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For the first time in the history of the program, the Central College men’s basketball team has cracked the D3hoops.com rankings. The Dutch make their debut at No. 25 after receiving votes in recent weeks.

The poll has Washington-St. Louis as the top-ranked Division III program in the country, while Regional rival St. Thomas (Minnesota) is ranked third. The Central men concluded a 21-4 season on Saturday with a win over Cornell, which matches the most regular season wins in school history.

The Dutch are the top-seed in the six-team Iowa Conference tournament and will face Dubuque on Thursday. The Spartans defeated Cornell 58-57 Tuesday night in the opening round of the Iowa Conference tournament.

If Central College wins the league tournament, they will receive an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III tournament. The tournament field and pairings will be announced Monday morning.

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