using performance index and RPI more strongly moving forward. With the Power 10 rankings coming out every other week, there is a lot more fluctuation than a typical weekly ranking, allowing for more debuts than the average season.
The DII women’s basketball Power 10 (through Dec. 21 )
No. 1 Grand Valley State | Previous: 1. The defending champs closed out the 2025 portion of their schedule 9-0 against DII teams. Per usual, the Lakers have one of the stingiest scoring defenses in all DII, allowing just 50.7 points per game. Want to know the definition of a dynamic duo leading the way? Both Paige VanStee and MacKenzie Bisballe are averaging 14.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game with nine assists apiece.
No. 2 Minnesota State | Previous: 6. The Mavericks are utterly dominating their schedule right now and look to 2026 with a 13-0 record. They have the top scoring offense in DII (98.4 points per game) and have a strong defense allowing the Mavericks to win games by an average of 30.2 points per game, third-best in the division. Natalie Bremer is a scoring machine, now averaging 21.4 points per game.
No. 3 Gannon | Previous: 3. I have been a tad higher on the Golden Knights than the national rankings all season… and there is no reason to change. They haven’t scored fewer than 95 points since Nov. 26 and have consecutive games with 101 or more points scored. They are dropping 98.2 points per game and winning games by more than 23 points per game. Four of the starters are averaging more than 10 points per game, and this team looks poised for a run in the Atlantic Region.
No. 4 West Texas A&M | Previous: 6. Lubbock Christian dropped its first game, and that propels the Buffs up the rankings for yet another week in a row. Per Inkblot Sports, they have the top RPI in a very tough South Central Region, so that alone speaks volumes. This past weekend, they defeated No. 23 Ferris State in the Hoops in Hawaii Classic and then held Hawaii Pacific to 30 points the next night. They have won 11 in a row since an opening night loss to Grand Valley State. Yeah, this team is good.
No. 5 Indiana (PA) | Previous: 5. The Crimson Hawks ended 2025 with a big win over then-7-2 East Stroudsburg, holding the Warriors to just 49 points. This has been the driver for IUP all season, as it owns one of the stingiest defenses in DII. The Crimson Hawk defense has allowed fewer than 50 points in six of their 10 wins and has not allowed more than 66 all season. What's scarier for the PSAC is they have a top 15 scoring offense in DII as well, averaging nearly 80 points per game. Nyshae' Weaver has led the way with 14.4 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.
No. 6 Lubbock Christian | Previous: 4. As already mentioned, the Chaps dropped their first game of the season, a stunner to 6-6 UCCS, but rebounded quickly to get back in the win column against MSU Denver. This team is all about the defense, as it allows just 58.5 points per game, but are only scoring 68.6 points per game. Still, they have shown defense is all you need and are not only a consistent presence in the tournament, but make a deep run on an annual basis. This start shows that is the case once again.
No. 7 Coker | Previous: 9. The Cobras finished the 2025 schedule by dropping a season-high 103 points. Shawnteanna Tillman is one of the best scorers in the division, averaging 20.1 points per game, and Kamari Thompson is one of the best all-around players in the Southeast Region, averaging over nine points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. The duo, although not alone, will fuel this team back to the tournament.
No. 8 Texas Woman’s | Previous: 8. The Pioneers head into 2026 sitting at 9-1, winners of eight in a row since that early season loss to Harding. They have several signature wins against Pittsburg State and St. Mary’s (TX) and are 3-0 in the Lone Star Conference. Gabby Elliott and Averee Kleinhans combine for 31.2 of the Pioneers 71.4 points per game, and Elliot is a double double machine, chipping in 10.1 rebounds per game. Texas Woman’s has the talent to stay in the top 10 all season, but the deep LSC will be a test in itself.
No. 9 Fort Hays State | Previous: 10. The Tigers lost to Washburn, but rebounded immediately with a must-win against nationally ranked Pittsburg State. They head to the break sitting at 10-1 coming off a season-high 92 points. Talexa Weeter has been hands down one of the best players in the division so far, averaging 27.5 points per game on 51.2 percent shooting and 8.6 rebounds per game. That win against the Gorillas will be huge in the MIAA.
No. 10 (tied) Colorado Mesa , Nova Southeastern | Previous: Also considered. The Sharks head to the break a perfect 12-0 and are only this low because their strength of schedule is a bit lower than those above them. They are rolling their competition, scoring more than 86 points per game while allowing fewer than 60. Three starters are averaging north of 11 points per game as the prep for the heart of the SSC schedule beginning on Dec. 31.
Also considered (in alphabetical order; bold indicates new team): Bentley, Cal Poly Pomona, Central Washington, Daemen, Fairmont State, Harding, Northwestern Oklahoma State, Pittsburg State
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