Pool C

[bbfan44]

A bit difficult for me to navigate on my smart phone.  I'm curious to know how many Pool C teams made the Sweet Sixteen.  Anyone have that handy?

[nescac1]

I believe Rochester, Keene, Tufts, Babson, Augustana, Hope, Endicott, Williams, Susquehanna were all Pool C.  So 9/16!  Glad New England justified all those pool C bids with five out of seven advancing past the first weekend. 

[sac]

First Round

NJ City  eliminated by Pool C Skidmore
Amherst eliminated by Pool C Keene St.
Salisbury eliminated by Pool C Endicott
St. Thomas eliminated by Pool C Augustana
Oshkosh eliminated by Pool C Hope

Wesleyan eliminated by Pool A Union
Cabrini eliminated by Pool A Lycoming
St. Lawrence eliminated by Pool A St. John Fisher
Whitworth elimininated by Pool A Claremont MS


2nd Round
Skidmore eliminated by Pool C Babson
Whitewater eliminated by Pool C Augustana

Emory eliminated by Pool A Hardin-Simmons

7 of the 12 Pool C's eliminated were eliminated by other Pool C's.

[Greek Tragedy]

First Round
Amherst eliminated by Pool C Amherst

Man, I've heard the saying, "Don't beat yourselves," but I thought that was figurative, not literal. LOL

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

First Round
Amherst eliminated by Pool C Amherst

Man, I've heard the saying, "Don't beat yourselves," but I thought that was figurative, not literal. LOL

The NESCAC proved to be very tough this season... even capable of beating themselves. Pretty impressive to say the least. But how does this affect one's SOS? LOL

[bbfan44]

I believe Rochester, Keene, Tufts, Babson, Augustana, Hope, Endicott, Williams, Susquehanna were all Pool C.  So 9/16!  Glad New England justified all those pool C bids with five out of seven advancing past the first weekend.

Thanks for digging that out.  Good statement for Pool C.  Good statement for New England.

[AO]

I believe Rochester, Keene, Tufts, Babson, Augustana, Hope, Endicott, Williams, Susquehanna were all Pool C.  So 9/16!  Glad New England justified all those pool C bids with five out of seven advancing past the first weekend.

Thanks for digging that out.  Good statement for Pool C.  Good statement for New England.

No one doubts that the NESCAC is the best conference on the East Coast.  I don't see how winning a couple games against other Eastern teams justifies their bids.  Illinois Wesleyan, Carleton, St. John's and UW-Eau Claire would have been favorites over many of the teams that the NESCAC beat. 

[bbfan44]

I believe Rochester, Keene, Tufts, Babson, Augustana, Hope, Endicott, Williams, Susquehanna were all Pool C.  So 9/16!  Glad New England justified all those pool C bids with five out of seven advancing past the first weekend.

Thanks for digging that out.  Good statement for Pool C.  Good statement for New England.

No one doubts that the NESCAC is the best conference on the East Coast.  I don't see how winning a couple games against other Eastern teams justifies their bids.  Illinois Wesleyan, Carleton, St. John's and UW-Eau Claire would have been favorites over many of the teams that the NESCAC beat.

There is no doubt that, depending on match ups, Illinois Wesleyan as well as North Park could have won a game or two.  I think that's why there is always grumbling when the selections are made.  Many people said the CCIW had a down year because the non conference record wasn't as good as usual. But they were one basket away (NCC) from having 2 teams in the Sweet 16.  I think a good reason the non conference record wasn't as good was because several of the teams were rebuilding, had injuries, and were working on finding a rotation that would serve them when Conference play started.  With scheduling taking place a couple of years ahead of time in many cases, it seems to be a crap shoot as to whether scheduling easy teams or good teams actually pans out thus affecting strength of schedule and the W/L record.  Luck can be a good thing.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I believe Rochester, Keene, Tufts, Babson, Augustana, Hope, Endicott, Williams, Susquehanna were all Pool C.  So 9/16!  Glad New England justified all those pool C bids with five out of seven advancing past the first weekend.

Thanks for digging that out.  Good statement for Pool C.  Good statement for New England.

No one doubts that the NESCAC is the best conference on the East Coast.  I don't see how winning a couple games against other Eastern teams justifies their bids.  Illinois Wesleyan, Carleton, St. John's and UW-Eau Claire would have been favorites over many of the teams that the NESCAC beat.

It goes in waves, really.  I think the NESCAC was tremendous this season, but they're graduating a ton of talent.  The CCIW and the WIAC graduate much less and should both be better next year than they were this season.

