NE Region General Questions

[WPI89]

+1 Junkie

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Yeah you're right...I just know in D1 it's rare that a top 25 team misses the tournament whereas the reality seems much more possible in D3, I guess that's more of what I'm getting at. I know it's happened recently to Utah State and a couple MVC teams though.

I guess the Missouri Valley is the GNAC

Well to be honest... the percentage of D1 teams who are in the Top 25 is higher (based on less schools in D1 basketball than D3)... and the Top 25 is dominated by the big conferences who always get way too many teams in the D1 tournament (IMHO).

You are going to get it in D3... when criteria is a factor and a team doesn't get it done when they need to (i.e. AQ at stake), it is going to happen.

[D3HoopJunkie]

Thanks WPI, hate using a football reference on a basketball board but it just seemed to fitting for the conversation!!

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Yeah you're right...I just know in D1 it's rare that a top 25 team misses the tournament whereas the reality seems much more possible in D3, I guess that's more of what I'm getting at. I know it's happened recently to Utah State and a couple MVC teams though.

I guess the Missouri Valley is the GNAC

The LEC is more like the MVC.  The GNAC is like the MAAC (which Tavon Sledge should be used to).

[Pat Coleman]

Yeah you're right...I just know in D1 it's rare that a top 25 team misses the tournament whereas the reality seems much more possible in D3, I guess that's more of what I'm getting at. I know it's happened recently to Utah State and a couple MVC teams though.

I guess the Missouri Valley is the GNAC

The LEC is more like the MVC.  The GNAC is like the MAAC (which Tavon Sledge should be used to).

Hoops Fan's assessment is much more in line with reality.

[Ferraro13]

hoops fan seems to have the most knowledge of d3hoops around here, more so then anyone I see.Def a good assessment of the gnac hoops

[falcons2010]

Yeah you're right...I just know in D1 it's rare that a top 25 team misses the tournament whereas the reality seems much more possible in D3, I guess that's more of what I'm getting at. I know it's happened recently to Utah State and a couple MVC teams though.

I guess the Missouri Valley is the GNAC

The LEC is more like the MVC.  The GNAC is like the MAAC (which Tavon Sledge should be used to).

Hoops Fan's assessment is much more in line with reality.

I have watched over 200 GNAC games in my life.. With all due respect to D1 conferences, the GNAC is like the SWAC. There are a lot of bad teams in the GNAC.

[falcons2010]

I know it is the first week, but I didn't see the rankings this way. Very surprised that Williams made it, Springfield, Amherst, and RIC higher than expected. However, I can't really complain to much at this point. I only have one question; no one may be able to answer this but....

Is the committee's objective to try to get the most Pool C bids possible? If that is the case, having an Albertus ranked 10 makes perfect sense. On paper their resume does not match up well against anyone. If ranked 3rd in the region and they lose in the conference finals. They will block a lot of other NE teams. I don't know if that would be a reason not to rank them so high, but I could see why it could be done. I would hate to be Babson ranked 4 and blocked by Albertus because their numbers aren't impressive on paper (SOS, quality wins, bad losses, etc).

I agree with Dave's earlier statement (did I just write that???), there is a lot of bubble teams out there, it will be a very bad year to be a pool C team.

[iwumichigander]

I know it is the first week, but I didn't see the rankings this way. Very surprised that Williams made it, Springfield, Amherst, and RIC higher than expected. However, I can't really complain to much at this point. I only have one question; no one may be able to answer this but....

Is the committee's objective to try to get the most Pool C bids possible? If that is the case, having an Albertus ranked 10 makes perfect sense. On paper their resume does not match up well against anyone. If ranked 3rd in the region and they lose in the conference finals. They will block a lot of other NE teams. I don't know if that would be a reason not to rank them so high, but I could see why it could be done. I would hate to be Babson ranked 4 and blocked by Albertus because their numbers aren't impressive on paper (SOS, quality wins, bad losses, etc).

I agree with Dave's earlier statement (did I just write that???), there is a lot of bubble teams out there, it will be a very bad year to be a pool C team.

For 2015, sixty-two teams in men's tournament-  Pool C limited to 19 at large teams.  43 conference champions automatically qualify (AQ)
Regional Ranking is determined by primary and secondary criteria.  So, yes, each regional committee wants to get as many teams into Pool C as possible within the parameters of the criteria guidelines.  We will see some movement next week when the vRRO (versus Regionally Ranked Opponents) gets factored into the criteria and the other criteria will have some movement with games played.

[7express]

RIC's loss to Western last night had no bearing on their placement this week.  Next week they could very well be out of the rankings all together.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I know it is the first week, but I didn't see the rankings this way. Very surprised that Williams made it, Springfield, Amherst, and RIC higher than expected. However, I can't really complain to much at this point. I only have one question; no one may be able to answer this but....

Is the committee's objective to try to get the most Pool C bids possible? If that is the case, having an Albertus ranked 10 makes perfect sense. On paper their resume does not match up well against anyone. If ranked 3rd in the region and they lose in the conference finals. They will block a lot of other NE teams. I don't know if that would be a reason not to rank them so high, but I could see why it could be done. I would hate to be Babson ranked 4 and blocked by Albertus because their numbers aren't impressive on paper (SOS, quality wins, bad losses, etc).

I agree with Dave's earlier statement (did I just write that???), there is a lot of bubble teams out there, it will be a very bad year to be a pool C team.

With each regional ranking, though, the national committee (made up of the regional committee chairs) can and does adjust what they're given sometimes to better have consistency across the country.  No one wants to have an entire region blocked because a lesser team ended up higher on the regional rankings than more deserving choices.

There are a lot of bubble teams - and we haven't even started seeing the conference tournament upsets yet.  Once that happens, there will be even less slots available.  This is not the year to lose in the conference tournament.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Yes... a regional committee should set up their region as best as possible to get as many at-large teams as they can... and we have seen how that works well and how that works miserably. While we never got the final regional rankings last year, it has been fairly well assumed that Staten Island was ahead of William Paterson in the Atlantic Region - a region that got NO at-large teams. You could make an argument that William Paterson might have made the tournament if they hadn't been blocked by Staten Island (though, no guarantees).

I am not sure the committee in week one is thinking about "blocks" per se, but certainly it will be on their minds, I am sure, as they move forward.

Quick note on the national committee making changes: I am told they made some slight changes in a couple of spots, but not a lot of them and nothing of major significance. Also note, the name of the RACs are Regional Advisory Committees... they are tasked with advising the national committee. Ultimately it is up to the national committee to rank teams - but I get a sense early the RACs are somewhat on the same page as the national committee this year (unlike signs of the opposite last year).

[falcons2010]

Thanks for the update Dave. Lots of good information. It will be interesting to see what happens over the next few weeks. Lots of good games coming up.

[WPI89]

Take week 1. Wrip it into 48 pieces. Burn the pieces. Use the chared remains to scratch out a new ranking. Ignore that story. Then start over week 2.  Honestly nobody knows what the heck to do with the Northeast regional rankings with the NESCAC the way it is this year.

Fun next 2 weeks coming.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

FYI - Regionally rankings will come out on Thursday next week due to the planned stat computer outage (upgrade) at the NCAA headquarters this weekend. Thus all committee calls pushed back a day and as a result rankings will be posted Thursday this week. Game info still through Sunday's games.