Pool C

[Greek Tragedy]

It doesn't look good for WCSU.  ECSU will probably jump them in the regional standings and FIVE Northeast Region teams need to be picked before WCSU even gets to the table.

[7express]

Hopefully your right! I feel like Western could be a surprise, I've seen this team at their best, and if this team gets it together and gets in this tournament, they may make a STRONG run. The committee needs to put this team in the NCAA tournament. 

Thats the thing, they have the talent to compete with anyone in the country.  Match them up with any of the big 3 of the NESCAC and its a lot closer then people may think.  If they don't get in, they have no one to blame but themselves finishing with 3 losses in their final 5 games when they all but had a bid sewn up.  I'm still holding out hope.

[7express]

It doesn't look good for WCSU.  ECSU will probably jump them in the regional standings and FIVE Northeast Region teams need to be picked before WCSU even gets to the table.

So, if I have this right assuming Eastern jumps them in the rankings, Eastern would have to be in the tournament before Western even gets considered??

[WcsuAlum]

Just remember that western did beat eastern twice, did beat rhode island, beat wpi by 15, beat plattsburgh state when they were ranked, beat trinity and colby who are two necsac teams. No way Eastern jumps Western to being considered for the tournament. At the end of the day, Western is still 21-5, they have an all-american on their team, they lost twice on the road, two neutral and 1 home. 21 wins regardless of when and how they won, they pulled out 21 wins, hit the 20 mark and have some big wins, something most teams can't say. There's no way I see the committee not letting them in two years in a row.

[Ralph Turner]

Greetings...

This is what the committee will consider.

Just remember that western did beat eastern twice, (Head-to-head)

did beat rhode island, (result against a regionally ranked team; 1-1 vs RIC)
beat wpi by 15, (result against a regionally ranked team, margin of victory does not matter)
beat plattsburgh state when they were ranked, (secondary criterion, ranked team non-in-region)
beat trinity and colby who are two necsac teams.  (in-region games and count towards in-region record)



No way Eastern jumps Western to being considered for the tournament.

At the end of the day, Western is still 21-5 (and 20-5 in-region)
they have an all-american on their team, (not a criterion)
they lost twice on the road, two neutral and 1 home. (already considered and factored into the OWP/OOWP)
21 wins regardless of when and how they won, they pulled out 21 wins, hit the 20 mark and have some big wins, something most teams can't say. (number of wins is considered in the OWP/OOWP and regional record.  20 is not a magic number.)

There's no way I see the committee not letting them in two years in a row.

Also look at:

20-5 Northeast Region record (.800) as I said before
Who else beat Trinity and Colby, WPI and RIC?
Regional Rankings

Northeast Region
1 Williams 21-1 23-1  Pool C
2 Middlebury 20-1 23-1  Pool A
3 WPI 21-3 21-4  Pool C
4 Becker 22-3 22-3  Pool C
5 Amherst 21-2 22-2   Pool C
6 Western Connecticut State 20-4 21-4  Pool C
7 Rhode Island College 17-7 17-7  Pool A
8 Elms 16-6 18-7  Pool A
9 Eastern Connecticut State 15-7 17-8
10 Brandeis 16-8 16-8
11 Roger Williams 17-8 17-8

I think that WCSU is in, but for the reasons listed.  This amazing thing is that 5 of the 18 Pool C bids are going to the Northeast in this scenario.  That is what has everyone intrigued and WCSU fans worried.

Here is the link to the handbook.  

[WcsuAlum]

Thanks for the explanation. I figured they would be in but hearing all these opinions is driving me crazy! They have to get in.

[Greek Tragedy]

7express,

Yes, if ECSU would jump them, they would have to be picked before WCSU would get a shot.

[fritzdis]

I think there's only 1 primary criterion where ECSU comes out ahead of WCSU.

All of these list WCSU then ECSU:

WP: .808 vs. .680
SOS: .531 vs. .511+ (I assume ECSU has gone up in the last 3 games, but not ahead of WCSU)
Head-to-head: 2-1
Common opponents: 11-3 vs. 13-3
Ranked opponents: 4-2 vs. 1-6

I'll be pretty shocked if ECSU jumps WCSU.

