Posters' Poll

[Mr. Ypsi]

Seven ballots in so far, and people are obviously having trouble with the bottom third of the ballot.  38 teams named so far, and 9 are orphans!

MANY slots still in tight battles, so your vote WILL count.

I probably added a couple orphans to that list.

You nailed it - you added exactly two orphans.   [So far, KS is the leader with 4 orphans.]

We're less than two hours from the intended posting time, but we're still at only 9 ballots.  PLEASE tell me there are more on the way!

[Mr. Ypsi]

Never heard from anyone, so here we go with a disappointing 9 ballots.

1.  Wooster        222 (1,1,1,1,1,1,2,2,2)
2.  Whitworth     219 (1,1,1,2,2,2,2,2,2)
3.  Middlebury     204 (3,3,3,3,3,3,4,4,4)
4.  Augustana     193 (3,3,4,4,4,5,6,6,6)
5.  Williams          192 (3,4,4,4,5,5,5,6,6)
6.  Va Wes           166 (5,5,6,7,7,8,10,10,10)
7.  Amherst          165 (5,5,6,7,7,7,8,12,12)
8.  St. Thomas      163 (5,6,6,8,8,9,9,10,10)
9.  UWRF              157 (7,7,7,8,9,9,9,10,11)
10 Randy Mac       147 (8,8,9,9,10,10,11,11,11)
11 UWSP              140 (7,7,7,8,9,11,11,11,11,12)
12 Wabash           134 (8,8,9,11,12,12,13,13,14)
13 WPI                  106 (12,13,13,13,13,15,16,16,17)
14 W. Conn             96 (12,14,14,14,14,15,16,18,21)
15 St. Norbert         91 (12,13,14,15,15,15,16,17,-)
16 Lewis&Clark       83 (13,14,14,15,16,16,18,20,25)
17 EMU                   61 (13,16,16,18,18,19,21,-,-)
18 St. Mary's           48 (14,18,18,19,19,23,24,25,-)
19 Chapman           45 (17,18,20,21,21,21,21,24.-)
20 Ferrum               43 (17,19,19,19,20,22,23,-,-)
21 Marietta             35 (15,19,20,21,22,24,-,-,-)
22 Ramapo             31 (16,19,20,22,22,-,-,-,-)
23 Becker               26 (17,17,22,23,25,-,-,-,-)
t24 Centre             23 (17,20,21,23,-,-,-,-,-)
t24 IWU                 23 (17,17,23,25,25,-,-,-,-)

26 Concordia WI    21 (19,22,22,22,24)
27 Hanover            13 (15,24)
t28 Anderson          12 (20,20)
t28 UMHB                12 (20,22,24)
t30 Scranton            11 18,24,25)
t30 Kean                  11 (15)
32 Birmingham-S       8 (18)
33 Franklin&M           6 (23,23)
t34 Hope                  5 (23,24)
t34 Randolph           5 (21)
36 Oswego              3 (23)
37 Rochester           2 (24)
t38 Elizabethtown    1
t38 Hobart                1
t38 Wittenberg         1

[Mr. Ypsi]

Two quick notes:

Wooster and Whitworth got ALL of the #1 and #2 votes.  They seem uncatchable until one or the other loses.

Our top 12 (just like in the 'real' poll) is the same top 12 as last week (just re-arranged a bit).  Not QUITE as solid (last week they had 119 of 120 possible votes; this week 105 of 108), but again a steep drop to #13.

[sac]

t34 Hope                  5 (23,24)

I haven't voted yet this year so I know it wasn't me,  not sure if FDF is doing it or not.........I was pretty surprised that Hope didn't get at least a couple votes in the real poll.

12-5, 8-2 vs D3 and two of their early losses came to teams that are 19-3 and 18-4 in the first two games of the year.  Another a 1 point loss @ Carthage, and a 4th to the probable 3-time National Champion in NCCAA II.

Funny thing is if Hope had played Oberlin and Earlham instead of Davenport and Cornerstone they would be ranked at 14-3.

[KnightSlappy]

t34 Hope                  5 (23,24)

I haven't voted yet this year so I know it wasn't me,  not sure if FDF is doing it or not.........I was pretty surprised that Hope didn't get at least a couple votes in the real poll.

12-5, 8-2 vs D3 and two of their early losses came to teams that are 19-3 and 18-4 in the first two games of the year.  Another a 1 point loss @ Carthage, and a 4th to the probable 3-time National Champion in NCCAA II.

Funny thing is if Hope had played Oberlin and Earlham instead of Davenport and Cornerstone they would be ranked at 14-3.

Or they could simply change the spelling from H-O-P-E to I-W-U. They surely would have received votes then.

I'll claim the #23 vote.

[Gregory Sager]

t34 Hope                  5 (23,24)

I haven't voted yet this year so I know it wasn't me,  not sure if FDF is doing it or not.........I was pretty surprised that Hope didn't get at least a couple votes in the real poll.

12-5, 8-2 vs D3 and two of their early losses came to teams that are 19-3 and 18-4 in the first two games of the year.  Another a 1 point loss @ Carthage, and a 4th to the probable 3-time National Champion in NCCAA II.

Funny thing is if Hope had played Oberlin and Earlham instead of Davenport and Cornerstone they would be ranked at 14-3.

Or they could simply change the spelling from H-O-P-E to I-W-U. They surely would have received votes then.

I'll claim the #23 vote.

I was the other person who put Hope on my ballot. And, yeah, I didn't put Illinois Wesleyan on mine, either. The Titans team that I saw on Saturday night is not a team that belongs in the Top 25, at least not right now.

[sac]

Hope and IWU have had similar seasons this year with regards to injuries and personnel.  Neither has played very many games with the lineup they thought they would have in October (in Hope's case that # will be zero).  I think IWU's injury woes have been potentially more damaging to their success.  Hope has admirably been able to work around their roster issues with surprising success.  That success is tenuous and I certainly don't think they are in a position to take anyone for granted in the MIAA this year.

[Mr. Ypsi]

t34 Hope                  5 (23,24)

I haven't voted yet this year so I know it wasn't me,  not sure if FDF is doing it or not.........I was pretty surprised that Hope didn't get at least a couple votes in the real poll.

12-5, 8-2 vs D3 and two of their early losses came to teams that are 19-3 and 18-4 in the first two games of the year.  Another a 1 point loss @ Carthage, and a 4th to the probable 3-time National Champion in NCCAA II.

Funny thing is if Hope had played Oberlin and Earlham instead of Davenport and Cornerstone they would be ranked at 14-3.

Or they could simply change the spelling from H-O-P-E to I-W-U. They surely would have received votes then.

I'll claim the #23 vote.

I was the other person who put Hope on my ballot. And, yeah, I didn't put Illinois Wesleyan on mine, either. The Titans team that I saw on Saturday night is not a team that belongs in the Top 25, at least not right now.

Yet in the 'real' poll, IWU is #20 (not tied for #24).

As someone who bleeds green I have to say: maybe there is a reason you guys vote in my poll, not Pat's!

(Wait, did I really post that?   Bad, Ypsi, Bad, Ypsi! )

It has (so far, at least) been a very disappointing season for the Titans.  I honestly expected them to have no more than two losses by this point.  They will be a heavy underdog on Wednesday AT Augustana, but I'm picking them anyway (in a heart over head) 'cause I see that as the last chance for anyone to keep Augie from running away with the regular-season title.

[Gregory Sager]

Hope and IWU have had similar seasons this year with regards to injuries and personnel.  Neither has played very many games with the lineup they thought they would have in October (in Hope's case that # will be zero).  I think IWU's injury woes have been potentially more damaging to their success.

That's what depth is for, and we've been told repeatedly that Illinois Wesleyan has great depth. Hope has made its depth work better for it than has IWU thus far in conference play. Heck, I was very impressed by the way Hope made its depth work for it in the narrow loss to Carthage that I saw up in the Toolshed in Kenosha back in December. And it wasn't injuries that cost Illinois Wesleyan a win on Saturday night; the four leading scorers for the Titans were all healthy, all started, and all played most of the game. And they scored 44 points on 44 field goal attempts.

Regardless, even if injuries were the major reason why the Titans have struggled, the whole point of the poll is to rank the top 25 teams in the nation as they are, not as they would theoretically be if everyone was healthy.

Yet in the 'real' poll, IWU is #20 (not tied for #24).

As someone who bleeds green I have to say: maybe there is a reason you guys vote in my poll, not Pat's!

Riiiight. 'cause all those pollsters of Pat's who haven't seen the Titans know so much more about them than people like me who have seen them play.

I've spent over three decades watching Division III basketball. I know what a Top 25 team looks like, Chuck. And right now Illinois Wesleyan does not look like a Top 25 team. It might look like one a couple or three weeks from now; who knows? But at the moment this is one that the pollsters got wrong. I'll go one step further, in fact, and state that Wheaton shouldn't be getting any votes at the moment, either. The only CCIW team that's playing at a Top 25 level is Augustana.

It has (so far, at least) been a very disappointing season for the Titans.  I honestly expected them to have no more than two losses by this point.  They will be a heavy underdog on Wednesday AT Augustana, but I'm picking them anyway (in a heart over head) 'cause I see that as the last chance for anyone to keep Augie from running away with the regular-season title.

Augustana is going to win the league, Chuck. It's over. Make your peace with it.

[Ralph Turner]

Augustana 17-0  6-0


The road to a perfect season literally will be the last 4 games on the road.

1/26    vs. Illinois Wesleyan * •    8:30 PM    LS A
1/29    at Elmhurst * •    8:30 PM    A
2/2    vs. North Park * •    8:30 PM    LS A
2/5    vs. Carthage * •    8:30 PM    LS A A
2/9    at Wheaton (Ill.) * •    8:30 PM    LS V A A
2/12    at Millikin * •    8:30 PM    A
2/19    at North Central (Ill.) * •    8:30 PM    A
2/22    at Illinois Wesleyan * •    8:30 PM    LS A A

[Mr. Ypsi]

Greg, Augie will almost certainly win the regular-season title, but IWU can change the odds drastically if they upset them tomorrow - hence, my pickems pick.

If and when my 'heart over head' pick fails, THEN I'll make peace with it - but not before, confound it!

[Gregory Sager]

Augustana 17-0  6-0


The road to a perfect season literally will be the last 4 games on the road.

1/26    vs. Illinois Wesleyan * •    8:30 PM    LS A
1/29    at Elmhurst * •    8:30 PM    A
2/2    vs. North Park * •    8:30 PM    LS A
2/5    vs. Carthage * •    8:30 PM    LS A A
2/9    at Wheaton (Ill.) * •    8:30 PM    LS V A A
2/12    at Millikin * •    8:30 PM    A
2/19    at North Central (Ill.) * •    8:30 PM    A
2/22    at Illinois Wesleyan * •    8:30 PM    LS A A

It's hard to sort this out via the CCIW record book, but, as far as I can tell, this is the deepest that any CCIW team has ever gotten into the season with an unblemished record in the 65-year history of the league. It appears that the previous best starts were Wheaton's in 1995-96 (12 games) and Carthage's in 2001-02 (11 games). Both of those teams won the league that year ... but both of them started out with a loss very early in league play (Wheaton lost to IWU in the second game of the CCIW slate in '96, Carthage lost to Elmhurst in the CCIW opener in '02).

[sac]

Hope and IWU have had similar seasons this year with regards to injuries and personnel.  Neither has played very many games with the lineup they thought they would have in October (in Hope's case that # will be zero).  I think IWU's injury woes have been potentially more damaging to their success.  Hope has admirably been able to work around their roster issues with surprising success.  That success is tenuous and I certainly don't think they are in a position to take anyone for granted in the MIAA this year.

I don't know IWU's personnel as well as CCIW or IWU posters obviously, I can only clarify Hope's roster.

Right now they are playing without 3 of their top 7 or 8 players they expected to have at the beginning of the year.  Two starters, one an All-American candidate out for the year, the other the starting Center who's been out since the first game with no timetable on a return,  the 3rd was probably one of their top 3 point shooters and not a bad scorer when the game fell his way, he left school at the end of the first semester.

They were also playing without a nice looking wing player, albeit with almost no game experience coming into this season.  He's finally healthy and has played a bit in the last 2 or 3 MIAA contests.  Lastly at the semester break they lost a another bench player who was another 3 point sharp shooter, may not have contributed big minutes but its still a blow to your roster depth and practice squads.

So really 5 of the top 12 or 13 on the roster.


It has been one of the strangest seasons in Holland I can recall.

[sac]

Augustana 17-0  6-0


The road to a perfect season literally will be the last 4 games on the road.

1/26    vs. Illinois Wesleyan * •    8:30 PM    LS A
1/29    at Elmhurst * •    8:30 PM    A
2/2    vs. North Park * •    8:30 PM    LS A
2/5    vs. Carthage * •    8:30 PM    LS A A
2/9    at Wheaton (Ill.) * •    8:30 PM    LS V A A
2/12    at Millikin * •    8:30 PM    A
2/19    at North Central (Ill.) * •    8:30 PM    A
2/22    at Illinois Wesleyan * •    8:30 PM    LS A A

It's hard to sort this out via the CCIW record book, but, as far as I can tell, this is the deepest that any CCIW team has ever gotten into the season with an unblemished record in the 65-year history of the league. It appears that the previous best starts were Wheaton's in 1995-96 (12 games) and Carthage's in 2001-02 (11 games). Both of those teams won the league that year ... but both of them started out with a loss very early in league play (Wheaton lost to IWU in the second game of the CCIW slate in '96, Carthage lost to Elmhurst in the CCIW opener in '02).

That's kind of ridiculous.

[Ralph Turner]

Augustana 17-0  6-0


The road to a perfect season literally will be the last 4 games on the road.

1/26    vs. Illinois Wesleyan * •    8:30 PM    LS A
1/29    at Elmhurst * •    8:30 PM    A
2/2    vs. North Park * •    8:30 PM    LS A
2/5    vs. Carthage * •    8:30 PM    LS A A
2/9    at Wheaton (Ill.) * •    8:30 PM    LS V A A
2/12    at Millikin * •    8:30 PM    A
2/19    at North Central (Ill.) * •    8:30 PM    A
2/22    at Illinois Wesleyan * •    8:30 PM    LS A A

It's hard to sort this out via the CCIW record book, but, as far as I can tell, this is the deepest that any CCIW team has ever gotten into the season with an unblemished record in the 65-year history of the league. It appears that the previous best starts were Wheaton's in 1995-96 (12 games) and Carthage's in 2001-02 (11 games). Both of those teams won the league that year ... but both of them started out with a loss very early in league play (Wheaton lost to IWU in the second game of the CCIW slate in '96, Carthage lost to Elmhurst in the CCIW opener in '02).

That's kind of ridiculous.

IMHO, that is National Coach of the Year stuff.