2012 Division III NCAA Tournament

[magicman]

Isn't that 2 years in a row for Plattsburgh?

sac.

Plattsburgh had never even hosted an NCAA game in hoops until this past weekend. Sectionals have been at Amherst quite a bit over the last 4 or 5 years.
For Plattsburgh fans we had 3 dreams come true in the past week. First to be named as a host, then the bye, and now the sectional host. Will wonders ever cease? But we feel the NCAA got it right, as we were the only undefeated regional team in the country, and did have the best overall record in the country. The bad news is the Plattsburgh sectional is probably the toughest of the 4 with 3 of the remaining 8 teams from the D3Hoops top 25 poll. 

[Gregory Sager]

Those of us who follow the CCIW have been pretty clear all season long that our league didn't have a real national powerhouse this year, but as always, the CCIW was one of the strongest conferences in Division III due to its balance and depth.  Illinois Wesleyan has been to Salem three times now as an at-large team - 1996, 2001, and 2006.

... and North Park won the national championship in 1985 as an at-large team. The Vikings tied with North Central for the league championship, but NCC got the automatic bid on the fifth tiebreaker, league record over the last nine games (the CCIW did not have a conference tournament at that point).

I enthusiastically second what Q is saying here. League strength is measured top-to-bottom, not just by the teams at the top.

[Gregory Sager]

Looking at the matchups for the sectionals, it appears to me that WashU has the clearest path to Salem. Hope will have to face a hot OWU team, and perhaps a Wheaton team that features one of the tourney's best players and will be primed for revenge. Perhaps another Amherst/Brandeis matchup out east (that's the toughest bracket left, clearly), and a pretty good set-up for Rochester in their sectional. 3 UAA teams in the Final Four, maybe? Not unthinkable.

Yes, but the northeastern section as a whole was not impressive. Just look at those teams that got knocked out in the first weekend. Immaculata? John Jay? Curry? Manhattan? Nazareth? The teams that moved on into the sectional are good, but the section as a whole had no depth. Conversely, while the Wash U sectional appears to be a bit light now that the smoke has cleared from opening weekend, it was a very strong section as a whole coming into the first round (Augustana, UWSP, Wooster, Guilford, etc.).

[algernon]

Seems like a pretty defensive defense of something most of us take for granted: Yes, the ODAC is a power conference. Breathe deeply.

Seems like an unnecessary judgmental response by the moderator: No surprise there.  Chill out.

[Knightstalker]

Hey yellowjacket2011 and knightstalker nice jokes about the Coast Guard BUT, when your yacht is in distress or a group of illegals show up on your ocean front property or an oil spill occurs near your mansion and all the wildlife are dying on your front lawn or a boat brings in another shipment of cocaine from Colombia and your 16 year old sister becomes a crack head, who are you going to call?
Let's hope your wise cracking brain is smart enough to call the Coast Guard!

Hey Baseballclown, my older brother spent 12 years in the Coast Guard, who do you think gave me all the Coast Guard jokes?  I spent 4 years in the Navy, who do you think gave him all the Navy jokes.  It is called interservice rivalry, it goes on all the time.  Lighten up Francis.

[algernon]

Those of us who follow the CCIW have been pretty clear all season long that our league didn't have a real national powerhouse this year, but as always, the CCIW was one of the strongest conferences in Division III due to its balance and depth.  Illinois Wesleyan has been to Salem three times now as an at-large team - 1996, 2001, and 2006.

... and North Park won the national championship in 1985 as an at-large team. The Vikings tied with North Central for the league championship, but NCC got the automatic bid on the fifth tiebreaker, league record over the last nine games (the CCIW did not have a conference tournament at that point).

I enthusiastically second what Q is saying here. League strength is measured top-to-bottom, not just by the teams at the top.

I wonder how many of the national champions in D3 have been at-large teams.

On a different note ... some of you may be interested to know that Hampden-Sydney's former coach, Tony Shaver, who led the Tigers for 17 years and took them to the Final Four in 1999 and 2003 before taking the Head Coach position at William and Mary, will be on ESPN this evening as his team plays George Mason for the Colonial Athletic Association championship.  In 23 years of conference history, the William and Mary team has only once before made it as far as the CAA semifinals, but Coach Shaver has turned the program around.  The Tribe went into this year's tourney seeded #5 and have defeated the #12, #4, and now the #1 seed (Virginia Commonwealth) to advance to the CAA championship game.  A lot of Hampden-Sydney folk will be tuned in and hoping that Coach Shaver's new team will win their way into the NCAA tournament.

[baseballguy]

KS, I said nice jokes! I guess my good nature fun does not come across well in print.

