Top 25 talk

[Titan Q]

17 candidates for my preseason Top 15.

Brandeis
Dubuque
Emory
Illinois Wesleyan
Johns Hopkins
Marietta
Randolph-Macon
Swarthmore
Trine
Tufts
UMHB
UW-Oshkosh
UW-Platteville
WashU
Wheaton (IL)
Whitworth
Yeshiva

[nescac1]

I would not sleep on WPI and especially St Joe's.  They hung with Yeshiva twice with their best player out, seemingly injured. They have basically the same group of guys (other than maybe their big guy not sure) from 2020, now will all be seniors, and each year seem to bring in 1-2 interesting transfers.  They could be pretty loaded this year and their backcourt is absolutely legit.  No one can match up with both those guys. 

My pre-season New England ranking based on what we know to date (not a ton) goes Tufts, WPI / St. Joes, Brandeis, UMass Dartmouth, Amherst, Williams, Colby, Babson.  Something like that ...

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

If all the guys are back, St. Joe's is a Top 10 team.

[Titan Q]

Another team to keep an eye on - Maryville (TN).

Won USA South reg season and tourney last yr.

Added 2 D1s transfers last yr - Myles Rasnick (ETSU) and Chase Ridenour (TN Tech). Rasnick averaged 15 & 5. Ridenour got hurt in 1st game. Both are back.

2 other all-conf guys back too: JR Sanders and Felix Uadiale.

[Titan Q]

I would not sleep on WPI and especially St Joe's.  They hung with Yeshiva twice with their best player out, seemingly injured. They have basically the same group of guys (other than maybe their big guy not sure) from 2020, now will all be seniors, and each year seem to bring in 1-2 interesting transfers.  They could be pretty loaded this year and their backcourt is absolutely legit.  No one can match up with both those guys. 

My pre-season New England ranking based on what we know to date (not a ton) goes Tufts, WPI / St. Joes, Brandeis, UMass Dartmouth, Amherst, Williams, Colby, Babson.  Something like that ...

I will check both out early for sure.  Based on what I saw last season, I would not have St. Joe's in a top 15...but if a key guy comes back, sure.

[Titan Q]

My way too early Top 25 teams.

Berry
Brandeis
Dubuque
Elmhurst
Emory
IWU
Johns Hopkins
Marietta
Maryville TN
Linfield
New Jersey City
RMC
St. Joe's CT
Swarthmore
Trine
Tufts
UMHB
UW-La Crosse
UW-Oshkosh
UW-Platteville
WashU
Wheaton (IL)
Whitworth
WPI
Yeshiva

The teams in bold would be in my top 3 at this point.

[SpringSt7]

Can we pump the brakes on Yeshiva just a little? I understand it's a great story and I understand that they have put together a great few years but the 2020 tournament getting cancelled has artificially boosted all 16 teams that were still in the dance. For all we know, Yeshiva might've been pasted by Randolph-Macon and we would think totally different than how we do now. Their best regular season win in 2019-20 was a 13-12 Williams team and they beat WPI in a game that got approved for play an hour before tip off and was the first game in the US to be played without fans.

I only say all of this to remind everyone how different the last 2 seasons have been and that a lot of what we're basing these predictions off of is a bunch of nothing.

[WUPHF]

Their best regular season win in 2019-20 was a 13-12 Williams team and they beat WPI in a game that got approved for play an hour before tip off and was the first game in the US to be played without fans.

And without a few key reserves, right?

I like the Yeshiva story as much as anyone, but I am from the Show Me State, so I need to see them play more to believe that they are bold worthy.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Can we pump the brakes on Yeshiva just a little? I understand it's a great story and I understand that they have put together a great few years but the 2020 tournament getting cancelled has artificially boosted all 16 teams that were still in the dance. For all we know, Yeshiva might've been pasted by Randolph-Macon and we would think totally different than how we do now. Their best regular season win in 2019-20 was a 13-12 Williams team and they beat WPI in a game that got approved for play an hour before tip off and was the first game in the US to be played without fans.

I only say all of this to remind everyone how different the last 2 seasons have been and that a lot of what we're basing these predictions off of is a bunch of nothing.

You sound like Q, before he started watching them.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Their best regular season win in 2019-20 was a 13-12 Williams team and they beat WPI in a game that got approved for play an hour before tip off and was the first game in the US to be played without fans.

And without a few key reserves, right?

I like the Yeshiva story as much as anyone, but I am from the Show Me State, so I need to see them play more to believe that they are bold worthy.

