MBB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

[2RMCFans]

Looks like the Yellow Jackets are on the verge of a big win over Guilford ..... the score is 62-44, with less than 6 minutes left to play.

Final:  R-MC       68
         Guilford   47

Jackets set a new program record with 17 3's.  Eric Pugh, Calvin Croskey & Adam Desgain really lit up the scoreboard with 3's; Brown, Jones & Scheeler each had a 3.   Jackets were tough on D again w/ low TO's (9).

Guilford's Pittman (#21) was amazing in the first half.   Overall it was a fun game to watch & a big win at home to head into the holidays with.   GO JACKETS!!!

[hasanova]

Hasa- we may have won the game but Pittman won the stat stuffing contest 

Yeah, I've been telling everyone he's Guilford's next big star.  The coaches are recruiting like crazy for more inside presence next year.

[Seatfiller]

In other news around the ODAC:

Yesterday... Bridgewater beat Bluefield College
EMU beat Avertt by 10
Randolph beat VA Intermont by 10

Today....Bridgewater beat Avertt in 2ots  
EMU smashed Bluefield by 20
Lynchburg loses to Elon  102-63

[deanslist]

EMU beat Bluefield on Sunday by 35.

[78rmc]

Hasa- we may have won the game but Pittman won the stat stuffing contest  

Yeah, I've been telling everyone he's Guilford's next big star.  The coaches are recruiting like crazy for more inside presence next year.

Gosh, Nova, you've got a 6-9 and a 6-10, where are they? 

[hasanova]

Hasa- we may have won the game but Pittman won the stat stuffing contest  

Yeah, I've been telling everyone he's Guilford's next big star.  The coaches are recruiting like crazy for more inside presence next year.

Gosh, Nova, you've got a 6-9 and a 6-10, where are they? 

They're playing, but still getting better.  We're probably looking at players for the forward positions, especially with Stephenson and Anderson graduating this year.

[algernon]

Third week poll is out.  VWC is #3 (with three #1 votes), EMU remains #8, and RMC moves up a spot to #11.

Ferrum (6-0) is getting some votes (as are Catholic and Christopher Newport, but CU and CNU both lost another game last night and won't likely show up in the next poll.)  Ferrum has already beaten 5 ODAC teams, including Randolph and W&L, so it will be interesting to see what happens when Ferrum goes to Eastern Mennonite on January 3.

[algernon]

Ferrum's the only team that's had the ODAC's number so far ....

USA South against the ODAC:
Ferrum:            5-0
CNU:                2-1  (beat Lynchburg & Bridgewater)
Greensboro:      1-1  (beat Guilford)
Averett:           1-6  (beat Bridgewater)
NC Wesleyan:    0-2
Methodist:        0-4
Shenandoah:     0-5

[algernon]

So far this season, the ODAC is 19-9 against the USA South.  (The Marlins, Tigers, Royals, Yellow Jackets, and Quakers are 13-1, while the rest of the ODAC is 6-8 against the USA South.)  5 of the ODAC's 9 losses are to Ferrum.  

ODAC against the USA South:
VWC:           4-0
H-SC:           3-0  
EMU:            2-0
R-MC:          1-0      
Guilford:       3-1 (loss to Greensboro)
Lynchburg:   2-2 (losses to Ferrum & CNU)    
Randolph:     1-1 (loss to Ferrum)    
W&L:           1-1 (loss to Ferrum)    
E&H:           1-1 (loss to Ferrum)    
Bridgewater: 1-2 (losses to Averett & CNU)
Roanoke:      0-1 (loss to Ferrum)    

[Mr. Ypsi]

Not only is the ODAC the best conference in D-III, but this is - by far - the best board. You guys rock! Too funny!

Ah, newbies!

The ODAC is now firmly entrenched among the 'power conferences', but that is a recent development.  The traditional top two (WIAC and CCIW), as well as such established power conferences as NESCAC, UAA, and OAC, may beg to differ with the 'top conference' award!  The last three-four years you've had as many top TEAMS as anyone, but to be top conference you've got to lift up those cellar dwellers.

Possible criteria for "Top Conference in last 5 Years (2006-2010)" ....

National Championships (2006-2010):
UAA - 2
NESCAC - 1
ODAC - 1
WIAC - 1
CCIW - 0
OAC - 0

Final Four teams (2006-2010):

ODAC - 5 (probably more than any other conference)
CCIW, NESCAC, OAC, UAA, WIAC - ?

Sectional ("Sweet Sixteen") teams (2006-2010):  ODAC, CCIW, NESCAC, OAC, UAA, WIAC - ?

The redesign of d3hoops is not yet complete and I can't find the Playoff files online.  Maybe someone else has the information.  Eventually, I may get back to it ....

With regards to "cellar dwellers," it seems that none of the above-named conferences lacks cellar dwellers. There's no doubt that the ODAC does well in non-conference competition, top-to-bottom .... in fact, I'm not sure that there is a single ODAC team with a losing record in non-conference competition over the past 3-4 years.

