U. of Chicago Menís Basketball Ranked #1

For the first time in school history, the University of Chicago is the top-ranked men's basketball team in the nation. Chicago received 16 of 25 first-place votes en route to garnering the number-one spot in the d3hoops.com final regular season poll.

Chicago finished the regular season with a record of 22-3 and earned an automatic berth in the upcoming NCAA Division III tournament by winning the University Athletic Association title with a 14-1 mark. The UAA championship was Chicago's fourth in the past five seasons.

Chicago has been ranked among the top eight all season, including a number-three standing the past several weeks. The Maroons have played four games against other top-10 ranked teams, defeating #6 Calvin College (73-71 on Dec. 29), falling to #2 Wooster College (89-57, Dec. 30), and splitting a pair of games with UAA runner-up and #8 Washington (Mo.) University (79-73 loss, Jan. 12; 84-70 win, Feb. 24).

Competing in the NCAA Division III Championship for the fourth time in the past five seasons, Chicago earned a first-round bye in this year's tournament. On Saturday, Mar. 3 at 7:00 p.m., the Maroons will host the winner of a Thursday, Mar. 1 game between Benedictine University and the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

Saturday's game will be held at Chicago's Henry Crown Field House, where the Maroons have won 46 of their last 47 contests and 63 of their last 65 dating back to Feb. 1, 1996. Tickets for Saturday's game at the 1,500-seat Henry Crown Field House will be on sale at the field house offices beginning Friday, Mar. 2 at 9:00 a.m. Chicago's 84-70 win over archrival Washington in the season finale this past Saturday (Feb. 24) drew 1,435 fans.

Benedictine won the Northern Illinois and Iowa Conference regular season championship with an 11-1 mark in league play. Chicago eliminated Benedictine from the NCAA tournament in 1997.

Last season's NCAA Division III runner-up, Wisconsin-Eau Claire won the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament with a 76-63 win over Wisconsin-Oshkosh in the title game. The Blugolds enter the tournament as the nation's 22nd-ranked team.