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CITY  (NewsDakota.com)–The pollsters just do not like the Viking men.

As with the previous two 20-win seasons for Valley City State University, the pollsters failed to move the Vikings higher in the NAIA national poll, stalling the Vikings at #17 this week.

The Vikings entered last week at #17, and edged Jamestown College in overtime in Jamestown 86-83.  The Jimmies were ranked #7 last week.  The Vikings then blew by Mayville State 73-48.

In the 2008-09 season, the Vikings failed to gain recognition in the poll despite a 20-10 record.  A year later, a 22-8 team was left out of the NAIA tournament after a ratings controversy left them out of the top two positions in the Dakota Athletic Conference.

The Vikings had a chance to move up, as the team directly in front of them, Briar Cliff, IA, moved down a spot from #15 to #16.  But instead of moving the Vikings, currently 20-6, up a spot, the pollsters showed what they think of the Vikings by penalizing Jamestown College for their loss to Valley City State, moving the Jimmies down three positions to #10.

Should the Vikings fail to make the national tournament this season, they would become the third 20-win team in four years at VCSU to not advance to the national tournament.  

The Vikings face the Jimmies again Wednesday at the W. E. Osmon Fieldhouse in Valley City.