Top 25 talk

[labart96]

I am originally from CT and my little sister is a UConn grad ('00).  Happy to see them win, even if the game was a real dog (pun intended).

[toad22]

Williams should be very good. The big loss is Whittington, but the return all the guards, and two very capable centers. They need a power forward capable of playing in the rotation right away. In some ways I think they will be better than this year, but losing Whittington will leave a big hole. The problems will come when they play big teams. On balance, I rate them about even with this year's team (assuming a good PF in the freshman class).

[magicman]

When will the preseason polls be released?  C'mon already, I'm getting tired of waiting!

If you had to vote now, based solely on the assumption that all returning players will return, who do you vote #1?

Without  doing much research I think Amherst, Virginia Wesleyan, and Middlebury all return quite a bit. I would have them all in my pre-season Top 5.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Preseason Poll is out.

Virginia Wesleyan in the safe pick, probably would have been mine as well.  Brought back a lot of talent.  Interesting that St. Thomas got 2 #1 votes.  The defending champs lost quite a bit, but they have yet to be beaten.

[sac]

A top 20 without a WIAC school seems both odd and improbable.

[Captain Bob]

Glad to see two USAC teams in the "RV" category, hoping they can make it up into the numbered ranks as the season gets underway.

[smedindy]

A top 20 without a WIAC school seems both odd and improbable.

I'm sure a couple three will burble their way up there eventually! Or this could be an *interesting* year where up is down, left is right, etc.

[Ethelred the Unready]

I shouldn't even have to say this, but....where the heck is the Rust love?

[Ralph Turner]

It is good to see UMHB in a #16.

McMurry was the conference pre-season favorite to win the ASC-West in a 174 to 173 vote over UMHB.


McMurry's Steven Jones is ASC-West Pre-season player of the year.

Gonna be a tight race!

[RustCollege]

Sleeper Team with the best player Markeith Wilson and the return of Larry Veasley Rust College is a team to watch going 17-8 last year look for them to make some improvement this year off of last year record

[magicman]

When will the preseason polls be released?  C'mon already, I'm getting tired of waiting!

If you had to vote now, based solely on the assumption that all returning players will return, who do you vote #1?

Without  doing much research I think Amherst, Virginia Wesleyan, and Middlebury all return quite a bit. I would have them all in my pre-season Top 5.

My post from last April. The voters were listening.

[John Gleich]

A top 20 without a WIAC school seems both odd and improbable.

I'm not sure how much you've read about what has happened in the WIAC in the offseason, Pat's piece here chronicles it pretty well from UWSP's standpoint...

Even despite losing 4 guys to graduation, Point was poised to be a top team for the next two years, led by point guard Jerrel Harris.

To lose guys from graduation is one thing... but to lose contributors to transferring can be pretty disasterous, especially the way that it happened at Point.

Jerrel Harris and Johnny Johnston were recruited away from the UWSP program by outgoing assistant Lance Randall, who is now the head coach at D-II St. Leo in Florida.  Randall decided to build his program by pulling players away from others... He also drew away Marcus Ruh from Eau Claire... though that was much less disconcerting... Eau Claire has a new coach and hasn't had much success in the last decade.  But 6 of his 14 players were on different college rosters last year (not counting juco kids).

So that's part of the issue at Point... but in addition, Antone Byrd also transferred from Whitewater to D-II Central State in Ohio.

So you have 3 outgoing sophomores (now-juniors), one first team all-conference (Harris) and two HM all-conference (Ruh and Byrd) that are gone from the conference... each of their teams was depending on them for the upcoming year (none moreso than Stevens Point, who not only lost their leading scorer, but also their point guard and the guy who set the defense).

I think that things will settle down at Point... but the rift caused by Randall will have lasting effects for a few years.  In addition to Harris and Johnston who left for St. Leo, two other freshmen, two sophomores, and a junior aren't returning for Point... That's 11 guys from last year's roster who aren't around this year, when you add in the 4 seniors that were lost. 

I also think that River Falls is likely the team to beat this year in the WIAC (... they were the team to beat until the last month of the season last year, when they absolutely collapsed... thus why they probably weren't ranked higher), and I think Point will come around... but they may have some growing pains early.  As Pat said in his preview, the game at Augustana in early December may tell us more about Point than about Augie... if they can rise up to compete in big games and make a run at another conference title/NCAA run.

[RustCollege]

I shouldn't even have to say this, but....where the heck is the Rust love?

I guess when you go 17-8 you still get no love even with the everybody back Markeith Wilson and Larry Veasley

[smedindy]

I checked their 2011 Massey power ratings. They were 225th in D-3, even at 17-9. Their SOS was 325.

Two games against Fisk, Philander Smith, LaGrange, Covenant and Rhodes doesn't help your power rating or SOS. I know you play the schedule you are given, but with that schedule they probably need to be better than 17-8 to even get consideration.

[mass_d3fan]

I shouldn't even have to say this, but....where the heck is the Rust love?

I guess when you go 17-8 you still get no love even with the everybody back Markeith Wilson and Larry Veasley

Sorry RC, BUT

I believe I counted 65 teams that won 20 or more last year.  How many others won 18 or 19?  A lot of of those teams did not get the 'love' of the polls either.  Seriously man, if you want the 'love' take care of it on the court with more wins.