Blue Jays Climb To No. 7 In Latest Top 25 National Rankings
WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's basketball program moved up to seventh in the D3Hoops.com Men's Basketball Week 8 Poll, announced Monday by site officials.
The Blue Jays remain the only unbeaten team in Division III boasting a 16-0 mark on the season. USJ went 2-0 on the week with two road Great Northeast Athletic Conference victories and are now 11-0 in GNAC play overall.
Some serious shuffling among the top five spots as Washington U and Illinois-Wesleyan, which were No. 3 and No. 2 respectively, drop to the bottom half of the top 10 in the latest rankings. USJ moved up two spots as a result, sitting one spot behind Yeshiva, who the Blue Jays are scheduled to play on February 17 at Yeshiva at 8:00 p.m. (the teams are first and second in the NCAA in scoring margin this season). The top-10 list can be found below:
|
# |
School (No. 1 votes) |
W-L |
Pts. |
Prev. |
|
1 |
Randolph-Macon (25) |
17-1 |
625 |
1 |
|
2 |
18-1 |
592 |
5 |
|
|
3 |
16-2 |
567 |
6 |
|
|
4 |
18-2 |
502 |
8 |
|
|
5 |
15-3 |
492 |
4 |
|
|
6 |
16-1 |
479 |
7 |
|
|
7 |
16-0 |
478 |
9 |
|
|
8 |
16-3 |
420 |
10 |
|
|
9 |
14-3 |
394 |
3 |
|
|
10 |
15-4 |
393 |
2 |
Complete D3Hoops.com Top 25 Poll
USJ has won 18 straight games dating back to the end of the 2020-21 season, the longest active streak in D-III Men's Basketball. The Blue Jays also hold a 25-game conference winning streak, the second-longest active streak in the nation (Yeshiva 31). Saint Joseph is the only unbeaten team in D-III men's basketball, and one of three teams across all three divisions to still be undefeated (Nova Southeastern & Lubbock Christian in D-II).
USJ has had some notable success individually in both the conference and the nation's leaders. Senior forward Jordan Powell is tied for second in all of D-III in field goal percentage (73.8%), while senior guard Jaecee Martin (Hartford, Conn.) is in the top-25 in the nation in assists per game (5.8). Martin shattered the school record and tied an NCAA high this season with 18 assists in one game. His 18 assists are the third-most in a game this season across all three NCAA divisions, including D-I.
From the team side, the Blue Jays are among the nation's leaders in numerous categories, including scoring margin (27.4, 1st), field goal percentage defense (33.3%, 1st), blocks per game (6.2, 2nd), three-point field goal defense (26.1%, 3rd), opponent points per game (58.6, 4th), and rebound margin (11.9, 4th).
The D3hoops.com Top-25 is voted on by a panel of 25 coaches, sports information directors, and media members from across the country and is published weekly. Points are awarded on a 25-24-23-22-etc. basis.
UP NEXT
The Blue Jays finally return back home after completing a five-game GNAC road swing and play the Bulldogs of Dean College on Tuesday night. Tipoff for the GNAC tilt between the Blue Jays and Bulldogs is scheduled for approximately 7:00 p.m. inside the O'Connell Center following the conclusion of the USJ and Dean women's game, which is slated to begin at 5:00 p.m. Please review USJ's most recent spectator policy here and as always fans can tune into all of the action live by visiting www.usjbluejays.com.
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