Top 25 talk

[sac]

Alexander was also the HCAC MVP last season for Defiance. I'm not quite sure where you got "recently" from the broadcast, sac, since I merely mentioned that he had been the star of the Yellowjackets last season. As FCGriz mentioned, he's been a Spartan all season.

This is probably where I admit to watching and listening to the Manchester announcers and not the high quality North Park announcing team. 

[Gregory Sager]

Gotcha!

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

I missed last week due to being a little too busy, but back to my blog for Week 7. Here is it: http://www.d3blogs.com/d3hoops/2017/01/17/daves-top-25-ballot-16-17-week-7/

[Swish3]

Thanks for sharing, Dave...in your opinion, what are the Captains' flaws, especially inside?

[WUPHF]

I missed last week due to being a little too busy, but back to my blog for Week 7. Here is it: http://www.d3blogs.com/d3hoops/2017/01/17/daves-top-25-ballot-16-17-week-7/

Just my novice opinion, but of course I am going to suggest that you are underselling Washington University.  Not so much with the number you assigned, but in your rationale...

Here are a few thoughts on your post:

The Bears played one of the toughest schedules in the nation this season.  No. 4 in the nation with a No. 4 overall ranking according to Massey.  Not arguing for a No. 4 in D3Hoops.com...humans correct for the shortcomings of the computer in this case, but those numbers are worth mentioning.

They did lose to UW-Eau Claire by 14, but they were down by 4 with over a minute left.  The Bears did not play well in the game.  Eau Claire is underrated in my novice opinion...and I could find others who would agree.

They destroyed a two-loss Hanover team that Massey has at No. 47.  I do not expect you to list every OK win, but I'll mention this and a few others because I am discussing Washington University specifically.

Central sure looked better then than they do now...not sure what is happening to them, but they are still No. 59.

Illinois Wesleyan is underrated in my opinion...time will tell...

Wooster may be down, but keeping it in context, that was still a very good road win.  Massey has them at No. 55. 

I would say that Washington University barely avoided overtime rather than barely survived Chicago...the Maroons tied the game on that second to last possession.  Waller Perez had been scoring a little too easy in that last quarter, but I see no reason to hand that game to the Maroons in overtime based on the way either team was playing.

You did acknowledge the Rochester win, but then left out the convincing road win over Augustana.  Both of those were very nice wins in which the Bears played very well.  Nothing ugly about them.

No comeback needed against Emory...Washington University lead wire to wire against Massey No. 62.  Not bad for a conference game on the road.  At the risk over overselling the all bets are off in a rivalry game meme, that was a big time win.

Maybe I am overselling wins against the Top 50-60 in the nation, but I think those wins say a lot.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Thanks for sharing, Dave...in your opinion, what are the Captains' flaws, especially inside?

I think Daly can disappear far too often and they can get out-sized too often for my liking. I feel like they would be unstoppable if they had a true big man inside. Daly is more like a 4 or even a 3 who is playing a 5. While it was at the beginning of the season, Marietta exposed CNU quite a bit and I can't get that out of my head... and Marietta is a team that can easily be exposed inside as well.

Daly may be 6-6 but he seems to play more like 6-4 and tends to be slowed than those he is playing against... the three biggest players (6-7 and up) are averaging less than four points a game and less than 2.5 rebounds. When Daly is in trouble or needs help, there isn't much to go to. I think it is a problem that will continue to be exposed especially when they get to the tournament.

I think CNU is a really good team, but I think they can be completely exposed inside which also then shuts down the outside game from being a threat.

I missed last week due to being a little too busy, but back to my blog for Week 7. Here is it: http://www.d3blogs.com/d3hoops/2017/01/17/daves-top-25-ballot-16-17-week-7/

Just my novice opinion, but of course I am going to suggest that you are underselling Washington University.  Not so much with the number you assigned, but in your rationale...

I certainly won't deny I might be underselling WashU, but there is something about them that just doesn't blow me away. And to be honest, wins over Massey Top 50-60 doesn't blow me away, either.

The Bears played one of the toughest schedules in the nation this season.  No. 4 in the nation with a No. 4 overall ranking according to Massey.  Not arguing for a No. 4 in D3Hoops.com...humans correct for the shortcomings of the computer in this case, but those numbers are worth mentioning.

