Monthly Archives: November 2022

The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: November 23, 2022: Trinity’s defense, the ARC, and scoring 1 point in the first half?!?

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Good morning! Hope you are enjoying the holiday week. I’m writing this after writing my “thoughts” section on yesterday’s games…I’ll tell you, it’s a long one today. But that’s because yesterday’s slate had so many great contests worth mentioning, and it was the last full slate we’ll get until Saturday. There are a couple of teams in action today, so here’s a quick look at what you should be watching on the last day of college hoops before Thanksgiving…

Game of the Day: Colby @ #3 NYU, 7 pm EST

I’ll be honest, there are only 3 games between D-III programs today…but don’t overlook this one. Colby is off to a 3-0 start, but hasn’t faced anyone to the caliber of NYU. NYU hasn’t been challenged all that much either, with an 11-point win over Haverford being its closest result. This will be a good chance to see what NYU is putting together, especially with a lot of reliable defenders off the bench, who have added to the depth in these first four games of the season. I’m not sure how close it will end up being, but it’ll be worth a few minutes of your time to tune in and see what the nation’s #3 team can do in a contest of two unbeatens.

Thoughts from yesterday…

  • The highly-anticipated Top 25 showdown between #5 Trinity and #18 Hardin-Simmons in Abilene lived up to the expectations, with Trinity pulling out a 76-69 win on HSU’s home court. It was 51-50 heading into the fourth quarter, with the Tigers pulling away late, in large part due to their exceptional defense. HSU tends to beat teams by its remarkable accuracy from beyond the three-point arc, but on this night, the Cowgirls struggled to get open looks, and it seemed to be the biggest difference-maker in the result. Parris Parmer, HSU’s remarkable three-point sharpshooter, was 0-for-6 from long-range, and as a team HSU shot just 17.9%. Again, that seemed to be more a credit to Trinity’s defense, than a lapse of HSU’s offense, though I’d probably say that had something to do with it as well.
  • Another point on this game above…It rarely happens, even in conference play, but as I mentioned yesterday, these two teams will play again on Saturday, this time in San Antonio. Playing the same team twice within a span of five days in an interesting move by both coaching staffs, as each seeks to correct the mistakes made in the first meeting. We could see a very different game play out on Saturday afternoon.
  • Hamilton College moved to 2-1 in an impressive 70-64 win over #17 St. John Fisher. I can say with some degree of certainty that SJF won’t be #17 next week when the Top 25 is released, but for Hamilton to go on the road and pick up a win over a nationally-ranked team that returns three starters is huge. Perhaps the NESCAC will be even deeper than I anticipated it being this season. The most notable part of Hamilton’s win came in the 23-point fourth quarter, as they actually trailed by three entering the final 10 minutes.
  • Since the four-point loss to Amherst, #16 Springfield has looked pretty good. I saw them race out to a 20-9 lead in the first quarter against a quality Williams team yesterday. Williams stayed in it, despite the early deficit, but Springfield continued to make shots on the offensive end. The Pride ended up shooting 40%. Sam Hourihan is going to be a really big piece of that offense, as she looked to be in her element yesterday, with 23 points and nine rebounds.
  • In a battle of unbeatens, Mary Washington pulled out a convincing 70-58 win over Washington & Lee. On first glance, it doesn’t appear to be all that competitive of game, but the fact is, this one went into overtime! But Mary Washington’s defense stepped up in a huge way, holding W&L to just two points in the extra period. More than the 14 points in overtime, it was the fact that the Eagles held a good offense that had scored 56 in regulation to such as low percentage with the game on the line. The Coast-to-Coast programs are hard to evaluate at times (though Mary Washington has more scheduling options than say, UCSC), but they’ll get another good test on Dec. 10, when playing Catholic on the road. Marymount, who they’ll play on Dec. 3, is also off to a good start, at 6-1.
  • NJCU opened its D-III schedule in a 66-48 win over Montclair State, and after watching them play, I’m even more certain that they’ll be the best in the NJAC. They shoot the ball with such efficiency, and interestingly enough, Damaris Rodriguez wasn’t their leading scorer; Laney Fox was, with 21. Rodriguez had 12, but it is good to see other players starting to step up around her.
  • Wartburg and Dubuque kicked off ARC play in a very exciting duel, with the game going into overtime before Wartburg pulled out a 78-71 win. Wartburg will be one I’m keeping an eye on. I didn’t like the performances against UW-Eau Claire or UW-Oshkosh, though I would rate both losses lower considering how much I value those two WIAC programs. Even UWO, with its young talent, is going to be a force in the WIAC, in my opinion. Wartburg will get Scranton and Trine back-to-back just before Christmas, which will be two good measuring sticks for where the Knights stand.
  • Happened to see the Emory halftime score and honestly thought it was a glitch in the system, because it showed Emory leading Agnes Scott 42-1 at halftime. But a look at the box score proved I was incorrect…Emory’s defense was just that good yesterday. I don’t care who you’re playing…if you hold any team to just a single point in 20 minutes, that deserves a bit of recognition.
  • To wrap up what is becoming a long list of thoughts on yesterday’s action. Luther pulled out a 2-point win over Coe, 50-48. The ARC is going to be really fun to watch, between Wartburg, Coe, Luther, and maybe even Simpson, if the Storm finds its footing. This is probably Luther’s most notable win up to this point, though there’s also the win over UW-Platteville, and it didn’t come easy. Coe nearly won the game on a late three that just missed, and also had a chance at a layup, but couldn’t get it to go. Luther plays Wartburg next on Nov. 30…that will be a matchup to watch.
  • Oh, and the WBCA released its first in-season Top 25 yesterday…the top 5 is Hope, CNU, Amherst, NYU, Trinity. More on this Friday, but to look at the poll for yourself, here’s the link: https://wbca.org/recognize/polls/nov-22-2022-1

