After two victories last week, Drury extended its winning streak to 42 games.
It's February, and the first WBCA Coaches poll of the 2020-21 season is here. NCAA.com has complete takeaways and analysis from the top 25.
First, the poll itself:
| Rank | School | Record | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Drury (21) | 10-0 | 573 |
| 2 | Lubbock Christian (2) | 9-0 | 550 |
| 3 | Lander | 9-0 | 434 |
| 4 | Charleston (WV) | 8-0 | 428 |
| 5 | Valdosta State | 12-1 | 384 |
| 6 | Minnesota Duluth | 5-0 | 371 |
| 7 | Hawaii Pacific | 3-0 | 359 |
| 8 | West Texas A&M | 10-1 | 334 |
| 9 | Cedarville | 14-1 | 324 |
| 10 | Texas A&M-Commerce | 8-1 | 305 |
| 11 | Fort Hays State | 11-2 | 269 |
| 12 | Nebraska-Kearney | 12-2 | 255 |
| 13 | Carson-Newman | 7-1 | 241 |
| 14 | Western Colorado | 8-1 | 238 |
| 15 | Grand Valley State | 8-1 | 218 |
| 16 | North Georgia | 8-1 | 205 |
| 17 | Southwestern Oklahoma State | 9-1 | 203 |
| 18 | Daemen | 4-1 | 198 |
| 19 | Arkansas Tech | 6-0 | 181 |
| 20 | Glenville State | 6-1 | 180 |
| 21 | Central Missouri | 12-2 | 171 |
| 22 | Tusculum | 11-1 | 141 |
| 23 | Southern Indiana | 10-2 | 118 |
| 24 | Truman State | 11-2 | 115 |
| 25 | Gannon | 5-1 | 81 |
Drury is No. 1 in the season's first WBCA poll
Not surprisingly, the first WBCA poll of the season begins with Drury at No. 1. The Panthers' 22-day layoff came to an end on Jan. 28. In their first game in over three weeks, they dismantled Missouri S&T 85-66. Two days later, Drury followed it up with a 76-56 victory over Maryville. Welcome back, Drury.
For those of you keeping score at home, the Panthers haven't lost a game since March 27, 2019. They've now won 42 in a row — and there's no telling when that streak will end.
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Having said that, Drury will host Rockhurst on Tuesday, Feb. 2. Why is this notable? Because the Panthers won by only 12 points when these teams first met this season on Dec. 12.
It remains their lowest margin of victory this season. Drury held a slim 48-46 lead after three quarters before blowing it open with 28 points in the final period.
Drury claimed 21 of 23 first-place votes in the poll. Lubbock Christian, at 9-0, received the other two. The Lady Chaps most recently defeated Midwestern State 84-54 on Jan. 27 — the program's 84th consecutive home win at Rip Griffin Center.
Seven undefeated teams are ranked
There are seven undefeated teams in the first WBCA poll. Six of them are in the top 10, while Arkansas Tech (6-0) is No. 19. Two of those schools, No. 6 Minnesota Duluth and No. 7 Hawaii Pacific, have played a combined total of eight games.
It was expected that teams would play an uneven amount of games this season, especially by certain points on the calendar. For example, No. 9 Cedarville has played 15 while seventh-ranked Hawaii Pacific has played three. Hawaii Pacific is back in action this weekend when it hosts Hawaii Hilo for a two-game series.
