MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Titan Q]

This quadrant of the backet is brutal!

It's nothing compared to last year's "Bracket of Death", which shall live in infamy.  Across these boards today you'll see most agreeing that the 2010 bracket is the most balanced in years.

[CCgrad2004]

Having removed myself from division III ball for the last few years, and not familar with the "Bracket of Death" you refer to...what was the story with that? 

Could it really be tougher than 6 of the top 15 teams in the same quadrant?

This quadrant of the backet is brutal!

It's nothing compared to last year's "Bracket of Death", which shall live in infamy.  Across these boards today you'll see most agreeing that the 2010 bracket is the most balanced in years.

[CCgrad2004]

I do see what you are saying that most people agree this is the most balanced bracket in year.

This quadrant of the backet is brutal!

It's nothing compared to last year's "Bracket of Death", which shall live in infamy.  Across these boards today you'll see most agreeing that the 2010 bracket is the most balanced in years.

[Titan Q]

Having removed myself from division III ball for the last few years, and not familar with the "Bracket of Death" you refer to...what was the story with that?

Could it really be tougher than 6 of the top 15 teams in the same quadrant? 

Here is a post I made one year ago...

Massey ratings of the teams in the Wheaton/St. Thomas quad...

http://www.mratings.com/rate.php?lg=cb&yr=2009&sub=III&mid=6


#1 - St. Thomas
#2 - Wheaton
#3 - UW-Stevens Point
#4 - Puget Sound
#5 - UW-Platteville
#6 - UW-Whitewater
#7 - Wash U
#8 - Elmhurst
#9 - Whitworth
#25 - Lawrence
#28 - Cornell
#31 - Hope
#36 - Claremont-Mudd-Scripps
#87 - Aurora
#156 - Fontbonne

How does the entire top 9 (per Massey) sound?

Bracket of Death, R.I.P.

[Gregory Sager]

Final CCIW pick'em contest results are now posted in the CCIW pick'em room. Congrats to our 2009-10 champion, augie77!

[CCgrad2004]

Point taken!  That earned the title "Bracket of Death". 

Having removed myself from division III ball for the last few years, and not familar with the "Bracket of Death" you refer to...what was the story with that?

Could it really be tougher than 6 of the top 15 teams in the same quadrant? 

Here is a post I made one year ago...

Massey ratings of the teams in the Wheaton/St. Thomas quad...

http://www.mratings.com/rate.php?lg=cb&yr=2009&sub=III&mid=6


#1 - St. Thomas
#2 - Wheaton
#3 - UW-Stevens Point
#4 - Puget Sound
#5 - UW-Platteville
#6 - UW-Whitewater
#7 - Wash U
#8 - Elmhurst
#9 - Whitworth
#25 - Lawrence
#28 - Cornell
#31 - Hope
#36 - Claremont-Mudd-Scripps
#87 - Aurora
#156 - Fontbonne

How does the entire top 9 (per Massey) sound?

Bracket of Death, R.I.P.

[Titan Q]

Here are the final regional rankings -- the ones used to select Pool C teams and make the bracket.  (This is the first year the final rankings have been released.)

http://www.ncaa.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/030110aae.html

IWU did move ahead of Wheaton and was the first Pool C candidate from the Midwest.  Wheaton was next, followed by Anderson.

[usee]

Here are the final regional rankings -- the ones used to select Pool C teams and make the bracket.  (This is the first year the final rankings have been released.)

http://www.ncaa.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/030110aae.html

IWU did move ahead of Wheaton and was the first Pool C candidate from the Midwest.  Wheaton was next, followed by Anderson.

Very cool to see this info released. Kudos to the NCAA for letting it out. Transparency is a good thing.

[CCgrad2004]

By percentage...chances of CCIW teams making the Sweet 16:

Wheaton over MH Baylor (20%)
Wheaton over Texas Dallas (5%)

IWU over Central (80%)
IWU over Washington U (25%)

Carthage over Aurora (85%)
Carthage over St. Thomas (35%)

Thoughts?

[Mr. Ypsi]

By percentage...chances of CCIW teams making the Sweet 16:

Wheaton over MH Baylor (20%)
Wheaton over Texas Dallas (5%)

IWU over Central (80%)
IWU over Washington U (25%)

Carthage over Aurora (85%)
Carthage over St. Thomas (35%)

Thoughts?

Not that Massey is the be-all and end-all of the discussion, but are you aware that Wheaton is ranked higher than either UMHB or UT-D?  And that IWU is ranked lower (also by d3hoops.com poll) than Central?

If it occurs, I sort of agree with the IWU outcome against WashU (though I'd say closer to 40%), and both Carthage outcomes look in at least the right ballpark (though not if Carthage believes the prediction on Aurora, and Stevie D. gives Carthage anywhere from a 30-60% chance against the Tommies).

[Titan Q]

If Carthage faces St. Thomas, I honestly won't feel like the Red Men, at home, are the underdog in that game.  I don't care what the D3hoops.com Top 25 or Massey says.  I don't see this St. Thomas team as the powerhouse last year's team was...and they just lost to Carleton in the MIAC tournament afterall.

[usee]

I definitely think Carthage is at least a 60% favorite over St Thomas. And Wheaton has a very solid chance of beating MHB and UTD. Wheaton's tough non conference schedule and a brutal CCIW slate has them prepared for any team in their bracket.

[John Gleich]

If Carthage faces St. Thomas, I honestly won't feel like the Red Men, at home, are the underdog in that game.  I don't care what the D3hoops.com Top 25 or Massey says.  I don't see this St. Thomas team as the powerhouse last year's team was...and they just lost to Carleton in the MIAC tournament afterall.

That's true, but Carleton has won 12 of their last 13, with the sole loss coming to UST.  I think they're peaking at the right time.

Or the wrong time if you're next on the schedule (gulp...!)


I think that Carthage pod could be very entertaining to watch.  UST/Anderson could be a good game, at least for a while, but I expect the Tommies to pull it out.

And Aurora is a very high scoring team (#4 in the country at 88 PPG)... Anybody have a line on how many SD will score?  Aurora's defense is 390/404, giving up 82 PPG!

[CCgrad2004]

That is why I threw this out there.  Some great thought by people who follow this a lot closer than I do.

[augiefan]

Even in a down year the top 2 or 3 teams in the CCIW are better than the majority of other DIII teams qualifying for the tournament. The only mitigator is that the midwest in general dominates DIII basketball, so we get matched up early on with some of the best teams around in the early going.

This is probably not going to be a year in which the 3 qualifiers make it to the final 8 or perhaps even the Sweet 16, but it will be a great learning experience. Ben Panner and Cody Hilton are the only senior starters on the 3 CCIW teams. All 3 of these teams shoul;d be back in the post season next year, unless Augie or NPU knock one of them out of the top 3 positions. It is interesting to note that the 3 bottom teams in the standings NCC, Elmhurst and Millikin had the most graduating senior starters this year.