Debatable... that strength number will continue to change throughout the season as more and more teams take losses. Furthermore, I believe some higher-division games are influencing that particular strength number per WashU's opponents, but I would have to double-check that more before I would be that confident about that assertion.

They did lose to UW-Eau Claire by 14, but they were down by 4 with over a minute left.  The Bears did not play well in the game.  Eau Claire is underrated in my novice opinion...and I could find others who would agree.

You will notice, I do not think UWEC is underrated. I forgot to indicate teams I had seen in person on this week's blog, but I have seen UWEC in action this season... in person... they are a very good team. And while I understand WashU was within 4, they let the game get away from them. That is worth noting as well. UWEC is very good, but from where I have them ranked and downward there are a LOT of teams that could fit into that area. It gets to splitting hairs to get teams onto the ballot.

They destroyed a two-loss Hanover team that Massey has at No. 47.  I do not expect you to list every OK win, but I'll mention this and a few others because I am discussing Washington University specifically.

I am watching Hanover... we shall see. They have been up and down. But yeah, it was an okay win for now. If Hanover starts to change in my eye in a positive manner, it will certainly affect WashU.

Central sure looked better then than they do now...not sure what is happening to them, but they are still No. 59.

Kind of like Hanover, but in reverse. Might have looked good at one point, but isn't looking as good now.

Illinois Wesleyan is underrated in my opinion...time will tell...

Maybe... but Seibring is injured and I can't figure the Titans out. They have been in and out of my Top 25 this season. At one point I did not include them because they had lost to WashU and I didn't have WashU on my ballot. WashU is there for now, IWU is not... and until Seibring comes back healthy, they may not be... but time will tell.

Wooster may be down, but keeping it in context, that was still a very good road win.  Massey has them at No. 55. 

I am keeping it in context... Wooster isn't as good this season as people are used to. Plain and simple. Just over .500 and still half of the conference schedule ahead. I hate to say it, but the Wooster game doesn't do much for me no matter where Massey has them. And I don't expect a miracle run to the end like they had last year.

I would say that Washington University barely avoided overtime rather than barely survived Chicago...the Maroons tied the game on that second to last possession.  Waller Perez had been scoring a little too easy in that last quarter, but I see no reason to hand that game to the Maroons in overtime based on the way either team was playing.

Couldn't you argue that barely avoiding overtime is the same as barely surviving? If not for a buzzer beater, they head to overtime against Chicago... so they barely survived and barely avoided overtime. I like Chicago and think they are a pretty good team, but now-a-days with so much parity, I am looking for more than a lot of close games. Chicago's result may come back and be a more positive result in my mind in the future... but for now it just seems odd especially on the heals of playing overtime against a sub-par Wooster squad.

You did acknowledge the Rochester win, but then left out the convincing road win over Augustana.  Both of those were very nice wins in which the Bears played very well.  Nothing ugly about them.

I am struggling with Augustana. I know they are on top of the conference and appear to have retooled in a hurry, but I also wonder if they are there because North Central isn't as good as they should be due to Raridon's injury and North Park isn't as good as they should be because they can't play consistently. So is Augustana really that good or is they have just risen to the top for now? As a result, hard to then gauge WashU's game against them.

If they had lost to Rochester, this wouldn't be a conversation for me. WashU wouldn't be in the poll. However, they did beat Rochester and thus why I am voting for them. That was a game I took notice of...

No comeback needed against Emory...Washington University lead wire to wire against Massey No. 62.  Not bad for a conference game on the road.  At the risk over overselling the all bets are off in a rivalry game meme, that was a big time win.

Then I am confusing it with another result... I thought it was a comeback, but I was trying to get the blog done more importantly. It isn't a bad win, but if WashU is that good they have to win that first game of this particular road stretch. If they had lost to Emory and beaten Rochester, they wouldn't have been on my ballot. But rivalry game? Sounds like overselling to me. I know the UAA has a lot of heated games, but WashU's rivals would be Chicago and NYU from what I can tell - or at least the games they get the most up for. Not sure if Emory is on that list, though they are in the second tier in terms of WashU's UAA opponents when emotions get involved. Just my opinion from my vantage point.

