MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[iwu70]

Card, and I don't think it will happen this year either.  Unlikely.  Probably Sorensen gets 1st team.  IWU has many good players, but no one truly standing out this year.  I think Trevor Seibring will make All-Conference at some level, perhaps Dolan, but likely only one.  Yes, two All-Conference, even All-American players on NPU, but team likely not even in the conference tournament.  We'll see.  NPU could upset NCC, but I don't see it. 

Let's hope all three deserving CCIW teams -- AC, EC, and NCC -- get into the Dance, make some noise for the conference this year.

IWU'70

[veterancciwfan]

5 perennial (extremely hard word to spell-good trivia question) D3 heavyweights are missing in action on Top 25 (in no particular order): IWU, Wash U., Wooster, and the two headed monster of the WIAC, Whitewater and Stevens Point. And sitting at #2 is a program that prior to this season got very little respect: Benedictine. Strange year indeed for D3 b'ball!

[iwu70]

Yes, strange year not seeing WIAC teams in the top 25 -- and Wash U as well.  Benedictine will go down early in the tournament, round of 32 or 16 for sure.  IMHO.  If they play Augie, the Doggies win by 15 or more. 

'70

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Yes, strange year not seeing WIAC teams in the top 25 -- and Wash U as well.  Benedictine will go down early in the tournament, round of 32 or 16 for sure.  IMHO.  If they play Augie, the Doggies win by 15 or more. 

'70

You think going down at 16 is early? That's the second weekend. I don't know many in Division III who consider that early.

[iwu70]

Dave, I take your point.  I'd personally be very surprised if BU gets to that round, Sweet Sixteen.  Time will tell.  Given they are ranked #1 in a strong region and are undefeated, I'm sure they think they will go far.  Personally, having seen them play earlier on, I doubt they go very far.  Just IMHO.

'70

[mwunder]

Dave, I take your point.  I'd personally be very surprised if BU gets to that round, Sweet Sixteen.  Time will tell.  Given they are ranked #1 in a strong region and are undefeated, I'm sure they think they will go far.  Personally, having seen them play earlier on, I doubt they go very far.  Just IMHO.

'70

The last time they were tested was 12/30 by a little team out of Kenosha.  Since then they are blowing conference opponents out of the gym.  They've beaten everyone on the schedule, including 5 CCIW teams and are led by upperclassmen.  They have a little size too.  I think the run moves into the second weekend unless they run into Augie right away.  North Central, Elmhurst, and St. Norbert both have a better than average chance of taking them down too.  Once the bracket comes out, we'll know more.

[sac]

Dave, I take your point.  I'd personally be very surprised if BU gets to that round, Sweet Sixteen.  Time will tell.  Given they are ranked #1 in a strong region and are undefeated, I'm sure they think they will go far.  Personally, having seen them play earlier on, I doubt they go very far.  Just IMHO.

'70

The last time they were tested was 12/30 by a little team out of Kenosha.  Since then they are blowing conference opponents out of the gym.  They've beaten everyone on the schedule, including 5 CCIW teams and are led by upperclassmen.  They have a little size too.  I think the run moves into the second weekend unless they run into Augie right away.  North Central, Elmhurst, and St. Norbert both have a better than average chance of taking them down too.  Once the bracket comes out, we'll know more.

If Benedictine can hold onto its #1 or #2 ranking position in the Central they would likely host.  Good chance their bracket would contain 1 or 2 of the following St. Norbert, Elmhurst, North Central, Hope, John Carroll, Ohio Wesleyan, Alma, Wooster.  Except Wooster those are all top 15 teams in the d3hoops poll.

None of the brackets hosted in the Great Lakes or Central will be easy to get to the second weekend this year.  They're all likley going to have match-ups involving top 15 teams meeting in the 2nd round.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

When you say bracket, do you mean the first weekend or the bracket through the first two weekends?

Honestly, I think the committee can be really creative with a lot of these teams this year. John Carroll, Ohio Wesleyan, and Wooster for example can be pointed towards the East and Mid-Atlantic, even the Atlantic, Regions and avoid the Central and Minnesota area altogether.

