Carroll basketball teams continue ascension in latest NAIA poll with top five rankings – 406mtsports.com

HELENA Both Carroll basketball teams are ranked inside the NAIAs top-5. In the latest NAIA top-25 coaches poll released on Wednesday, the Saints men and women each moved up a spot, with Kurt Paulsons team advancing to No. 4 and Rachelle Sayers team breaking into the top-5 at No. 5 for the first time this season.

Wednesdays poll was the second-straight edition in which both Carroll teams have moved up. The men began the season at No. 10 and moved up to No. 5 before the latest advancement. The women were ranked No. 7 in the preseason poll and improved to No. 6 before cracking the top-5 this week.

Carrolls men are off to a 10-0 start to the season, while the women are 9-2 with a trio of wins over top-25 opponents, including back-to-back victories over top-15 teams last weekend.

Carroll is the only NAIA program in the country with both basketball teams ranked in the top-5.

Jovan Sljivancanin paces the mens team with 18.9 points and 12.6 rebounds per game. Senior point guard Shamrock Campbell is also averaging double-digits with 13.6 points per game on 46.9 percent shooting.

Dani Wagner (17.3), Christine Denny (12.7) and Jamie Pickens (12.7) are all averaging double figures for Carrolls womens basketball team.

Around the Frontier Conference, Montana Western was the lone womens team to join Carroll in the top-25, checking in at No. 24. Providence was in the receiving votes category.

On the mens side, Montana Tech was in the receiving votes category.

Conference play begins on Thursday with Providence hosting Rocky Mountain College, Carroll hosting Montana State Northern and Montana Tech hosting Montana Western for both mens and womens contests.

Read the original:

Carroll basketball teams continue ascension in latest NAIA poll with top five rankings - 406mtsports.com