Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – The College of the Redwoods men’s basketball team is up to No. 14 in the latest state rankings this week,

By Ray Hamill — With a huge game at home to Butte looming this weekend, the College of the Redwoods men’s basketball team continues to rise in the state rankings.

And the CR men do so despite being idle for almost four straight weeks.

This week the Corsairs are up to No. 14 in the most recent community college coaches poll, rising four spots from the previous poll.

The CR men, who came into the season as the lowest ranked of 98 teams in California in one poll, have impressed through the opening half of the campaign and are 13-3 with eight straight wins heading into Saturday’s conference opener.

Butte, which is No. 19, and CR are the only two teams from the Golden Valley Conference ranked in the top-30 poll and will tip off conference play as the two favorites.

Butte is 10-6.

Saturday’s game will be the first for CR since mid-December, and is set for noon, with the CR and Butte women also playing at 2 p.m.