NAIA men's basketball coaches poll of Nov. 8, 2023

        NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana men's basketball climbed to 22nd Wednesday in the first NAIA coaches poll of the regular season.
        The Gold Rush — 2-0 after double-digit victories at Dillard and at home against the College of Biblical Studies — moved up after landing in the "others receiving votes" bin of the preseason poll Oct. 25. It's the third time in five seasons that the XULA men climbed into the top 25 in the first regular-season ranking.
        This ranking is XULA's highest since Jan. 12, 2022, when it was 19th. This is the 14th consecutive season that the Gold Rush spent at least one week in the top 25.
        Defending national champion College of Idaho — a second-round home winner against XULA in last season's tournament — is No. 1 for the sixth consecutive poll and unanimously for the fourth straight time. LSU-Shreveport, which lost to XULA in the Red River Athletic Conference Tournament championship game last season, dropped one place to ninth.
        XULA is one of two HBCUs in this top 25. Langston is No. 4.
        Dates of future rankings: Nov. 29, Dec. 13, Jan. 17, Jan. 31, Feb. 14 and Feb. 28.
        Upcoming Gold Rush games:
        •  Wednesday, Nov. 8 — 7 p.m. exhibition at Alcorn State.
        •  Monday, Nov. 13 — 7:30 p.m. at home against city rival Loyola in the Convocation Center . . . It'll be a doubleheader; XULA's women will play Loyola at 5:30 p.m.
        •  Wednesday, Nov. 15 — 7 p.m. exhibition at Southern Miss.