Columbia, Mo. – This afternoon the NAIA national office announced its fifth regular season 2016-17 Division I Men's Basketball Top 25 Poll. The Cougars, who ranked fifth in the last poll, moved up two spots to number three after going 3-0 in their last three games including a 70-68 win at Missouri Baptist over the weekend.

Columbia College currently sits at the top of the American Midwest Conference and is poised to make a postseason run with only four games left in the regular season. The Cougars, who rank third in the NAIA in 3-point field goal percentage (0.418) and sixth in scoring defense per game (65.731), are 24-2 on the season and hold a three game lead over Park (Mo.) University who is 14-4 in conference play. Columbia College will face the Pirates on Thursday, February 23^rd at 7:30 p.m. in Parkville, Missouri.

In addition to ranking in the top 10 nationally in scoring defense and 3-point field goal percentage, the Cougars also rank seventh in scoring margin (16.692), ninth in total blocks (101), and 10^th in assist/turnover ratio (1.262). Columbia College has had many contributors all season long but none have been bigger than Nic Reynolds and Malik Ray. Reynolds, a junior out of Peoria, Illinois, has been the go to scorer for the Cougars as he is averaging 13.62 points per game and ranks in the top 30 nationally in total 3-point field goals made (61) and 3-point field goal percentage (0.449). Ray, a senior out of St. Louis, Missouri, has been a force on the defensive end as he ranks sixth in the NAIA in total blocks (52) and ninth in blocks per game (2.000).

Columbia College is back in action on Thursday, February 16^th when they host Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) University. The Cougars defeated the Lions in their last matchup by a final score of 93-78 in a game that Nic Reynolds finished with a team high 21 points. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. at the Southwell Athletic Complex.