FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302

D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll

Feb. 25, 2013 - The North Central College men's basketball team enters the 2013 NCAA Division III Championship ranked No. 3 in this week's Top 25 Poll released by D3hoops.com.

The Cardinals were ranked fifth in last week's poll before they posted three straight wins. North Central defeated then-No. 3 Illinois Wesleyan University, 87-83, in overtime on Tuesday. The Cardinals followed by claiming their second straight College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Tournament championship over the weekend with victories over then-No. 20 Wheaton College (59-50) and Augustana College (70-63).

The Cardinals (24-3) received 565 points in this week's voting. The University of St. Thomas (Minn.) retained the No. 1 ranking this week with 623 points and 23 first-place votes, while Amherst College (Mass.) is second with 601 points and two first-place votes. Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Mass.) is fourth this week, while the defending national champion, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, is fifth.

North Central is one of three CCIW teams to be ranked in the top 25, joining 10th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan and 22nd-ranked Wheaton.

The Cardinals host Centre College (21-5) in the Division III Championship opener on Saturday. Tipoff at Gregory Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m. Links to live in-game statistics, audio and video can be accessed at northcentralcardinals.com/schedule.aspx?path=mbball.