XULA falls out of NAIA top 25 despite no losses since previous poll
NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana was among “others receiving votes” — 29th place among the 44 teams earning points — in the NAIA men’s basketball coaches poll announced Wednesday.
XULA fell six spots from the previous poll Dec. 16, when it was 23rd. Fifth-year head coach Alfred Williams said his team’s new ranking was disappointing.
“We were 1-and-0 since the December rankings,” Williams said. “I thought at the very least we’d stay somewhere between 20th and 25th. But we’re not worrying about this very long. If our team keeps working hard, good things will happen.”
XULA this week remained unbeaten since those December rankings, winning three neutral-site games in three days in Gulf Coast Athletic Conference group play at Talladega, Ala. XULA this season is 6-1 overall — winner of 29 of its last 33 games dating to Nov. 16, 2019 — and 3-0 in the GCAC.
Indiana Wesleyan received 10-of-20 first-place votes to remain No. 1 for the second consecutive poll. The other 10 first-place votes went to No. 2 LSU-Shreveport, which will become a regular opponent next season when XULA joins the Red River Athletic Conference.
The only GCAC team in the top 25 is Talladega, which slipped from 17th to 18th. Dillard received votes for the eighth consecutive time and is in 36th place, up five spots since December.
2020-21 NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses — records through Jan. 10)
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Last |
| 1 | Indiana Wesleyan (10) | 18-1 | 551 | 1 |
| 2 | LSU-Shreveport (10) | 10-0 | 548 | 4 |
| 3 | William Penn | 12-1 | 518 | 2 |
| 4 | Lewis-Clark State | 10-1 | 496 | 7 |
| 5 | Loyola (N.O.) | 7-0 | 478 | 9 |
| 6 | Arizona Christian | 13-2 | 464 | 5 |
| 7 | Shawnee State | 12-2 | 401 | NR |
| 8 | Marian (Ind.) | 8-1 | 393 | 10 |
| 9 | The Master’s | 6-0 | 381 | 12 |
| 10 | Faulkner | 9-1 | 375 | 16 |
| 11 | Dakota Wesleyan | 13-2 | 367 | 18 |
| 12 | Science & Arts | 6-0 | 361 | RV |
| 13 | Providence (Mont.) | 4-0 | 348 | 14 |
| 14 | Mid-America Christian | 4-1 | 337 | 3 |
| 15 | Morningside | 13-2 | 311 | 8 |
| 16 | Martin Methodist | 10-1 | 291 | 24 |
| 17 | Georgetown (Ky.) | 7-3 | 210 | 6 |
| 18 | Talladega | 10-2 | 207 | 17 |
| 19 | Bethel (Ind.) | 13-3 | 200 | RV |
| 20 | LSU-Alexandria | 9-2 | 193 | 19 |
| 21 | Texas A&M-Texarkana | 5-0 | 182 | 21 |
| 22 | John Brown | 0-0 | 179 | 13 |
| 23 | College of Idaho | 4-6 | 167 | 15 |
| 24 | Saint Francis (Ind.) | 15-2 | 148 | 20 |
| 25 | Bethel (Kan.) | 10-3 | 144 | 25 |
| Dropped from rankings: No. 11 Cumberlands, No. 22 SAGU, No. 23 XULA Others receiving votes: SAGU 118, Benedictine (Kan.) 95, Cumberlands 90, XULA 88, Point 56, Holy Cross (Ind.) 30, Oklahoma Wesleyan 27, Jamestown 25, Warner 23, Valley City State 14, Dillard 13, Freed-Hardeman 10, Indiana Tech 5, Grace 5, St. Ambrose 4, Westmont 4, Columbia International 4, Stillman 3, St. Francis (Ill.) 3 |
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