Once the NCAA region X rankings were revealed, the University of St. Thomas-Houston was atop all other schools in first place. In their first year in NCAA Division III, the Celts have made history by defeating all conference foes and national powerhouses.

Heading into the final weekend of SCAC play against Colorado College, the Celts are currently 15-0 as the number one seed heading into the conference tournament. If St. Thomas wins, they would be the second team in SCAC history to win every one of their conference games. They would also finish with the best record in program history, with 23 wins and only two losses.

Led by Head Coach Anthony Medina ‘12, a few wins stand out above the rest, the first being against East Texas Baptist. The Celts and Tigers got into a close one at the JAAC with St. Thomas winning by two, 83-81. Following that, St. Thomas hit the road to Claremont Mudd Scripps and were able to top the Stags 84-79. Then SCAC play began, and St. Thomas never looked back winning every game thus far, and even taking down national powerhouse Trinity University twice this season.

With all the success on the court, St. Thomas has been ranked in the D3Hoops.com national poll ten out of 11 weeks in the season. So, when the Region 10 rankings were released, St. Thomas was ranked at number one, ahead of Mary Hardin Baylor and Pomona Pitzer. This is the first season the Celts can be ranked, as St. Thomas officially joined NCAA Division III starting the 2022-2023 season.

Newcomers Lead the Way

This season, the Celts have experienced nothing but highs from new additions to the team. Freshman Nick Anderson (Clear Creek, Texas) has been an impactful player for St. Thomas getting it done on both ends of the court. Anderson has averaged 9.6 points per game and stolen 20 balls from opposing players. Joining him is first year player Calvin Williams IV (Klein Forest, Texas), posting 15.2 points per game and making nearly half of his shots. His year was highlighted by eight games scoring at least 20 points. These two are key players for the Celts as they look to make it into the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history.

Men’s basketball wraps up their regular season on the road at Colorado College. They will begin postseason play next week at Trinity with a trip to the NCAA National Tournament on the line. Follow UST athletics for all scores and updates.