Maybe I am overselling wins against the Top 50-60 in the nation, but I think those wins say a lot.

You are welcome to oversell if you need. I have probably oversold a few teams on my ballot as well. I appreciate why you think they are big wins, I just don't have the same opinion for some of those results.

[ronk]

I missed last week due to being a little too busy, but back to my blog for Week 7. Here is it: http://www.d3blogs.com/d3hoops/2017/01/17/daves-top-25-ballot-16-17-week-7/

Dave,
  Is Susquehanna(#11 last week) the highest ranked team ever that u haven't included on your ballot? Understand, I'm not saying you're wrong, just that you're at one end of the parade that's going in the opposite direction.

[Pat Coleman]

I missed last week due to being a little too busy, but back to my blog for Week 7. Here is it: http://www.d3blogs.com/d3hoops/2017/01/17/daves-top-25-ballot-16-17-week-7/

Dave,
  Is Susquehanna(#11 last week) the highest ranked team ever that u haven't included on your ballot? Understand, I'm not saying you're wrong, just that you're at one end of the parade that's going in the opposite direction.

Susquehanna fell from 11 to 14 this week. Which way is this parade going?

[ronk]

I missed last week due to being a little too busy, but back to my blog for Week 7. Here is it: http://www.d3blogs.com/d3hoops/2017/01/17/daves-top-25-ballot-16-17-week-7/

Dave,
  Is Susquehanna(#11 last week) the highest ranked team ever that u haven't included on your ballot? Understand, I'm not saying you're wrong, just that you're at one end of the parade that's going in the opposite direction.

Susquehanna fell from 11 to 14 this week. Which way is this parade going?

It's led by the Animal House band that just ran into the wall.

[magicman]

The #1 team in the country has managed to score just 17 points in the first half as Babson trails MIT 30-17 at the break. 

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

I missed last week due to being a little too busy, but back to my blog for Week 7. Here is it: http://www.d3blogs.com/d3hoops/2017/01/17/daves-top-25-ballot-16-17-week-7/

Dave,
  Is Susquehanna(#11 last week) the highest ranked team ever that u haven't included on your ballot? Understand, I'm not saying you're wrong, just that you're at one end of the parade that's going in the opposite direction.

I'd have to go look, but off the top of my head, probably. Haven't been voting for them that high when I do vote for them. But this week they lost to Scranton to got beat by Goucher. Scranton hasn't blown me away this season and if Susquehanna can't handle the Royals (and barely handle Moravian after that), not sure I am enticed to vote for them.

But I have been on the opposite side of whatever parade on a few teams this season. I just voted for WashU this week and they have been pretty high in the polls. Whitewater hasn't gotten a single vote from me and has been as high as 11? Not surprising this year with so many, many teams to consider.

[Mr. Ypsi]

I missed last week due to being a little too busy, but back to my blog for Week 7. Here is it: http://www.d3blogs.com/d3hoops/2017/01/17/daves-top-25-ballot-16-17-week-7/

Dave,
  Is Susquehanna(#11 last week) the highest ranked team ever that u haven't included on your ballot? Understand, I'm not saying you're wrong, just that you're at one end of the parade that's going in the opposite direction.

I'd have to go look, but off the top of my head, probably. Haven't been voting for them that high when I do vote for them. But this week they lost to Scranton to got beat by Goucher. Scranton hasn't blown me away this season and if Susquehanna can't handle the Royals (and barely handle Moravian after that), not sure I am enticed to vote for them.

But I have been on the opposite side of whatever parade on a few teams this season. I just voted for WashU this week and they have been pretty high in the polls. Whitewater hasn't gotten a single vote from me and has been as high as 11? Not surprising this year with so many, many teams to consider.

UWW was indeed #11 in week 5, before their tumble.

[middhoops]

The #1 team in the country has managed to score just 17 points in the first half as Babson trails MIT 30-17 at the break.

Babson came out in the 2nd half and lit it up.  The Beavers were 18-23 late in the game.
Not sure how anyone beats them.

[magicman]

Babson wins 71-65 over MIT to complete the comeback.