Finally, I'm not clear that the recent performance of the OAC in the NCAA Tournament warrants its being classed with the ODAC, UAA, NESCAC, CCIW, and WIAC as one of the "top conferences."

Just my thoughts ....

Just in case you are still pursuing this 'best conference' idea, be wary of placing too much stock on just the top teams.  The NCAC (who NOBODY, including they themselves) classes as a 'power conference' has the two winningest teams of all teams now in d3 (#1 Wittenberg and #2 Wooster).  The MIAA (again, not considered 'power' by anyone, including themselves) has a 1-2 punch of Hope and Calvin that are usually about as 'elite' as anyone's 1-2.  Conference rank is by tourney performance, but it is also by depth.  One (maybe two) 'dregs' can be forgiven in the equation.  Three or four and the ranking goes definitely down.

I say this as probably the earliest 'national' poster advocating that the ODAC had become a new 'power conference' (2005 or 2006).  Don't recall which year, but I often had three ODAC teams in the top five (or at least ten) in the Posters' Poll.  But you've got to raise up those 'bottom feeders' to beat out the WIAC or CCIW!

[algernon]

With regards to cellar dwellers and bottom feeders, it's far more reasonable to compare the the ODAC (in terms of depth) to either the WIAC or the CWIW than to the NCAC or MIAA.  My reasoning:  Guilford, Virginia Wesleyan, Randolph-Macon, Hampden-Sydney, and Eastern Mennonite have all gone DEEP in the NCAA Tournament within the the past 8-10 years.  We're talking about 50% of the 10 ODAC basketball programs (excluding Randolph, which is playing only its 3rd year of ODAC basketball).  I think that's much more depth than is seen with the NCAC or MIAA.  Do the WIAC and CWIW have that kind of depth?  I don't know ... and am wondering.

As for the other five ODAC teams .... Roanoke, Washington & Lee, Lynchburg, Emory & Henry, and Bridgewater .... even with these teams, 2 to 4 of the 5 teams have had a winning record (despite tough conference competition) in some of the past 5 seasons.   Most of these bottom five teams manages to get a winning .... or close-to-winning ... record with some frequency.  All of them have done better than 40% against non-conference opponents over the past 5 years.  The ODAC hasn't had but 1 or 2 true cellar dwellers and is pretty tough, top to bottom.  I wonder if the bottom half of the WIAC or CWIW is any better than the bottom half of the ODAC.

[Mr. Ypsi]

I haven't checked on the WIAC, but the CCIW (not CWIW ) has sent SEVEN (of 8) schools to the national tourney in the last 5 years.  Millikin seems to have become our sole perennial 'bottom-feeder'.

[Titan Q]

I haven't checked on the WIAC, but the CCIW (not CWIW ) has sent SEVEN (of 8) schools to the national tourney in the last 5 years.  Millikin seems to have become our sole perennial 'bottom-feeder'.

North Park has not played in the NCAA tournament for 20 years, Chuck.

Last appearance in NCAA tournament:

Augustana: 2007-08
Carthage: 2009-10
Elmhurst: 2008-09
Illinois Wesleyan: 2009-10
Millikin: 1988-89
North Central: 2005-06
North Park: 1989-90
Wheaton: 2009-10

CCIW NCAA appearances, last 10 completed seasons (2000-01 through 2009-10):

Illinois Wesleyan: 6
Wheaton: 4
Augustana: 3
Carthage: 3
Elmhurst: 2
North Central: 1
Millikin: 0
North Park: 0

[Titan Q]

The CCIW was picked this way in the 2010-11 preseason coaches poll:

1. Carthage (7-3) - has fallen out of the Top 25, receiving votes
2. Illinois Wesleyan (7-1) - ranked # 12
3. Augustana (7-0) - ranked # 10
4. Wheaton (7-2) - receiving votes
5. North Park (5-2)
6. North Central (3-4)
7. Elmhurst (3-4)
8. Millikin (1-4)


As far as the projected bottom goes, it appears that Millikin is awful this year - maybe the worst CCIW team in years.  #6 and #7 have holes but can be dangerous.  North Central won @ Manchester a couple weeks ago when Manchester was ranked and then beat a decent Lake Forest team badly.  NCC has last year's D3hoops.com "Rookie of the Year", 6-6 F Derek Raridon.  Elmhurst has knocked off the favorites of the SLIAC (Westminster) and IIAC (Loras) recently.  (Both also have some "bad losses.")

I have no idea what teams are picked at the bottom of the ODAC, and what caliber those teams are this year.  But in looking at the CCIW race this year, I do think North Central, Elmhurst, and Millikin will comprise the bottom 3.  So if you're looking to compare bottom 3 to bottom 3, those are the ones to use from the CCIW.

[Titan Q]

And finally I'll just add that I agree that the ODAC should now be mentioned in any discussion of top conferences in Division III.  I do think it is a "power conference"...whatever that means.  The league has come a long way since the 1995-96 Sweet 16 game I attended @ Roanoke College when CCIW runner-up Illinois Wesleyan led the ODAC champ Maroons 72-23 at halftime.

(Sorry, had to throw that in there for my good friend Page Moir in case he lurks on this board!)