MBB: Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference

[FCGrizzliesGrad]

Drama in Richmond as the Quakers complete a 3 point play to tie MSJ with 21 seconds left. MSJ led 61-50 with 5 minutes left but Earlham on a 16-5 run. No luck for the Lions with the final shot and they're headed to OT.
Mount is playing for the top seed in the HCAC tournament while Earlham is guaranteed to miss the tournament but can match their best conference win (6) and total wins (8) in over a decade from the 06-07 season when they were in the NCAC.

[FCGrizzliesGrad]

Earlham drives and gets the layup to take a 1 point lead with 5.7 on the clock. The buzzer beater doesn't go and nobody seems to want to win the conference.
Hanover beat Defiance to join MSJ as co-champions
Rose-Hulman just starting at Manchester and if they win I believe they end up as the 1 seed.

In the "play-in" game, Bluffton led Franklin by 12 at halftime and have pushed the lead to 17 with 13 minutes left.

Anderson leads Transy in the 2nd half which if that holds they'll meet again in the quarterfinals.

[Fifth and Putnam]

Earlham stuns MSJ in OT.

MSJ and Hanover have a share of the title and we await to see if Rose-Hulman can make it a trio.

[FCGrizzliesGrad]

Looks like it's Rose-Hulman who get the 1 seed and will host the semis and finals. MSJ gets the other bye. Quarterfinal games on Tuesday are #6 Bluffton @ #3 Hanover and #5 Anderson @ #4 Transylvania.

[FCGrizzliesGrad]

Anderson is starting to look like the potential contender we thought they'd be before the season. Last 3 games are wins @ Rose, @ Transy, and @ Transy again in the conference quarterfinals. Another matchup with Rose awaits them now.
Hanover handles Defiance and will meet MSJ in the other semifinal.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

The NCAA men's basketball regional advisory committees released their third set of rankings, and as expected, the Atlantic Region was among those getting shuffled. Here's the full list: http://www.d3hoops.com/notables/2018/02/men-regional-rankings-third

[FCGrizzliesGrad]

After a bit of a shaky start falling from preseason #4 to an 8-4 record just after New Years, Hanover will represent the HCAC again finishing the season on a 14-2 stretch with their only losses by 2 and by 2 in OT.
Hopefully they'll do the HCAC proud again this year.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I'll have to look at the full bracket picture tonight, but right now, I like Hanover in the Emory pod.

[Mike Rejniak]

​Dear D3 Faithful ,
     I have read many of your posts throughout the years and even met some of you in person, but for those who I haven't met, let me introduce myself: my name is Michael Rejniak and I have spent over 14 years coaching Division 3 basketball and love what our division has done and continues to do for  the sport of basketball. One of the greatest things about Division 3 basketball is the brotherhood that we all have with one another (coaches and players alike). My wish is to showcase the talents of D3 on a national stage in The Basketball Tournament (TBT).  You may have heard me speak about this on the Hoopsville Marathon with Dave McHugh of D3hoops.com (at the 6:11 mark). The TBT is a national tournament that is televised in July/August on ESPN after the NBA season is over. My goal is to put forth an all-star D3 team (current players are ineligible) and have them compete in this tournament to take on Former D1 / semi-pro's to prove that D3 deserves the same respect as other NCAA divisions. The team is mostly complete with former student-athletes from all over the country competing. Once the roster is complete we will be sure to release it through d3hoops. Former Babson College National Champion Matthew Droney '17 will also be assisting me on this journey.

How YOU can help our former elite D3 basketball players

While the end prize of this tournament is a monetary prize, being a D3-lifer, the goal is not the money (we all know that's not why we get into coaching), the goal is to bring an end to the stigma of Division 3 basketball, an awareness of how talented our student-athletes are and that we can compete (and win) against the best. We do need to raise funds for an entry fee, travel, meal and housing expenses for the athletes. In order to do this, we are conducting a crowd-funding campaign through GoFundMe to help make this a reality. These athletes need your support! Just think -- if every Division 3 school donated just $10, we will have raised over $4,000!!!! The link to the GoFundMe Page is below and please SPREAD THE WORD and email me with any questions/concerns at WeAreD3TBT@gmail.com. Thank you in advance for your support and Dave and I look forward to this "D3 Dream Team" taking the court this summer.-Mike Rejniak

Support "We Are D3" In The TBT

https://www.gofundme.com/WeAreD3TBT

[FCGrizzliesGrad]

There's never much going on around here and certainly not during the offseason. So here's part 1 of my way too early predictions for the HCAC in the 2018-19 season.

