ATN Podcast 180: Heavy on lightning, light on thunder

Posted on October 16, 2017 by Pat Coleman

A little bit of rain (OK, a lot of rain), a little lightning, half the usual Thunder and a few unbeaten teams getting their first loss made up a good part of the news in Week 7. This was definitely a common sight, and in the case of the Wheaton-North Central game, it didn’t end on Saturday, and it’s still not over. We break down the first half of that game, plus the Oshkosh win over Platteville and look at first losses for Alfred, Wabash, Framingham State and UW-La Crosse. That plus more in this week’s podcast.

This week, we thank Fanraise for sponsoring our podcast. Also, visit the new D3football.com store on Fanraise!

Pat and Keith hand out game balls, find the hidden highlights, the correct pronunciations (it basically doesn’t end in D-III), the interesting stats and much more in the D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast. In addition, Keith gives his take on how Albright College chose to handle its national anthem situation.

The D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast is a regular conversation between Pat Coleman and Keith McMillan and guests covering the wide range of Division III football.

Hit play, or subscribe to get this podcast on your mobile device. [display_podcast]

Wheaton athletics video frame grab
You can subscribe to the Around the Nation Podcast in iTunes. You can also get this and any of our future Around the Nation podcasts automatically by subscribing to this RSS feed: http://www.d3blogs.com/d3football/?feed=podcast

Quick Hits: The 35,000-foot view

Posted on September 22, 2017 by Pat Coleman

The biggest show in Division III is coming to a major league baseball stadium. Perhaps you’ve heard. But there are 100 other games on Saturday as well, and if you’re not named Tommie or Johnnie, perhaps you’re wondering if we’ll be paying any attention. Our regular Quick Hits crew is Keith McMillan, Ryan Tipps, Pat Coleman, Adam Turer and Frank Rossi. Our sixth spot goes to a guest each week, and this week’s is Howard Sinker. In our attempts to find a neutral Minnesotan to talk about this week, we found Howard, Minneapolis Star Tribune digital sports editor, Minnesota Public Radio sports commentator and senior instructor of Media and Cultural Studies at Macalester College.

— Pat Coleman

What’s the best game this week that hasn’t sold 30,000 tickets?

Keith’s take: Centre at Berry. Preseason, I’d have circled Stevenson-DelVal, but this SAA clash of styles takes the sliver of spotlight left.	Ryan’s take: Stevenson at No. 12 Delaware Valley. Can’t remember the last year the MAC was clear cut. This will give some clarity.	Pat’s take: No. 5 North Central at Millikin. This is a game that is usually a cakewalk but Millikin is on the upswing. It’s under the radar this week.
Adam’s take: Stevenson at Delaware Valley. The Mustangs have a chance to prove that they’ve gotten right by upsetting the No. 12 Aggies.	Frank’s take: Utica at No. 19 Brockport. Utica loves to play the spoiler, and their defense may be able to slow down Germinerio and Morris somewhat..	Howard’s take: Monmouth at Macalester. Battle of Scots in St. Paul features two MWC contenders; Mac opened with ‘hardware game’ victories vs. Carleton and Hamline.

Which Top 25 team is most likely to get upset?

Keith’s take: No. 9 John Carroll. Host Heidelberg has hung 40 twice in road wins over solid teams.	Ryan’s take: No. 9 John Carroll. I’ve been a little uncertain of JCU so far, and last week didn’t help their case.	Pat’s take: None. And fully aware I’m doing this for a second consecutive week. But I don’t see JCU losing like others do..
Adam’s take: No. 13 UW-Platteville. The Pioneers have not impressed in either of their wins, and Lakeland has a potent offense that will test UW-P.	Frank’s take: No. 6 St. John’s. Not much of an upset, except through rankings. Every game is a must-win for St. Thomas now.	Howard’s take: No. 9 John Carroll. Tough matchup with the Student Princes of Heidelberg.

Will Wheaton miss a beat?

Keith’s take: No. This is really for the Thunder to answer; Five players are out, program is national news. But Elmhurst looks beatable amid all that.	Ryan’s take: Yes. But it really won’t be apparent until next week.	Pat’s take: No. I mean, not this week, at least.
Adam’s take: No. The players on the roster will be determined to prove that they can overcome their teammates’ absences.	Frank’s take: Yes. Focus after the trainwreck of a week will be off, and loss of five players will hurt. But Elmhurst won’t beat the Thunder.	Howard’s take: Hard thinking of Wheaton in ‘game terms’ after hazing publicity, but Elmhurst led Thunder until fourth-quarter turnover last year in 10-6 game.

Which surprise 3-0 team makes it 4-0 this week?

Keith’s take: Wooster. Scots have a tough matchup at DePauw, but might be inspired following the death of Clayton Geib.	Ryan’s take: Salve Regina. Although, it’s no cakewalk with undefeated Western Connecticut on the other side.	Pat’s take: SUNY-Maritime. The Privateers have been 4-0 once before, in the year they went 10-0. Alfred State won’t stop them..
Adam’s take: Franklin & Marshall. The Dips have a tough task at Susquehanna, but have been the surprise of the Centennial so far this season.	Frank’s take: RPI. Buffalo State’s two wins were by a total of six points. RPI has rolled. Engineers win their fourth..	Howard’s take: Cheating a bit: Knox. Knox beats Ripon to go 3-0. Surprise? Knox hasn’t won more than three in a season since 2005.

