ELMHURST, Ill. - Oakland University, the consensus pick as preseason Summit League favorite, earned a No. 14 ranking in the initial CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll released Monday. Defending league champion North Dakota State was among the schools receiving votes in the poll. Click here to view the complete poll.

Oakland features Summit League preseason Player of the Year Johnathon Jones, the NCAA assists leader a year ago, along with Keith Benson and Derick Nelson, both preseason first team All-League selections. The Golden Grizzlies set a school Division I record with 23 victories and reached The Summit League Championship Game and the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.

North Dakota State, who finished 11^th in the final Mid-Major Top 25 last season, received 14 votes in the poll. The Bison will have to replace four starters from their 2009 Summit League Championship squad.

Also receiving votes was future Summit League member South Dakota. The Coyotes, who received six votes, will join the league for the 2011-12 season and be eligible for all regular season and tournament championships the following year.

Last season, The Summit League saw the largest men's basketball attendance increase in the NCAA and hosted a record-setting league tournament in Sioux Falls, S.D. The 2009-10 campaign begins Nov. 13 with league play opening on Dec. 3.

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