Press Release via Tarleton Athletics 

STEPHENVILLE – For the first time since 2004, Tarleton men’s basketball is the No. 1-ranked team in the nation after the release of the first National Association of Basketball Coaches’ poll.

“Obviously, we’re very honored to be in this position,” said head coach Lonn Reisman. “We understand that the season is still very young and we have a lot of work ahead of us to be the team we expect ourselves to be, but anytime the National Association of Basketball Coaches recognizes you as the No. 1 team in the nation it’s a tremendous honor.”

The Texans (4-0) were ranked No. 2 in the NABC preseason poll and moved past Augustana (SD), who dropped to sixth after losing its season opener. The Sporting News, Basketball Times, and HERO Sports had Tarleton as its preseason No. 1. The NABC poll, which is the official rankings used by the NCAA, had the Texans ranked No. 2 in the preseason poll.

The last time Tarleton was ranked number one during the regular season was February 17, 2004 when the Texans spent five straight weeks as the nation’s top team. The Texans also spent three straight weeks in the top spot in 2003 from January 14 through February 4.

This is the ninth time Tarleton has been ranked No. 1 in the nation during the regular season. The 2005-06 squad was the NABC preseason No. 1.

With wins over Colorado-Colorado Springs, Adams State, Delta State and Bacone, the Texans have now started 4-0 in eight of the last 10 seasons, including three straight seasons. Tarleton’s 116-49 rout over Bacone on Saturday was the most points scored since the 2013-14 season-opening win over Southwestern Adventist when they scored 118 points.

Tarleton is averaging 88.8 points per game while holding opponents to 65.8 points. The 23-point scoring margin is 11^th-best in the nation.

The Texans will host the Thanksgiving Classic on Nov. 27-28 with games against Colorado State-Pueblo on Friday at 7 p.m. and Ouachita Baptist on Saturday at 7 p.m.