As we sit here waiting for the sectional hosting announcements (women’s are in… not the men’s), it seems like a perfect time to look back on the second-round games last night.
I got the chance to see a very good Guilford team in a battle against Johns Hopkins. While Guilford was up for most of the game by double-digits, JHU made another comeback to claw within one possession… only to see Guilford eventually put the Blue Jays away. Ben Strong showed why so many are talking about his play and abilities. As my color guy Larry Carney said last night, if there was a category for altered-shots (not actual blocks), Strong would lead that category as well. Guilford also shot the lights out of the building both nights. First night, 50% from the field… last night 56%… including going like 60% or better from beyond the arc.
How about some of the other surprises:
On the men’s side Stevens got another win – this time over Ramapo – to advance to the Sweet 16 in the school’s first ever trip to the tournament… and after a couple of disastrous years. Lake Erie tried to garner some respect from many in the D3 world, only see John Carroll come back from ten down to win. Hope made quick work of Calvin, who almost cost Hope’s chances of making the tournament this year… 80-64. Rhode Island College continued to take advantage of its opportunities, getting past a tough Brandies squad. And Carroll continues to surprise… with a big win over St. Thomas to advance.
On the women’s side… Scranton’s M&M’s got the job done… and will lead the team into another sectional round of games at their site. Mary Washington made quick work of its opponents (Notre Dame and Christopher Newport). NYU was rewarded for their easy dispatch of Ursinus and then Gwynedd-Mercy and will host. And how about Puget Sound and Howard-Payne! Puget Sound is onto the Sweet 16 thanks to a big win over McMurry and George Fox… but next up is Howard-Payne which continues to impress with the attendances at their place.
How about other reactions after the second round?
“We could have our head coach on the Sectional Committee like Luther’s head coach…that might help a little don’t you think?”
Doubt it. The NCAA controls the budget, not the coaches and ADs on the committee.
This is like Iraq — no one’s happy, but no one can fix it. Unlike Div. I where Iowa can be sent to San Diego and UCLA to Kentucky, Div. III is geographically challenged. So, it appears that the top 4 or 8 seeds are “protected” and the rest of the field gets the remaining spaces.
If one region is overloaded with talent, some good teams travel while a team with a worse record (maybe Carroll) stays close to home.
Not sure how to fix that. Have they ever tried neutral sites where everyone travels? I wonder who hosted the tournament in the ’80’s when North Park had their run. Their place has 10 rows of seats on sidelines only.
Well, if you put everyone at neutral sites that everyone had to travel to, the NCAA would be paying for everyone to travel to emptier gyms. Ticket sales couldn’t even approach offsetting travel expenses. Iowa has a larger alumni base in San Diego because it is a bigger school and in general more people are attracted to Div. I-A games than Div. III games. Also the fact that the games are televised in Div. I still allows fans to watch the game from their respective campuses and a good deal of income from TV contracts to pay for travel.
I know the NAIA still brings the teams to a neutral site. For years it was Kansas City. Somebody told me it’s Branson, MO now. I wonder how they handle expenses.
Easy. Each NAIA team pays for everything themselves. That’s one reason some are jumping ship.
Robert, if I recall correctly, NAIA D-I is still in K.C. and D-II is in Branson.
NAIA-2…
http://www.cstv.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/naia/sports/m-baskbl-div2/auto_pdf/weekly-release
officially at Point Lookout, MO.
I see where NAIA Division I is still holding their tournament in Kansas City. Apparently it works for them.
I can see where attendance would be a factor if, say, Stevens Point and Wash U. were sent to the Quad Cities to play, but is the objective to find the best team w/o a home court advantage or does the tournament die without ticket revenue — even tho it results in some fan inconvenience?
If the latter, then the NIT-style pairing system is not likely to change…. and you’re back to questions of seating capacity, accommodations, etc.
The way the system is set up, it rewards teams not on their record,ranking,attendance,etc, but rather on something they can’t control, their geographical setting.
Jay, teams who earn a hosting bid with their regular season success (usually) are the ones who get to host. Yes, Mississippi College might appear to be getting the shaft here, but if they’re the best team, then they’ll be able to go into hostile territory and win. I’m not sure what the stats are, but I believe the number of hosts who make it to Salem in the last few years has been less than the number of visitors. I know that Point won three years ago after shipping out to Washington, and two years ago, when Point won championship #2, the other 3 Final Four teams travelled for their Sectionals.
Point got shipped to Washington in 2004 on something also out of their control: the success of their women’s team.