MBB: Northwest Conference

[Gregory Sager]

True. The unofficial nickname of the school is "Swat."

[OxyBob]

When I was a medical student and doing my cardiology rotation, the attending physician for the rotation came in one day and showed us a picture of us the JV basketball team when he played at Swathmore. Then he pointed to one of the players and said, "That's Mike Dukakis."

Dukakis was a hell of a tough player. His nickname was "The Tank."

OxyBob

[Gregory Sager]

[A Buc Forever]

Just hope WW doesn't get rolled over.

[Greek Tragedy]

Just hope WW doesn't get rolled over.

Way to think positive! LeTourneau had one of the top 5 players in the division this year. Whitworth snuck by them. Then they played the top team in the ASC. Neither are Swarthmore, but I don't think they'll get steam-rolled. It was probably a coin flip that they'd get out of the 1st round and now they're in the Sweet 16.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Just hope WW doesn't get rolled over.

Way to think positive! LeTourneau had one of the top 5 players in the division this year. Whitworth snuck by them. Then they played the top team in the ASC. Neither are Swarthmore, but I don't think they'll get steam-rolled. It was probably a coin flip that they'd get out of the 1st round and now they're in the Sweet 16.

I'd say Whitworth has to manage errors and keep the bigs out of foul trouble.  The starters on both teams match up well, but Swarthmore's got a much deeper bench.  Not in terms of style, but in terms of relentlessness, it's going to be like playing Whitman.  Swat won't necessarily move at the same pace, but they keep you on your toes the same way - and they can throw waves of guys at you.

[BluesBrother]

It's awesome to see NWC making it to the Sweet 16 yet again. I wish my Blues had made it, too, but the inconsistency they displayed all year was evident vs UWEC.

It's also nice to see SCIAC advancing after three consecutive years of getting knocked out in the second round vs Whitman. I know these conferences aren't as deep as others, but the top end programs are absolutely national contenders and it's nice when they get a chance to advance without knocking each other off.

Good luck to Whitworth and P-P this weekend!

[Greek Tragedy]

I realize that the NWC isn't done yet, but I'm already looking towards to next year. Whitworth and Whitman both have heavy losses to graduation. Is there a team that will take over next year or is a matter of reloading rather than rebuilding for the two Whits?

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I realize that the NWC isn't done yet, but I'm already looking towards to next year. Whitworth and Whitman both have heavy losses to graduation. Is there a team that will take over next year or is a matter of reloading rather than rebuilding for the two Whits?

Linfield graduates some key players, but they bring back a big chunk of their core.  If the recruiting success continues, they'll definitely be contenders into the future.

[Gregory Sager]

It's also nice to see SCIAC advancing after three consecutive years of getting knocked out in the second round vs Whitman. I know these conferences aren't as deep as others, but the top end programs are absolutely national contenders

History has not demonstrated that to be true, especially for the SCIAC -- and keep in mind that the SCIAC has been part of D3 since the late '70s. No SCIAC team has ever reached the Final Four, and only the 2017 Whitman team has gotten that far from the NWC. The list of SCIAC and NWC teams that have reached the Elite Eight is not extensive, either:

1981 Whittier
2002 Lewis & Clark
2003 Occidental
2006 Puget Sound
2011 Whitworth
2017 Whitman
2018 Whitman

It would seem that the West Coast teams have made strides in the new millennium, seeing as how they've made six of the 20 Elite Eights played since Y2K. But their performance once they've reached that level has been dismal. The five teams listed above that have reached the Elite Eight but gone no further since 2000 each lost their Elite Eight game by double digits, and the average margin of defeat in those six games was 15 points.

No doubt about it, Whitman has been very solid over the past four seasons. But the 2017 Whitman team distorted what has been the actual record of NWC teams over the past two decades -- and the SCIAC's legacy is in fact far more dismal than the NWC's in the big dance.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Swarthmore announced they will play without spectators.  Whitworth fans should be cancelling airfare, if they can.

[CalCat]

We regret to inform you that, due to the global coronavirus epidemic (COVID-19), spectators are prohibited from attending this Saturday's NCAA Division III men's basketball game between Swarthmore College and Whitworth University.

Only team personnel, credentialed administration and media*, and gameday staff will be permitted to attend the contest in Tarble Pavilion. Individuals who have already purchased tickets for Saturday's game will be refunded in the coming days.

