Playoffs -- 2015

[RLW]

Does anyone know how many teams ranked in the top 32 before the play offs started that made the play offs? And how many teams ranked higher than the top 32 before the play offs that made the play offs? Regardless if they were a AQ for a conference.

[sigma one]

I will take a crack at it.  Others, please help/correct.  Of those teams finishing in the DIIFB Top 25 for week 11, and of those next receiving votes beginning with #26 through number #33, these teams did not make the playoffs:  (Note that I am not including #28 Amherst, which was ineligible out of NESCAC, so I've gone to #33.)  UWPlatteville, North Central, Texas Lutheran, Wartburg, John Carroll, Guilford, East Texas Baptist, Washing ton and Jefferson, and Case Western Reserve.
      Those making the playoffs but not in the above group down to #33:  St Lawrence, St Scholastica, LaVerne, Lakeland, Albion, Dubuque, Norwich, Hendrix, Huntingdon. 

[Mr. Ypsi]

One correction, Dubuque was ranked #18.  (They got crushed (again) by St. John's, who then got crushed (again) by St. Thomas.)

[sigma one]

Thanks, Ypsi.  Missed that one.  Should have caught Dubuque, their being a conference championship and auto bid.

[art76]

Does anyone know how many teams ranked in the top 32 before the play offs started that made the play offs? And how many teams ranked higher than the top 32 before the play offs that made the play offs? Regardless if they were a AQ for a conference.

RLW - and others,

Take a gander over at the Pool C Thread (page 48) where I posted all the teams in the play-offs with their D3 rankings at the beginning of this year's post season play.

[RLW]

Thanks guys

[jknezek]

Just for fun, there were 5 road wins out of the 31 games played in team stadiums. Four of those five wins belonged to traditional powers UMHB, UWW and Wesley. Only ONU beating Franklin in the first round didn't involve at traditional Elite Eight type team. UWW is the only team to win two games on the road this year. Two out of the five road wins were rematches, UMHB at HSU and UWW at UWO.

Three of the road wins were by 5 points or less. Wesley over JHU 42-37, ONU over Franklin 27-22, UWW over UWO 31-29. Only UMHB beating HSU by 18 and UWW beating Wheaton by 14 were more than 1 score games.

Conclusions? The committee did a really good job, with the possible exception of having UWW a bit low. Or DIII is just so non-competitive top to bottom it wasn't that hard to set up the tournament properly.

For myself? I think the biggest problem is my use of "or" in the conclusion statements. Probably better to say "and"...

[wally_wabash]

Just for fun, there were 5 road wins out of the 31 games played in team stadiums. Four of those five wins belonged to traditional powers UMHB, UWW and Wesley. Only ONU beating Franklin in the first round didn't involve at traditional Elite Eight type team. UWW is the only team to win two games on the road this year. Two out of the five road wins were rematches, UMHB at HSU and UWW at UWO.

Three of the road wins were by 5 points or less. Wesley over JHU 42-37, ONU over Franklin 27-22, UWW over UWO 31-29. Only UMHB beating HSU by 18 and UWW beating Wheaton by 14 were more than 1 score games.

Conclusions? The committee did a really good job, with the possible exception of having UWW a bit low. Or DIII is just so non-competitive top to bottom it wasn't that hard to set up the tournament properly.

For myself? I think the biggest problem is my use of "or" in the conclusion statements. Probably better to say "and"...

I would disagree with this.  I don't know where else you would have put UWW.  The teams placed ahead of them in the brackets: UMU, UWO, UST, Linfield, JHU, Wabash, Wheaton, HSU all earned their spots in the top two of a region.  Maybe just maybe you could have justified UWW ahead of HSU, but that geography never would have worked.  UWW was always going to get lumped in with some combination of UWO, UST, Wheaton, UMU, and Wabash and they were never going to be seeded ahead of any of those teams, nor should they have been, based on the selection/seeding criteria. 

[pg04]

I think the Committee did very well, from the intro rounds right down to picking St. Thomas as the 2nd best team and giving them the home game in the semis.

Now, for this week. I see mostly everyone picking Mount (outside of the Tommie fans) - and some in a rout. Is there anyone who isn't a St. Thomas fan that thinks they will win?

[jknezek]

I would disagree with this.  I don't know where else you would have put UWW.  The teams placed ahead of them in the brackets: UMU, UWO, UST, Linfield, JHU, Wabash, Wheaton, HSU all earned their spots in the top two of a region.  Maybe just maybe you could have justified UWW ahead of HSU, but that geography never would have worked.  UWW was always going to get lumped in with some combination of UWO, UST, Wheaton, UMU, and Wabash and they were never going to be seeded ahead of any of those teams, nor should they have been, based on the selection/seeding criteria.

yeah. I probably didn't phrase that right. There wasn't much else you could do with UWW, I 100% agree. Just based on what happened they were probably a bit low in reality as opposed to a bit low based on what the committee could work with.

[retagent]

I'm a Johnnie fan, and after seeing them manhandle some very good teams this year (4 games). I not only think they will win, I think it won't be that close.

[wally_wabash]

I'm a Johnnie fan, and after seeing them manhandle some very good teams this year (4 games). I not only think they will win, I think it won't be that close.

Where do you think Mount Union would finish in the MIAC?  Probably sandwiched between Concordia and Gustavus, no?  Or Gustavus and Bethel?  Tough call. 

[retagent]

I'm a Johnnie fan, and after seeing them manhandle some very good teams this year (4 games). I not only think they will win, I think it won't be that close.

Where do you think Mount Union would finish in the MIAC?  Probably sandwiched between Concordia and Gustavus, no?  Or Gustavus and Bethel?  Tough call. 

I know you were being tongue-in-cheek, but would 2nd be out of the question? Maybe it's just that I recall 2003 when Mt was a prohibitive favorite, and had won their semi-final by something like 60 points.

[wally_wabash]

I'm a Johnnie fan, and after seeing them manhandle some very good teams this year (4 games). I not only think they will win, I think it won't be that close.

Where do you think Mount Union would finish in the MIAC?  Probably sandwiched between Concordia and Gustavus, no?  Or Gustavus and Bethel?  Tough call. 

I know you were being tongue-in-cheek, but would 2nd be out of the question? Maybe it's just that I recall 2003 when Mt was a prohibitive favorite, and had won their semi-final by something like 60 points.

Players in tomorrow's game were what...7-10 years old in 2003?  Why would that have anything at all to do with anything? 

[jamtod]

I'm a Johnnie fan, and after seeing them manhandle some very good teams this year (4 games). I not only think they will win, I think it won't be that close.

Where do you think Mount Union would finish in the MIAC?  Probably sandwiched between Concordia and Gustavus, no?  Or Gustavus and Bethel?  Tough call. 

I know you were being tongue-in-cheek, but would 2nd be out of the question? Maybe it's just that I recall 2003 when Mt was a prohibitive favorite, and had won their semi-final by something like 60 points.

I suppose we'll find out on Friday, but I'd imagine it'd be pretty safe to say that Mount is better than St John's and Wabash both this year.  Whether they rank above St Thomas is TBD.