QuoteIs this a down year for the conference? Hasn't G-Burg's coach has been there since Lincoln was in office?

There are two teams in the top 25 and Bennett Rankings has the Centennial at 15 out of 44. That's probably enough to make the case that no, this is not a down year. I've found the quality of play to be very good this year especially as the season has gone on and the teams in the bottom half have found ways to be more competitive. One of the biggest turnarounds I've witnessed live is Haverford. I saw them sit in a zone and get hammered by Dickinson (101-59) at home early in the year and then last week they played a more aggressive man defense; it was a battle until the last few minutes when Dickinson made a game ending run to win by 10. That same Haverford team took Swathmore to OT just one week earlier. Muhlenberg seems to be responding well to their new coach and is still in the hunt for a play-off spot. Meanwhile, Hopkins has shown themselves to be a force on defense; Massey has them as the number two rated defense in all of D3. They are playing the best ball in the conference right now. I still think the top teams in the Centennial can compete with the top teams anywhere. Dickinson has early season wins over CNU and Mount St Josephs and they led York until the last minutes in a heart breaker of a loss. I was present at all those games including a good contest with St Thomas early and there is no doubt that Dickinson can play and win at that level...and they sit in fifth place right now. Can you make an equally strong case that the conference is down?

Well played game in Carlisle last night by both teams. Fortunately for this Red Devil fan, the Dickinson men found a way to get the win. The Mules are definitely showing improvement on the defensive end and in my opinion on toughness. Dickinson also played solid defense and executed well enough on offense to find some inside opportunities against a packed in defense. Guys from both teams made some big plays down the stretch including big shots, tough shots, crunch time free throws, great contesting defense and one huge offensive rebound by (I think) Moses Romacki. I particularly liked the officiating. The crew was barely noticeable allowing the players (who were playing physically) to dictate the style of play and the outcome.

Based on what I've seen, despite the difference in overall wins/losses there is no dominant team in the Centennial this year. Plenty of games have been decided based on end game execution and toughness...and the bounce of the ball. This is one thing that I've enjoyed watching Centennial ball for the past seven years. It should be lots of fun watching teams battle for what should be a memorable and well-earned conference championship.

I saw the Augsburg/ St Thomas game online and wouldn't characterize it as a dominating win. The fact that the Tommies only went 4-28 from three didn't help matters but Augsburg only hit 3-16. As I saw things, the difference was that St Thomas had trouble finishing at the rim (or getting to the line) especially after the stretch where Augsburg opened a double digit lead. I've seen St Thomas live early this year and think they are a better team than their record for whatever that's worth. I would agree with the comments that argue that there are many good teams out there and few if any dominating ones; teams that can play poorly and still win. Both of these teams seem to have what it takes to make a post season run but of course they have to get there first...and they have to play well to do that. It's actually a very interesting year.

https://www.masseyratings.com/rate.php?s=cb2018&sub=11620

Or go to: https://www.masseyratings.com/ then Men NCAA DI basketball ratings, then drop down tab to NCAA DIII, then find team, click on team and you can view the remaining schedule and predicted score and win percentage. They update DIII info on Mondays.

QuoteLyco went out.  York and Juniata both had tight, difficult wins against teams they should've beaten by more.

Holidays are tough in D3 world. Any win is a good win.

QuoteI saw the 1st 12 mins but left early to avoid pending snowstorm on trip home. One of the refs was a former work acquaitance of mine and we got to talk for a couple pregame. Swarthmore was ahead 30-23 when I left; teams appeared evenly matched and balanced within each team(offense,defense,subs,etc.). to be factors in the post-season.

Watched the game online. It was a good one. Swarthmore does have a good inside presence, but their bigs got into foul trouble which limited their advantage there. York is solid. They hit some long range threes from all over the place and they have guys that can drive the ball. Swarthmore had some trouble with the defensive pressure and York had trouble rebounding early but both teams can make up for those problems with strengths in other areas; they both looked like top 25 teams. I'll get to see York live when they visit Dickinson next week. That should also be a good one as both teams seem aggressive on defense and can score from all over the place. Can't wait.

I didn't get to see the Catholic game but the score looked surprisingly competitive in the first half. Did Maryland play their regular rotation?