Fans interested in watching the game can still do so via the Garnet Sports Network beginning at 4:45 p.m.


From @swatathletics twitter account

[BluesBrother]

It's also nice to see SCIAC advancing after three consecutive years of getting knocked out in the second round vs Whitman. I know these conferences aren't as deep as others, but the top end programs are absolutely national contenders

History has not demonstrated that to be true, especially for the SCIAC -- and keep in mind that the SCIAC has been part of D3 since the late '70s. No SCIAC team has ever reached the Final Four, and only the 2017 Whitman team has gotten that far from the NWC. The list of SCIAC and NWC teams that have reached the Elite Eight is not extensive, either:

1981 Whittier
2002 Lewis & Clark
2003 Occidental
2006 Puget Sound
2011 Whitworth
2017 Whitman
2018 Whitman

It would seem that the West Coast teams have made strides in the new millennium, seeing as how they've made six of the 20 Elite Eights played since Y2K. But their performance once they've reached that level has been dismal. The five teams listed above that have reached the Elite Eight but gone no further since 2000 each lost their Elite Eight game by double digits, and the average margin of defeat in those six games was 15 points.

No doubt about it, Whitman has been very solid over the past four seasons. But the 2017 Whitman team distorted what has been the actual record of NWC teams over the past two decades -- and the SCIAC's legacy is in fact far more dismal than the NWC's in the big dance.

Right, I'm mostly thinking about recent history, like the past five years. For instance, the Claremont teams that knocked off Whitworth two years in a row and then nearly beat Whitman were pretty darn good. Same for last year's Pomona team. Basically, I would argue that the past four years Whitman, Whitworth, and the top SCIAC team were all Elite Eight caliber teams. But for three of those years, because of bracketing, only one team could advance to the Sweet 16. I'm not complaining. I understand the reality. But given that reality, I don't think you can accurately evaluate the quality of the top-tier NWC and SCIAC teams based on advancement in the national tournament.

[D O.C.]

When Cass was a sophomore, planned to go to Swarthmore
But she changed her mind one day
Standin' on the turnpike, thumb out to hitchhike
"Take me to New York right away"

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

And with that, the 2019-20 seasons have come to a sudden end.

What a week it has been in college basketball. Exactly a week ago, as we hit the air, the first signs that COVID-19 was going to impact the NCAA Tournaments was seen. Since then, it has been a whirlwind.  

Tonight on Hoopsville, we try and make sense of one of the stranger finishes in history for NCAA events. What started with isolated closings of gyms for games ends a week later in all games being called off through the rest of the academic year.

We will chat with those who were preparing for games on Friday and hear their reactions to the seasons coming to a close so quickly.

Guests Schedule (order subject to change):
- Michelle Ferenze, No. 10 Whitman women's coach
- John Krikorian, Christopher Newport men's coach
- Cheri Harrer, No. 9 Baldwin Wallace women's coach

Hoopsville is presented by D3hoops.com and airs from the WBCA/NABC Studio. You can watch Thursday's show LIVE starting at 7:00 p.m. ET in the following ways:
- Main page: www.d3hoops.com/hoopsville
- Show page: http://bit.ly/3b1XeU3 (or www.d3hoops.com/hoopsville/archives/2019-20/mar12)
- Facebook Live Simulcast: www.facebook.com/Hoopsville
- YouTube Simulcast: www.youtube.com/d3hoopsville
- Team1 Sports: www.team1sports.com/Hoopsville/
- Team1 Sports app (Android TV, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Roku) - you will either find it under the "live" section or search for the Hoopsville channel
Monday's show primarily covers the Atlantic, Central, South, and Northeast Regions. All men's coaches appear in the NABC Coach's Corner. And all guests are featured on the BlueFrame Technology Hoopsville Hotline

All men's coaches appear in the NABC Coach's Corner. And all guests are featured on the BlueFrame Technology Hoopsville Hotline.

If you have questions about Division III basketball, feel free to send them and we will answer them on a the show. Email them to hoopsville@d3sports.com or use any of the social media options to the right.

Please also consider helping us out. We are accepting donations to the show - which many of you have asked about. The goal is to raise $7,500. We are approximately at $4,600 at the time of this posting.

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