NE Region General Questions

[Hugenerd]

There is a link to the final region rankings at:

MIT Basketball Blog

it is also now posted on the front page:

http://d3blogs.com/d3hoops/2010/02/24/2010-regional-ranking-week-4/

[toooldtoplay]

I assume that will hurt the Engineers chances of a Pool C bid if they lose in the conference?

[Hugenerd]

I assume that will hurt the Engineers chances of a Pool C bid if they lose in the conference?

I doubt it, Colby will almost definitely pick up another loss this week so I doubt they drop below 3 in the region.  I think Middlebury is pretty much a lock at this point, and definitely will be so if they beat Colby this weekend.  If you listen to Hoopsville from this past week, Pat Coleman listed MIT as one of his "lock" teams.  I think if they win the NEWMAC this weekend they have a chance of jumping Middlebury again (if Middlebury doesnt win the NESCAC) and possibly hosting a pod because of the large numbers of NE Pool A teams and bids in general (they also have proximity to other regions on the east coast).

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

MIT's in.  Even if they lose in the semis.  With that record it would take a lot of other upsets to knock them out.

[Mr. Ypsi]

MIT's in.  Even if they lose in the semis.  With that record it would take a lot of other upsets to knock them out.

MIT only has 3 losses.  One is to d1 Harvard.  2 are to d3 Wheaton (MA), but Clark kicked Wheaton out.  Heck, MIT is now virtually undefeated!

They're a lock; and potential Pool C teams everywhere hope they're a Pool A!

[Hugenerd]

MIT's in.  Even if they lose in the semis.  With that record it would take a lot of other upsets to knock them out.

MIT only has 3 losses.  One is to d1 Harvard.  2 are to d3 Wheaton (MA), but Clark kicked Wheaton out.  Heck, MIT is now virtually undefeated!

They're a lock; and potential Pool C teams everywhere hope they're a Pool A!

I am pretty sure they are hoping they are a Pool A too.  They would triple their total number of conference championships in program history if they could pickup the tourney win (last year was the first, and the tourney would be their second this year). 

Also, I know that MIT has already brought in more bleachers for the NEWMAC tourney games this weekend, almost doubling capacity from what I hear, and I am sure they would love to leave the gym that way for an extra week to host a pod.

[emesb]

I haven't seen Williams yet but it is my impression that as you go up in level the players are 3 inches bigger and 20 pounds heavier or more and the athleticism and quickness increases. I know of players that have gotten scholarships to play DII ball and left because they got little playing time. I also think you see players make a few more little mistakes maybe they make more turnovers maybe they only have one go to move. Jst my opinion. I will say this it is very physical no matter the level. It sure isn't the game I learned. Certainly the NESCAC schools and some NEWMAC schools may attract a kid that can play DI but want that great sheepskin.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I haven't seen Williams yet but it is my impression that as you go up in level the players are 3 inches bigger and 20 pounds heavier or more and the athleticism and quickness increases.

I think that's probably true of the top players in each division, however, for the "average" player there is quite a bit of competition among the ranks.

[emesb]

Yes it woulb be but the general question was the differance between The better dIII schools like a Williams and a school such as Salem State. You are right the better players in a division are always bigger, quicker and faster but the general differance between divisions is what I was talking about.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Yes it woulb be but the general question was the differance between The better dIII schools like a Williams and a school such as Salem State. You are right the better players in a division are always bigger, quicker and faster but the general differance between divisions is what I was talking about.

That's what I was saying, the best players in division I would be bigger and faster than those in division II and then division III.  But, I think you'd find that average d1 players are on par with many players in d2 or even d3.  After the elite there is a lot of competition.

It's also why you see talent so evenly spread over the entirety of d3 - different schools work better for different athletes.  You're more likely to see a better team at Williams, but individual players are spread around all over the place.

[toooldtoplay]

My take on the difference in the divisions is usual all around play. The really fast guards in DIII are either too small or can't really shoot because with their speed, if they were bigger of great shooters they would have been recruited. The shooters in DIII usually cannot guard the DI guards even though they have good offensive skills.  Each player usually has one area of their game that is weak - many times it is on the defensive side of the ball (the one that stats don't tell the story!!).

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

A lot of it, especially between d2 and d3 is money.  A school with a big endowment might be able to lure away a scholarship player.

[Ralph Turner]

With the dissolution of (T)CCC, how do New England fans and pundits rank the conferences now?

(Pat Coleman has labeled the new conference of the Commonwealth schools that left as the New New England AC, NNEAC.)

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I think the new conference can be #3 above the LEC, but we'll have to see how the rest of the movements play out.

The LEC has had some very good teams the last few years.

[Hugenerd]

No way I would put them above the LEC.  What have they done to suggest they could be #3? Also, the only CCC team to be more than 3 games over 0.500 just graduated 5 players (3 starters), and their two best perimeter scorers. Further, there is no team in the CCC, or the new NNEAC, that has come close in recent years to what the top LEC teams have done nationally.  UMD and RIC (and you may be able to add East Conn and West Conn to that group after last year) are teams that are top-tier NE teams.  Additionally, most years, the MASCAC has also been stronger than the CCC (and the subset that will join the NNEAC). I also wouldnt necessarily put them ahead of the GNAC, with the way Albertus, Emerson, and St. Jo's all played last year.  I would say they are at best a middle-tier conference in NE, in the 4-6 range.

I would project them this way for 2011-2012 (based on historical results of current teams in each league):

1. NESCAC
2. NEWMAC
2b. LEC

4. MASCAC
5. GNAC
5b. NNEAC

7. NECC
8. NAC
9* TCCC (currently only has 2 teams for 2011-2012)

I think you could even see NECC jump up into the middle group in certain years, with Elms and Becker at the top of that conference, and challenge the NNEAC.  I dont feel that this re-alignment will make a significant difference in their position of the NNEAC compared to the original TCCC.  I guess only time will tell what really happens, but I cant see NNEAC jumping into the top 3 in the near future.