No post tomorrow…enjoy your Thanksgiving! I’ll be back with more on Friday!

Dave’s Top 25 Ballot (’22-’23) – Preseason (Part 3)

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This is the third, and final, installment of my D3hoops.com Preseason Men’s Top 25 ballot. I’ve already shared what my methodology was along with my Top 10 and teams 11-21 plus my thoughts on each team I voted. Below are my thoughts on the final five and then final notes on how my ballot worked out. A reminder as we re-start, here is my ballot so far:

UWO and Levi Borchert have had a tough start to the 2022-23 campaign, but I doubt anyone is overlooking the Titans especially when WIAC play begins. (D3photography.com)

1 – Randolph-Macon
2 – Mary Hardin-Baylor
3 – Christopher Newport
4 – UW-Oshkosh
5 – Mount Union
6 – Case Western Reserve
7 – Middlebury
8 – St. Joseph’s (Conn.)
9 – Oswego State
10 – Pomona-Pitzer
11 – Emory
12 – Trinity (TX)
13 – Dubuque
14 – Johns Hopkins
15 – WPI
16 – Hardin-Simmons
17 – Rowan
18 – Wesleyan
19 – Heidelberg
20 – Babson

Reminder, the note after each team in parenthesis is where I ranked them at the end of last season – information I did not know or look-up prior to voting this season. The notes on each team were written shortly after I submitted by ballot in late October. I have not edited this or added anything based on results so far this season.

Justin Hardy was a beloved member of the WashU team who inspired the Bears throughout the 2021-22 season. Hardy will be missed throughout DIII. (WashU Athletics)

21 – Washington Univ (unranked)
There hardly is a season where WashU isn’t in the Top 25 conversation and for good reason. The bedrock for this program is extremely strong. This season they have a ton returning having lost only two – though one of those losses is not only impactful, but also emotional: Justin Hardy. One wonders how much the team was running high on “win it for Justin” last season and if there will be an emotional and motivating hole lingering this season. One thing I consider is the fact the team was playing without Hardy’s talents for much of the second half of last season and did well. All-American Jack Harvey has graduated, but the Bears have the UAA Rookie of the Year Hayden Doyle and Defensive Player of the Year Charlie Jacob back, plus Kevin Davet. The UAA will be very tough and WashU should be in the mix.

