Gold Rush in NAIA top 25 for the 14th consecutive time

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana fell three places to 16th Tuesday in the NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll. But despite the drop, the Gold Rush are in the top 25 for the 14th consecutive time — the program's longest streak since the start of the 1999-2000 season.

Xavier is in the top 25 for the 27th time in 28 polls.
    
This is the third poll of 2012-13 and the second of the regular season. The next poll will be announced Jan. 8.
    
The Gold Rush lost 77-67 at home to city rival Loyola in the only XU game of the past week. Xavier will play Martin Methodist at 5 p.m. Friday and Voorhees at 3 p.m. Saturday in the Spring Hill Classic at Mobile, Ala.
    
This is the third time in as many polls this season that the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference has a pair of top-25 teams. Joining GCAC member Xavier in the rankings is city rival SUNO, which fell four places to 25th.
    
Oklahoma Baptist received 8-of-11 first-place votes and is No. 1 for the second consecutive week.

NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll (first-place votes in parentheses — records through Sunday, Dec. 9) Rank Team Record Points Last 1 Oklahoma Baptist (8) 10-1 279 1 2 Cumberlands (3) 12-0 274 2 3 Lee (Tenn.) 11-0 263 3 4 Pikeville 11-1 250 tie-4 5 Westmont 7-1 242 NR 6 Columbia (Mo.) 9-0 235 6 7 Westminster (Utah) 9-1 228 7 8 Lindsey Wilson 12-1 219 8 9 Rogers State 10-2 215 tie-4 10 William Carey 9-1 183 15 11 Lewis-Clark State 12-0 181 10 12 Texas Wesleyan 8-1 180 11 13 MidAmerica Nazarene 10-2 174 12 14 Science & Arts 7-1 162 14 15 Cal State San Marcos 8-4 160 9 16 Xavier 9-2 140 13 17 Bethel (Tenn.) 12-1 132 24 18 Evangel 9-3 130 16 19 Concordia (Calif.) 6-3 119 NR 20 Campbellsville 8-3 92 tie-18 21 Faulkner 10-2 90 17 22-tie Oklahoma City 6-1 89 22 22-tie Montana State Northern 11-2 89 23 24 Texas College 9-1 83 RV 25 SUNO 4-1 79 21 Others receiving votes: John Brown 68, Biola 37, Southwestern Assemblies of God 29, Georgetown (Ky.) 25, Loyola 11, Montana Western 10, Mid-Continent 5, Culver-Stockton 5, Wiley 4.

By Ed Cassiere, SID
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA