Posters' Poll

[Ralph Turner]

Mr Ypsi, would a linear regression of the each voter's ballot versus the actual poll give you an idea of some voter who is competely off the mark?

I know I had 23 of 25 Pat's and the first 22 of 25 on Mr Ypsi's.
That double-check leads me to believe that my assessment is approximating the consensus.

a) No doubt it would - YOU want to do it?!   I'll send you the data, if so!

b. All it would tell is how tight the consensus is - if it were PERFECTLY tight, a POLL would be redundant, since any one voter would already tell you everything you wanted to know!  (A person who perfectly matches the poll is NOT adding any 'extra value'.)

c. I think it is GREAT that with only twelve voters we none-the-less had votes for 40 schools.  While a few of those named are not on MY radar, it still gives flexibility.  After all, if you have someone drop out of the poll, they have to be replaced by SOMEBODY!

You're the Stats professor!!! 

I thought that you could assign it in a Directed Studies Class. 

[Mr. Ypsi]

Ralph,

Please re-read b and c above!

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Puget Sound was also completely left off one ballot (the other 11 voters averaged about 8th), but that voter has questioned UPS on other boards, so the omission MAY have been intentional.  If not, since being ranked even 16th would have pushed UPS past York, that particular order is iffy. 

I'll own up to it.  That was me.  Honestly, I can't remember if that was intentional or not.  Even so, were I to rank Puget Sound, it would probably not be higher than 22 or so, making the observation above moot (to quote Jesse Jackson from one of the funniest SNL sketches of all time).  I posted about it on the Top 25 board; they have just done nothing other than schedule weak opponents, barely beat tham and exist on the west coast where no one thinks about them.

I also love the fact that no one has any idea what's going on up in Wisconsin, as we have voted for five different WIAC teams this week.  I know I just bit the bullet and lodged three of them at the end of my poll because I honestly couldn't tell which one was better.  Overall the poll was really good.  I might not like some teams getting quite so many votes, but I can't argue with any of those teams receiving at least one vote.  None of them look totally rediculous to me.  Good job all.

Ypsi, so we're locked in at these twelve voters then?  I think that's a good group and a good number.

[Knightstalker]

I forgot to put Hope on the ballot, I have no Hope.   

[smedindy]

I did my power ranking compendium. This will probably influence my ballot a little.

Hope and Albion are down as the power rankings give them no real love - both Massey and Wolfe have them around where I have them on this exercise. SOS is also a factor thre. Some teams bubble up that are surprising.

1. Wittenberg
2. Lawrence
3. Augustana
4. Wooster
5. North Central
6. Baldwin - Wallace (!) - SOS #7 and top 10 in both power rankings.
7. Carnegie Mellon
8. Illinois Wesleyan
9. Hope
10. Albion
11. St. John Fisher
12. York - PA
13. Maryville (!!)
14. Carroll
15. Mississippi College
16. Wisc - LaCrosse (!)
17. Wartburg
18. Coe (!!)
19. Puget Sound
20. Cortland State (!)
21. Bluffton
22. Lincoln
23. Ohio Northern
24. Wisc - Whitewater
25. Loras  (!) - the computers love Iowa, I guess

WPI, NYU, Occidental and Amherst are both hurt by SOS and their power rankings.

[John Gleich]

There's something interesting about Upper Iowa...  I think they've switched over to D-2, but power ratings like Massey still have them at D-3.

This skews the Iowa teams, who still play Upper Iowa.

Never mind, I lied... they don't still play Upper Iowa... but if Upper Iowa is still considered to be in the conference, then the conference may be higher than they should?  I dunno.

[smedindy]

I don't rate the conferences, and I threw out Upper Iowa, Menlo and CSU- East Bay, which Massey has as D-3 and made sure Minnesota Morris was included, which is D-2 on Massey.

Of course, Menlo and CSU-East Bay do have some D-3 sports, just not hoops.

Upper Iowa is listed as an independent.

[Titan Q]

"I posted about it on the Top 25 board; they have just done nothing other than schedule weak opponents, barely beat tham and exist on the west coast where no one thinks about them."


We interviewed Puget Sound's head coach Eric Bridgeland before our WJBC broadcast of the IWU/UPS game in California.  He explained that they specifically came to the Westmont College Tom Bryon Classic because Illinois Wesleyan was in the field and they made their attendance contingent on facing IWU on opening night.  At the time this was scheduled (last year) it was clear IWU would be loaded in 2005-06.  Coach Bridgeland explained that they had a hard time finding games vs great D3 teams and this was a perfect opportunity for his program.