[deiscanton]

I think there's only 1 primary criterion where ECSU comes out ahead of WCSU.

All of these list WCSU then ECSU:

WP: .808 vs. .680
SOS: .531 vs. .511+ (I assume ECSU has gone up in the last 3 games, but not ahead of WCSU)
Head-to-head: 2-1
Common opponents: 11-3 vs. 13-3
Ranked opponents: 4-2 vs. 1-6

I'll be pretty shocked if ECSU jumps WCSU.

From my point of view, I think that it is more likely that Eastern Connecticut will be a top seed, along with Brandeis, in the ECAC New England tournament that starts on Wednesday, than it will be that ECSU gets a Pool C bid.  (Both Brandeis and Eastern Connecticut declared for ECAC consideration.)

I'm awaiting the NCAA selections later today, and then I will await the ECAC call for my marching orders-- I believe that Eastern Connecticut and Brandeis will host games on Wednesday should ECSU not get picked as a Pool C.  Brandeis gets either a #1 or #2 seed in the ECACs depending on the NCAA call.

[KnightSlappy]

Pat's Pool C projections are out:

http://www.d3blogs.com/d3hoops/2011/02/27/mens-bracketology/

We both agree on:

Amherst, Becker, Carleton, Concordia (Wis.), Gwynedd-Mercy, Hanover, Ithaca, Oswego State, Penn State-Behrend, Ramapo, UW-River Falls, Virginia Wesleyan, Western Connecticut, Williams, Wittenberg, and WPI getting in.

I have Texas-Dallas and Keystone as my last two in.

Pat likes Kean and Mary Hardin-Baylor instead.

I can't really argue with him. There are several teams vying for the last couple of spots, and a lot depends on how exactly the final regional rankings end up.

My last ten out are:

Thiel
Ferrum
St. Josephs (L.I.)
Mary Hardin-Baylor
Wabash
Eastern Mennonite
Whitman
Kean
Hobart
Wesley

You could make cases for any of these teams, but, of course, they all have good cases for why they should be left out.

[magicman]

So it looks like Pat and KnightSlappy came to a compromise. Pat got Mary Hardin-Baylor and no Kean. KnightSlappy got Texas-Dallas and no Keystone.

[carletonsid]

So someone's going to have to explain to me how in the h-e-double hockey sticks Carleton didn't make it when they held 2 of the primary selection criteria over 6 other teams (IWU, UMHB, Witt, Hanover, UT-Dallas and GMC) to their 1 over Carleton and yet the Knights didn't get selected?

And I'm using the updated numbers posted on the NCAA's website this morning. I'm especially seeing read over Witt, who was 18-8 in region (.692) to Carleton's 18-6 (.750). Carleton was 5-4 vs. regionally-ranked teams to IWU's 2-2. IWU did have Carleton on SOS (.543 vs. .528), which sure changed a ton over the last week.

[David Collinge]

So KS, you didn't have Illinois Wesleyan among your top 28 Pool C teams, and still they got in?   

[KnightSlappy]

So KS, you didn't have Illinois Wesleyan among your top 28 Pool C teams, and still they got in?   

The crazy IWU love that has gone on throughout the year from many different sources has baffled me.

They did have a pretty good SOS though.

I really thought IWU was closer to Calvin than Carleton, but I was wrong.

[carletonsid]

So KS, you didn't have Illinois Wesleyan among your top 28 Pool C teams, and still they got in?   

The crazy IWU love that has gone on throughout the year from many different sources has baffled me.

They did have a pretty good SOS though.

I really thought IWU was closer to Calvin than Carleton, but I was wrong.

KS, thanks for all your work this year. I used to work at Alma so I know the MIAA and how passionate folks are about their hoops in Western Michigan.

I think the numbers show that IWU is closer to Calvin. Numbers don't lie--committees do, apparently.