We are less than a week away from the start of the 2018-2019 College of the Ozarks basketball season. The NAIA coaches have released their preseason poll.
The Lady Cats check in at #6. Senior All-Americans Kelsie Cleeton and Cass Johnson return to lead a team that 31-2 a year ago.
The Lady Cats open the season on Monday, hosting Tabor.
This weeks poll:
2018-19 NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Preseason Top 25 Poll (Oct. 23)
| RANK | LAST WEEK | TEAM (FIRST-PLACE VOTES) | 2017-2018 RECORD | POINTS |
| 1 | 2 | Concordia (Neb.) (10) | 36-2 | 311 |
| 2 | 7 | Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) (1) | 32-6 | 295 |
| 3 | 1 | Southeastern (Fla.) (1) | 31-1 | 290 |
| 4 | 4 | Saint Xavier (Ill.) | 32-3 | 277 |
| 4 | 5 | Marian (Ind.) | 32-3 | 277 |
| 6 | 3 | College of the Ozarks (Mo.) | 31-2 | 268 |
| 7 | 6 | Eastern Oregon | 31-3 | 243 |
| 8 | 11 | Northwestern (Iowa) | 25-9 | 240 |
| 9 | 9 | Indiana Tech | 30-5 | 220 |
| 9 | 19 | St. Francis (Ill.) | 22-10 | 220 |
| 11 | 13 | Morningside (Iowa) | 22-12 | 212 |
| 12 | 10 | Southern Oregon | 28-5 | 203 |
| 13 | 12 | Hastings (Neb.) | 26-7 | 195 |
| 14 | NR | Saint Francis (Ind.) | 17-14 | 183 |
| 15 | 17 | Indiana Wesleyan | 25-9 | 156 |
| 16 | 14 | Valley City State (N.D.) | 25-5 | 150 |
| 16 | 8 | Jamestown (N.D.) | 31-5 | 150 |
| 18 | 16 | Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) | 23-10 | 138 |
| 19 | 15 | Taylor (Ind.) | 24-11 | 136 |
| 20 | RV | Tabor (Kan.) | 18-14 | 123 |
| 21 | 21 | Lawrence Tech (Mich.) | 25-7 | 121 |
| 22 | RV | Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) | 19-10 | 95 |
| 23 | 23 | Bryan (Tenn.) | 25-10 | 85 |
| 24 | 20 | Rio Grande (Ohio) | 30-4 | 67 |
| 25 | 24 | Antelope Valley (Calif.) | 22-7 | 58 |
* Last week refers to the final regular-season poll of the 2017-2018 season. Beginning last year, there is no longer a postseason coaches’ poll.
Others receiving votes: Oregon Tech 55, Bethany (Kan.) 47, Reinhardt (Ga.) 28, Aquinas (Mich.) 28, Bellevue (Neb.) 18, Oklahoma Wesleyan 14, St. Thomas (Fla.) 12, IU East (Ind.) 7, UC Merced (Calif.) 6, Huntington (Ind.) 5, Northwest Christian (Ore.) 4, Rochester (Mich.) 4, Indiana Northwest 3