[Jacketfan2011]

Hey yellowjacket2011 and knightstalker nice jokes about the Coast Guard BUT, when your yacht is in distress or a group of illegals show up on your ocean front property or an oil spill occurs near your mansion and all the wildlife are dying on your front lawn or a boat brings in another shipment of cocaine from Colombia and your 16 year old sister becomes a crack head, who are you going to call?
Let's hope your wise cracking brain is smart enough to call the Coast Guard!

Wow.  I thought the SUNYAC guys had a chip on their shoulder.  First a few facts:

I the NA-Vy RE-JECT chant was used by Trinity and according to witnesses, served to steel the resolve of the the Toasties.  I was simply trying to motivate CG against UMD.  With apparant positive results.

I don't own a Yacht, though I served in Uncle Sam's Yacht Club for 4 years.  During which time the CG was fair game.

I live in a land-locked village of 800 in the middle of NY.  No mansion...no oceanfront property.  

No 16-year old sister.  Never had one...never will.  Well, that's not completely true.  But it was a LONG time ago.

You need to lighten up and enjoy the ride.

[HopeConvert]

Looking at the matchups for the sectionals, it appears to me that WashU has the clearest path to Salem. Hope will have to face a hot OWU team, and perhaps a Wheaton team that features one of the tourney's best players and will be primed for revenge. Perhaps another Amherst/Brandeis matchup out east (that's the toughest bracket left, clearly), and a pretty good set-up for Rochester in their sectional. 3 UAA teams in the Final Four, maybe? Not unthinkable.

Yes, but the northeastern section as a whole was not impressive. Just look at those teams that got knocked out in the first weekend. Immaculata? John Jay? Curry? Manhattan? Nazareth? The teams that moved on into the sectional are good, but the section as a whole had no depth. Conversely, while the Wash U sectional appears to be a bit light now that the smoke has cleared from opening weekend, it was a very strong section as a whole coming into the first round (Augustana, UWSP, Wooster, Guilford, etc.).

I was referring, of course, to the games that are left. I think most people would agree the WashU bracket was the toughest at the beginning, and that the Bears have had the toughest slate to date; but at this point they seem to me to have the easiest route to Salem.

By the way - I'm sad to say I got the Donald Sutherland reference. 

[SLP-O-8]

Looking at the matchups for the sectionals, it appears to me that WashU has the clearest path to Salem. Hope will have to face a hot OWU team, and perhaps a Wheaton team that features one of the tourney's best players and will be primed for revenge. Perhaps another Amherst/Brandeis matchup out east (that's the toughest bracket left, clearly), and a pretty good set-up for Rochester in their sectional. 3 UAA teams in the Final Four, maybe? Not unthinkable.

Yes, but the northeastern section as a whole was not impressive. Just look at those teams that got knocked out in the first weekend. Immaculata? John Jay? Curry? Manhattan? Nazareth? The teams that moved on into the sectional are good, but the section as a whole had no depth. Conversely, while the Wash U sectional appears to be a bit light now that the smoke has cleared from opening weekend, it was a very strong section as a whole coming into the first round (Augustana, UWSP, Wooster, Guilford, etc.).

The Wash U regional was thought to be a very tough regional and was a very tough regional so why is it still not strong.  The teams like St Marys, and Buena Vista beat those good teams to get here and in my opinion BV has been overlooked all year at the national level because of what conference they are in and starting the season off slow.  They didnt play the big time teams in their non conference schedule.  I would not overlook BV because i think they are yet to play their best game and could really go off.  They have won their first two games by a full team effort and nobody has scored more than i believe 12. 

[fpc85]

where can i get the start times for the games this weekend...i am trying to justify a full day off for my 6 hour ride to plattsburgh

[Knightstalker]

where can i get the start times for the games this weekend...i am trying to justify a full day off for my 6 hour ride to plattsburgh

The start times are on the brackets.  Amherst Stockton starts at 6:00, Plattsburgh  Brandeis will probably start by 8:45-9:00 at the latest.

Go Ospreys.  Then there is the standard NJAC reply to Go Ospreys, What the He!! is an Osprey?  I know, it's a seahawk, but it is still fun to shout it out.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

I reminder... men's games times are always pre-set. They are 6 & 8 PM local time for the games on Fridays and then at 7PM for Saturday's game. The only change that could have is if the gym at a host site is "cleared" between games on Friday.

[HopeConvert]

Hey yellowjacket2011 and knightstalker nice jokes about the Coast Guard BUT, when your yacht is in distress or a group of illegals show up on your ocean front property or an oil spill occurs near your mansion and all the wildlife are dying on your front lawn or a boat brings in another shipment of cocaine from Colombia and your 16 year old sister becomes a crack head, who are you going to call?
Let's hope your wise cracking brain is smart enough to call the Coast Guard!

My name is Elmer J. Fudd, millionaire. I own a mansion and a yacht.

[nwhoops1903]

I think the UAA gets the props and nod for sending 3 to the last 16 and the possibility for all 3 to go to the Finals.  Impressive.  Congrats to the strongest conference in 2008.