Bumblin' B's

[cardinalpride]

Pat -

You are to be commended for taking a stand hwere the NCAA is gutless.

C

They have scholarship athletes this year. Although the NCAA considers them D-III until they are eligible for the D-II playoffs, we don't consider them Division III or cover them on the Web sites.

Aye!!  Aye!!

CP

[joe smith]

Bethany crushes Pitt-Greensburg tonight 88-68 in a game where they led around 30 most of the game.  They improve to 5-3.  They have a tough game this weekend against Lake Erie.  We'll see if this teams back on track after this weekend.

[scotswin]

Maryville (TN) is off to a 8-0 start and is 7-0 in region including 5 region wins on the road.  By years end, this start should definitely boost their SOS index.

[Ralph Turner]

Pool B watch thru Dec 11th.  Here are my candidates for the Pool B bids.

1) Maryville, TN
2) Lincoln PA
3) Chapman.

Bubble teams:

Villa Julie/NEAC, Baptist Bible/NEAC, Bethany/Pres AC, Fisk/GSAC (only because they have Mississippi College, Randolph-Macon and 11 other South Region games left), Concordia IL /NIIC, Neb Wesleyan/IND. (They have only 7 in-region games.  They definitely will benefit from a D3-Independent post-season tournament.)

[Ralph Turner]

Of course, those 4 Pool B bids are not long for D3.  I project that those 4 bids will shrink to only 2 by 2008.

As we understand it now, the NIIC-LMC merger means that 4 NIIC schools move from Pool B into the new conference and Eureka goes to the SLIAC.  (Only Clarke currently will remain in Pool B.  Those other 5 schools should be in Pool A in 2007.)

The Pres AC and its 7 full members will take its Pool A bid from Pool B in 2008.

In 2007, the NEAC will take its 9 teams that are allocated to Pool B and get its Pool A bid at the expense of Pool B.

According to the Handbook and the above movements to Pool A, the 41 Pool B teams in 2006 will drop to 20 plus the 2 new members in 2008 (Green Mountain VT and Finlandia) to give us 22 Pool B teams.  Divide that by the roughly 1:9.22 access ratio, and we see how the NCAA will allocate only 2 bids to Pool B.

Unlike Football, where 2 of the Semi-finalists were Pool B's and there was considerable discussion about a Pool B getting a Pool C bid, I very seriously doubt that any Pool B teams will get a Pool C.

[Pat Coleman]

Wesley was the only Pool B semifinalist. Linfield was eliminated in the quarters, Thiel in the second round, W&J in the first round.

[Ralph Turner]

My bad!    Must be the Catdome effect!

[Gregory Sager]

I think Milwaukee Engineering is going to be joining the Pool B ranks as well next year, Ralph. MSOE has declined an invitation to join the as-yet-unnamed amalgamation of the NIIC and the LMC. The word is that they'd like to join the MWC, but I don't see an invitation to join that league forthcoming in the near future.

[Ralph Turner]

A Gregory Sager post has prompted me to post the Primary Criteria from the Handbook.  These are the only criteria that the NCAA uses to select the bids.

For the purpose of Pool B, I do not recall hearing that a game against a D1, D2 or NAIA school impacted a Pool B selection.

Please review the Handbook for the other information on the Handbook.

Primary Criteria
--Win-loss percentage vs. regional opponents.
--Quality-of-wins Index (QOWI).
--In-region head-to-head competition.
--In-region results vs. common regional opponents.
--In-region results vs. regionally ranked teams.**
--Ranked opponents are defined as those teams ranked at the times of the ranking/selection process only.
--Conference post season contest(s) is included.
--Contest vs. provisional members in their 3rd and 4th years.

http://www.ncaa.org/library/handbooks/basketball/2006/2006_d3_m_basketball_handbook.pdf

Regardless of what we may feel about the quality of the D3hoops.com Top 25 poll, it has no absolutely bearing on the selections. (Tip of the hat to smedindy!)

**The regional rankings are taken for publication on February 8th, 15th, 22nd and then made once more on the selection weekend.

[Mr. Ypsi]

I think Milwaukee Engineering is going to be joining the Pool B ranks as well next year, Ralph. MSOE has declined an invitation to join the as-yet-unnamed amalgamation of the NIIC and the LMC. The word is that they'd like to join the MWC, but I don't see an invitation to join that league forthcoming in the near future.

Greg,

I don't really follow the bottom dwellers of the MWC.  Whether MSOE enters the MWC or becomes a B, do you feel they have the potential to become the Midwest equivalent of CalTech?  That's the impression I get, but wonder if it is too harsh?

[Ralph Turner]

My interest in the precision of these discussions is primarily concerned with number of Pool B schools and when one less Pool B school will impact the participation ratios and give us one more Pool C bid.   

[Pat Coleman]

Greg,

I don't really follow the bottom dwellers of the MWC.  Whether MSOE enters the MWC or becomes a B, do you feel they have the potential to become the Midwest equivalent of CalTech?  That's the impression I get, but wonder if it is too harsh?

Dr. Research fails again. Take a look at MSOE's results over the past four years:

http://www.d3hoops.com/school_info.php?school=Milwaukee%20Engineering&team=m

If that suggests Caltech to you, then you better stick to Michigan high school lacrosse. And on mlive.com.

[smedindy]

Regardless of what we may feel about the quality of the D3hoops.com Top 25 poll, it has absolutely bearing on the selections.

Did you forget a word there, Ralph???

[Mr. Ypsi]

Pat,

I already spend an unhealthy amount of time on d3sports. com - you want me to research too!

Actually, I do sometimes - see, for example, 'Survivor Pool'.  But I confess that most times I go by memory, which lately has not been working out that great!

[David Collinge]

I already spend an unhealthy amount of time on d3sports. com [...]

Unhealthy for you, or for us?   

[Sorry, Chuck, but that was just too juicy to resist!]