Bracket reactions

I’ve been sitting here in a state of semi-consciousness for some time now, trying to decide how I’m supposed to feel about the brackets. Other than generally feeling tired.

Why is it, do we suppose, that the women’s bracket is capable of interspersing a Texas pod with a pod centered on Pennsylvania with a west coast pod and a pod centered on Ohio?

Should I be outraged that the same team is victimized by an incorrect release of the men’s bracket two years in a row? Is it important to note that last year they changed the brackets to keep conference teams from playing each other and this year they changed them to force conference teams to play each other?

Are we sure now that everyone is hosting who is supposed to?

Do we think the NCAA knows what the Thursday men’s first-round games are supposed to be about? Those are supposed to be 8/9 games and 7/10 games leading to No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, remember. I know Clarkson and John Jay do not fit that mold at all and I don’t think Capital and Bethany are seeded that close together.

The good news is that soon we start playing. Two teams will hoist Walnut and Bronze. We’re looking at the most wide-open men’s tournament since 2001, if not earlier.

So let’s have some fun. Eventually. Or we can gripe for a while if you like.

Hoopsville Podcast: Mar. 2nd

Part 1:
Chicago Coach Mike McGrath
UW-Platteville Coach Paul Combs
Mid-Atlantic Region Report – Pat Cummings

Part 2:
NABC Coach’s Corner – William Paterson Coach Jose Rebimbas
Buena Vista Coach Brian Van Haaften
Great Lakes Region Report – Matt Florjancic
Trinty (Tex.) Coach Amie Bradley

Part 3:
School of the Week – Ursinus College – Coach Kevin Small
Northeast Region Report – Mark Simon
South Region Report – Marcus Fitzsimmons

Part 4:
Lebanon Valley Coach Todd Goclowski
Midwest Region & WIAC Report – Bob Quillman
Division III Women’s Basketball Championship Selections

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Women’s Field of 63

Automatic bids

Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Medaille
American Southwest Conference Howard Payne
Capital Athletic Conference Mary Washington
Centennial Conference Muhlenberg
City University of New York Athletic Conference Baruch
College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Ill. Wesleyan
Commonwealth Conference Messiah
Commonwealth Coast Conference Colby-Sawyer
Empire 8 Utica
Freedom Conference DeSales
Great Northeast Athletic Conference Emmanuel (Mass.)
Great South Athletic Conference Piedmont
Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Manchester
Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Simpson
Liberty League St. Lawrence
Little East Conference Eastern Conn. St.
Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference Bridgewater St.
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Hope
Midwest Conference St. Norbert
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Carleton
New England Small College Athletic Conference Amherst
New England Women’s and Men’s Athletics Conference Wheaton (Mass.)
New Jersey Athletic Conference Kean
North Atlantic Conference Becker
North Coast Athletic Conference Denison
North Eastern Athletic Conference D’Youville
Northwest Conference Puget Sound
Ohio Athletic Conference Baldwin-Wallace
Old Dominion Athletic Conference Bridgewater (Va.)
Pennsylvania Athletic Conference Cabrini
Presidents’ Athletic Conference Thomas More
Skyline Conference Mount St. Mary (N.Y.)
St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Maryville (Mo.)
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference La Verne
Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference DePauw
State University of New York Athletic Conference Brockport St.
University Athletic Association Chicago
USA South Athletic Conference Greensboro
Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Wis.-Stevens Point

Pool B Berths (3):
Chapman
Juniata
Scranton

Pool C Berths (21):
Albright
Bowdoin
Brandeis
George Fox
Gust. Adolphus
Marymount (Va.)
McMurry
Oglethorpe
Rochester
Salem St.
Southern Me.
St. Thomas (Minn.)
TCNJ
Trinity (Texas)
Tufts
UW-Eau Claire
UW-Whitewater
Washington U.
Wilmington (Ohio)
William Paterson
William Smith

9 days: Our gift to you

Our gift to you is the scoreboard, both the live version posted off the front page and the standard versions of the men’s and women’s schedules.

To help you follow the exciting day ahead, we’ve posted as many audio, video and live stat links to championship games as we could find. This is one of the best days of the season and, if you can’t make it to your game (or after you return from one), we hope this helps you participate in the excitement.

Please feel free to share game updates, playoff hope analysis and anything else that strikes your fancy here.

Meanwhile the list of teams who’ve locked up automatic bids follows below.

    Women – 39 of 39

Medaille (AMCC)
Howard Payne (ASC)
Mary Washington (CAC)
Muhlenberg (CC)
Colby-Sawyer (CCC)
Illinois Wesleyan (CCIW)
Baruch (CUNYAC)
Utica (Empire 8 )
Emmanuel (GNAC)
Piedmont (GSAC)
Manchester (HCAC)
Simpson (IIAC)
Eastern Connecticut (LEC)
St. Lawrence (Liberty League)
Messiah (MAC-Commonwealth)
DeSales (MAC-Freedom)
Bridgewater State (MASCAC)
Hope (MIAA)
Carleton (MIAC)
St. Norbert (MWC)
Becker (NAC)
Denison (NCAC)
D’Youville (NEAC)
Amherst (NESCAC)
Wheaton, Mass. (NEWMAC)
Kean (NJAC)
Puget Sound (NWC)
Baldwin-Wallace (OAC)
Bridgewater (ODAC)
Cabrini (PnAC)
Thomas More (Presidents’)
DePauw (SCAC)
La Verne (SCIAC)
Mount St. Mary (Skyline)
Maryville, Mo. (SLIAC)
Brockport State (SUNYAC)
Chicago (UAA)
Greensboro (USA South)
UW-Stevens Point (WIAC)

    Men – 38 of 38

Penn State-Behrend (AMCC)
Mary Hardin-Baylor (ASC)
St. Mary’s (Md.) (CAC)
Ursinus (CC)
Curry (CCC)
Augustana (CCIW)
John Jay (CUNYAC)
Nazareth (Empire 8 )
Lasell (GNAC)
Franklin (HCAC)
Loras (IIAC)
Rhode Island College (LEC)
Clarkson (Liberty League)
Widener (MAC-Commonwealth)
King’s (MAC-Freedom)
Salem State (MASCAC)
Hope (MIAA)
St. Thomas (MIAC)
Lawrence (MWC)
Elms (NAC)
Ohio Wesleyan (NCAC)
Baptist Bible (NEAC)
Trinity, Conn. (NESCAC)
Coast Guard (NEWMAC)
Richard Stockton (NJAC)
Whitworth (NWC)
Heidelberg (OAC)
Guilford (ODAC)
Immaculata (PnAC)
Bethany (PrAC)
Millsaps (SCAC)
Pomona-Pitzer (SCIAC)
Farmingdale State (SKY)
Fontbonne (SLIAC)
Plattsburgh State (SUNYAC)
Chicago (UAA)
Averett (USA South)
UW-Whitewater (WIAC)