Top 25 talk

[Greek Tragedy]

Lakeland hasn't played anyone and won.  They lost to La Crosse who is ranked in the West Region.  If this was last year and they beat Point, then they'd get some street cred.  Beating up on Lake Forest, Northland Baptist Bible College, Ill. Tech and Viterbo aren't going to win you any points, especially since only Lake Forest is a D3 member.  They were more than respectable vs. Hope, but that's still a loss.  Losing to future conference members in NIIC reps Benedictine and Rockford isn't helping either.  The only solid nonconference win is against Point, and they aren't even receiving any votes...they're just in the WIAC, so that looks good.

[Jon]

I had a feeling those two loses would come back to bite the Crusaders.  

I think the beauty of an expanded March bracket will be the opportunity for more teams to understand just how they stack up against the competition.  Now the trick is to assure a place in the expanded bracket.

[wooscotsfan]

Final:  #1 Wooster 97  Kenyon 72

Wooster clinches their 11th NCAC regular season title!    

Wooster led by more than 30 points before clearing the bench.  Wooster had 5 players in double figures tonight led by James Cooper with 21 points, Tim Vandervaart with 13 points, Evan Will with 13 points, Tom Port with 11 markers and Brandon Johnson with 10 points.

Wooster is now 23-1, 15-0 in the NCAC!     Next game at OWU on 2/18.

GO SCOTS!!

[David Collinge]

Forgive me if this has been asked and posted...

Anyone know how many times in the history of the D3hoops.com poll one conference has had 4 teams in?  The CCIW currently has #9 Augustana, #10 Illinois Wesleyan, #21 North Central, and #25 Elmhurst.  I'm guessing we have had 4 WIAC teams a few times?

Thought it'd be worth a mention on Hoopsville tonight.

That's correct.  The WIAC has done this six times in three seasons, as follows:
2004-05, week 10: SP 2, P'ville 21, Stout 22, Oshkosh 23
2002-03, week 8: SP 9, WW 11, Oshkosh 20, Stout 25
2002-03, week 5: SP 6, Osh 14, EC 16, WW 22
2002-03, week 4: SP 6, Osh 9, EC 15, WW 22
2002-03, week 3: SP 6, Osh 10, EC 21, WW 22
2001-02, week 11: SP 14, Osh 15, WW 20, LaX 24

No other conference has accomplished this feat, until the CCIW did it this week.

[Greek Tragedy]

Wow.

[Mr. Ypsi]

David,

I knew you'd come through!  (Hope it was in time for Q's broadcast.)

What's even more impressive about the WIAC being previously the only conference is that they did it with SEVEN different teams!

More evidence that, although I suspect the WIAC is only battling the NESCAC for #3 THIS year (#1 CCIW, #2 UAA), they are perennially the OVERALL best conference in d3.

[Gregory Sager]

More evidence that, although I suspect the WIAC is only battling the NESCAC for #3 THIS year (#1 CCIW, #2 UAA), they are perennially the OVERALL best conference in d3.

Chuck, I'm still not ready to hand the silver medal to the UAA this season. I've seen three UAA teams thus far this season (Chicago three times, Carnegie Mellon and Brandeis once apiece), and I'll see Wash U as well next weekend. Based upon what I've seen it looks to me as though the UAA is a top-five-for-sure conference -- but probably not better than the WIAC. I've seen UW-Whitewater this season, too, and I think they'd beat Carnegie Mellon. I also think that the top four teams in the CCIW would each beat Carnegie Mellon on a neutral floor.

[TheFence]

Probably the wrong board but I'd have to disagree with Mr Sager, and I would have the UAA the #2 conference this year.  Both conferences ( WIAC and UAA)are elite in 2006 and therefore they beat each other up.  The tie-breaker for me has to be non-conference performance and I think the UAA  edges the WIAC out this season.

At the top of the conferences you may be right Whitewater and the top four from the CCIW may beat Carnegie Mellon this year.  But you may be wrong, Carnegie Mellon did beat Princeton who now has 7 D1 wins.  So just because you think the Top of the CCIW and WIAC are better than Top of the UAA doesn't make it fact.  The fact is we'll never know unless the meet come march.

At the bottom of the conference the UAA definately has the edge in my book. Both Emory and Case are better than River Falls, Eau Claire, and Superior.  Of course the same 'we'll never know argument' applies here as well. However records and quality wins seem to be a pretty good indicator here.  Both Case and Emory have solid wins in the conference and out of it, which to me makes them a tougher bottom of the conference game to win.

The UAA may not be as good as the WIAC year in and year out but in 06 the UAA deserves some respect, Top 2 respect in my book.

Of course I say all of this proudly not having seen a WIAC game this season. (I have seen multiple CCIW and UAA games as well as NESCAC games.) 

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I've said it before, I think the bottom of the UAA is far superior than the bottom of any other conference.  There is much more parity and at a high level in the UAA than in any other conference.  However, I'm not sure the top teams (Rochester, CMU, WashU, NYU) are on par with the top two teams in any other major league.  Augie and IWU seem to be on a higher level, and probably the WIAC teams as well.  Amherst might be better, but probably no one else in the NESCAC.

I'd have to go: CCIW, WIAC, UAA, and then a conglomeration of several conferences with quality teams, but not quite on the elite level.  NESCAC, ODAC, MIAA.  I think the OAC and the MWC are better than they get credit for as well.

[bamm]

Hoops Fan -- In your opinion is this year's Amherst squad better than last year's, even with the loss of Schiel?  I was pretty unimpressed with their showing against Rochester on their home floor in the NCAA's last March.  Would this team fair better?

   

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I think there is less talent on this team without Schiel, but this team has the experience from last year and a lot of very good returning players.  I think they are poised to do better and be a tougher out than last year's squad.  Honestly, I didn't pay enough attention to the contributions of the returning players last year to know how much they've improved.  I can't realistically comment on talent level, but their level of play is definately up.  I think they are better as a team than last year.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

That being said: I still don't think they belong in the top ten; I'm not sure there is anybody east of Wooster who does right now.

[Pat Coleman]

Who, east of Wooster, would you rank highest?

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I think CMU, York, VA Wesleyan, Randolph-Macon, Lincoln, Amherst, Rochester, maybe NYU, but I'm not toally sold and Ursinius.  I think they are all playing pretty well, but not on the level of a top ten team.  Add Cortland or Fisher if you want ten.

This is in no particular order, although I think York, Amherst and the UAA and ODAC schools are probably near the top.

Everyone forgot about RMC when Wansley went down for a while, but they have been playing great of late; I hope they can make the tournament and get put into the A/MA region to give it some more depth.

[bamm]

Fisher belongs on that list, but I'm not sure about Cortland.  Fisher choaked away a game @ RMC.  They won @Rochester, something only CMU has done in the UAA.  They also played Baldwin-Wallace tough on a neutral floor.  Their inside play is much improved over last year, they seem tougher (and that should have been a goal after getting pounded by a big, physical Potsdam squad in the NCAA's last year).

Cortland plays great defense, but the knock on them is they have trouble scoring and don't have a go-to-guy.  Having seen them play twice, those are valid points.  But any team that plays solid D and has several three point threats (which they do) has a shot in any game.