XU Gold Nuggets drop to 19th, Rush still 25th in NAIA polls

NEW ORLEANS — The Xavier University of Louisiana women's basketball team dropped two places to 19th in the NAIA Division I coaches poll. The XU men are 25th for the second consecutive week.

The polls, the eighth of the season, were announced late Monday afternoon, just before Xavier's doubleheader at SUNO.

The Gold Nuggets are in the top 25 for the 26th consecutive time. The Gold Rush appear in the top 25 for the 19th time in 20 polls.

Xavier, a 62-59 loser at William Carey in its only game of the past week, fell two spots for the second consecutive week. The Gold Rush, a 63-47 winner against William Carey and a 75-69 winner against New Orleans this past week, share 25th place with The Master's, which fell from 13th.

Oklahoma City's women and the men of Robert Morris (Chicago) are the top-ranked teams.

The only other ranked GCAC school is Tougaloo, which is 19th in the men's poll and climbed two places.

Xavier is one of nine schools with women's and men's teams in the top 25. The other schools are Azusa Pacific, Georgetown (Ky.), Lee (Tenn.), Lindsey Wilson, MidAmerica Nazarene, Shorter, Westmont and Southern Nazarene.

Xavier swept SUNO — the Nuggets won 67-55, the Rush won 73-62 — and will play a GCAC doubleheader at Talladega starting at 5 p.m. Saturday. Both Xavier teams will play Tougaloo next Monday in their final competition at The Barn, XU's 75-year-old gymnasium. A 4,500-seat facility, which is still under construction, will become the home of XU basketball and women's volleyball next season.

NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses — records through Sunday, Feb. 5)
Rank Team Record Points Last
1 Oklahoma City (12) 21-1 312 1
2 Freed-Hardeman 21-3 302 2
3 Union (Tenn.) 22-2 292 3
4 Lee (Tenn.) 23-1 282 5
5 Cumberlands 21-1 269 6
6 Westmont 21-2 262 4
7 Lubbock Christian 18-3 253 7
8 Lewis-Clark State 21-3 241 8

9 Langston 21-2 226 10

10 Shawnee State 21-4 224 11

11 Olivet Nazarene 21-3 210 13

12 Vanguard 15-5 209 9

13 Azusa Pacific 16-6 194 12

Saint Xavier 17-6 181 14

15 Belhaven 19-5 171 tie-16

16 Georgetown (Ky.) 17-7 154 18  

17 Southern Nazarene 17-7 147 tie-16
18 Westminster (Utah) 15-7 142 19
19 Xavier 17-7 134 17
20 Loyola 19-2 123 21
21 Campbellsville 16-9 116 22
22 MidAmerica Nazarene 17-7 102 20
23 Shorter 18-5 76 RV
24 Lindsey Wilson 16-8 72 25
25 Lyon 18-6 71 24

Others receiving votes: William Woods 66, LSU-Shreveport 48, Rogers State 38, Avila 36, Columbia 15, San Diego Christian 10, Rocky Mountain 9, St. Gregory's 3, Central Methodist 1, Rio Grande 1, Montana State Northern 1, Robert Morris (Chicago) 1, Martin Methodist 1.

NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses — records through Sunday, Feb. 5)
Rank Team Record Points Last
1 Robert Morris (Chicago) (7) 22-1 308 2
2 Shorter (5) 23-1 305 1
3 Oklahoma Baptist 20-3 293 4
4 Southern Poly 18-4 271 3
5 Our Lady of the Lake 18-4 269 5
6 Rogers State 18-4 264 6
7 Martin Methodist 18-5 241 9
8 Georgetown (Ky.) 19-5 240 12
9 Westmont 17-4 237 22
10 Mountain State 19-6 220 11
11 Azusa Pacific 19-5 219 7
12 Lindsey Wilson 15-7 179 8
13-tie Montana State Northern 20-4 176 10
13-tie Texas Wesleyan 17-4 176 14
15 John Brown 19-5 175 23
16 Concordia (Calif.) 18-5 170 16
17 Lee (Tenn.) 16-5 159 17
18 LSU-Shreveport 16-6 143 RV
19 Tougaloo 17-5 126 21
20 MidAmerica Nazarene 17-7 112 24
21 Columbia (Mo.) 19-6 106 18
22 Pikeville 15-8 97 20
23 Southern Nazarene 17-7 96 15
24 Montana Western 18-7 75 19
25-tie Xavier 17-6 70 25
25-tie The Master's 16-7 70 13

Others receiving votes: Saint Xavier 46, Evangel 28, Union (Tenn.) 23, Cal State San Marcos 22, Point Loma Nazarene 15, Oklahoma Christian 8, Cumberlands 7, Westminster (Utah) 7, Science & Arts 1, St. Thomas (Texas) 1, Baker 1, Harris-Stowe 1, Freed-Hardeman 1, Cumberland 1, Voorhees 1, Campbellsville 1, St. Catharine 1, Biola