D3 vs. D1/D2/NAIA/NCCAA

[Ralph Turner]

I get the impression that the Competition committee likes it.  There are just too many bugs in the system to bring it forward at this time.

All things considered, this tournament field is so much better than anything recently.  And yes I can quibble about the pairings, #1 Miss College not getting to host the Sectional and on the Women, McMurry having the #2 seed in the Region, but not getting the weakest team in the sub-brakcet, Trinity TX, but rather getting their Crosstown Rival Hardin-Simmons in the first round to guarantee an Abilene team in the tourney for the second night.  It's a ticket thing.

McMurry and Hardin-Simmons is kinda like Calvin/Hope or Bates/Bowdoin in the first round.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

McMurry and Hardin-Simmons is kinda like Calvin/Hope or Bates/Bowdoin in the first round.

Yeah, but only if they were both in Wyoming.

[sac]

I couldn't find the post but someone asked about C'stone and Aquinas.

Cornerstone was down from the past 5 years, easily the worst team they've had in years, but they still qualified for the national tournament.  I expect them to get bounced out today.

Cornerstone was severely hampered by the sudden forced departure of their all everything stud (Voorhees) who transfered from Central Michigan.  They would have had a great team this year pairing him up with their 6-9 center Yonker.

Aquinas is a building program and had one of their best years in memory, also advancing to the NAIA tournament, they were bounced out yesterday by Taylor.

These teams can compete with the better D3 teams.  They take great pleasure in knocking off their local rivals Hope and Calvin who get almost all of the small college publicity in Grand Rapids.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Syracuse just knocked off Connecticut in OT...amazing game all the way through.

[sac]

Was it more amazing than watching Louisville stink up the garden and almost come back to win last night?

Wait a minute are these NAIA I or II teams?

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

McNamarra hit a three at the buzzer again to send it to overtime, then hit like 400 free throws down the stretch.  He's going to be the next reggie miller: adequate guard until crunch time then a can't miss shooter.

[sac]

If your inclined you can follow the NAIA II tournament going on as we speak here

http://naia.collegesports.com/sports/m-baskbl-div2/spec-rel/030806aal.html

They even have a gametracker.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

OK, maybe my comments were directed the wrong way.  NAIA -II is a joke.  They only have 159 schools, but they have a 32 team tournament?  20% of the teams make the tournament?  And a lot of them just plain stink.  Fisher College made it for cyring out loud.  They'd be a bad D3 team and they're in New England!!

[sac]

There are some real stinkers who make the D3 tournament every year too.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

There are some real stinkers who make the D3 tournament every year too.

Still our stinkers could beat their stinkers any day of the week.

[Titan Q]

Fisher looks to be the #31 seed (out of 32) in the tournament.  They won their league in upset fashion over the #1 seed...

http://www.fisher.edu/Web/Athletics/mens_basketball_home.html

Marginal teams making the tournament happens at all levels.  I'm not sure I'd consider NCAA D3 Wisconsin Lutheran (lost by 42 to Hope) to be a favorite over Fisher College...and no, and I haven't seen either play.

Hoops, from reading your posts on CCIW Chat I understand that you don't think much of NAIA, but there are some real powers in both I and II.  My parents go to more small college basketball games than anyone I know, and my dad has said all year long that the best team he has seen is Huntington (In)...and he's seen Illinois Wesleyan, Hope, Robert Morris, Olivet Nazarene, St. Xavier, Augustana, North Central, Elmhurst, and other ranked teams among affiliations.

The Top 4-5 NAIA I teams are better than the best NCAA D3 teams.  As has been posted before, those teams are more like good NCAA D2 teams - the teams you see in the Elite 8 on CBS every year.  Lawrence or Wittenberg or whoever our best is would be an underdog vs Mountain States or the top NAIA I.  In NAIA II, the top 5 or so are very comparable to top D3 teams. 

1. Embry Riddle
2. Huntington
3. Walsh
4. Ozarks
5. Warner Pacific (won @ Puget Sound by 7)

That's the top 5 heading in the tourney.  These teams can play with the teams that end up in Salem in next.

After the top teams, there is a pretty big fall off in the rest of the NAIA II top 25, but there are some pretty solid teams.  #19 Aquinas beat MIAA regular season champ Calvin, as did unranked Cornerstone.  Hope beat Aquinas by 1 on a neutral court and then by 7 at home...and Hope beat Cornerstone by 20.

[smedindy]

I think our worst stinker, in theory, was York (NY) and Wisconsin Lutheran, but they earned their way in. Not unlike Monmouth yesterday. (The other Monmouth, in Jersey...)

[sac]

With 5 minutes gone it Huntington 12 Fisher 0

[monsoon]

My parents go to more small college basketball games than anyone I know, and my dad has said all year long that the best team he has seen is Huntington (In)...and he's seen Illinois Wesleyan, Hope, Robert Morris, Olivet Nazarene, St. Xavier, Augustana, North Central, Elmhurst, and other ranked teams among affiliations.

I met your parents at the Hope @ Trinity Christian game this year - very nice folks and quite knowledgeable about the game.  The fact that your dad had nice things to say about Hope's team didn't hurt, either. 

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I thought I cleared up the whole NAIA thing, oh well.  I still do think NAIA-II is crap despite the occasional good performance.