22 – Stockton (25th)
The Ospreys finally returned to the national conversation last season and made an already competitive NJAC another level tougher. Scott Bittner has the program and systems in place he’s wanted, and things are looking good outside Atlantic City. However, Stockton can’t surprise anymore. They do have all five guys who started in the NCAA Tournament back to go along with a lot of experience returning. They also added some interesting transfers. I just want to see how they do now that everyone knows how good they are.

Marietta lost a number of key players from last year’s final four run, but Cooper Parrott and others plan to keep the Pioneers in the national conversation. (Marietta Athletics)

23 – Marietta (2nd)
The Pioneers took the next step needed for the program and got themselves to the DIII Championship Weekend … where they ran into a literal Buzz-saw in Randolph-Macon. The challenge for the Pioneers squad now is dealing with the fact they had four starters graduate which accounted for 70% of the offense. The one thing I’m very cognizant of is that Jon VanderWal seems to have the team always ready to compete at the top of the OAC no matter how much has turned over with the program.

24 – St. John’s (unranked)
With St. Thomas no longer in the MIAC, the Johnnies have assumed the mantle of the conference target. St. John’s lost two starters including Zach Hanson, but 70% of their scoring is back in the likes of Ryan Thissan, Kooper Vaughn, and others. The one interesting development is the MIAC appears to be a bit more competitive than in past years meaning SJU must be ready every night. Pat McKenzie’s program has become a very consistent contender that I may be under-rating.

This may be Nichols last season in DIII. There are high expectations, but the first five games have seen two losses to NESCAC foes. (Nichols Athletics)

25 – Nichols (unranked)
This may be the Bison’s last run in Division III and they appear to have the pieces in place to finally take the program to the next level. While some important pieces graduated, they still return All-American and CCC Player of the Year Jakigh Dottin and two other All-CCC honorees all of which averaged double-figures last season and a fourth starter that average 9.9 points per game. Then add in some interesting transfers (some from DI which makes the likely move to DII feel a bit more planned out) and Nichols looks like it could be the team everyone knows is good but is trying to explain why they aren’t (you know the go-to: they play in the CCC).

Final Notes:

A few things that I noted about my own ballot when looking it over countless times:

IWU and the rest of the CCIW were left off my preseason ballot – a decision that certainly felt strange and likely will not be the case for the first in-season ballot. (IWU Athletics)

  • From last season’s final ballot, 12 teams did not make my pre-season ballot: Elmhurst (3rd), Wabash (4th), Ill. Wesleyan (8th), Mass-Dartmouth (13th), Williams (14th), Wheaton (Ill.) (15th), Chapman (17th), UW-Platteville (18th), UW-Lacrosse (20th), Berry (22nd), Hope (23rd), Calvin (24th).
  • I don’t have a single CCIW team in my Top 25. Yep. I noticed that, too, but not until I had submitted my ballot. At no time did it occur to me there was no CCIW representation. Illinois Wesleyan was my front runner and one of the very last teams I didn’t end up including. The issues pretty much came down to two things: IWU, Elmhurst, and others lost a LOT from last year’s squads; the difference between the bottom of the league and the top last season was stark. So, I didn’t have any teams that I thought “replaced” the likes of IWU or Elmhurst and I struggled to find strong arguments to get the Titans or Blue Jays on my ballot. Do I think there are no Top 25 teams in the CCIW? No. I just couldn’t determine who to remove to add.
  • Yes, I have three OAC teams. The counter to the CCIW, WIAC, and ODAC situation is I likely overloaded with the OAC. Again, not a conscious part of my work. When finished I then realized I had Mount Union, Heidelberg, and Marietta all on my ballot. I do think the top of the OAC may be the toughest in the country this season in terms of talent and depth, especially the number of teams with all those options.

