The Calvin Knights men’s basketball team started the preseason ranked 10th in Division III and is now ranked fourth in the d3hoops.com week six rankings, sitting at a 15-1 record after taking down rivals Hope College. 

Despite winning their last five games before the poll was released, the Knights still fell down the poll from third to fourth.

The Knights started the season off strong, winning their first nine games of the season. Their nine-game streak was good enough to climb as high as second in the rankings. The Knights’ winning streak was snapped by the then No. 24 ranked University of Wisconsin-Platteville (UW-Platteville) as the Knights lost 78-56. UW-Platteville is currently ranked twelfth.

“We didn’t play our best basketball through that time. We had five days off and they’re a really good team; they’re ranked for a reason,” Calvin Knights basketball’s head coach Bill Sall said.

The second place ranking is the highest Calvin men’s basketball has been ranked since the end of the 2004-05 season according to calvinknights.com. 

The Knights narrowly missed out on being ranked first in the nation previously. In the week three poll, the Knights were one point behind the first-ranked John Carroll University.

The Knights finished out of conference play strong, closing with a 10-1 record, and have carried that into Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) play, beginning conference play 5-0.

Sophomore Jalen Overway leads the Knights offense, being named MIAA men’s basketball athlete of the week twice so far, and was recently named a part of the top 100 watch list for the Bevo Francis Award. This award is presented to the player with the best season from “small college basketball.” According to ncaa.com, it can go to a player from Division II, Division III or the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The All-American Overway made the cut for the top 50 list last season. The award watch list cuts down from 100-50 in February. Calvin waits to see if Overway will make the list again later this season. Since the award’s creation in 2016, Overway is only the second Knight to ever earn the top 50 distinction. 

Coach Sall and his Knights have their toughest test of the season this week facing off against MIAA rivals Trine University, who are currently ranked seventh. Trine is also 15-1 and 5-0 in the conference, and the Knights are looking to hand the Thunder their first conference loss of the season.

“We’re in the heart of the league season, our goal is still to have the ability, the chance to win the conference,” Sall told Chimes.

The Knights face off against the seventh-ranked Trine University at home on Wednesday, Jan. 24 before rematching with Hope College in Holland on Saturday, Jan. 27.