Gold Rush in NAIA top 25 for first time this season
For immediate release . . . February 13, 2007

NEW ORLEANS — The Xavier University of Louisiana men's basketball team has reached the NAIA Division I top 25 for the first time this season.

The Gold Rush, 17-7 with a 10-game winning streak, is No. 22 in the rankings released Wednesday. Xavier was 3-0 this past week with victories at home against Tougaloo and on the road against Mobile and Loyola. All three were double-digit victories.

It's the first time the Gold Rush made the top 25 since a No. 22 ranking on March 9, 2004.

The Robert Morris Eagles (23-0) of Chicago are No. 1. They've been on top in all 10 polls this season.

Xavier's next game will start at 5:30 p.m. Thursday on the road against Gulf Coast Athletic Conference opponent LSU-Shreveport. Xavier is 10-4 in the GCAC and leads the conference by a half-game over LSUS (10-5) and one game over Tougaloo (9-5).

In the women's rankings, the Xavier Gold Nuggets' streak of five consecutive weeks in the top 25 ended after losses at Mobile and Loyola. Xavier received 45 points to rank 27th overall. Loyola, which defeated Xavier 76-66 Saturday, replaced the Nuggets as the GCAC's lone team in the women's top 25. The Wolfpack is No. 23.

The men's top 25:

      LAST                           1ST PLACE 
RANK  WEEK  SCHOOL                     VOTES   RECORD  POINTS
 1      1   Robert Morris (Ill.)          7     23-0     326
 2      2   Oklahoma City                 4     26-0     323
 3      4   Mountain State (W.Va.)              22-4     302
 4      7   Georgetown (Ky.)                    22-3     291
 5      3   Concordia (Calif.)                  21-4     286
 6      8   Park (Mo.)                          21-4     276
 7      6   Lambuth (Tenn.)                     21-4     261
 8      5   Southern Nazarene (Okla.)           20-5     244
 9     14   San Diego Christian (Calif.)        18-4     238
10     10   Campbellsville (Ky.)                20-4     216
10     12   Houston Baptist (Texas)             17-4     216
12     13   Union (Tenn.)                       17-7     210
13      9   Azusa Pacific (Calif.)              20-5     206
14     11   Faulkner (Ala.)                     19-7     187
15     16   Carroll (Mont.)                     19-7     165
16     17   Auburn-Montgomery (Ala.)            19-4     149
17     24   Oklahoma Baptist                    15-8     125
18     19   Illinois-Springfield                16-8     124
19     21   Jarvis Christian (Texas)            20-4     108
20     22   Lewis-Clark State (Idaho)           19-6      95
21     23   Southern Polytechnic (Ga.)          20-5      77
22     NR   Xavier (La.)                        16-7      75
23     NR   Cumberlands (Ky.)                   16-8      73
24     20   Olivet Nazarene (Ill.)              16-9      66
25     25   California Baptist                  16-8      65
25     NR   Texas Wesleyan                      14-6      65
Others Receiving Votes: McKendree (Ill.), 60; Crichton (Tenn.), 54; 
Northwestern Oklahoma, 49; Southern-New Orleans (La.), 39; Point Loma Nazarene 
(Calif.), 26; Voorhees (S.C.), 20; Lubbock Christian (Texas), 16; Trevecca 
Nazarene (Tenn.), 15; LSU-Shreveport (La.), 11; Martin Methodist (Tenn.), 
11; St. Xavier (Ill.), 9; John Brown (Ark.), 7; Westminster (Utah), 6; 
Westmont (Calif.), 6; Emmanuel (Ga.), 4; Lee (Tenn.), 4; William Carey 
(Miss.), 4; Wiley (Texas), 3; Montana State-Northern, 2.