The Dickinson/Swarthmore match-up should be a good one....again. Dickinson is not a small team. They have the option of playing a lineup of 6'7", 6'6", 6'5", 6'4" and 6'1" (four seniors and a junior) which we saw for several minutes last night. Dickinson can counter size with ball pressure like they did against St Thomas. That game got away from the Red Devils during one stretch in the second half when they went small and St Thomas played big for a few minutes. But they went really small with four guys under 6'2" on the court at the same time (if my memory serves me right). Regardless, in that game, Dickinson came all the way back to make it a possession game down the stretch. The Dickinson guys aren't heavy but that plays into their defensive pressure scheme. I haven't seen Swat play yet, but I do hear the game will be a battle inside. I'll be there Saturday to see first hand how the match-up plays out. Hopefully the Kline will be rocking!

Good win for Dickinson yesterday defeating CNU at their place where they haven't lost in a couple of years. It wasn't the prettiest game but neither was it pretty watching Michigan State disrupt UNC's offense last night. If it's true that defense wins championships...well, time will tell. 3-1 against this level of competition all on the road ain't too shabby a start to the season. Offensively, the Red Devils are getting contributions from every position and guys seem to be finding their roles. I'm excited but of course it's a long season and the conference is off to a good start as well. Should be a fun one.

Saw that. Haverford put up some impressive offense against NYU. Congrats to the Fords. Dickinson had a good weekend in Marietta Ohio, dropping a close one to St Thomas and getting a convincing win against Mt St Joseph in the second game. The two games were a contrast in challenges as the Tommies brought a lot of size while Mt St Joseph has a small line-up and has to rely on shooting and pressure defense. The Red Devils were able to manage both pretty well on the defensive end and against the smaller team seemed able to get whatever they wanted on the offensive end. St Thomas looked to be a very high level opponent as they took Marietta (who is likely top 5) to OT the next day. Against the Tommies, Dickinson played even in the first half, went down by 13 in the second, then rallied to take a one point lead late. It was anyone's game but the Red Devils fell short at the end. Not a bad start against a quality opponent. In the game against Mt St Joseph, the Red Devils got off to a good start and never looked back. The Mount rallied a couple of times but never seriously threatened. This Dickinson team seems to be playing well for this early in the season which you'd expect to be the case with the experience they bring back this year. The Centennial has gotten off to a good start and this should be a very interesting season. Looking forward to watching the Red Devils from the stands.

Givengo. I was watching online and Coach Seretti was walking straight towards the camera and there was no reason to do what that official did; a total overreaction. Not that it would have changed the outcome, but it made any last moment heroics impossible...essentially ended the game. The Red Devils need to improve their play. They have plenty of pieces; it looks to be more about focus and consistency. Nobody in this league is good enough to win without playing well. I'm anxious to see how they perform on Saturday against Swat. Motivation should not be a problem.

Ryan. Still a lot of ball to play. But yes, the Dips are looking like they are a top 5 team. Dickinson needs to put 40 minutes together. Hell, I'd settle for 38 lol. I don't know what to make of the defensive lack of focus at times but it looks like it's personnel related to me. This certainly can't continue if they want to win the league.

Steals is a very incomplete metric for defense. How about who is assigned to defend the opposition's best scorer night after night? Or how about defensive rebounding or blocks? Then there is the whole concept of ball pressure and off the ball positioning and activity; help defense. Depending on the overall defensive strategy, steals could be a meaningless metric.

Picka is in uniform warming up.

HoopGuru, not taking away from Ursinus who played very well and are a good team, but Dickinson did not execute on defense in that game. Offensively, the Red Devils scored enough points Thursday to have beaten Susquehanna, CNU and Swarthmore in their previous losses against those ranked teams. They were not connected on defense as you noted by the ease of which the Ursinus players had free runs to the rim in the half court. Not sure where the breakdowns were but the rotations just weren't there. You aren't going to win too many games giving up layups...unless of course you're trading twos for threes running the Grinnell system, which they aren't doing. Through the first part of the season, Dickinson had a top 20 defense. That is no longer the case and it's not due to who they're playing. As a Red Devil fan I'm ready to see the early season defense again.