Men's Basketball Ranked No. 2 in Latest D3hoops.com Top 25
WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - For the second consecutive week, the University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's basketball team received one first-place vote and moved up in the national rankings, checking in at No. 2, following the release of the second in-season D3hoops.com Top 25, it was announced by the organization on Monday night. Previously ranked No. 3 last week in the first in-season D3hoops.com poll, USJ moved up one spot to earn the highest national ranking in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) basketball history, as the Blue Jays are off to a 6-0 start to the 2022-23 campaign.
After being nationally-ranked No. 13 in the preseason poll, head coach Glen Miller and the Blue Jays secured four quality non-conference wins, defeating either nationally-ranked opponents or opponents receiving votes (RV) in the D3hoops Top 25, during the opening three weeks of play. The results catapulted the Blue Jays up to No. 3 in the nation when D3hoops unveiled its first in-season Top 25 last Monday.
This past week, the Blue Jays picked up another one of those quality non-conference victories, defeating (RV) Tufts University, 77-57, on the road Tuesday, November 29. Saint Joseph then capped the week with another convincing road triumph, taking down Anna Maria College, 90-63, in its GNAC opener Saturday afternoon, en route to earning one first-place vote, 588 poll points, and the No. 2 slot in the Top 25.
USJ has relied on its balanced offense and relentless defense over its undefeated start to the season. The Blue Jays currently have three players averaging in double figures, led by graduate student guard Ryan O'Neill (Litchfield, Conn.) at 10.8 ppg, with their top-eight scorers all north of 6.0 ppg. Defensively, the Blue Jays are currently one of the best teams in the nation, allowing just 57.3 ppg, holding opponents to 37.2 percent shooting from the field, and forcing 20.33 turnovers per game. Those marks rank seventh, 16th, and T-17th in the nation, respectively.
The leap up to No. 2 in the land marks many firsts for USJ and GNAC basketball since D3hoops started releasing top-25 polls in 1999-00. It marks the highest national ranking in USJ school history across all sports. It also marks the highest national ranking in GNAC basketball history, men's or women's, eclipsing Emmanuel women's hoops who last held the highest national ranking at No. 3 on December 10, 2001.
Men's basketball looks to continue its impressive start to the season when it returns to the hardwood on Wednesday, December 7 for another GNAC road contest, playing at Elms College. Tipoff between the Blue Jays and Blazers is slated for 7:00 p.m., inside the Maguire Center in Chicopee, Mass. The Blue Jays then return to West Hartford on Saturday, December 10 for a conference clash with Rivier University beginning at approximately 3:00 p.m. Tickets for Saturday's contest between the Blue Jays and Raiders can be purchased by visiting www.usjbluejays.com/tickets.
For the complete D3hoops.com poll results, please see below.
D3hoops.com Men's Top 25, 2022-23 Week 2
Through games of Dec. 4, 2022:
| # | School (No. 1 votes) | W-L | Pts. | Prev. |
| 1 | Christopher Newport (20) | 8-0 | 617 | 1 |
| 2 | St. Joseph (Conn.) (1) | 6-0 | 588 | 3 |
| 3 | UW-La Crosse (4) | 8-0 | 582 | 4 |
| 4 | Williams | 8-0 | 538 | 5 |
| 5 | Randolph-Macon | 6-1 | 460 | 8 |
| 6 | Mount Union | 5-1 | 441 | 2 |
| 7 | Rochester | 7-1 | 437 | 10 |
| 8 | Keene State | 8-0 | 435 | 14 |
| 9 | John Carroll | 6-0 | 393 | 16 |
| 10 | UW-Oshkosh | 7-2 | 345 | 15 |
| 11 | Wheaton (Ill.) | 7-1 | 322 | 21 |
| 12 | Middlebury | 5-1 | 308 | 13 |
| 13 | WPI | 5-1 | 283 | 6 |
| 14 | Case Western Reserve | 6-0 | 277 | 18 |
| 15 | Calvin | 7-1 | 257 | 17 |
| 16 | Johns Hopkins | 6-2 | 247 | 7 |
| 17 | Claremont-Mudd-Scripps | 7-1 | 203 | 22 |
| 18 | RPI | 7-1 | 134 | 19 |
| 19 | Heidelberg | 6-1 | 129 | -- |
| 20 | Stockton | 6-1 | 121 | 20 |
| 21 | Emory | 6-1 | 114 | -- |
| 22 | Mary Washington | 6-1 | 97 | 24 |
| 23 | St. Thomas (Texas) | 8-1 | 95 | -- |
| 24 | Mary Hardin-Baylor | 2-2 | 86 | 9 |
| 25 | Oswego State | 5-2 | 82 | 12 |
Dropped out: No. 11 Elmhurst; No. 23 Washington U.; No. 25 Wabash.
Others receiving votes: Swarthmore 68; Nazareth 64; Marietta 59; Tufts 36; Guilford 35; Elmhurst 35; Berry 27; Trine 26; Montclair State 23; Catholic 21; NYU 21; Trinity (Conn.) 18; Kean 15; Colby 14; Muhlenberg 14; Washington U. 13; Redlands 7; Wabash 7; Roanoke 6; Illinois Wesleyan 6; North Park 4; St. John's 4; Concordia-Chicago 4; Whitman 3; Clark 2; Pomona-Pitzer 1; Western Connecticut 1.
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.
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