The WashU Bears are 12-2 on the season and are now ranked No. 14 in the most recent Division III men’s basketball rankings.
Steven Millbrook
Staff Writer
The newest NCAA Division III men’s basketball rankings came out on Wednesday and one of the team’s that made the highest jump was the Washington University Bears, who moved from No. 19 to No. 14, following a pair of dynamite wins at the WashU Field House.
The Bears defeated then-No. 23-ranked Emory University last Friday, 85-81, then knocked off unranked Rochester, 80-79, in an overtime thriller to move its overall record to 12-2.
Those wins must’ve made quite an impression on the voting committee, which saw fit to move WashU up five spots in the national Top 25.
Hampden-Sydney remains the No. 1 team in the country, followed by Case Western Reserve, which WashU will play twice later this season, is No. 2, followed by John Carroll (No. 3), Calvin (No. 4), an unbeaten Trinity at No. 5.
WashU will be on the road for two games this weekend. First, the Bears will play No. 13 NYU on Friday, January 19, before taking on Brandeis on Sunday.
The Bears’ next home game will be on January 26 against Carnegie Mellon, which comes before WashU’s first showdown with Case Western Reserve on January 28.
NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Top 25
| # | School (No. 1 votes) | W-L | Pts. | Prev. |
| 1 | Hampden-Sydney (23) | 14-1 | 623 | 1 |
| 2 | Case Western Reserve | 13-1 | 550 | 5 |
| 3 | John Carroll | 14-1 | 549 | 8 |
| 4 | Calvin | 14-1 | 527 | 3 |
| 5 | Trinity (Conn.) (2) | 16-0 | 520 | 6 |
| 6 | Oswego State | 12-1 | 472 | 10 |
| 7 | Trine | 14-1 | 453 | 11 |
| 8 | Guilford | 14-2 | 440 | 2 |
| 9 | Keene State | 13-2 | 403 | 13 |
| 10 | Trinity (Texas) | 16-1 | 388 | 7 |
| 11 | Randolph-Macon | 12-3 | 385 | 17 |
| 12 | UW-Platteville | 13-2 | 373 | 16 |
| 13 | New York University | 11-3 | 295 | 4 |
| 14 | WashU | 12-2 | 289 | 19 |
| 15 | Mount Union | 13-2 | 288 | 12 |
| 16 | Cal Lutheran | 12-3 | 240 | 21 |
| 17 | Widener | 13-2 | 178 | 22 |
| 18 | UW-Whitewater | 12-3 | 156 | 9 |
| 19 | St. Thomas (Texas) | 15-2 | 128 | — |
| 20 | Catholic | 13-2 | 121 | 25 |
| 21 | Hood | 12-2 | 91 | — |
| 22 | Emory | 10-4 | 75 | 23 |
| 23 | Clark | 13-3 | 67 | — |
| 24 | Tufts | 13-4 | 58 | 14 |
| 25 | Christopher Newport | 14-4 | 52 | — |
Dropped out: No. 15 Elmhurst; No. 18 Dubuque; No. 20 Virginia Wesleyan; No. 24 Redlands.
Others receiving votes: Coe 48; Virginia Wesleyan 44; Nebraska Wesleyan 44; Elmhurst 42; Johns Hopkins 38; Carnegie Mellon 34; Redlands 25; Williams 25; Pomona-Pitzer 17; Dubuque 16; Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 15; WPI 12; St. John’s 10; Loras 10; Hope 8; DeSales 6; Illinois College 3; Rowan 2; St. Vincent 2; Connecticut College 1; Mary Washington 1; Stevens 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.
2023-24 WashU Bears Men’s Basketball Schedule
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 19, 2024 (Friday) | 6:30 p.m. | Away | #13 New York University | New York City, N.Y. / John A. Paulson Center |
| January 21, 2024 (Sunday) | 11 a.m. | Away | Brandeis | Waltham, Mass. / Gosman Center |
| January 26, 2024 (Friday) | 7:30 p.m. | Home | Carnegie Mellon | WashU Field House |
| January 28, 2024 (Sunday) | 12 p.m. | Home | #2 Case Western Reserve | WashU Field House |
| February 2, 2024 (Friday) | 6:30 p.m. | Away | Carnegie Mellon | Pittsburgh, Pa. / Wiegant Gymnasium |
| February 4, 2024 (Sunday) | 11 a.m. | Away | #2 Case Western Reserve | Cleveland, Ohio / Horsburgh Gymnasium |
| February 9, 2024 (Friday) | 6:30 p.m. | Away | Emory | Atlanta, Ga. / Woodruff P.E. Center |
| February 11, 2024 (Sunday) | 11 a.m. | Away | University of Rochester | Rochester, N.Y. / Louis Alexander Palestra |
| February 16, 2024 (Friday) | 7:30 p.m. | Home | #13 New York University | WashU Field House |
| February 18, 2024 (Sunday) | 12 p.m. | Home | Brandeis University | WashU Field House |
| February 24, 2024 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Home | University of Chicago | WashU Field House |