Bumblin' B's

[Pat Coleman]

Bethany's league gets an AQ next year too. But the Landmark Conference does not and neither does the NAThCon.

[sac]

Could we get a refresher on who's in those conferences again?



Also, is the conference with all the Minnesota provisional schools eligible for the post-season this year?

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Things actually look somewhat official that there will be a new conference in New England beginning play in 2008-2009.  Not a lot of specifics yet, but undoubtedly it will eventually be another AQ from a mostly non-competitive conference.

But if it comes to fruition it will be some more B teams to take over after the NathCon moves on.

[Pat Coleman]

Could we get a refresher on who's in those conferences again?



Also, is the conference with all the Minnesota provisional schools eligible for the post-season this year?

UMAC won't have an automatic bid either, though we haven't had much reason to worry about them and Pool B yet.

This is the NAthCon, with Milwaukee School of Engineering joining next season.
http://www.d3hoops.com/conference_info.php?conf=NATHC&team=m

The Landmark is Catholic, Drew, Goucher, Juniata, Merchant Marine, Moravian, Scranton, Susquehanna.

[John Gleich]

Could we get a refresher on who's in those conferences again?



Also, is the conference with all the Minnesota provisional schools eligible for the post-season this year?

UMAC won't have an automatic bid either, though we haven't had much reason to worry about them and Pool B yet.

This is the NAthCon, with Milwaukee School of Engineering joining next season.
http://www.d3hoops.com/conference_info.php?conf=NATHC&team=m

The Landmark is Catholic, Drew, Goucher, Juniata, Merchant Marine, Moravian, Scranton, Susquehanna.

So, the available Pool B's are these, plus a handfull of possible inde's (Neb Wesleyan, etc) ?

If so, then it really shouldn't be THAT difficult to figure out how many bids there will be for B's...  Unless the NCAA is trying to break the record for the number of seasons of consecutive administrative mediocrity that is...

[Ralph Turner]

The President AC sends 7 teams to the numerator of Pool A as 8 come out for the Landmark Conference.

Tri-State, Keystone and UT-Tyler are the Provisionals joining this year, and they go into established conferences (MIAA, NEAC, ASC).  This will impact the numerator of Pool A from which the access ratio is calculated.

Colorado College leaves Pool B to join the SCAC.

Fisk is rumored to be reclassifying to D2.  Lincoln is re-classifying to D2.

I believe that St Joe's Maine will become a full member in the North Atlantic Conference GNAC in 2007-08.

Clarke IA leaves for the NAIA.

There is some question about the number of bids because the access ratio gave a bid number that was just below 4.  When the proper number of Pool B schools was determined, it changed the number of Pool B bids.


See my post last fall.

I count Finlandia in the Great Lakes, the NAthCon 12 (including MSOE) in the Midwest for the last year, none in the Atlantic, none in the Mid-Atlantic besides the Landmark 8, none in the East, Newbury and (coming from D2) Green Mountain VT in the Northeast, the GSAC 4 plus UDallas and Rust in the South, and 6 in the West (the UMAC 3, Neb Wes, Chapman and UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs).

I count 35 Pool B teams for 2007-08.  I think that that is 3 bids.

When the NAthCon 12 leave, that drops it to 23 teams (not counting new provisionals) for 2 bids in 2008-09.  When the Landmark 8 leave in the 2009-10 that leaves 15 or one bid.

Pool B is going away!

I understand that these are the schools in line as provisionals and re-classifications and the year they become a full member:

2007-08:  Keystone (NEAC), UT-Tyler (ASC), Tri-State (MIAA), Green Mountain VT
2008-09:  Crown MN (UMAC), UM-Presque Isle, Mt Aloysius (AMCC), Mount Mary (female), PSU-Berks (NEAC), UM-Morris (UMAC).
2009-10:  Bethany Lutheran (UMAC), La Sierra CA, Mitchell CT, North Central University (UMAC Indep) , Northwestern MN (UMAC), Presentation (UMAC), SUNY-Purchase (NEAC going to the Skyline?), Salem College NC (female).
2010-11:  Lancaster Bible PA, Lincoln Christian College & Seminary (SLAIC), Lyndon State VT, Saint Vincent (Pres AC).  SUNY Morrisville.

I think that we get another bid for the men's tourney in 2009 and another in 2011.

I hope that the NCAA will place a higher priority on the handbooks and their content this year.

[Pat Coleman]

Minor point of clarification -- North Central (Minn.) is not in the UMAC. That school is independent.

[Ralph Turner]

Minor point of clarification -- North Central (Minn.) is not in the UMAC. That school is independent.

Thanks!  Corrected! 

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

A couple of clarifications from the NE, Ralph.  St. Joe's is going to the GNAC not the NAC, but regardless they are getting out of Pool B.

Also, there is increasing likelihood that a new conference will be forming in New England that will begin two years of Pool B play in 2008-2009.  We don't know the final list of teams that will join, but it looks like only two of them will be independents, so that will add a few more Pool B teams for 08-09 and 09-10.

[Ralph Turner]

A couple of clarifications from the NE, Ralph.  St. Joe's is going to the GNAC not the NAC, but regardless they are getting out of Pool B.

Also, there is increasing likelihood that a new conference will be forming in New England that will begin two years of Pool B play in 2008-2009.  We don't know the final list of teams that will join, but it looks like only two of them will be independents, so that will add a few more Pool B teams for 08-09 and 09-10.

Hoops fan, thanks for keeping me, as well as others, informed on the shuffling that is happening in the Northeast.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

What's crazy is that supposedly this will be announced in a couple of weeks, but the schools I'm hearing as involved are seven men's school and one women's school (two of the men's schools have just recently begun men's sports).  In other words, they are hoping to attract other schools around the region to the conference.  That could mean additional shifting and moving throughout the next year.

The NAC is being devastated in the move, so they will need to do some serious shifting to remain viable as well.  We'll see how it all pans out in the end.

[njlincolnlion]

Pat:

Thanks for the info on Bethany.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

It's in the Rutland Herald, so I'm guessing there's some truth to the rumors:

A new New England Conference will be forming for play in the 2008-2009 season.  They haven't picked a name yet (I'm voting for the Conference of Regional Athletic Participation), but members will be: Bay Path (women only), Wheelock, Lesley, Becker, Elms, Newbury, Mitchell, and Daniel Webster.

Word is they will be looking to recruit some other schools as well.

This leaves the NAC with only six schools (Johnson State, Castleton State, Husson, Thomas, ME-Maritime, and ME-Farmington).  Both Green Mountain College and Lyndon State have applied for membership.  They're still doing due diligence, but it would be silly for the NAC to reject either of them.  Both are still provisional, however, so I don't know how that would affect the NAC's Pool A status.

Regardless, this will provide at least five new Pool B school for 2008-2009 (Newbury and Mitchell were already independent).

[Mr. Ypsi]

For the sake of pun-minded sportswriters, the NAC simply HAS to admit Lyndon St. to join Johnson St.!  (Any chance Castleton St. would consider a name-change to Baines St.?)

I like your proposed name for the new conference, though suspect it has as much chance as the WIAC returning to the WSUC!  But, by whatever name, they look destined for immortality on the (non)Survivor Pool thread.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

But, by whatever name, they look destined for immortality on the (non)Survivor Pool thread.

Well if they're playing each other a lot, that means they will probably win more games every year.  Becker could become a middle of the pack team in this conference.  The bigger question is how Elms lucked out so much.  This is like Memphis in the new C-USA.  One of these things is not like the other...