North Central (Ill.) scores first national No. 1 ranking in D3hoops.com poll

For the first time in its 111-year history, North Central (Ill.) is the No. 1 NCAA Division III program in the nation, taking the top spot in this week’s Top 25 Poll released by D3hoops.com.

D3HOOPS.COM POLL
Check out the full rankings.

The Cardinals were ranked third in the previous poll. North Central won twice at the D3hoops.com Classic in Las Vegas on Dec. 28-29, defeating No. 10 Ramapo 67-57 before posting a 80-72 victory against UW-La Crosse.

Having closed non-conference play with a perfect record of 11-0, the Cardinals are off to the second-best start in the program’s history and are currently in their third-longest winning streak.

North Central received 605 points and 12 of the 25 first-place votes in this week’s poll. Middlebury was a close second with 602 points and nine first-place votes, while St. Thomas (Minn.) was third with 591 points and four first-place votes. The top five is rounded out by Rochester (N.Y.) and Washington (Mo.).

North Central is one of four College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) teams to be ranked in the top 25, joining eighth-ranked Wheaton (Ill.), 19th-ranked Augustana and 25th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan.