Clayton State men advance to 16th in latest NABC Division II Top 25 Coach’s Poll
9-1 Lakers ready for Wednesday night showdown at in-state rival Columbus State

MORROW, Ga. – January 6, 2009 – Monday’s first defeat of the season to Georgia College kept the Clayton State Laker men’s basketball team a little down. But not for long.

The new NABC (National Association of Basketball Coaches) Division II Top 25 Coach’s Poll was released on Tuesday, and Clayton State made a significant push. After breaking in at 25th in the nation last week, the Lakers vaulted a whopping nine spots to 16th this week. The Lakers’ 65-55 Top 25 victory over rival Augusta State on Saturday helped for the huge jump.

Clayton State (9-1, 2-1 PBC) is one of three Peach Belt Conference teams ranked this week. USC Aiken, who was ranked second from the start of the season, dropped eight spots to 11th following two defeats at the Florida Southern Tournament last week. Augusta State dropped three spots from seventh to 10th.

Findlay, who was the preseason top-ranked team, continued to hold the No. 1 position in the poll.

Clayton State will put its ranking on the line on Wednesday with a 7:30 p.m. showdown at Peach Belt Conference in-state rival Columbus State.