February 20, 2007

Chicago Climbs to #11 in NCAA Division III Rankings

CHICAGO -- The University of Chicago men's basketball team has been ranked 11th in this week's NCAA Division III poll conducted by D3hoops.com.

With a pair of wins in University Athletic Association play last weekend, Chicago (20-4 overall, 11-2 UAA) moved into sole possession of first place in the UAA and gained at least a share of the conference title heading into this Saturday's regular season finale.

The Maroons will travel to St. Louis to face 12th-ranked Washington (Mo.) University (19-4, 10-3) in a game that will determine the UAA's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament.

Chicago would claim the UAA championship outright with a victory, while a Washington win would give the Bears the league's automatic bid based on the head-to-head tiebreaker. Washington defeated the Maroons 70-59 at the Ratner Center on January 6.

Chicago is seeking its first UAA title and first NCAA postseason berth since the 2000-01 campaign when the Maroons reached the national quarterfinals.

The NCAA is scheduled to announce the complete Division III tournament bracket on Monday morning, February 26.

D3hoops.com Poll