NCAA Tournament

[ronk]

Dave,
Why did you say(tweet) that Tufts should host the sectional over Scranton?

At first I felt Tufts criteria was better despite being a #2... but then I realized CNU couldn't get to Tufts anyway and a future tweet showed I changed that prediction.

What criteria was better?

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Dave,
Why did you say(tweet) that Tufts should host the sectional over Scranton?

At first I felt Tufts criteria was better despite being a #2... but then I realized CNU couldn't get to Tufts anyway and a future tweet showed I changed that prediction.

What criteria was better?

Tufts was was 22-2 with a .616 SOS along with be 8-2 vRRO with a road win over Amherst.

Scranton was 25-0 with a .561 SOS and 4-0 vRRO.

If you just played the SOS game (.030=2games) - Tufts improves to a 24-0 under Scranton's SOS and Scranton falls to a 23-2 with Tuft's SOS, but considering the descrepency is nearly .060 I think the edge still goes to Tufts. They also played 10 ranked opponents (granted, easier in the Northeast) and did pretty darn well against them at 8-2.

It would have been a very interesting conversation, to say the least, and I certainly would have understood if the committee went with Scranton if it was debatable... but considering CNU couldn't get to Tufts in the first place... there was no debate.

[NWCSportsFan]

One difference, UTT hosted the first weekend as they deserved, GFU did not.

Maybe a new NWC recruiting slogan could be "Join the NWC and see the country."

Given that this seems to happen often to the NWC, perhaps in fairness, the NCAA could budget to allow a 27-0 NWC team to host the first or second weekend once in a while, or both, as some other undefeated teams are able to do.  The NWC should not be punished because of something they cannot control, geography.

In retrospect, GFU should have lost the conference title game to UPS so that 2 NWC teams could have made into the tournament.  That doesn't seem right at all.

Yeah... GFU and Tyler are not hosting... St. Thomas is my guess as well.

So GFU and UTT get to play at a "neutral site" for their game.

[Ralph Turner]

One difference, UTT hosted the first weekend as they deserved, GFU did not.

Maybe a new NWC recruiting slogan could be "Join the NWC and see the country."

Given that this seems to happen often to the NWC, perhaps in fairness, the NCAA could budget to allow a 27-0 NWC team to host the first or second weekend once in a while, or both, as some other undefeated teams are able to do.  The NWC should not be punished because of something they cannot control, geography.

In retrospect, GFU should have lost the conference title game to UPS so that 2 NWC teams could have made into the tournament.  That doesn't seem right at all.

Yeah... GFU and Tyler are not hosting... St. Thomas is my guess as well.

So GFU and UTT get to play at a "neutral site" for their game.

Welcome to the boards NWCSportsFan.
Yes, losing to UPS might have given you a home game.
I wonder if the Tommies winning the OT game in the first round saved their hosting bid this weekend.

[NWCSportsFan]

Very sad and unfortunate that a NWC team would have a better chance of hosting by losing, but don't worry, the rivalries in the NWC are such that no team would do that.  Probably the same everywhere in DIII women's basketball.  And if you do lose, you most likely have to play the same team again in the second round.  It's happened that way many times in the past.

Good luck to the Bruins in St. Paul.  They will represent George Fox and the NWC well.

[BruinFan]

Based on the last public regional rankings and won/loss record, George Fox vs. UT-Tyler is quite a match-up.
#1 from the West vs. #1 from the South with a combined record of 58-1. A neutral site game, so no homecourt advantage for either team.

[Ralph Turner]

Based on the last public regional rankings and won/loss record, George Fox vs. UT-Tyler is quite a match-up.
#1 from the West vs. #1 from the South with a combined record of 58-1. A neutral site game, so no homecourt advantage for either team.

I also do not see that either team has played in this gym before/recently.

Yes, this should be a good one. We can see if UTT's ball handers can handle the GFU press.

[NWCSportsFan]

Except for GFU and UTT, none of the other undefeated or one loss teams have to play another undefeated or one loss team in the Sweet 16 matchups.  If the NCAA is going to use finances and geography to set up the brackets, perhaps they could consider reseeding the Sweet 16 pods.  It looks like both GFU and UTT are Elite Eight caliber teams.

[gordonmann]

Maybe, but the ASC representative hasn't reached the Elite 8 since Howard Payne went undefeated in 2008. The ASC's tournament record since then is 7-12.

Texas-Tyler has one loss but it also has just one win against teams that received votes in the last Top 25 poll, and that team may receive no votes in the year-end poll.  There's a chance Texas-Tyler is really good. There's also a chance they floated up to No. 6 in the country because everyone else around them lost.

If money were no object, which of the teams who hosted last week and play on a neutral court this week (i.e. similar to Texas Tyler) would clearly be easier opponents for George Fox -- Bowdoin, Rochester, Albright, Tufts, or Washington U? If I were George Fox and could pick my opponent, there are only two on that list I'd rather face and one of them (Bowdoin) would give me pause because they have better win (Tufts) than anyone Texas-Tyler has beaten to date.

