BLUE DRAGONS RECEIVING VOTES IN NJCAA RANKINGS

Blue Dragon men's basketball is receiving votes this week in the NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball Rankings. (Steve Carpenter/Blue Dragon Sports Information)
Blue Dragon men's basketball is receiving votes this week in the NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball Rankings. (Steve Carpenter/Blue Dragon Sports Information)

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Hutchinson CC Sports Information

Bolstered by a five-game winning streak, the Hutchinson Community College men's basketball team is showing back up in the discussion for the NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball Rankings.

The first poll of 2025 was released on Monday and the Blue Dragons are 1 of 13 teams in the receiving votes list.

The Blue Dragons got back into the rankings' picture with a pair of victories over Top 10 opponents since the last poll release on December 16. Hutchinson defeated then-No. 6 Cowley 70-62 at the Sports Arena on January 4 and followed that with a 73-70 road win at No. 5 Butler on January 8.

Saturday's 87-77 win at Pratt upped the Blue Dragons' overall record to 11-5 overall and 7-3 in the Jayhawk Conference. Hutchinson plays host to Seward County on Wednesday and travels to Dodge City on Saturday in action this week.

Hutchinson started the season ranked No. 15 in the preseason rankings and stayed at No. 15 after one week. The Dragons dropped to receiving votes in Week 2 and were unranked in the final four weeks of the 2024 half of the schedule.

In addition to the Blue Dragons in the receiving votes list, four KJCCC teams are ranked in the Top 25 and are bunched together.

Cowley (15-2) is No. 9, followed by Butler (13-3) at No. 11, Coffeyville (13-3) at No. 12 and Barton (13-3) at No. 13.

Snow College received 14 of the 16 available first-place votes and is No. 1 for a second-straight poll. Trinity Valley is No. 2. NEO jumps from No. 8 to No. 3, while Indian Hills goes from No. 9 to No. 4. New Mexico Junior College rounds out the Top 5.