NEW ORLEANS — For the 41st consecutive time on the women's side and the 21st consecutive time on the men's, Xavier University of Louisiana basketball teams are in the NAIA Division I Coaches' Top 25 polls.
The Gold Nuggets are in 10th place for the second consecutive week, and the Gold Rush are 16th after dropping from 14th. The polls, the 10th of 13 this season, were announced Tuesday afternoon. Voting was based on games through Sunday.
Next for both XU teams is the Crosstown Classic against longtime rival Dillard at XU's new Convocation Center. The Nuggets and Lady Bleu Devils will play at 3 p.m. Saturday, followed by the Rush and Bleu Devils at 5 p.m. Reserved tickets are available to the public for $5 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. through Thursday at the Convocation Center box office. Tickets the day of the game will cost $10.
The Crosstown Classic is the regular-season finale for both schools. The Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament for women and men will begin Feb. 28 in Little Rock, Ark.
The XU women maintained their top-10 status after road victories against Fisk and SUNO. The Nuggets clinched no worse than a share of their third consecutive GCAC regular-season championship on Monday when they won 71-61 at Tougaloo. They'll win the championship outright with a victory against Dillard or a Talladega loss to Edward Waters.
The Gold Rush dropped for the second consecutive week after splitting a pair of two-point decisions, a 77-75 loss at Fisk and a 68-66 victory at SUNO. Xavier and Philander Smith — 23rd this week after two consecutive times out of the top 25 — share first place in the GCAC. Philander Smith will play host to Fisk on Saturday in its finale. A Xavier victory against Dillard would assure the Rush of a piece of the GCAC regular-season championship; the Rush would win the title outright if Fisk beats Philander Smith, too.
The Crosstown Classic also will be Rush/Nuggets Alumni Weekend, and all former XU athletes attending the doubleheader are asked to sign in as they enter the Convocation Center. The athletics department will usher all former XU athletes to the court for introduction to the fans during timeouts, and special recognition will be given to former men's basketball standouts and NBA players Bruce Seals and Donald "Slick" Watts, both of whom will attend the doubleheader.
| NAIA Division
I Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll (first-place votes in parentheses — records through Sunday, Feb. 17)
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| NAIA Division
I Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll (first-place votes in parentheses — records through Sunday, Feb. 17)
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By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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