So, there is how I voted in this Preseason Top 25 and some of my thoughts about it. Do I think I am right and know exactly who the top teams in Division III are? NO! I am one voter who has his perspective and read the tea leaves (data) in his own way (albeit different process this season). There are 24 other voters out there who have already shown not only in how the overall poll looks, but in some of their public offerings that they see things differently – in some cases, very differently.

That’s okay. I do not pretend especially with preseason polls to be the bellwether. I am learning just as everyone else is and I look forward to seeing what teams I missed on and even those I got right. I hope you enjoy it all as well.

The plan moving forward is I will try and post every week a new D3hoops.com Top 25 poll is released. I never post this before the Top 25 is released. I don’t want anyone to think I am swaying or having any influence on any other voter. I will likely not comment on every team on my ballot, but I’ll try and show up much I moved them up or down, indicate reasons or insights with some teams and decisions, even highlight why I removed a team from my ballot. I will not include who else I am considering that didn’t make my ballot as I don’t have enough space, I always leave someone off, or it’s taken personally as if I missed something. You all can read between the lines, if necessary.

The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: November 22, 2022: It’s a Lone Star State showdown!

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We’re back! And what a slate of games we have today in the world of D3 women’s hoops. For quite a few teams, this is their final game before Thanksgiving, so there is an eagerness to head into the holiday with a satisfying performance. I’m especially excited because we have a Top 25 matchup for the first time what feels like a week, being played right here in my home state of Texas. These are two teams I’m familiar with, and two that we could see play each other come March. Take a look…

Game of the Day: #5 Trinity @ #18 Hardin-Simmons

It doesn’t get much better than this in the Lone Star state, and the best part of it is, this is the first game in a home-and-home arrangement, with HSU making the trip to San Antonio on Saturday afternoon. We’ll get an opportunity to see these two teams battle twice in the same week, which rarely happens. This matchup is intriguing considering the fact that both are strong offensive teams, who have reliable three-point shooters and are experienced enough to stay calm under pressure. HSU’s fast-paced, three-point shooting offense will certainly challenge both the depth and stamina of Trinity. And on the other side, when Trinity works the ball into the post, the question will be if HSU has the depth at those positions to limit the short-range scoring of the Tigers. You’ll want to tune into this one. Livestream Link: https://hsuathletics.com/broadcasts

Keep an eye on…

  • Williams @ #16 Springfield, 4 pm EST
  • Case Western Reserve @ Marietta, 7 pm EST
  • Washington & Jefferson @ Westminster (Pa.), 6 pm EST
  • Washington & Lee @ Mary Washington, 6 pm EST

Thoughts…

  • Fairly light schedule yesterday but I tuned into a couple of games and was closely tracking another. Augustana vs. Colorado College was an extremely entertaining game, with Augustana coming out of the gates with offensive firepower. There were points when the Vikings did not miss in the first half for three, four, and five possessions. It led to a 49-27 lead, and seemed like the result was already determined. I contemplated turning it off, but saw a completely different Colorado College team in the second half. 180 degrees different. The full-court press forced a number of Augustana turnovers, though it took some time for the Tigers to begin cashing those takeaways into points on the other end. CC slowly chipped away at the lead, cutting it four midway through the fourth, but Augustana finally found enough offense to pull away for the victory. Certainly one of those “tale of two halves” kind of games, but my biggest takeaways were: Augustana has a ton of scorers if they’re all on the same page, and CC’s full-court press is one of the best I’ve seen early in this season.
  • UNE really controlled the game in an 85-52 win over Anna Maria. Caught a few minutes of that one, and I really think that UNE will compete in the Commonwealth Coast Conference this season. They’re 4-2 heading into Sunday’s matchup against #11 Tufts. Keagan Dunbar, a transfer guard from Colby College, had 20 last night, and really seems to be helping UNE on the offensive end.
  • NJCU didn’t play well against D-I Deleware St., losing 88-48, but perhaps that’s because the focus is on the Gothic Knights first D-III game of the year. They play Montclair St., who is 2-2, and I think this could be a good game, though I expect NJCU will be able to pull it out. This is one of the latest starts I’ve seen from a D-III program this season.
  • Brevard’s Olivia Miller has been playing extremely well as of late, considering she is a true freshman. She has scored in double figures in five of Brevard’s six games, averaging 14.7 PPG and shooting 55 percent from the field. She played all 40 minutes in last Friday’s 77-73 win over N.C. Wesleyan, scoring 20.

