Top 25 talk

[Titan Q]

I'm surprised to see no love for Scranton, who seems like the number two team in their region this year (after Swarthmore).  They return all five starters from a 20-6 team, and two of those starters were frosh last year, and a third a sophomore in his first year playing after an injury, so they figure to be much improved.  They only graduated one senior total and add a very highly-regarded frosh guard to the mix.  Given that their top competition (Drew and Moravian) look down and in light of a weak non-league schedule, I'd bet they cruise through the regular season with hardly any losses.

Love starts with someone posting some good details like this.

Consider the love activated now.

[Greek Tragedy]

I'm surprised to see no love for Scranton, who seems like the number two team in their region this year (after Swarthmore).  They return all five starters from a 20-6 team, and two of those starters were frosh last year, and a third a sophomore in his first year playing after an injury, so they figure to be much improved.  They only graduated one senior total and add a very highly-regarded frosh guard to the mix.  Given that their top competition (Drew and Moravian) look down and in light of a weak non-league schedule, I'd bet they cruise through the regular season with hardly any losses.

I didn't look back, but for some reason, I thought someone mentioned Scranton already. Yeah, they could be the real deal with everyone back.

[Titan Q]

My work-in-progress ballot 10/24.  It is a very fluid situation.

1. UW-Oshkosh
2. North Central
3. Swarthmore
4. Amherst
5. Emory
6. Wash U
7. Nebraska Wesleyan
8. Wittenberg
9. Middlebury
10. St. John's
11. Texas-Dallas
12. Augustana
13. Christopher Newport
14. St. Thomas
15. Wooster
16. Whitman
17. Nichols
18. Wabash
19. Eastern Connecticut St
20. Marietta
21. Augsburg
22. Scranton
23. Guilford
24 & 25. [You Pick Two: WPI? Simpson? UW-Platteville? Oswego St? Oneonta St? Brockport St? Virginia Wesleyan? Other?]


Watch List When Season Starts (also a work-in-progress)
* WPI
* Simpson
* UW-Platteville
* Oswego St/Oneonta St/Brockport St
* Salem State
* St. John Fisher
* York (Pa)
* Virginia Wesleyan
* CCIW #3 (Illinois Wesleyan? Carthage?)
* WIAC #3
* Randolph-Macon
* UAA #3
* Babson
* WPI
* MIAA #1 (Albion? Trine? Calvin? Hope?)

[Greek Tragedy]

https://www.odaconline.com/sports/mbkb/2019-20/releases/102419-mbkb-preseasonpoll

Guilford!

[Titan Q]

https://www.odaconline.com/sports/mbkb/2019-20/releases/102419-mbkb-preseasonpoll

Guilford!

Nice...finally have a little ODAC clarity.

Guilford is officially on my ballot.  Virginia Wesleyan and Randolph-Macon to the Watch List.

[WUPHF]

UAA No. 3...I did not expect to see that...but let's see.  That has to be Brandeis.

[Titan Q]

UAA No. 3...I did not expect to see that...but let's see.  That has to be Brandeis.

I have no idea how good UAA #3 is this year, but in general I look 3 deep in the top leagues.

[nescac1]

Titan Q, that top 25 (and for sure that top 10) looks pretty much dead-on to me.  Better than Street & Smith, certainly .  Personally, I'm less sold on Nichols than seemingly everyone else, because Echevarria did so much for them (even more than his stats suggest), and they were a pretty shallow team without an obvious replacement, and plus there is a coaching transition to deal with, but certainly that isn't unreasonable.  I might move Eastern Conn up a bit and Nichols down, but again, I think I'm a bit of an outlier on Nichols. 

I have a feeling that another New England team or two from the group of WPI, Babson, Williams, Hamilton, Tufts, Colby, Trinity, maybe even St. Joe's CT if their highly-regarded freshman is for real (although very likely a year early for them) will end up in the Top 25 by January, but among that group, I have no idea which.  Babson to me probably has the best chance, assuming transfer Ainge makes a big impact, but any of them could make a decent case and any of those cases could be fairly shot down .... 

[WUPHF]

UAA No. 3...I did not expect to see that...but let's see.  That has to be Brandeis.

I have no idea how good UAA #3 is this year, but in general I look 3 deep in the top leagues.

This does make sense to me.

[ronk]

I'm surprised to see no love for Scranton, who seems like the number two team in their region this year (after Swarthmore).  They return all five starters from a 20-6 team, and two of those starters were frosh last year, and a third a sophomore in his first year playing after an injury, so they figure to be much improved.  They only graduated one senior total and add a very highly-regarded frosh guard to the mix.  Given that their top competition (Drew and Moravian) look down and in light of a weak non-league schedule, I'd bet they cruise through the regular season with hardly any losses.

I didn't look back, but for some reason, I thought someone mentioned Scranton already. Yeah, they could be the real deal with everyone back.

I did mention Scranton earlier, but didn't include any of the reasons that nescac accurately stated.

[Titan Q]

Titan Q, that top 25 (and for sure that top 10) looks pretty much dead-on to me.  Better than Street & Smith, certainly . 

My goal is to be better than Street & Smith's.  (I like to set the bar low.)

[Gregory Sager]

Herve Villechaize couldn't limbo underneath that bar, Bob.

[Titan Q]

Herve Villechaize couldn't limbo underneath that bar, Bob.

De plane.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Titan Q, that top 25 (and for sure that top 10) looks pretty much dead-on to me.  Better than Street & Smith, certainly .  Personally, I'm less sold on Nichols than seemingly everyone else, because Echevarria did so much for them (even more than his stats suggest), and they were a pretty shallow team without an obvious replacement, and plus there is a coaching transition to deal with, but certainly that isn't unreasonable.  I might move Eastern Conn up a bit and Nichols down, but again, I think I'm a bit of an outlier on Nichols. 

I'm on the extreme opposite of the spectrum.  Echevarria was a great leader and a big boost to team confidence, for sure, and the loss of that (along with another coach) is going to be hard to measure.  I don't think he was very good defensively and I do think the Nichols roster is more than capable of making up his scoring (as prodigious as it was).  There's a ton of talent there, plus all the experience these guys amassed as young players.  I'm on board early; we'll see how the season plays out.

Another team that's popped onto my radar since I started looking more thoroughly is Covenant.  They graduated their PG, but that's it.  The rest of the team is back, including 6'9" Will Crumly - a legit All-American candidate.

I also didn't see you mention Springfield, Bob.  Obviously a terrible season last year, but two really, really talented players (presumably both healthy).  Might be another to consider near the bottom.

I'm also considering voting for Pomona-Pitzer.  They lost an incredible talent in Daniel Rosenbaum, but I thought that was a really talented, deep team, with a great sense of unified play on both ends of the court.  Bringing back all but two of those players could make for a formidable force.

[Greek Tragedy]

Titan Q, that top 25 (and for sure that top 10) looks pretty much dead-on to me.  Better than Street & Smith, certainly . 

My goal is to be better than Street & Smith's.  (I like to set the bar low.)

Pretty sure that bar is actually on the ground.