(October 23, 2008)--The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor men’s basketball team is picked 10th in the nation in the D3hoops.com Top 25 Preseason Poll. The Cru totaled 299 points in the poll to achieve the highest national preseason ranking for the program since moving to NCAA Division III for the 1998-1999 season. The Cru is the only American Southwest Conference team to receive a vote in the preseason poll. Defending national champion Washington University received 23 of the 25 first-place votes and 621 total points for the #1 spot in the poll. Wisconsin-Whitewater, a team that will play in UMHB’s Cru Holiday Classic in December, picked up one first-place vote and 488 total points and is picked fourth in the country.

UMHB went 26-4 overall and posted a 19-2 mark in ASC play last season. The Cru won its first ASC Championship and advanced to the NCAA Division III National Championships for the second straight year. UMHB opened the tournament with a 65-62 victory over Fontbonne University before falling to Millsaps College 57-56 in the second round. The Cru will tip-off the 2008-09 season with an exhibition game at Division I U.T.-San Antonio November 6th at 7:00 PM UMHB will then open the regular season at Southwestern University with a 7:00 PM tip-off on Tuesday, November 18th.

The D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll is voted on a panel of 25 coaches, Sports Information Directors and media members from across the country. The UMHB men were receiving votes in the final D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll of the season last year. The Cru was ranked as high as fourth in the country by D3hoops.com last season.