Top 25 talk

[smedindy]

Actually, Wabash and OWU has given them games in the past, just not wins.

Last year Wooster beat OWU by one OT at OWU and Wabash gave them a tough game at Wabash (until it became foul shooting time.)

As for Witt - Wabash scared them at Chadwick (again until it was foul shooting time)  then took them to OT in the tourney.

So the NCAC has a big 2, a second two that CAN compete but doesn't quite get over the hump, and a little 6. That does hurt their tourney preparedness, I believe, with only about 6 competitive games a year in conference.

[True Basketball Fan]

I know Endicott is a stretch but........

Nobody's talking about Oswego, am I way off thinking they are serious contender for the TOP 10 group?

[David Collinge]

I know what you're trying to say, smeds, but the unvarnished truth is that Wooster and Wittenberg have compiled a record of 19-0 the past two seasons against Wabash and OWU, with an average margin of victory of 15.6 ppg.  There were the two OT games you mention, but otherwise these games tend to be comfortable victories for the big dogs.  What it amounts to is that against Wabash and OWU, the W's have to play well and hard to win by by 10-20 points, whereas against the other six (Allegheny, Denison, Earlham, Hiram, Kenyon, and Oberlin, for the uninitiated) 10-20 point margins (or more) are generally a given. 

Wooster and Wittenberg usually play each other three times a season, with the third being the conference championship game.  These are the games that the two teams focus on, being reasonably certain of wins in the other games from January forward (again, 55-1 the past two years in the conference.)  With these three games being essentially the only post-December preparation for the kind of competition they'll face in March, it may be that both over-prepare for their specific opponent.  Then in March when they face a team that is very different in style from Woo or Witt and much, much better than the "little 8," they are unable to adjust quickly enough and lose.  A perfect illustration of this is John Carroll.  Their up-tempo, pressure defense style is unlike either Woo or Witt.  Result: 3-0 vs. Woo/Witt the past two seasons, with all three games at the NCAC team's gym.

There's no solution for this; the conference membership is unlikely to change (nor do I want it to change, at least not for reasons of competitiveness), and non-conference games in February are practically impossible to schedule.  It's just something I think the fans should consider when trying to guess who will be there in Salem next March.

[Mr. Ypsi]

David,

Excellent post.  Woo and Witt have always reminded me of UM and OSU in fball in the 70s and 80s - they ALWAYS battle for the championship, but are not ready for the tourney/bowl game. 

Except, alas, in 2003, when IWU beat #2 Hanover (away) then lost to #4(?) Woo (also away) - though I think that was also a year you then lost to JCU?! 

ala Emily Litella: never mind. 

(You beating the battle-tested Titans was OBVIOUSLY a major upset! )

[David Collinge]

That was a year that Wooster lost to JCU in the sectional final at Wooster.  And I believe that IWU team played a style very much like Woo/Witt:  take the break if available, otherwise  work for the high percentage shot with picks and the extra pass, play man defense, five crash the boards, etc.  Hanover played that way, too.  That was a region we all thought was stacked, and it was JCU, with a completely different style, that represented us in Salem. 

[smedindy]

David -

Not at Wabash's home court - those are close games and closer than free throw time would imagine. If they didn't have such a young team this season I think we would have beaten both Wooster and Witt on our home court - we just didn't have that something to carry us over the top. I saw both of those games and it just was the little things in the second half.

It's the other 6 that need upgrades, stat.

[formerbant10]

Pat, when does your top 25 come out?

[True Basketball Fan]

Ya, I'd like to see yours, the Street's and Smith AND the D3News lists are bogus and borderline idiotic (not entirely but about 60% of it is).  Your top 25 is the one everybody is waiting for.

[Coach C]

Endicott?  Oswego?  Top 10? Please tell me that was a joke that i jsut did not understand.

I suspect that you will be seeing a Preseason D3hoops.Com Poll sometime VERY soon!

[David Collinge]

Of course, one big reason the D3Hoops Top 25 poll is worth waiting for is that it isn't released in the summer, before practice even starts.  We're just now finding out who is and isn't back, and I'd consider that to be basic information for doing a ranking. 

Because we have to wait for it, it's a good poll, and because it's a good poll, it's worth waiting for.

[Mr. Ypsi]

David,

You beat me to it!  It's only been a few days since anyone even knew what the rosters would be - a REASONED projection will probably take a few more days!

[Pat Coleman]

The poll is ready. I'm just waiting for my tech person to finish fixing something so I can actually post it.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Let the fun begin...

[Pat Coleman]

Fun.
Begin.

[smedindy]

I think the fun will begin when games are played. Right now it's dart boards, voodoo dolls, smoke, mirrors, and chicanery.