Rush receive votes, will play host to No. 17 Tougaloo

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana men's basketball reclaimed some support in the NAIA Division I coaches poll Wednesday, landing among the "others receiving votes" with 12 points — 30th place overall.
     
The Gold Rush (8-6) were 23rd in the preseason rankings Oct. 23 and received zero points in the previous poll Dec. 4. But three victories in four games since then — including a 68-66 victory Saturday against then-No. 5 Campbellsville in the Cumberlands Classic at Williamsburg, Ky. — helped put XULA back on the national radar.
     
The Gulf Coast Athletic Conference's lone ranked team is Tougaloo, which is 17th and will visit XULA at 7:30 p.m. Monday in the Convocation Center. It will be the Gold Rush's GCAC opener. Tougaloo (11-2) will open its GCAC schedule at 5 p.m. Saturday at SUNO.
     
Campbellsville dropped to seventh. LSU-Alexandria, 2-0 this season against XULA, is No. 1 for the second consecutive poll.

NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses — records through Dec. 31)

RANK	PREVIOUS	SCHOOL	RECORD	POINTS
1	1	LSU-Alexandria (La.) (4)	13-2	208
2	4	William Penn (Iowa) (2)	13-1	205
3	3	Carroll (Mont.) (2)	14-1	204
4	6	Langston (Okla.)	12-0	203
5	8	Missouri Baptist (1)	15-0	194
6	2	The Master's (Calif.)	12-2	192
7	5	Campbellsville (Ky.)	14-1	174
8	11	Stillman (Ala.)	12-0	171
9	9	Georgetown (Ky.)	13-1	163
10	10	Lewis-Clark State (Idaho)	13-1	156
11	12	Arizona Christian	13-1	155
12	15	Benedictine (Kan.)	11-2	130
12	14	Oklahoma City	8-2	130
12	13	Wiley (Texas)	10-2	130
15	NR	Vanguard (Calif.)	14-0	124
16	16	Pikeville (Ky.)	13-2	113
17	RV	Tougaloo (Miss.)	11-2	104
18	18	Central Baptist (Ark.)	11-1	103
19	21	Cumberlands (Ky.)	13-2	95
20	17	Peru State (Neb.)	10-3	90
21	23	John Brown (Ark.)	10-3	79
22	RV	William Carey (Miss.)	8-4	69
23	RV	Providence (Mont.)	10-3	64
24	19	Wayland Baptist (Texas)	8-4	50
25	NR	William Jessup (Calif.)	11-3	47

Dropped from the Top 25: No. 7 Faulkner (Ala.), No. 20 Westmont (Calif.), No. 22 LSU-Shreveport (La.), No. 23-tie Dillard (La.), No. 25 Graceland (Iowa).

Others Receiving Votes: LSU-Shreveport (La.) 40, Faulkner (Ala.) 37, Central Methodist (Mo.) 27, Hope International (Calif.) 22, Xavier (La.) 12, Rocky Mountain (Mont.) 6, Talladega (Ala.) 5, Science & Arts (Okla.) 3.

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletics Director for Communications
Department of Athletics & Recreation
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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