NE Region General Questions

[NEhoops]

Updated records/game results based on games through 2/15
1 – Bates 18-5 (lost at Bowdoin/won at Colby)   
2 – Babson 21-2 (won vs Springfield/won at Clark)   
3 – Amherst 18-6 (won vs Lasell/lost at Middlebury)
4 – Eastern Connecticut   19-4 (won vs Keene St/won at Mass-Dartmouth)   
5 – Trinity (Conn.) 18-4 (won at Middlebury)   
6 – Rhode Island College 16-7 (lost at Western CT/won vs Southern ME)   
7 – Springfield 16-7 (lost at Babson/won vs Emerson)   
8 – WPI   19-4 (won vs MIT/won at Coast Guard)   
9 – Bowdoin 17-6 (won vs Bates/won vs Tufts)   
10 – Albertus Magnus 21-1 (won at Mt Ida/won at Johnson and Wales)   
11 – Williams 14-9 (won vs Conn College/lost vs Wesleyan)

[WPI89]

My rankings:  (not what they will be - but what they should be)

1)  Babson
2)  Magnus
3)  WPI
4)  Eastern
5)  Trnity
6)  Bates
7)  Bowdoin
8)  Southern VT
9)  Johnson  & Wales
10) Amherst
11) Springfield

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I thought Babson would be #1 last week.  I feel like they almost have to be this week.  The Bates SOS is super good, but Babson's is no slouch.


So here's my prediction:

1.   Babson
2.   Bates
3.   E Conn
4.   Amherst
5.   Trinity
6.   Springfield
7.   WPI
8.   Bowdoin
9.   Albertus Magnus
10. Middlebury
11. Williams

When you bring in the vRRO, things change up a bit, but it will be very hard to tell what's going to happen.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

To follow up... the regional rankings will still be released on Thursday this week despite the NCAA stat computers coming back online a day earlier than expected this weekend.

[WPI89]

Thanks Dave.

[NEhoops]

Predictions for this week

1 – Babson
2 – Bates   
3 – Eastern CT
4 – Trinity
5 – Amherst
6 – WPI   
7 – Bowdoin 
8 – Albertus Magnus   

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Predictions for this week

1 – Babson
2 – Bates   
3 – Eastern CT
4 – Trinity
5 – Amherst
6 – WPI   
7 – Bowdoin 
8 – Albertus Magnus   

I think Trinity should be ahead of Amherst because of the head-to-head, but the committee didn't see it that way last week.  Maybe Trinity's 5-0 vs RRO will help the case, but I'm still a little leery it will happen.  We'll see.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Trinity only had the head-to-head really going in their favor. Last week:

- Trinity was 17-4 compared to Amherst's 17-5 (basically a draw).
- Amherst has a .571 compared to Trinity's .531 (Amherst by a long shot).
- Trinity has the 1-0 head-to-head which was a 16 point win.
- There as also common opponents and both teams lost to Tufts (from what I quickly scanned to find).

From that info - I can see why committee gave the nod to Amherst based on their SOS advantage. Consider the .030 SOS to two games... that would have given Amherst arguably a 19-3 on Trinity's schedule and Trinity a 15-6 on Amherst schedule... that would have been how the committee may have read the SOS.

Now the 5-0 vRRO will be HUGE since Amherst doesn't have as good a record based only on losses. However, the committee will also look at the "results" and look at who those wins were against and how they compare to Amherst's wins and losses as well.

[WPI89]

Just got eh rankings tweeted:

Babson, Bates, Trinity, Amherst, Eastern, WPI, Bowdoin, Springfield, Albertus, RIC, Southern VT

[WPI89]

As I have stated numerous times - I have more respect for the NESCAC than anyone - big brother to all other conferences in the Northeast.

That being said - this year - it is just plain silly to have 3 of the top 4 teams as NESCAC squads - just simply is not the case.

The system by which teams are ranked is broken. 

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Week 2's regional rankings made an early appearance today: http://www.d3blogs.com/d3hoops/?p=2630

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Southern Vermont slipped in - must be the head-to-head over Williams.

They did move Trinity ahead of Amherst, where I thought they should have been all along.

They kept RIC in over Middlebury; I'll have to check the vRRO again on that one.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Middlebury:     16-6     3-4 vRRO     .534 SOS
Rhode Island:  16-7     0-3 vRRO     .555 SOS

Probably splitting hairs there as WL is a draw, vRRO goes to Middlebury, and SOS goes to RIC. And a quick scan only finds Keene State as a common opponent... (2-0 RIC, 1-0 Middlebury).

[WPI89]

1   Babson   23-2   23-2
2   Trinity (Conn.)   19-4   20-5
3   Amherst   19-6   19-6
4   Bates   19-6   19-6
5   Eastern Connecticut   21-4   21-4
6   WPI   21-4   21-4
7   Albertus Magnus   24-1   24-1
8   Bowdoin   18-7   18-7
9   Springfield   18-7   18-7
10   Southern Vermont   21-2   22-3
11   Wesleyan 17-8   17-8

These are silly at this point.  Bates still at 4 is just plain not even close.  I would have it Babson, Magnus, WPI.  But it would be a fair debate with Eastern and Trinity in there wherever you wanted them.  Bates at 4 is a joke.  Amherst at 3 makes no sense either.  And I am a guy that believes Amherst could do major damage the way they are playing now.  But as everyone has pointed out - it can't be an eye test.

Bates is done and can't lose again.  WPI to need a pool C would have to lose this weekend.  So no way for WPI to move ahead of them unless they win the NEWMAC and then it wouldn't matter.  So essentially if WPI loses - they can only get in if Bates gets in?  Scary!

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Listen - I am not going to say it is all about the SOS... but when Bates is a .611 and WPI is a .507... that is a WORLD apart in terms of difference. WPI's is about or slightly below average... Bates' is far above average. You can't ignore that fact and it kind of makes up for the 2 loss difference. Bates is also 3-4 vRRO and WPI 2-2.

WPI has got to work on improving their SOS. They came to the Hoopsville Classic and got two good games... but what about outside of that and the conference? RPI (8-17), Curry (6-19), Worcester State (6-20), Fitchburg State (15-11), Newbury (4-21), Mass College (8-18), FDU-Florham (2-23). Very telling.