Top 25 discussion

[Ralph Turner]

15 of the top 25 teams are in the Sweet Sixteen. Speaks very well for the credibility of the poll.

Or probably the lack of parity at the top of D-III women's basketball.

The men seem to be about 50 teams deep at the top.  There was no one at the Millsaps (Men's) Regional who did not think that the outcome would have been different if his/her own team had hosted.

[Pat Coleman]

PAT:
Your on your pet blogging machine at 3:13 am?
You must get your sleep! We need you fresh and alert during tournament season.
Tis the season when some go mad you know!

Join the group!

[atn alum]

16 teams left on each side.

15 ranked teams left on women's
8 ranked teams left on men's

[David Collinge]

In my latest blog post, I mentioned that I would submit pick'em entries based on how the Week 14 Top 25 polls told me to pick the games. 

After the first weekend, as you may have guessed, my men's pick'em is getting thrashed.  I have scored 35 points, ranking a distant 108th overall.  I have just eight teams still alive, and two of my final four selections lost the first chance they could.  In the lower left of the bracket, I got just six first-round games correct, and missed on every second-round game.  I think it is safe to assume that this entry will not win.

The women's pick-em is doing substantially better, and even appears among the leaders (barely) in the standings email.  This bracket sits in 17th place with 49 points, a mere six points out of the lead.  I still have 11 teams alive, including three of my final four. 

[Mr. Ypsi]

David, I also have 49 points, but, alas, my congenitally 'green' blood leaves me with only two FF teams.  I suppose your ballot also had IWU over UWW, but (hoping the sectional would be in Bloomington - since it is now at WW, I may have been right) I had them also getting revenge on DePauw in the sectional final, before bowing to reality and losing to Hope (in Holland) in the semi.

Since the women's CCIW is WAY behind the men's, the Titans must upgrade their non-con schedule - a steady diet of 50-point blowouts does nothing to prepare for the tourney.

[Ralph Turner]

Pre-season #2 HPU vs Pre-season #3 Messiah.

Not bad either.

[David Collinge]

HOW THEY FARED (postseason edition)       
      
#   1   Hope (30-1) def. Juniata 76-47 at Baldwin-Wallace, won at #10 Baldwin-Wallace 68-48, def. #22 George Fox 47-40 at Howard Payne, and lost at #2 Howard Payne 53-49 season complete
#   2   Howard Payne (33-0) received a bye, def. #12 McMurry 79-64, def. #19 DeSales 69-42, def. #1 Hope 53-49, def. #8 Whitewater (WI) 69-59 at Holland, MI, and def. #4 Messiah 68-54 at Holland, MI
#   3   Thomas More (29-1) def. Greensboro 76-63 and lost to #24 Oglethorpe 65-55 season complete
#   4   Messiah (30-3) def. Cabrini 63-34, def. St. Lawrence 64-49, def. Rochester 73-61, def. #18 Tufts 55-49, def. #24 Oglethorpe 80-60 at Holland, MI, and lost to #2 Howard Payne 68-54 at Holland, MI
#   5   Mary Washington (28-3) def. Baruch 73-58, def. New Jersey 56-50, and lost to #18 Tufts 48-45 at Messiah; season complete
#   6   DePauw (28-4) def. Denison 70-53, def. Washington U. 73-66, def. #14 Amherst 68-63 at UW-Whitewater, and lost at #8 UW-Whitewater 83-80 season complete
#   7   Illinois Wesleyan (26-3) def. Maryville (MO) 111-77 and lost to #8 UW-Whitewater 87-63 season complete
#   8   UW-Whitewater (29-4) def. Manchester 77-60 at Illinois Wesleyan, won at #7 Illinois Wesleyan 87-63, def. #9 Simpson 96-69, def. #6 DePauw 83-80, lost to #2 Howard Payne 69-59 at Holland, MI, and def. #24 Oglethorpe 80-67 at Holland, MI
#   9   Simpson (27-3) def. Gustavus Adolphus 73-64, def. #21 UW-Eau Claire 70-63, and lost at #8 UW-Whitewater 96-69  season complete
#   10   Baldwin-Wallace (27-3) def. D'Youville 83-53 and lost to #1 Hope 68-48 season complete
#   11   Kean (28-4) def. Utica 83-76, def. Brandeis 95-61, def. #23 Chicago 70-56, and lost to #24 Oglethorpe 98-86 season complete
#   12   McMurry (25-5) def. Trinity (TX) 71-67 and lost at #2 Howard Payne 79-64 season complete
#   13   UW-Stevens Point (24-5) lost to #25 St. Norbert 71-57 season complete
#   14   Amherst (27-3) def. Becker 78-32, def. Bowdoin 61-60, both at Bridgewater St., and lost to #6 DePauw 68-63 at UW-Whitewater; season complete
#   15   Medaille (26-3) won at Scranton 56-54 and lost to Rochester 69-50 at Scranton; season complete
#   16   Puget Sound (23-5) def. La Verne 74-58 and lost to #22 George Fox 72-66 season complete
#   17   Southern Maine (25-3) lost to Brandeis 74-71 at Kean; season complete
#   18   Tufts (26-4) def. Wheaton (MA) 71-67 at Mt. St. Mary, won at Mt. St. Mary 54-38, def. #5 Mary Washington 48-45 at Messiah, and lost at #4 Messiah 55-49 season complete
#   19   DeSales (26-4) won at Muhlenberg 56-48, def. Salem St. 74-55 at Muhlenberg, and lost at #2 Howard Payne 69-42  season complete
#   20   William Smith (25-4) def. Colby-Sawyer 76-72, def Brockport St. 78-73, and lost to #24 Oglethorpe 69-63 at Kean; season complete
#   21   UW-Eau Claire (23-7) def. Carleton 61-52 at Simpson and lost at #9 Simpson 70-63 season complete
#   22   George Fox (25-5) def. Chapman 71-55 at Puget Sound, won at #16 Puget Sound 72-66, and lost to #1 Hope 47-40 at Howard Payne; season complete
#   23   Chicago (22-6) def. St. Thomas 62-59, def. #25 St. Norbert 65-52, both at UW-Stevens Point, and lost at #11 Kean 70-56 season complete
#   24   Oglethorpe (27-7) def. Piedmont 91-78 at Thomas More, won at #3 Thomas More 65-55, def. #20 William Smith 69-63 at Kean, won at #11 Kean 98-86, lost to #4 Messiah 80-60 at Holland, MI, and lost to #8 Whitewater (WI) 80-67 at Holland, MI
#   25   St. Norbert (22-5) won at #13 UW-Stevens Point 71-57 and lost to #23 Chicago 65-52 at UW-Stevens Point; season complete

