2012 Division III NCAA Tournament

[sac]

After all the 'insanity' of the season (trying to cast Poster's Polls votes from 10-25 was interesting), the Elite Eight is pretty much as chalk as these things get.

Two things influenced the tournament over past years.


A little better geographic balance in the 'power teams' in D3 this year, the GL, MW and West just didn't have the same number of strong teams as they've had in recent seasons.


...and the committee seems to have done an excellent job spreading the best teams out through the brackets.    (remember the 'final 4' bracket at Wheaton a couple years ago in the Sweet 16)

[sac]

Efficiency ratings went 8-0 last night.

For today, Whitworth and Middlebury are pretty good favorites. 

For Wooster the question is how much difference will home court make.  Whitworth is by far the most efficient offensive team Wooster has faced, while Wooster's defensive efficiency is pretty good a good chunk of it comes from dominating the bottom half of the NCAC, which is not good.

Middlebury is the best defensive efficiency team remaining, and that looks like the difference vs St. Mary's.   As a side, I'll be interested to see what the crowd is for this true neutral court game between two teams a long way from home.


Augie/St. Thomas is a statistical toss up, EFF says St. Thomas is a very slight favorite over Augustana, enough to make me think the difference will be home court for Augie.  Eff wise St. Thomas is almost a clone to Hope, only slighty better on D.  This game could be very similar to that one.  We'll see.


Williams and Amherst is also a statistical toss-up.  Amherst has performed very well in the tournament which actually moved their rating above Williams by only a point, which would make them a very slight favorite.  Home court could prove the difference again in this one.

[Bucket]

Middlebury had a vocal student contingent last night, and I believe they were staying overnight. And I'd expect more kids to have made the trip today.

Was surprised by the number of St. Mary's fans last night. No students, though; all adults. But the were loud, too. Should be a spirited gym.

St. Mary's looked really tough last night. Athletic, fast, long. There will be a lot of pressure on the Midd guards, and the bigs need to stay out of foul trouble and continue to be enforcers inside. If that happens, Midd wins. If not, St. Mary's is going to Salem.

Go Panthers!

[sac]

Regardless of who pulls out the Augie/St. Thomas game, this Final 4 is solid and very interesting.

Middlebury, Williams, Wooster and......

[nescac1]

Very excited for two NESCACs in the Final Four!!!  Wooster will be looking for payback vs. Williams after 2003.  As an Eph fan, I can tell the St. Thomas / Auggie fans, Middlebury is NOT fun to play against, probably the best defensive team I've seen in D-3, and arguably the best since those ridiculously stingy Plattesville teams from back in the day.  Just seems almost impossible to have game against them that goes past the 60's. 

I am hoping the Williams / Midd fans can gang up and support each other in the semis, and I would absolutely LOVE to see an all-NESCAC final.  Have two teams from the same conference ever faced off in the final? 

Won't be easy, of course, as Wooster seems to playing very, very tough right now, an extremely veteran team. 

Go Ephs! 

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I got 3 of 4 correct.  What are the chances this is my year prognostication-wise?

I've got a better than average shot at the Fantasy league now, as well.

[nescac1]

I got 3/4 as well, but I had Stevens Point in the final ... Williams winning, of course. 

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I got 3/4 as well, but I had Stevens Point in the final ... Williams winning, of course. 

I had Williams-Middlebury in the final.  Not sure who I picked to win - I think it was Williams.

I only got to see the first five minutes of the Woo-Whit game tonight.  I thought for sure Wooster was doomed.  Glad they pulled it out.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Wooster can look forward to a 6.5-7 hour drive down the entire length of West Virginia.  The other three teams have to make last minute reservations to fly to Roanoke.

Not sure if/where the advantage lies there.

[sac]

Wooster can look forward to a 6.5-7 hour drive down the entire length of West Virginia.  The other three teams have to make last minute reservations to fly to Roanoke.

Not sure if/where the advantage lies there.

They don't have to drive, they can fly if the college is willing to foot the bill.

[sac]

The St. Mary's/Middlebury attendance is listed at 174


This is why neutral site Sectional's is just a bad idea all around.

[sac]

Regardless of who pulls out the Augie/St. Thomas game, this Final 4 is solid and very interesting.

Middlebury, Williams, Wooster and......

St. Thomas


Really nice looking final 4.

[magicman]

My Final Four is St. Thomas, Middlebury, Whitworth and Williams. I  had St. Thomas playing Whitworth in the final and  I have the Tommies winning it all. I had 12 of the Sweet 16,  and 7 of the Great 8. St. Mary's was the team I didn't have as I picked Randy-Macon to beat them in the 2nd round. I have to be in pretty good shape.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I picked nine of 16 in the women's bracket without having seen a game or looked at records during the year.  I feel like that's pretty good.  Plus I have Amherst winning it all and they're still alive.

As for the men, I've missed 15 total games so far - most of them in that St. Thomas bracket.  If we have an all-NESCAC final I might be in good shape.

[John Gleich]

Efficiency ratings went 8-0 last night.

Are you sure?  I thought SP had the highest efficiency in the tournament.

... Not that it mattered when they shot just 50% from the line and lost by two...