We will get a much better idea of where things stand this week now that all criteria can be measured and while I agree it won't be an easy weekend for almost anyone across the country (basically due to parity more than anything), I don't think Benedictine will get any kind of Bracket of Death - or anyone for that matter.

[sac]

first weekend Dave, and no there aren't enough hosts to spread out the GL/Central teams to avoid top 15 match-ups in the 2nd round.  Unless they break seed and give a host to a #3 regionally ranked team.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

I don't disagree about hosting sites... but you can move teams around and get some out of dodge, per se. No, you can't get everyone out and last year's potential of Wash U v Augustana second round game bugged the committee for hours (they said they focused on that potential match-up the most trying to avoid it). Considering that information... you can bet they will do their best to avoid as much nasty games as they can within the realm of what is actually possible. Like I said, some of the teams you mentioned they can either ship east or have teams come westward to play thus the rest of the Great Lakes and Central regions from dealing with them the first weekend.

[sac]

Here's the problem:

I count 24 potential slots within the GL, Central and West.  We're one obvious host short because of what the West Region rankings look like right now.

There are 11 teams West of Ohio that are ranked in the top 15.  None of those schools are going to be able to go to the likely hosting sites in Pa., Va or NY because its too far.

3 of those 11 will be hosts like St. Thomas, Augustana, Benedictine.  That leaves 8 top 15 teams that need spots.  We can move two to the two likely Ohio host sites  JCU and Marietta for sure.  So now we're left with 6 top 15 teams and 3 hosting sites.  Remember that's already on top of the fact Augie, Benedictine and St Thomas are top 15 teams.

Lets be generous and give a second hosting site to Dubuque, we can move 1 of the remaining 6 there.

So now we have 5 top 15 teams left that need homes and 3 viable sites.  St. Thomas, Benedictine and Augustana.  Well two of those sites are going to get two of those teams in the first round.  And the 3rd will go somewhere else.  We could send them to Dubuque but that also creates a potential first or second round match-up of top 15 teams.


The math works out that in every GL/Central/West hosting site we will have a potential 2nd round matchup between top 15 teams and probably 2 first round matchups.  Upsets for Pool A slots isn't going to change this much at all.

[GoPerry]

Nice article on the Raridon run . . .

http://d3hoops.com/columns/around-the-region/central/2015-16/north-central-coach-rare-opportunity

[iwu70]

Guess I opened up a can of bracket worms about BU.  As one of the top seeds, they may of course get a first round bye, too.  My own view is that when they run into a top 15 team, some team really tough and well-tested, they go down.  We'll see.  Not much DIII tournament experience, right?  Maybe they make it to the round of 16, but my own view is that they don't.  IMHO.

In any case, I do hope CCIW gets three teams in and that these three really make some noise for the conference.

Senior night at IWU this weekend.  Thanks to the great group of IWU seniors for all your contributions, all your loyalty and hard work for the IWU program.   We in the Titan Nation have enjoyed watching you guys play.  Good luck in all future endeavors following graduation . . .  and try to keep the senioritis under control! 


IWU'70

[kiko]

Guess I opened up a can of bracket worms about BU.  As one of the top seeds, they may of course get a first round bye, too.  My own view is that when they run into a top 15 team, some team really tough and well-tested, they go down.  We'll see.  Not much DIII tournament experience, right?  Maybe they make it to the round of 16, but my own view is that they don't.  IMHO.

In any case, I do hope CCIW gets three teams in and that these three really make some noise for the conference.

Senior night at IWU this weekend.  Thanks to the great group of IWU seniors for all your contributions, all your loyalty and hard work for the IWU program.   We in the Titan Nation have enjoyed watching you guys play.  Good luck in all future endeavors following graduation . . .  and try to keep the senioritis under control! 


IWU'70

They may very well go down against a top-15 team, but so far they are 2-0 against the top 15 teams they have run into this year.

And, if they don't make the round of 16, it will be a loss at home.  No way does the committee put the Bennies on the road the first weekend.

[cardinalpride]

Week 2 regional rankings

http://www.d3blogs.com/d3hoops/2016/02/17/second-ncaa-regional-ranking/