[Gregory Sager]

I think that you hit the nail on the head, Ryan.

[nescac1]

I think NESCAC in general, and New England more generally, was flukishly deep in senior talent this year.  Babson, Keene, and Endicott are likely headed for huge dropoffs next season. Midd loses two elite guys and a role player, as does Tufts.  Amherst loses a ton.  Wesleyan loses its PG and C.  Eastern Conn loses its top three big guys. Williams arguably brings back the most but still graduates its star.  MIT and Nichols should both be better next year but they are exceptions; New England is definitely loaded to a ridiculous degree this year.  Telling stat: two regionals have three New England teams each.  The other two are hosted by teams that lost the only time they faced a New England team. 

And to think, Duncan Robinson and Hunter Sabety could have been seniors this year as well ....

[AO]

I believe Rochester, Keene, Tufts, Babson, Augustana, Hope, Endicott, Williams, Susquehanna were all Pool C.  So 9/16!  Glad New England justified all those pool C bids with five out of seven advancing past the first weekend.

Thanks for digging that out.  Good statement for Pool C.  Good statement for New England.

No one doubts that the NESCAC is the best conference on the East Coast.  I don't see how winning a couple games against other Eastern teams justifies their bids.  Illinois Wesleyan, Carleton, St. John's and UW-Eau Claire would have been favorites over many of the teams that the NESCAC beat.

It goes in waves, really.  I think the NESCAC was tremendous this season, but they're graduating a ton of talent.  The CCIW and the WIAC graduate much less and should both be better next year than they were this season.

I'm not necessarily trying to compare the conferences, just pointing out that winning a couple games in the tourney is not going to justify that 5 teams from the NESCAC all clearly deserved to get in over any other team.  They deserved to get in by the current limited criteria.  They can't prove they would be in by any other set of criteria by beating the relatively weak Eastern teams in the tournament. 

[nescac1]

You start in my view with a false premise: that the eastern teams are relatively weak this year.  The Midwest hasn't exactly featured a slew of really scary teams this season. WIAC is clearly way down.  I've seen Marietta and Hope lose to NESCAC teams, neither of which was in the top two in the conference.  I don't think it's fair to assume that NESCAC would have done any worse if placed in a Midwest-heavy bracket.  It is equally likely that this year in paticular, they would have fared better.  As an Eph fan, Midd and Tufts at full strength are the two most talented teams I've seen this season. 

I think Amherst is the only NESCAC team for which there was a remotely reasonable case to exclude them -- but the Jeffs' numeric credentials were off the charts and I think the win vs. Babson, plus two vs. Williams, was huge for them.  And they were ranked above two OTHER New England teams that got Pool C bids -- Endicott and Keene, both of whom had clearly weaker resumes.  And yet, both of them are now in the Sweet 16 including for Keene beating the top seed in the regional on the road. 

[Gregory Sager]

You start in my view with a false premise: that the eastern teams are relatively weak this year.  The Midwest hasn't exactly featured a slew of really scary teams this season. WIAC is clearly way down.

That's not true at all. The WIAC went 68-19 (.782) in non-conference play during the regular season. The difference between this season and most is that it lacked the colossus team or two that it usually has had. Instead, it had four or five really good teams, with the balance of the league consisting of better-than-most teams, rather than the one or two great teams, with everybody else better-than-most, that it has tended to have.

I've seen Marietta and Hope lose to NESCAC teams, neither of which was in the top two in the conference.  I don't think it's fair to assume that NESCAC would have done any worse if placed in a Midwest-heavy bracket.  It is equally likely that this year in paticular, they would have fared better.

That's a reach. The NESCAC may very well have done as well in a midwest-oriented quadrant as it has done in the two northeastern-oriented quadrants, given the strength of the league's reps this season, but it certainly would not have done better.

[nescac1]

"Certainly not"?  Thanks for clearing that up! 

I think it's clear that Amherst or Wesleyan COULD very well have beaten any of the teams in the Midwest quadrant, none of whom seem like powrhouses right now.  Both certainly had better years than say Wartburg.   But of course it's entirely speculative either way. 

New England, and the Northeast more generally, can not and will not ever get respect here.  Even if New England puts six in the Sweet 16, or two in the Final Four,  it always comes with an asterisk.  It's telling that it's just assumed that the Midwest is always the toughest regional.  In many years that is true.  But not this year.  E.g., midwest posters tend to discount the talent on a team like Endicott because they don't know the name.  But they are very much for real.   As long as New England teams keep winning, it's all good.