[Mr. Ypsi]

HPU will obviously (and deservedly) be #1 in the final poll.  I fear that pollsters will take the traditional (and easy) way out and name Messiah #2 and UWW #3, but I HOPE they will note that the Lady Dutch lost ony one game all season - AT HPU by less than either of the others lost on a neutral court.  Had Hope scored just 5 more points that night, they would probably own the Walnut-and-Bronze today.

In my mind, they are #2 (perhaps even #1a) - and I'm a CCIW guy with no ties to Hope!

[Rick Akins]

Mr. Ypsi:

As an HPU alum, trustee and most of all fan, who saw 21 of our 33 games this year and virtually every game since 2008 began, including all of the tournament, there is no question  in my mind that Hope is definitely #2 if not #1A as you said.  Our team did earn this championship and I cannot tell you how thrilled we all are!!

IMHO, Hope was superior to the other 3 teams I saw this weekend. If I had a vote, I would absolutely vote Hope #2. We did not back into this championship, we took it, but it did take a performance of a lifetime from the D3 player of the year to stop Hope even on our court.  Hope did bank in 2 3 pointers in the first half and Jordyn Boles then made 5 more in the second, so Hope did some pretty incredible things that night too. But Meia Daniels and our team found a way to "Finish It" just as they did every game this year.

What an amazing and incredible season from an amazing  and incredible group of players and coaches.  What they have done for our school cannot even be put into words.

[golfniz1]

Mr. Ypsi making the statement that Hope could possibly be the #2 ranked team in 1A is the most wrong thing I have ever read.  Hope is a good team no doubt, but to say that they are that good is like me saying Howard Payne is #1 in 1A and that is totally wrong.  The athletes are bigger, faster, stronger, and way better skills.  If you were to take 4 Mia Daniels and 3 Tara Richardsons you would have your bench see where Im going with this?  So as I was told on this site one time think before you write.  I will give you #2 in D3 though.

[Rick Akins]

golfniz1

I think Mr. Ypsi means that Hope is ALMOST  as good as HPU, so they might be 1A (i.e., better than #2) in the d3 poll, not 1A as in UConn, Baylor,Tennessee, etc.  Our Jackets are #1, however!!!

[Mr. Ypsi]

golfniz1,

As you wrote, think before you write!  My post was quite clearly as Rick Akins read it.

HPU won it fair and square.  On a neutral court (or in Holland) who knows what might have happened.  With the FF in Holland, IF Hope had won that game, they would have been the overwhelming favorite to win it all.

BTW, 1a is a football term; in bball they are all D1 (and, no, neither HPU nor Hope would stand a chance against UConn or Tennessee (or a few dozen other D1 teams).

[Pat Coleman]

Final women's Top 25 posted.
http://www.d3hoops.com/top25/

[Mr. Ypsi]

Delighted to see that Hope DID finish second - my faith in d3hoops.com voters is justified!

I was disappointed to see how far IWU dropped, but I understand it.  The CCIW is at or near the top in men's, but a lot weaker in women's.  Frequent 50-point wins are nice, but they do nothing to help the post-season -  the non-con schedule HAS to be beefed up if Millikin's run is not to be a total fluke for the conference.

[golfniz1]

My bad Mr.Ypsi please  accept my apology.