2011 Final Four

[Gregory Sager]

North Park
UW-Whitewater
Dominican
Benedictine
Concordia (WI)
McMurry
Aurora
Wheaton (IL)
Concordia (IL)
Elmhurst
Simpson
Hanover
Chicago
Illinois Wesleyan
Lake Forest
Westminster (MO)
Olivet
Marian
Buena Vista
Augustana
Millikin
North Central
Brandeis
Lakeland
Carthage
Carnegie Mellon
Washington (MO)

... plus a couple of NAIA teams.

So that's 27 D3 teams ... and as you can guess from the names on the list, there were quite a few less-than-scintillating games on my docket back in November and December.

Interestingly, the three of us have no teams seen in common, aside from David and I both seeing Illinois Wesleyan. The Titans are one of the teams I saw multiple times, as I caught them on their visits to the U of C and North Park. North Park, Chicago, Elmhurst, Wheaton, Dominican, and Concordia (WI) are the other teams I saw more than once.

I had a lot more overlap with Old School. Of the 18 teams he saw, we have the following teams in common: UW-Whitewater, Augustana, Illinois Wesleyan, Lakeland, and Concordia (WI).

[Greek Tragedy]

...and Concordia (WI) are the other teams I saw more than once.

I feel bad you had to see Concordia (WI) more than once. 

[Gregory Sager]

I feel bad you had to see Concordia (WI) more than once. 

I feel worse that Concordia (WI) was one of NPU's four victories -- and that the Vikings had to go down to the wire to beat them. 

[TigerFan_1973]

Congratulations to Virginia Wesleyan on their title.

A great year for Wittenberg.

Thanks to all of you out here who made it a very interesting tournament season for me.

Prior to this tournament I had really only known about the Top 25 poll at D3Hoops.  I'm glad I discovered the discussion boards.

Thanks again.

[David Collinge]

The Titans are one of the teams I saw multiple times, as I caught them on their visits to the U of C and North Park. North Park, Chicago, Elmhurst, Wheaton, Dominican, and Concordia (WI) are the other teams I saw more than once.

Oddly enough, although I only managed to see 13 teams overall, I saw 11 of them in more than one game (I saw Behrend and Redlands just once each.)  Furthermore, I saw Amherst play in two locations nearly 2,500 miles apart from one another (Eagle Rock and Salem)...and Illinois Wesleyan in two venues even more distant than that (Santa Barbara and Salem.) 

My list may not be deep, but it's fairly elite.  Of the 13 teams I saw, 8 were in the final regular season top 25 poll, and I saw 9 of the 25 All-Americans.  And I saw Cal Tech...twice.   

It was an odd season for me, for sure.

[diehardfan]

Greg, actually, the year I went crazy, 03-04, I actually saw around 40 teams... certainly over 40 games anyway. And approx 16-18 of those received votes in the final top 25 poll that year... so

Anyhow, here's my list:

Puget Sound, Whitman, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, Occidental, Cal Tech, Redlands, Whittier, IWU, Wheaton, Witt, Mount Union, Fisk, Randolph Macon, Va Wesleyan, York, Penn State-Behrend, Ursinus, Amherst.

That would be 18 teams, and 10 of the teams receiving votes in the last top 25 poll, and as I was typing the list... (I went around the country geographically) what a crazy region spread I got! 7 west region, 2 midwest, 2 great lakes, 3 south, 2 mid atlantic, 1 east, 1 northeast. Gotta love the non-conference season and winter tourneys.

This has been a rough year for me, it was easy to predict Point as having a great shot at the championship early on in 2004, or Whitewater to be a non-factor, or the MWC to be a legit conference, when no one else did, just because I had seen so many of the key teams play.

One I had actually seen all four teams play in the Final Four this year, it was "easy" to pick the winner of the final. It has been tough to be unable to see games, and to know what I'm talking about (in the best sense, an experiential sense) here.

Oh well, I'm sure next year will be better! 

[Gregory Sager]

Greg, actually, the year I went crazy, 03-04, I actually saw around 40 teams... certainly over 40 games anyway. And approx 16-18 of those received votes in the final top 25 poll that year... so

I've topped 40 teams seen more than once, although I freely concede that you've tended to see more of the good teams than have I. I've pretty much restricted myself to whomever happened to be coming through Chicago or the 'burbs. But I think I should get bonus points for the fact that I've hit the 40-teams level without owning a car. 

