Top 25 talk

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Lincoln is done with their schedule.  The whole NESCAC is done.

[hugenerd]

The rest of the NEWMAC finishes up tomorrow.  WPI is already done.

[Greek Tragedy]

Lakeland (16-3, in-region LMC) has an outside shot.  They have 5 teams ahead of them in the Midwest Region, but two are CCIW teams and two are MWC teams, while Transy is the other one.  At the least, they could have just two teams ahead of them.

[wooscotsfan]

Final:  Ohio Wesleyan 86  #1 Wooster 83

Bishops pull the upset on their home floor knocking off #1 Wooster.  OWU was led by Andy Warnock, Ben Chojnacki and Kyle Holliday all with double figure points.

Wooster had 4 players in double figures today but didn't shoot well enough to get the job done.  Wooster was actually down 11 points with 3 minutes left, mounted a comeback and then missed a three pointer at the buzzer that would have sent the game to OT.

Congrats to Ohio Wesleyan on the big upset.

Wooster is now 23-2, 15-1 NCAC.  Wooster next plays Kenyon in the NCAC tourney and the Scots will host the NCAC tourney finals if they get by the Lords.

GO SCOTS!!

[David Collinge]

More carnage at the top of the poll today.  Aside from Wooster's loss, #3 Baldwin-Wallace is dropped by Capital in Columbus, 76-71.

[smedindy]

Things I've learned about the 2005-06 D-3 hoops season.

1. No one wants a Pool B bid besides Lincoln.
2. No one wants to be ranked in the top 10 and / or top 25.

[David Collinge]

Things I've learned about the 2005-06 D-3 hoops season.

1. No one wants a Pool B bid besides Lincoln.
2. No one wants to be ranked in the top 10 and / or top 25.

...besides Lawrence.

[smedindy]

True 'dat...

[Mr. Ypsi]

With losses this week by #1 Wooster (today), #3 Baldwin-Wallace (both Wednesday and today), and #4 Wittenberg (Wednesday), Lawrence will obviously be #1 (quite possibly unanymously).  IF they can win the MWC tourney, they would presumably stay there for the final regular season poll.

If that happens, they will be the first team to ever finish in #1 while being unranked in the pre-season poll (they had 24 points, which placed them well down in the ORVs).  The only other time a team began even outside the top ten was the first poll, when Calvin started at #22.  Otherwise, Chicago started at #8, Randolph-Macon at #6, and Carthage, Williams, and UWSP at started and finished at #1.

Yet another tidbit in what a wacky season this has been!

[diehardfan]

Nice piece of research there chuck... you've officially been karmaed for that one. 

[Maq Diesel]

What does a team have to do to get just one vote for the top 25.  Gordon College has a pretty good resume and can't seem to sneak into the voting.  I understand they don't play in the greatest conference in the world, but wrapping up the regular season at 22-3 (including 17 straight), 21-2 in-region and 15-1 in conference and a QOWI in the top 14, what is preventing them from getting votes?  Teams from the CCC have had at least one vote for the last 4 years and I think Gordon is as deserving as any of those teams and has great stats to back it up.

[Ralph Turner]

What does a team have to do to get just one vote for the top 25.  Gordon College has a pretty good resume and can't seem to sneak into the voting.  I understand they don't play in the greatest conference in the world, but wrapping up the regular season at 22-3 (including 17 straight), 21-2 in-region and 15-1 in conference and a QOWI in the top 14, what is preventing them from getting votes?  Teams from the CCC have had at least one vote for the last 4 years and I think Gordon is as deserving as any of those teams and has great stats to back it up.

What does a team have to do to get just one vote for the top 25[.] sic ?

Maq, I will tackle that question.  I am a South Region fan.  The South Region is only very, very average.  We have not had a South Region team to make the Finals in the last 6 years.

As I look at whom Gordon has played, they lost to a very average Emory in the UAA and only beat a relatively weak Piedmont in the GSAC. 

As a contributor to the Posters' Poll I am certain that many of my colleauges look at that ballot and can easily find 25 more worthy candidates.  Pat's more experienced pollsters likewise do the same. 

As I try to evaluate the quality of play in the Northeast region relative to teams that I know, I see that Endicott defeated the GNAC-leading Norwich, who lost to Texas Lutheran on a neutral floor.  Texas Lutheran is at the bottom half of the ASC-West, only a "mid-major" among D3 conferences.  That doesn't give me much confidence in the invincibility of the CCC.  As for having such good numbers, please see my response (not a URL) to a Trinity CT fan concernng the general impression of teams in the Northeast and the records that they have on the Pool C board.

Re: Pool C
« Reply #243 on: February 16, 2006, 11:54:41 pm »

Gordon would have a stronger case if they were undefeated with a "quality" convincing road win over Emory.  If Gordon makes it to the Northeast Sectional finals (Elite 8 ), then I will consider them for a vote.  Otherwise I will assume that Gordon has benefitted from the same intra-region dynamics that the NESCAC has.

Have a good week!

[smedindy]

Gordon's SOS is pretty weak. I'm not convinced.

[Mr. Ypsi]

Updates for this past week's games for the top 25 (and 21 others 'knocking at the door' - or in a couple of cases, NOT ANYMORE) are on the Posters' Poll page.

[woosterbooster]

Are there now any teams that have already secured NCAA bids by virtue of winning a conference that does not have a conference tournament?