The obvious question mark for Yeshiva is clearly consistency.  They've never had to play their best game more than two or three in a row. I don't think, though, if you watched them against Rochester or St Joe's,  or WPI in the tournament, you could say they didn't possess top level talent.

In a year with lots of unknowns, an experienced, talented, deep squad with two of the 10-15 best players in the country, is a pretty solid pick.

There may end up being 10 teams better than Yeshiva this year, but we couldn't know who they are right now.

[WUPHF]

I did watch Yeshiva play Rochester last year.

I think Rochester has been overrated as of late, but a good, neutral court win for Yeshiva nonetheless.  Turrell made some unbelievable shots in the final 10 minutes otherwise, that game would have gone down to the wire.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I did watch Yeshiva play Rochester last year.

I think Rochester has been overrated as of late, but a good, neutral court win for Yeshiva nonetheless.  Turrell made some unbelievable shots in the final 10 minutes otherwise, that game would have gone down to the wire.

My hesitation with Yeshiva for three years has been the disperity between a good night and a bad one. So far, though, they've been ready when they've had to be. That's all you can ask,  right?

[PoppersMacsLive]

I assume the best player you are referring to is #1, Delshawn Jackson.
The story with him last year was sad but simple—he was severely out of shape. That's why he essentially didn't play.
Whether or not he is back in shape will, in my opinion, dictate whether or not St. Joe's is a Top 10 team.

I would not sleep on WPI and especially St Joe's.  They hung with Yeshiva twice with their best player out, seemingly injured. They have basically the same group of guys (other than maybe their big guy not sure) from 2020, now will all be seniors, and each year seem to bring in 1-2 interesting transfers.  They could be pretty loaded this year and their backcourt is absolutely legit.  No one can match up with both those guys. 

My pre-season New England ranking based on what we know to date (not a ton) goes Tufts, WPI / St. Joes, Brandeis, UMass Dartmouth, Amherst, Williams, Colby, Babson.  Something like that ...

[Titan Q]

Their best regular season win in 2019-20 was a 13-12 Williams team and they beat WPI in a game that got approved for play an hour before tip off and was the first game in the US to be played without fans.

And without a few key reserves, right?

I like the Yeshiva story as much as anyone, but I am from the Show Me State, so I need to see them play more to believe that they are bold worthy.

The obvious question mark for Yeshiva is clearly consistency.  They've never had to play their best game more than two or three in a row. I don't think, though, if you watched them against Rochester or St Joe's,  or WPI in the tournament, you could say they didn't possess top level talent.

In a year with lots of unknowns, an experienced, talented, deep squad with two of the 10-15 best players in the country, is a pretty solid pick.

There may end up being 10 teams better than Yeshiva this year, but we couldn't know who they are right now.

The question mark for me with Yeshiva is how they handle WIAC/CCIW type size.  6-6 Leiffer is a great player...but is he big enough to handle the best D3 5s?  I don't know.

IWU's 6-7/235 All-American F Matt Leritz is not a Jack Flynn type (Matt is more of a 4)...but Leiffer vs Leritz will be really interesting on 12/30 in NYC.  And IWU will have a few more 6-7+ types in the low post rotation...I'm interested to see how Yeshiva handles that.

[SpringSt7]

Can we pump the brakes on Yeshiva just a little? I understand it's a great story and I understand that they have put together a great few years but the 2020 tournament getting cancelled has artificially boosted all 16 teams that were still in the dance. For all we know, Yeshiva might've been pasted by Randolph-Macon and we would think totally different than how we do now. Their best regular season win in 2019-20 was a 13-12 Williams team and they beat WPI in a game that got approved for play an hour before tip off and was the first game in the US to be played without fans.

I only say all of this to remind everyone how different the last 2 seasons have been and that a lot of what we're basing these predictions off of is a bunch of nothing.

You sound like Q, before he started watching them.

Williams has had Yeshiva on the schedule since 2017 so I would actually say I've watched them for longer than most. They are a great team and I am glad to see the board recognizes concerns similar to the ones I have. If anything, I think based on the talk around Leifer in particular, people aren't watching him/them enough as his numbers severely overrate him as a player, although they probably still capture his impact. But when you are the only person on your team who goes for rebounds and you hold the ball at the top of the key for 20 seconds every possession, your rebound and assist numbers are going to be pretty good. I felt like Simcha Halpert was a better player than Leifer and a much more important player than he got credit for, because of his able to shoot off the catch and off the dribble, while being their only real PnR threat.

I guess I'm overthinking it a little as there are more question marks nationally than ever more and they are certainly a surer thing than most.