I haven't reached the 40-teams mark for a few years now, because of: a) other commitments in my life that intrude upon watching basketball games  ; and b) I've largely stopped the practice of going elsewhere to see a men's game as a neutral observer, even if it's a good matchup, when the NPU women's team is playing at home. It's a loyalty thing.

Even in our best years, though, if you were counting NAIA teams as well as D3 teams neither of us would even come close to Mr. and Mrs. Quillman. I'm just amazed by how many basketball games they see every season.

[Knightstalker]

In my best years I probably saw around thirty-five to forty teams.  That was when I was single and childless and could go to NYC to see games at various CUNY schools.  I have to admit to seeing a few MAAC games at the Yanatelli Center on Campus at St. Peters.  And usually a Lafayette game or two in Easton PA. when visiting Mom.  St. Peters is still a D-I program playing basically by D-III rules, Lafayette was, they are now giving three basketball scholarships per year.  I am disappointed in their administration, they caved to the Alumi Associations pressure.

I think I have seen some of the better teams in the Atlantic, East and Mid-Atlantic regions over the last 15 or 16 years.

April you still have to come see a NJAC game, you best bet would be to catch Ramapo at the Cactus Jam next winter if they play.

The one place to catch a game if it is ever possible is at Hunter College, their gym is below ground level, alongside or slightly below the NYC Subway.  Very interesting venue for a game.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

The one place to catch a game if it is ever possible is at Hunter College, their gym is below ground level, alongside or slightly below the NYC Subway.  Very interesting venue for a game.

Yeah, the atmosphere for the big rivalry game with the Mole People is not to be missed.

[Knightstalker]

The one place to catch a game if it is ever possible is at Hunter College, their gym is below ground level, alongside or slightly below the NYC Subway.  Very interesting venue for a game.

Yeah, the atmosphere for the big rivalry game with the Mole People is not to be missed.

There are some interesting venues in the NY/NJ area.  LIU plays in a converted theater.  Caldwell Colleges gym is like an old auditorium or lecture hall, the seats have desks attached.  Centenary's gym is an old, not sure what but very interesting.

[Greek Tragedy]

Stevens Point
Cardinal Stritch
Mid-America Nazarene
Grace College
Lakeland
Edgewood
MSOE
Concordia (Wis.)
Ripon
Lawrence*
Illinois Wesleyan*
Carroll College*
DePauw
Puget Sound*
Augustana*
Eau Claire
Oshkosh*
Stout*
Whitewater*
La Crosse
River Falls

Well, of my list, 8 were ranked at some point of the year and only Oshkosh (I think) wasn't ranked at the end of the year.  And if I would've gone to the Final Four, I would've added three more ranked teams to my belt!  Point got votes at the beginning and I think La Crosse got some at the end.  NAIA teams Cardinal Stritch and Mid-America were both ranked, though if you've seen Stritch, that's not a big deal.  Ironically, both Stitch and Nazarene posted 1st round upsets in the D2 NAIA tourney, faced each other with Nazarene winning, eventually losing in the semis.  Grace was also ranked in the NCCAA, but not int he NAIA.

Anyway, maybe next season I'll go to Vegas for the holiday tourney there, or head to sunny San Diego for the Surf n Slam tourney there...but only if April meets me there with cookies.  

I suppose all this talk about teams from various conferences could've been discussed in the inter-conference page.  Oh well.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Yeah, but you really can't count Mid-America.  I too have seem them this year and they are not good.  I'm not sure how they made that run in the NAIA-II tournament.  I know the Point played them near the beginning of the year, so the loss can be chalked up to chemistry, but I wouldn't be bragging about them as an opponent, especially when they won the game.

I know you, specifically, are not bragging.  I'm just saying that there are those who would like to attribute that loss to a really good team, when in reality, they weren't.

[northb]

The one place to catch a game if it is ever possible is at Hunter College, their gym is below ground level, alongside or slightly below the NYC Subway.  Very interesting venue for a game.

Sounds like a scarey place to have the game on the line when you shoot your free throw as the 9:17 from Brooklyn rolls by

[gordonmann]

NYU's court is also below ground, though I don't know if there's any proximity to the subway.

[Knightstalker]

NYU's court is also below ground, though I don't know if there's any proximity to the subway.

It is not that close, NYU's is different, theirs is actually kind of nice and within a larger nice facility. You don't literally step off the subway and down into the gym.