Which team won’t be able to repeat last week’s success?

Keith’s take: Mass. Maritime. Bucs held off Maine Maritime last week. Going to Framingham State is much tougher.	Ryan’s take: Berry. I think opponent Centre is the SAA’s best this year.	Pat’s take: George Fox. I think that even on the road, a WIAC team is better than what Redlands is prepared for.
Adam’s take: Rowan. Profs posted a big road win over William Paterson in Week 3, but will suffer a big home loss at the hands of Frostburg State in Week 4.	Frank’s take: Widener. Albright could’ve fit my surprising 4-0 team, as Lions have looked decent since the big Salisbury win..	Howard’s take: St. Thomas won’t win by 63, St. John’s won’t win by 49.

Official attendance in the Tommie-Johnnie game? (Price is Right rules apply)

Keith’s take: 33,316, clearly a sign from God.	Ryan’s take: 31,157.	Pat’s take: 37,535. Tell me that’s one above anyone else’s pick.
Adam’s take: 33,069. Nice.	Frank’s take: 36,106. It’s No 10 vs. No. 6. So, there had to be at least one of each in my number.	Howard’s take: 34,567.

We invite you to add your predictions in the comments below. Download the Around the Nation podcast on Mondays, where Pat and Keith review the Quick Hits that were prescient, and the Quick Misses that were terribly off base.

Quick Hits: Our second-round score picks

Posted on November 25, 2016 by Pat Coleman

If the predictions hold, we are in for a great second round of games. The consensus of our group isn’t that any game will be out of hand. Both rematches should be closer than the first meeting, we think. A minority opinion, but still a present one, suggests the defending champion could lose this week, as well as the No. 1 team.

If any of this comes true, well, you saw it here first. And if something happens that isn’t represented here, then it’s a surprise.

You have predictions? Add them in the comments.

— Pat Coleman

Mary Hardin-Baylor bracket
Keith’s take: UMHB 38, Linfield 31 Ryan’s take: UMHB 45, Linfield 33 Pat’s take: UMHB 34, Linfield 28	Adam’s take: UMHB 41, Linfield 38 Frank’s take: Linfield 31, UMHB 24 Josh’s take: UMHB 35, Linfield 27
Consensus: Definite hope for Linfield fans, even in the close margins on the other side.
Keith’s take: North Central 27, Wheaton 21 Ryan’s take: North Central 28, Wheaton 24 Pat’s take: North Central 31, Wheaton 27	Adam’s take: North Central 31, Wheaton 27 Frank’s take: North Central 30, Wheaton 27 Josh’s take: North Central 28, Wheaton 14
Consensus: Almost everyone thinks the rematch will be closer.
Alfred bracket
Keith’s take: Alfred 24, W. New England 17 Ryan’s take: Alfred 35, W. New England 21 Pat’s take: Alfred 29, W. New England 28	Adam’s take: Alfred 38, W. New England 21 Frank’s take: Alfred 34, W. New England 31 Josh’s take: Alfred 31, W. New England 28
Consensus: Bunch of close scores after Alfred’s first-round scare.
Keith’s take: Johns Hopkins 34, Mount Union 31 Ryan’s take: Mount Union 42, Johns Hopkins 17 Pat’s take: Mount Union 38, Johns Hopkins 35	Adam’s take: Johns Hopkins 40, Mount Union 38 Frank’s take: Mount Union 40, Johns Hopkins 24 Josh’s take: Mount Union 42, Johns Hopkins 28
Consensus: Not a straight sweep for Mount Union here.
St. Thomas bracket
Keith’s take: St. Thomas 47, Coe 21 Ryan’s take: St. Thomas 35, Coe 14 Pat’s take: St. Thomas 31, Coe 20	Adam’s take: St. Thomas 42, Coe 20 Frank’s take: St. Thomas 40, Coe 20 Josh’s take: St. Thomas 38, Coe 17
Consensus: This is the only game that the group all feels will be more than one score.
Keith’s take: UW-Oshkosh 45, St. John’s 28 Ryan’s take: UW-Oshkosh 24, St. John’s 17 Pat’s take: UW-Oshkosh 30, St. John’s 21	Adam’s take: UW-Oshkosh 42, St. John’s 31 Frank’s take: UW-Oshkosh 24, St. John’s 14 Josh’s take: UW-Oshkosh 41, St. John’s 31
Consensus: Could be a low-scoring game. Could be a higher-scoring one.
UW-Whitewater bracket
Keith’s take: John Carroll 30, Wesley 20 Ryan’s take: John Carroll 33, Wesley 27 Pat’s take: Wesley 30, John Carroll 24	Adam’s take: John Carroll 35, Wesley 34 Frank’s take: Wesley 30, John Carroll 21 Josh’s take: Wesley 24, John Carroll 21
Consensus: Our most even split decision of the week, 3-3.
Keith’s take: UW-Whitewater 28, Wittenberg 13 Ryan’s take: UW-Whitewater 34, Wittenberg 17 Pat’s take: UW-Whitewater 31, Wittenberg 27	Adam’s take: UW-Whitewater 28, Wittenberg 27 Frank’s take: UW-Whitewater 34, Wittenberg 17 Josh’s take: UW-Whitewater 31, Wittenberg 21
Consensus: UW-Whitewater sweeps the table, but with one one-point margin and a four-point margin.