1) Rose-Hulman: Coming off a 17-10 season and a share of the HCAC title, the Engineers bring back their top 6 scorers including Great Lakes RotY Craig McGee and 2nd team All-HCAC Charlie Aimone. They're looking to get back into the Big Dance for the first time since 2014.

2) Transylvania: Very similar to RHIT. Coming off a 17-9 season but 4th in conference, the Pioneers also bring back their top 6 scorers including 3 from the Honorable Mentions All-HCAC (Gullett, Schmitt, Theobald). Their last trip to the tournament was in 2013

3) Hanover: Co-champs with a 22-7 record and tournament appearance, the Panthers couldn't repeat their Elite 8 run from 2017. They'll have some new faces next year as Great Lakes 3rd teamer Wes McKinney graduates along with a pair of regular starters. They do return HCAC PotY and 3rd team All-American Cam Fails as well as All-HCAC Honorable Mention Nick White

[FCGrizzliesGrad]

Part 2 of my eay too early predictions... the midpack.

4) Anderson: After a disappointing 2017 where they finished 15-12 and 5th in the conference, the Ravens showed signs of promise at the end of the season. They must replace All-HCAC 1st team Trevor Lucas but they return 5 players who started at least 10 games. Their last trip to the NCAA Tournament was in 2010.

5) Franklin: Franklin finished 7th at 8-17, their best season since 2014. They lose HCAC 2nd team John Beineke but return everyone else from a team that had just 1 senior and 1 junior on the roster including HCAC Honorable Mention Kale Morris. Maybe not a threat to win the HCAC next year but watch out in 2020.

6) Mount St. Joseph: The Lions have a tough challenge to match their 17-9 record and share of the conference crown. They graduate 5 of their top 7 players including HCAC 1st teamers Erik Edwards and Andrew Findley while 2nd team All-HCAC Adam Goetz returns. They made the NCAA tournament two years ago in 2016.

7) Bluffton: Bluffton took the last spot in the conference tournament with an 11-15 record extending their streak of finishing between 10 and 16 wins to 8 straight seasons. The Beavers will lose 2nd team All-HCAC Kevin Chrstie and fellow starter Andrew Hunter. All-HCAC Honorable Mention Andrew Renner will return to fight for a spot in the conference tournament.

[FCGrizzliesGrad]

And finally, part 3 of my way too early predictions... the cellar.

8) Earlham: Earlham had their best season as a member of the HCAC finishing 8-17 and 8th in conference. The Quakers will lose HCAC Honorable Mention Elijah Wilson-Thomas but bring virtually everyone else back. They've struggled for so long but are trending in the right direction the past couple years. Hopefully they can continue to build and make their way up to at least middle of the pack.

9) Defiance: Defiance lost their last 18 games en route to a 3-22 season. The good news is the Yellow Jackets graduate just 1 senior who started only 6 games. But they're a long way from 2015 when they pulled off one of the biggest upsets in D3 tournament history.

10) Manchester: The Spartans went 6-19 which continues their struggles since 2011 when they went 22-7 and made a trip to the NCAA tournament They lose three of their best players (Becirevic, Doss, Kirby) but will return 2nd team All-HCAC Adrian Johnson.

[Gregory Sager]

Interesting thoughts, Griz. Thanks for posting them.

[hopefan]

Note for all of you HCAC lurkers (nobody has posted in 6 months)

TONIGHT... Friday Oct 26...   

Transylvania vs the University of Kentucky....

On the SEC Network   7 PM  EST

[hotdawg]

It looks like FCGrizzliesGrad's too early predictions nearly matched the Coaches Preseason Poll. The coaches flipped MSJ & Franklin listing MSJ:#5 & Franklin:#6

Also of note, Nick White will not be back for Hanover ... that leaves The Panthers with Reigning HCAC POY Cam Fails as the only fulltime returning starter. I assume Isaac Hibbard (part-time starter last year) will become the #2 scoring threat for Hanover this season.