By TOMMY REZACSt. Joseph PostThe Missouri Western men's basketball team (8-1) moved up six spots to No. 16 in the latest NABC Top 25 Coaches Poll released Tuesday. The Griffons move up in the rankings after a 70-61 win over Emporia State Thursday and a 75-67 triumph over No. 5 Washburn Saturday at the MWSU Fieldhouse. The victory over the Ichabods was the program's first over a top-5 team since 2011. This is the highest ranking of the season for Missouri Western. They entered the poll at No. 19 on Dec. 15, and have stayed in the rankings ever since.Elsewhere, Northwest Missouri State (6-1) drops to No. 3 after their loss to Washburn Thursday. The Ichabods (8-1) are now No. 8. Missouri Western is on the road this week, looking to extend their four-game winning streak. The Griffons are at Nebraska-Kearney Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and then at Fort Hays State Saturday at 4:00 p.m..&nbsp; &nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><a href="https://twitter.com/MWSUMBB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MWSUMBB</a> ⬆️6⃣ spots this week!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OurCity?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OurCity</a><a href="https://t.co/LviJvY7K25">https://t.co/LviJvY7K25</a>&mdash; Griffon Athletics (@gogriffons) <a href="https://twitter.com/gogriffons/status/1349083973188771846?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Missouri Western men's basketball up six spots, Northwest Missouri State falls to No. 3 in latest poll