BELTON — After putting together a three-game win streak, including a monumental 78-77 win over ninth-ranked Illinois Wesleyan at the Cru Classic, UMHB men’s basketball climbed into the D3hoops.com Top 25 for the first time on Monday.
The Crusaders are ranked No. 20 nationally, having earned 79 points from the voters. Just five points separated UMHB (No. 20) from Redlands (No. 23) in the Week 5 poll, with The Cru finding itself as Texas’ lone Top 25 team. St. Thomas (TX) and Trinity (TX) both received votes.
UW-Platteville moved from No. 5 to No. 1, picking up 15 of the 25 first-place votes. Emory, Trine, NYU, and WashU rounded out the top five.
The last time UMHB was ranked in a regular season edition of the D3hoops.com Top 25 was in the Week 13 poll in 2022-23, when The Cru entered the NCAA Tournament at No. 17. The Cru opened the 2023-24 season ranked No. 15, but dropped out of the ranking by the time the first in-season poll was released.
The national ranking continues the momentum generated by Clif Carroll’s squad through the first half of the season, as The Cru went 11-3 against a schedule that included a pair of Top 10 programs (Current rankings – No. 3 Trine, No. 7 Illinois Wesleyan). UMHB reached that 11-3 mark despite playing just five home games and traveling thousands of miles in non-conference play, with games in Indiana, Washington, and Kentucky. The Cru has faced five teams in Massey Ratings’ Top 100, going 3-2.
Led by Eli Beard’s 22.5 points per game, The Cru is averaging 78.4 PPG and shooting 46.2 percent from the field. UMHB’s 3-point percentage (38.4%) ranks 27th in D-III, and The Cru’s 3-point defense has been just as good, ranking 20th nationally (27.3%). The Crusaders also rank 29th in steals per game (10.5) and 56th in turnover margin (3.2).
UMHB’s first game of 2025 doesn’t come until Jan. 16, when The Cru makes the drive north to UT-Dallas. UTD is reclassifying to Division II, making the Comets ineligible for both ASC and NCAA championships. They are currently 8-6 overall, but 4-1 against Division III competition.
