WBB: Landmark Conference

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

  Met Andrea at 1 of the big July AAU tourneys; she seemed cognizant of the challenge ahead, notwithstanding the future loss of the 3 players you mentioned. I would see the previous coaching staff at similar tourneys, so I can't differentiate between the staffs on that basis. Best wishes for her progress in recruiting.
  Can't see how not playing Goucher would negatively affect one's SOS, whether or not you had played them once already.

If a team doesn't have to play Goucher at all... that is two games they don't have hitting their SOS. If you have to only play them once, you get a hit on that SOS the other teams don't get. Play them twice, etc. On the men's side, we have the SOS numbers in conference play come down to around .500 on average because of the weighted measure. On the women's side, I think the SOS still plays out the same, strictly because everyone is playing everyone twice and thus the wins and losses add up to .500 for conference action (i.e. OWP and OOWP). Play a team once, that adjusts. Don't play the team at all, added benefit to some degree.

A little complicated, but the Centennial dealt with it with Bryn Mawr. The conference opponents ended up only playing Bryn Mawr once thus affecting their SOS more negatively than playing them twice.

[ronk]

Yes, but you aren't penalized for not playing a 2nd game after playing them once. That's different than not playing either game and avoiding a double penalty, relative to the teams that have played them once, already. 

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Yes, but you aren't penalized for not playing a 2nd game after playing them once. That's different than not playing either game and avoiding a double penalty, relative to the teams that have played them once, already.

No ronk - their SOS will take a bigger hit because they have the game on their schedule versus not playing them at all.

If you played them a second time as part of the conference schedule, things even themselves out. If you didn't play them at all, it opens up other aspects of the NCAA stuff that cause problems like being two games short.

There are problems across the board.

[ronk]

 The original point was the effect on a team's SOS playing them twice versus playing them once, not versus playing them at all. You said it could hurt one's SOS if they had played Goucher once and the 2nd game was canceled. I disputed that affect on SOS. Playing a 2nd game would negatively affect one's SOS relative to every other nonconference team that haven't played them at all.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

ronk - I disagree and the numbers have some bearing. Remember, the SOS has the OWP and the OOWP involved. When you take a double-round-robin conference schedule where everyone plays each other twice, the numbers basically equal themselves out and the SOS comes back to around .500 (plus or minus depending on non-conference stuff). If you don't play one of those teams a second time, the numbers can vary up and down. Look at the NESCAC, ODAC, and others who have unbalanced conference schedules. You have different SOS numbers a lot of times from those conferences (outside of non-conference play).

If you don't play Goucher a second time and a number of teams don't, that SOS number WILL be affected possibly giving teams that played them once a lower number and those who didn't play them at all a higher number (because it isn't affected by even one game against a bad mathematical squad).

We have been talking about conference SOS numbers being around .500 for most of the last five or so years in Division III and especially on Hoopsville which I know you listen to. The reason for that understanding is due to double-round-robin games. Throw that out of wack and the numbers absolutely are affected especially for those who did face the team in question. The second game when EVERYONE plays that team helps even the numbers.

The .500 SOS because of conference play is the EXACT reason why both the men and women now have a secondary criteria item called NON-CONFERENCE SOS! To see what their number is outside of conference play which has a larger impact on the SOS on the whole and tends to drag it back to .500 - unless, especially, in a conference like the NESCAC.

You can see the difference in the SOS numbers in the NESCAC with those who play teams twice and those who don't and only play teams once. They don't usually have an 0-for team, so the true impact will be harder to see on the negative side.

[saratoga]

I could care less about anyones SOS being affected under these conditions.

I'm concerned with 6 kids trying to make it through the next half of the season without further injury.

In some respects, I would think that sending the new coach out to get acquainted with local coaches to improve the local freshman talent level for next year would be a better use of her time as opposed to what's currently taking place but what the heck, if they're all in & want to keep playing, go pher it. 