[Darryl Nester]

How They Fared (So Far)

Top 25

Rank	Pts	Team	W-L	Results
#1	615	Babson	15-1	won at #34 MIT, 71-65; 01/21 at Coast Guard
#2	610	Whitman	15-0	01/20 at George Fox; 01/21 at Lewis and Clark
#3	562	Christopher Newport	14-2	def. Mary Washington, 81-65; 01/21 at Frostburg State
#4	525	Tufts	13-2	01/20 vs. #24 Wesleyan; 01/21 vs. Connecticut College
#5	490	UW-River Falls	15-1	won at UW-La Crosse, 91-76; 01/21 at UW-Oshkosh
#6	473	Whitworth	13-2	01/20 at Lewis and Clark; 01/21 at George Fox
#7	465	St. Norbert	11-3	LOST at Ripon, 55-81; 01/21 vs. Knox
#8	448	Rochester	13-1	01/20 at Carnegie Mellon; 01/22 at Case Western Reserve
#9	393	North Park	13-3	LOST at Manchester, 77-89; won at Millikin, 89-61; 01/21 at Illinois Tech
#10	353	Denison	15-1	won at Hiram, 83-77; 01/21 at Kenyon
#11	345	Washington U.	11-3	01/20 vs. New York University; 01/22 vs. Brandeis
#12	321	UW-Eau Claire	13-3	def. UW-Stout, 80-62; 01/21 at UW-Stevens Point
#13	269	Ramapo	15-1	def. William Paterson, 108-85; 01/21 at Stockton
#14	259	Susquehanna	14-2	won at Juniata, 74-59; 01/21 at Drew
#15	258	Middlebury	13-2	def. Green Mountain, 104-75; 01/22 at Williams
#16	257	Amherst	10-4	01/20 vs. Bowdoin; 01/21 vs. Colby
#17	241	Salisbury	13-3	def. Wesley, 70-68; 01/21 at Marymount
#18	174	Marietta	12-4	won at Capital, 78-65; 01/21 vs. John Carroll
#19	161	Benedictine	12-4	def. Dominican, 79-54
#20	159	Augustana	13-3	won at Elmhurst, 85-69; 01/21 at Millikin
#21	130	Claremont-Mudd-Scripps	11-1	def. Occidental, 63-58; 01/19 at Chapman; 01/21 at Cal Lutheran
#22	102	New Jersey City	14-3	won at Rutgers-Newark, 67-52; 01/21 at Rutgers-Camden
#23	101	Neumann	15-1	def. Rosemont, 85-83 OT; 01/21 vs. Clarks Summit
#24	90	Wesleyan	14-3	def. Emmanuel, 80-50; 01/20 at #4 Tufts; 01/21 at Bates
#25	79	UW-Whitewater	13-3	won at UW-Oshkosh, 73-67; 01/21 at UW-Stout

Others receiving votes

Rank	Pts	Team	W-L	Results
#26	62	Guilford	14-2	won at Emory and Henry, 76-59; 01/21 vs. Hampden-Sydney
#27	36	Illinois Wesleyan	12-4	01/21 at Carroll
#28	29	Lycoming	15-2	01/21 at Hood
#29	28	Swarthmore	13-3	def. Haverford, 89-68; 01/21 at Dickinson
#30	24	Hardin-Simmons	13-4	01/21 vs. McMurry
T#31	17	Endicott	12-4	LOST at Roger Williams, 66-73; 01/21 vs. Eastern Nazarene
T#31	17	Hope	12-4	def. Adrian, 75-65; 01/21 at Kalamazoo
#33	15	Bethel	11-4	LOST at St. John's, 81-87; LOST at Concordia-Moorhead, 70-72; 01/21 vs. Hamline
#34	6	MIT	12-4	LOST to #1 Babson, 65-71; 01/21 at Emerson
#35	4	Hanover	13-2	won at Franklin, 78-57; 01/21 at Anderson
T#36	3	Brockport	12-3	01/20 vs. Plattsburgh State; 01/21 vs. SUNY Potsdam
T#36	3	Catholic	13-3	won at Goucher, 81-61; 01/21 at Scranton
#38	1	Carthage	11-5	LOST to Carroll, 76-81; 01/21 at Wheaton (Ill.)