He also scheduled a Division 1 team, UC-Riverside.  While UC-Riverside is nowhere near as good as the D3hoops.com poll's top 10 or so, my guess is that they're about as good as the bottom of the poll or the "others receiving votes" teams.  (Riverside is having an awful season but has beaten UC-Santa Barbara and Pacific - a D1 tournament team last year - since that UPS loss.)

NAIA Warner Pacific College, the team that beat Puget Sound, is 15-5.  They were ranked #5 in NAIA II two weeks ago and #15 last week after 2 losses.  I don't know anything about them, but I know that NAIA II top 20 teams are pretty darn good.

http://naia.collegesports.com/sports/m-baskbl-div2/spec-rel/011106aab.html

Consider how hard it is for Puget Sound to schedule good D3 teams in the non-conference schedule based on their location.  All things considered, I think coach Bridgeland did a pretty commendable job trying to find a few good games. 

[TeeDub]

"I posted about it on the Top 25 board; they have just done nothing other than schedule weak opponents, barely beat tham and exist on the west coast where no one thinks about them."


We interviewed Puget Sound's head coach Eric Bridgeland before our WJBC broadcast of the IWU/UPS game in California.  He explained that they specifically came to the Westmont College Tom Bryon Classic because Illinois Wesleyan was in the field and they made their attendance contingent on facing IWU on opening night.  At the time this was scheduled (last year) it was clear IWU would be loaded in 2005-06.  Coach Bridgeland explained that they had a hard time finding games vs great D3 teams and this was a perfect opportunity for his program.

He also scheduled a Division 1 team, UC-Riverside.  While UC-Riverside is nowhere near as good as the D3hoops.com poll's top 10 or so, my guess is that they're about as good as the bottom of the poll or the "others receiving votes" teams.  (Riverside is having an awful season but has beaten UC-Santa Barbara and Pacific - a D1 tournament team last year - since that UPS loss.)

NAIA Warner Pacific College, the team that beat Puget Sound, is 15-5.  They were ranked #5 in NAIA II two weeks ago and #15 last week after 2 losses.  I don't know anything about them, but I know that NAIA II top 20 teams are pretty darn good.

http://naia.collegesports.com/sports/m-baskbl-div2/spec-rel/011106aab.html

Consider how hard it is for Puget Sound to schedule good D3 teams in the non-conference schedule based on their location.  All things considered, I think coach Bridgeland did a pretty commendable job trying to find a few good games. 

Is this a shout out for UPS scheduling or a lobby effort to improve IWU's QOWI?....I'm only kidding, I couldn't agree more.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Who the heck is Coe?  I didn't even know they were in D3 until I saw Massey this week... I'm not sure whether that's sad for them or sad for me.  What is it about that schedule that makes them so high?  The only two decent teams they've played, they lost to.

[smedindy]

Their SOS is only 47th,  but that conference is always pretty highly rated in these things. 

They also haven't played the dregs of that conference yet. I'm sure they'll slink down after they play Cornell.

Don't worry, I have 394 teams on this spreadsheet, but I do remember Coe because they came to play at the Wabash tourney when I was in elementary school. It was the first college game I saw, Coe against Wabash. I think they beat Slippery Rock that year too to win it.

[Ralph Turner]

Who the heck is Coe?  I didn't even know they were in D3 until I saw Massey this week... I'm not sure whether that's sad for them or sad for me.  What is it about that schedule that makes them so high?  The only two decent teams they've played, they lost to.

Aww Hoopsfan, all of those teams west of the Hudson River look alike!  

Fly-over country, you know! 8)

[Mr. Ypsi]

Just in case anyone downloaded, printed, and/or memorized the Posters' Poll when it first came out (are any of us THAT anal?!), please note a correction has been made among the ORVs.  Ralph messaged wondering if Maryville should be tied for 22nd, since they were listed as both 31 (13 pts) AND t32 (9 pts).  The 9 pts listing was actually Wilmington - the poll has been modified.

[And, Ralph, thanks again for questioning that off-line - you're a real gentleman!  But I thought in retrospect I'd better 'out' myself in case anyone hadn't caught the corrected poll.)

[Ralph Turner]

What occurs in Vegas d3hoops stays in Vegas d3hoops! 8)

Thanks for running the Poll, Mr Ypsi!  Actually, everyone ought to have the benefit of a proofreader!

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Who the heck is Coe?  I didn't even know they were in D3 until I saw Massey this week... I'm not sure whether that's sad for them or sad for me.  What is it about that schedule that makes them so high?  The only two decent teams they've played, they lost to.

Aww Hoopsfan, all of those teams west of the Hudson River look alike!  

Fly-over country, you know! 8)

What's worse is that I'm in KC right now (and have been for the last year) doing grad school.  I should have at least run across them at some point.