How would you have reorganized the pods to get George Fox a better second round opponent?

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

It is hard work just to get into the NCAA tournament in the first place. It is even harder to get out of the second two rounds. But which eight teams of the 32 left can get the job done and march on to the championship weekends?

Thursday night on Hoopsville, Dave McHugh chats with some of those who have already surprised and those who hope to keep their tournament dreams reality.

Hoopsville hits the air at 7pm ET. You can watch the show here: http://www.d3hoops.com/hoopsville/archives/2015-16/mar10

Guests include (in order of appearance):
- Ryan Cain, Keene State men's coach
- Jim Scheible, No. 16 Rochester women's coach
- Kendra Hassel, No. 6 UT-Tyler women's coach
- Jason Zimmerman, Emory men's coach (NABC Coach's Corner)
- Dave Hixon, No. 15 Amherst men's coach
- Steve Moore, Wooster 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:
Website: www.d3hoopsville.com
Twitter: @d3hoopsville or #Hoopsville
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Hoopsville
Email: hoopsville@d3hoops.com
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/d3hoopsville

[NWCSportsFan]

I was just suggesting reseeding the teams at each location, if it makes sense, not moving teams between pods. 

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

I was just suggesting reseeding the teams at each location, if it makes sense, not moving teams between pods.

NCAA brackets are designed the way they are... why would we reseed at those brackets. Doing that would cause the committee to care less about the overall design of the bracket.

[San Juan]

Dave  just  a question here?I notice you said that the criteria for Tufts over Scranton was better because of the Sos comparison and if CNU was closer to Tufts you could have seen the Regionals  going to Tufts.Did you look at Thomas Mores Sos at 525 I didn't here you make that statement in there pod.Scranton is 573 sos just a thought.

Dave,
Why did you say(tweet) that Tufts should host the sectional over Scranton?

At first I felt Tufts criteria was better despite being a #2... but then I realized CNU couldn't get to Tufts anyway and a future tweet showed I changed that prediction.

What criteria was better?

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

San Juan - don't know if you prematurely posted, but I answer the question to that here:

Dave,
Why did you say(tweet) that Tufts should host the sectional over Scranton?

At first I felt Tufts criteria was better despite being a #2... but then I realized CNU couldn't get to Tufts anyway and a future tweet showed I changed that prediction.

What criteria was better?

Tufts was was 22-2 with a .616 SOS along with be 8-2 vRRO with a road win over Amherst.

Scranton was 25-0 with a .561 SOS and 4-0 vRRO.

If you just played the SOS game (.030=2games) - Tufts improves to a 24-0 under Scranton's SOS and Scranton falls to a 23-2 with Tuft's SOS, but considering the descrepency is nearly .060 I think the edge still goes to Tufts. They also played 10 ranked opponents (granted, easier in the Northeast) and did pretty darn well against them at 8-2.

It would have been a very interesting conversation, to say the least, and I certainly would have understood if the committee went with Scranton if it was debatable... but considering CNU couldn't get to Tufts in the first place... there was no debate.

[Ralph Turner]

Maybe, but the ASC representative hasn't reached the Elite 8 since Howard Payne went undefeated in 2008. The ASC's tournament record since then is 7-12.

Texas-Tyler has one loss but it also has just one win against teams that received votes in the last Top 25 poll, and that team may receive no votes in the year-end poll.  There's a chance Texas-Tyler is really good. There's also a chance they floated up to No. 6 in the country because everyone else around them lost.

If money were no object, which of the teams who hosted last week and play on a neutral court this week (i.e. similar to Texas Tyler) would clearly be easier opponents for George Fox -- Bowdoin, Rochester, Albright, Tufts, or Washington U? If I were George Fox and could pick my opponent, there are only two on that list I'd rather face and one of them (Bowdoin) would give me pause because they have better win (Tufts) than anyone Texas-Tyler has beaten to date.

How would you have reorganized the pods to get George Fox a better second round opponent?

Thanks for the analysis of the tourney from the GFU and UTT perspective.

IMHO, the ASC declined significantly after Chris Kielsmeyer left HPU and Sam Nichols left McMurry in 2008.  Julie Goodenough's program carried strong momentum for another 3-4 years after she left HSU for Okie State about 2002.

Since 2011, Louisiana College under the late Janice Joseph-Richards and her successor, UTD and UTT have met some strong competition in the playoffs, e.g., Thomas More (pre-Moss), Wash U and GFU.  The good thing for the ASC is that the SCAC is nearby and so we are likely to get the first rounds in Texas, most years, instead of being flown to the Northwest or Iowa.

I think that UTT's Kendra Hassel is the best coach in the conference since Kielsmeyer and may be the one that gets ASC Women's Hoops back to the national level.  When Kendra Anderson Hassel was at HSU, she saw the top level of competition in D3.  I will be pleased if the Patriots win this first time at the Sweet 16, but programs often do not comprehend how much or how little they lack to be an elite program the first time they get there.

As an ASC fan, this is fun again.