MAYVILLE, ND – The #1 song on the charts was Beyoncé's "Irreplaceable", the first iPhone hadn't been released yet, and Peyton Manning had just won his first Super Bowl with the Indianapolis Colts. February in 2007 was a great time to be alive, especially for Comet fans. Nearly eleven years ago marks the last time the Mayville State Women's and Men's Basketball teams were both ranked in the Top 25 at the same time, until now.

The NAIA National Office released its third Top 25 Coaches' Poll of the season on Tuesday and Comet fans were excited to see that the MSU Men's team managed to make their way onto the list of the top teams in the country, sitting at #22. The Women's team has been in the Top 25 for the last several weeks, starting out at #16 back in November. For the second poll of the year, the Women slipped down to #23 and have remained there since. With the addition of the Men's team in the Top 25, it marks the first time both teams have been ranked since February 13th, 2007.  

There is a resurgence of basketball prowess that's building at Mayville State this season, and both the Women's and Men's teams are sitting in great positions to make a run at a conference title down the final stretch of the season.

On the Women's side, the North Star Athletic Association is represented well nationally with ranked teams at the top, the University of Jamestown currently sits at #6 while Valley City State is ranked #19. VCSU and MSU are currently tied at 2nd in the conference behind the Jimmies. Jamestown sits at 6-0 right now, while MSU and VCSU are tied at 5-2.

For Coach Dennis Hutter's team, senior Andi Gayner is leading the way by averaging 19 points and 6.5 rebounds each game, Gayner is currently ranked at #15 in the country in scoring. As a team, the Comets rank #2 in steals per game, averaging 16 each time out, they're #2 in turnover margin at plus-10, and #2 in total steals with 284 on the season so far. They are currently the #4 team in the country in 3-pointers made per game at ten, and #7 in total 3's made with 180. The Comets are also #9 in the country in average points per game at 82.

Coach Darren Tighe's first year as the Comets' head coach for Men's Basketball has started out very strong. The team entered the NAIA national poll this week at #22, the first time since the historic 2006-07 season under Coach Craig Smith, who led the team to the national title game. Coming off a struggling season last year, the Comet Men have been hitting their opponents with a hard style of defense and a balanced attack on offense, hitting shots from outside and controlling the floor down low. They are currently on a 5-game winning streak, and have won eleven of their last twelve regular season games starting with the November 18th win over St Scholastica.

Leading the Comets in scoring is Daniel Lindgren with an average of 15 points a game, Gorg Alhag is right behind him with 13 points each time out. Rebounding is a big factor for the Comets this season, they are the #4 team in total rebounds per game with 43, and #6 in defensive rebounds each game. Eric Staebler leads the way in the rebounding department for the Comets, averaging over seven each game. MSU is also ranked #6 in points allowed per game at 68, and #10 in opponents' field goal percentage, holding teams to 40.6% shooting.  The Comets have an overall record of 13-3 and are at the top of the NSAA conference at 6-1 with their only loss coming against Dickinson State on the road, who also received votes in the latest national poll. The Blue Hawks are currently sitting behind the Comets in the NSAA at 5-1.

The final stretch of the season will be intense for both teams, and each matchup starts to mean more and more as the season winds down. With only two more home weekends left on the schedule for both teams, each NSAA matchup becomes a crucial stepping stone on the way to a conference title. The success of both teams could very well depend on how they perform on their home court, so get out to the games to make the Lewy Lee loud and the best home-court advantage in the NSAA.

Go Comets!