[saratoga]

Drew pulls off a pretty nice upset at Moravian.

Coach has the ladies of Madison playing with a purpose.

May be one of their biggest wins in quite a few years.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

I could care less about anyones SOS being affected under these conditions.

I'm concerned with 6 kids trying to make it through the next half of the season without further injury.

In some respects, I would think that sending the new coach out to get acquainted with local coaches to improve the local freshman talent level for next year would be a better use of her time as opposed to what's currently taking place but what the heck, if they're all in & want to keep playing, go pher it. 

Talked to a few conference coaches... they don't feel the right move is to cancel the season and feel it could hurt other teams by removing games from their schedules they can't make up.

If Goucher is willing to keep moving forward (and they are making efforts to fill the depleted roster during the season), that is their decision. Canceling seasons already started is a nuclear option and I just don't feel things are nuclear.

[Pat Coleman]

It would be helpful if they could recruit a couple of roster fillers from other sports who played basketball in high school, just to provide a little bit of a buffer.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

It would be helpful if they could recruit a couple of roster fillers from other sports who played basketball in high school, just to provide a little bit of a buffer.

They have already... one who is a field hockey goalie and has been working as table staff for basketball is now starting.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

It is always an exciting and surprising point in the season. The midway point. We are already halfway through another thrilling Division III basketball season. The best part, we have plenty more basketball to come. The hard part, we are also closer to the season coming to a close.

On Thursday night's Hoopsville, Dave will try and pull out his crystal ball and read the tea leaves on who can sustain their momentum, who may fall off, and which teams could make a run to the end. While we won't have all the answers, some of Dave's guests will be able to give us their insight on their own squad's chances.

Hoopsville is presented by D3hoops.com and airs from the WBCA/NABC Studio. You can watch the show LIVE starting at 7pm here: http://bit.ly/2D3pOrw.

A reminder the Thursday edition of Hoopsville primarily covers the East, Mid-Atlantic, Great Lakes, and West regions, but we will answer any questions about all of Division III throughout the show. You can also send your questions to the show and have them featured on the Hoopsville Mailbag segment. Email them to hoopsville@d3hoops.com.

Guests include (in order of appearance):
- Matt Croci, No. 10 Wittenberg men's coach
- Jim Scheible, No. 7 Rochester women's coach
- Lori Kerans, Millikin women's coach (WBCA Center Court)
- Danny Young-Uhrich, No. 17 Juniata women's
- Pat McKenzie, No. 15 St. John's men's coach

You can also tune into the podcast(s) after the show has aired:
SoundCloud: www.soundcloud.com/hoopsville
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hoopsville/id1059517087

Don't forget you can always interact with us:
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[saratoga]

Lady Royals have much work to do before Wednesday's game.

Pretty sloppy with far too many 3 second violations & allowing Goucher to crash the offensive boards.

Goucher has a few nice players & they outhustled Scranton the whole game.

I'd give them an A for effort, just hard to win with only 6 kids.

[lefty2]

I saw the Gwynedd-Mercy men's team win a conference championship with just six players on the roster.  Of course, three of the players were D-I transfers.

[ronk]

Lady Royals have much work to do before Wednesday's game.

Pretty sloppy with far too many 3 second violations & allowing Goucher to crash the offensive boards.

Goucher has a few nice players & they outhustled Scranton the whole game.

I'd give them an A for effort, just hard to win with only 6 kids.

2 Lady Royals(Gantz,Burns) didn't dress(1 on crutches).

[ronk]

After 1/4 of the conference season:

Drew  3-1
Juniata 3-1
Scranton 3-1
Moravian 2-2
Catholic 2-2
E-town 2-2
Susque 1-3
Goucher 0-4

Juniata +1 for win @ Catholic; Moravian -1 for loss @ home to Drew

Wed: Scranton-Moravian; Drew-E-town
Sat: Scranton-Catholic, Moravian-Juniata