Gold Rush surge to 18th, Nuggets fall to 20th in NAIA polls

NEW ORLEANS -- The men outrank the women for the first time this season.

The Xavier University of Louisiana men's basketball team climbed seven spots to 18th Monday in the NAIA Division I coaches poll. It's the biggest upward move for the Gold Rush (22-7) since December 2010.

The Gold Nuggets (22-8) fell one spot to 20th in the women's poll but extended their streak of top-25 appearances to 29.

The Gold Rush won at Fisk and Dillard to earn a share of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular-season championship with Tougaloo, which dropped from 17th to 24th in the poll. The XU men matched their highest rank this season.

The XU women also won at Fisk and Dillard to win the GCAC regular-season title by a game over Talladega, which was among others receiving votes for the third straight week.


XAVIER Gold Rush last game at "The Barn" vs. Tougaloo Bulldogs

Oklahoma Baptist is the top-ranked men's team for the second straight week, and Oklahoma City's women are No. 1 for the fifth consecutive time.

Xavier is one of nine schools with men's and women's teams in the top 25. The other schools are Azusa Pacific, Columbia (Mo.), Georgetown (Ky.), Lee (Tenn.), MidAmerica Nazarene, Rogers State, Shorter and Southern Nazarene. A week ago there were 10 such schools, and two weeks there were 11.

Both Xavier teams will play Fisk on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the GCAC tournaments at Jacksonville, Fla. The Nuggets will play at 10 a.m. EST, and the Rush will play at 4 p.m.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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