Three years ago, the Cal State San Marcos men's basketball team did not exist.Now, it can call itself the No. 1 team in the countryCal State San Marcos received four first-place votes and 244 total points in the fifth edition of the NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Top 25 Poll, tying for the top spot along with undefeated Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) the national office announced Tuesday.Freed-Hardeman (16-0) received five first-place votes in the poll and matched CSUSM with 244 total points. Both teams slid up due in part to former No. 1 SAGU (Texas), falling on Jan. 23 to Wayland Baptist (Texas).It is the first time that both programs have ever boasted a No. 1 ranking."Being the number one team in the country is truly an honor," said CSUSM head coach, now in his third season at the helm. "It basically recognizes what this team has accomplished thus far. There's not a lot of times in life that someone says you're number one and you can call yourself number one. That's an honor and a priviledge."However, we're not satisfied. It's still all about playing good basketball. We still have to keep focusing on the process."CSUSM was the first team in the country to reach 20 wins after an 86-73 victory over Simpson on Jan. 18. The Cougars are 20-1 overall and have not lost since Dec. 7, 2012 at Hope International. The team is currently riding an 11-game winning streak and holds the second-most wins in the country.The Cougars have proven their worth against opposing Top 25 squads, having taken down then-No. 17 Rocky Mountain on Nov. 9 (77-70) and Concordia (Calif.) twice. CSUSM beat then-No. 6 CUI at home on Nov. 26 (88-82) before taking down then-No. 5 CUI in Irvine on Jan. 10 (84-81).The Cougars have been included in the poll for 19 straight weeks dating back to last season's preseason edition. CSUSM debuted at No. 12 this season before moving up to No. 8 on Dec. 10 after a 9-1 start.CSUSM jumped up to No. 4 on Jan. 7 by winning eight in a row, and has moved up a spot in each of the last two weeks (No. 3, Jan. 14; No. 4, Jan. 21).Senior guardhas played a major role in the Cougars' success this season, leading the team with 18.4 points per game in 31.4 minutes, the 29-highest scoring average in the country. The University of San Francisco transfer ranks 12in the NAIA in total assists and 15in total scoring.Fellow backcourt matesandprovide the second and third punch for the Cougars. Lemmons, a senior transfer from Niagara, has registered four double-doubles this season while posting averages of 14.1 PPG and 5.7 RPG. Johnson is averaging 14.7 points and 3.2 assists per game after transferring in the offseason from Utah Valley University., a Vista native, ranks in the top-10 in the NAIA in total blocks (35) and blocks per game (1.8).As a team, CSUSM ranks in the NAIA top-10 in assist/turnover ratio (3, 1.36), turnover margin (5, 5.571), scoring margin (6, 18.14), assists (6, 349), total scoring offense (6, 1,860), total 3-pointers (7, 177) and steals (9, 212).The Cougars will travel to Riverside on Thursday night to take on La Sierra at 8:00 p.m. Their next home game is on Tuesday, February 11 at 7:30 p.m. vs. Bethesda.CSUSM's final home appearance this year is Mar. 1's exhibition against St. Katherine. Cougar seniors will be honored for their years of service to the program before the 7:30 p.m. tipoff