2023 NCAA Tournament

[thebear]

Looks like the matchups involving two top 25 teams tonight are:

# 10 John Carroll 23-4 @ # 6 Oswego St 26-2
# 14 Williams 23-4 @ # 4 St. Joseph's CT 27-1
# 2 Christopher Newport 25-3 @ # 20 Hampden-Sydney 22-6
# 19 North Park 23-6 at # 18 Washington U StL 20-6
# 24 E. Texas Baptist 24-5 @ # 17 Mary Hardin-Baylor 23-5

Only matchup of 2 teams not receiving votes in the D3 poll is Univ of Mary Washington at Stockton. 

All of the other hosts are ranked in the top 25.

[SpringSt7]

Coach of the Year award is almost always either A. the team that won the league or B. the team that most overperformed expectations. NYU went 14-11 in 2022 and prior to that hadn't had a winning season since 2015-16. Their first year staff winning that award has nothing to do with the UAA's depth or NYU losing yesterday, at all.

[Greek Tragedy]

I understand it had nothing to do with their loss yesterday, but it may have something to do with depth. NYU had a 3 game improvement from last season. I think CWRU did as well...maybe 2 1/2 game improvement in conference. CWRU has also never won the UAA.

[kiko]

I understand it had nothing to do with their loss yesterday, but it may have something to do with depth. NYU had a 3 game improvement from last season. I think CWRU did as well...maybe 2 1/2 game improvement in conference. CWRU has also never won the UAA.

From here: https://gonyuathletics.com/news/2023/3/2/nyu-tabbed-uaa-coaching-staff-of-the-year-freedman-on-first-team.aspx

The 2022-23 Violets ended the regular season with an 18-7 overall record and 7-7 mark in the league, securing the team's most UAA wins since the 2015-16 season while NYU finished .500-or-above in the UAA for the first time since that year as well. NYU placed fourth in the Association this year after being picked last in the preseason coaches poll.

Yes, it was a three-game improvement, but they greatly exceeded expectations in the UAA: picked last in the conference, finished .500, and were firmly in the Pool C conversation when awards were meted out.  They're the 'overperform expectations' argument.

You can of course make a strong argument for CWRU as well based on their conference title, but they won 20 games last year and were ranked in the top 20 from the get-go this season.  They're the 'overall excellence and won the league' argument.

[Greek Tragedy]

Good points all around and I don't even have a horse in the race. LOL.

[kiko]

Nor do I...  Otherwise that quote-text would probably have been in purple violet. 

[FCGrizzliesGrad]

Teams that made both the men and women tournaments:

Babson                 (M: Pool A, L (n) Utica 72-60;                    W: Pool C, W vs ME Maritime 69-44)
Chris Newport     (M: Pool A, W (n) Farmingdale St 61-60;     W: Pool A, W vs Brooklyn 89-52)
Emory                   (M: Pool C, L @ Hampden-Sydney 59-63;    W: Pool C, L (n) Millikin 70-76)
Hope                    (M: Pool A, W (n) Bethany Lutheran 79-65; W: Pool A, W vs St Norbert 82-61)
Johns Hopkins        (M: Pool C, W vs Mitchell 89-71;                 W: Pool C, L (n) Skidmore 59-62)
La Roche                (M: Pool A, L @ Stockton 70-86;                 W: Pool A, L @ Ithaca 42-58)
Mary Washington (M: Pool C, W (n) St Lawrence 69-42;          W: Pool C, W (n) Roger Williams 69-60)
Marymount            (M: Pool A, L @ Oswego St 62-80;              W: Pool A, L (n) St John Fisher 72-80)
Mitchell                 (M: Pool A, L @ Johns Hopkins 71-89;         W: Pool A, L @ DeSales 60-78)
NYU                      (M: Pool C, L (n) Lancaster Bible 64-67;      W: Pool A, W (n) Greensboro 71-54)
Rowan                  (M: Pool A, W vs Cal Lutheran 83-77;          W: Pool A, L (n) RI College 59-67)
Scranton             (M: Pool A, W (n) NC Wesleyan 65-64;        W: Pool A, W vs St Joseph's (ME) 64-45)
St John Fisher     (M: Pool A, W (n) Whitworth 74-59;            W: Pool A, W (n) Marymount 80-72)
St Norbert            (M: Pool A, W (n) Carleton 81-77;               W: Pool A, L @ Hope 61-82)
Tufts                   (M: Pool C, W (n) Widener 78-66;               W: Pool A, W vs Merchant Marine 72-57)
UW-Oshkosh      (M: Pool C, W vs Fontbonne 86-58;             W: Pool C, W (n) Wash & Lee 58-55)
UW-Whitewater  (M: Pool A, W (n) Wabash 90-83;                W: Pool A, W vs Webster 69-50)
WashU                 (M: Pool C, W vs Coe 69-48;                      W: Pool C, L (n) Trine 69-79)

18 made both fields
8 had both reach the 2nd round
4 had men win and women lose round 1
2 had women win and men lose round 1
4 had both lose round 1

[stlawus]

When is the last time the NESCAC and UAA didn't make it to the 2nd weekend

[deiscanton]

When is the last time the NESCAC and UAA didn't make it to the 2nd weekend

In the modern era-- which started in 1993-94, when NESCAC presidents first allowed NESCAC teams to compete for NCAA basketball championships, this has never happened before.  So, this year will be the first time in the modern era that neither a NESCAC nor a UAA team will be in the Sweet 16 in the NCAA DIII Men's Basketball Championship.

In the ancient era-- From 1987 to 1993, when only UAA teams competed in the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship, and the NESCAC presidents had a "no competition in NCAA team championships" ban on NESCAC teams in effect (the reason being given was that the NCAA tournaments lasted multiple weeks, and only single week postseasons were allowed for NESCAC institutions so as not to miss class time.)  you can argue that a UAA team did not compete on the second weekend of the tournament in 1988-89, but that year had a 40 team bracket and the round of 16 was held on the first weekend of the tournament as the regional championships.   Wash U lost in the round of 16 that year.

The traditional Sweet 16/Elite 8 second weekend matches did not start in DIII until the 1989-1990 tournament.

[ziggy]

This week's D3 Datacast will feel familiar to those of you who tuned in for our first round preview and overall tournament odds shows last week. Released this morning, we dive into the Sweet 16 matchups and look at the updated overall tournament odds after last week's results.
Sweet 16 Preview and Tourney Odds Update - D3 Datacast - Episode 29

[CNU85]

Good stuff on D3 data. Thanks for the insight!

[SpringSt7]

Know this probably isn't the best place to post this but with it being a decently trafficked national board this time of year, I just watched St. Thomas give undefeated Oral Roberts a heck of a game in the Summit League semifinals, leading at half and keeping it close just about the whole way before they ran out of plays at the end. The Tommies went 10-20 in year 1 but turned it around to 19-14 in year 2 under Johnnie Tauer. They have 3 players who joined the team when they were still in Division III, including Parker Bjornlund and Riley Miller, their second and third leading scorers. I presume they would've had Anders Nelson for a 5th year as well but they don't have grad programs. He did his final year at William and Mary.

Seems like the Tommies are comfortably settled and headed in the right direction in Division I.

[Pat Coleman]

St. Thomas has plenty of grad programs but I can't fault former D3hoops.com national Rookie of the Year Anders Nelson for going to William and Mary.

Fully aware that only makes him at best the No. 2 former D3hoops.com Rookie of the Year of all time.

[CNU85]

Nelson started 29 games for the Tribe and led the team in scoring. Go Tribe!

[Greek Tragedy]

Robinson was ok. LOL