That’s all for today. Best of luck to everyone playing their final games before Thanksgiving. Hope you are enjoying this holiday week!

Also, if you can, share this blog with anyone you know in the world of D3 hoops! It’s much appreciated!

Dave’s Top 25 Ballot (’22-’23) – Preseason (Part 2)

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In the previous blog on my preseason ballot I gave a brief idea of my methodology this preseason along with a look at who was in the Top 10 of my D3hoops.com Preseason Men’s Basketball Top 25. Here we will go through 11-20. A quick reminder, here are the Top 10 on my D3hoops.com Men’s Preseason Top 25 ballot:

Josiah Johnson and his Crusaders found themselves #2 on Dave’s Preseason Top 25 ballot. (D3photography.com)

1 – Randolph-Macon
2 – Mary Hardin-Baylor
3 – Christopher Newport
4 – UW-Oshkosh
5 – Mount Union
6 – Case Western Reserve
7 – Middlebury
8 – St. Joseph’s (Conn.)
9 – Oswego State
10 – Pomona-Pitzer

Reminder, the note after each team in parenthesis is where I ranked them at the end of last season – information I did not know or look-up prior to voting this season.

11 – Emory (#12)
One of the most consistent programs in the last decade has been in Atlanta. Jason Zimmerman has built a very good program not only in the deep south, but the UAA. Emory had the winningest class in program history graduate, including two starters and 60% of their points. That may seem like a lot for a near-Top 10 team. Like Middlebury, I didn’t initially expect Emory to be this high, but I needed to fill in areas with teams I initially expected to be lower. The Eagles do have their leading scorer, Logan Shanahan, back who was also second in rebounding and tops in blocks. Plus, watch out for Max Fried who gained a lot of experience and his game excelled in the final half of last season.

Trinity (TX) looked to be a beast, but they appear to not have their leading scorer back from last season … which raises questions. (Trinity Texas Athletics)

12 – Trinity (Texas) (unranked)
I spent much of last season watching the Tigers wondering when their balloon would pop. I had my own red flags placed on Trinity, but they continued to prove to not only be the best in the SCAC, but one of the best in Texas – which is saying something. Jimmy Smith has all five starters returning including multiple all-conference selections and SCAC Player of the Year Kaleb Jenkins. Trinity also has Ben Hanley returning after showing he would be a key contributor before a season-ending injury. The challenge will be they can’t fly under anyone’s radar anymore.

13 – Dubuque (unranked)
While doing the lead-up work and putting my ballot together I couldn’t get a voice in my head to stop saying “you may be the only one putting Dubuque (this high) on your ballot.” It did make me wonder if I was over-thinking things. Yes, losing a two-time conference player of the year stings, but there are still three starters back and half the team with lots of experience. I was also intrigued with some of the transfers coming in including one who played in every game for UW-Parkside last season.

Ethan Bartlett and the Blue Jays hope to keep JHU in the national conversation. (Johns Hopkins Athletics)

14 – Johns Hopkins (#21)
I debated putting JHU higher on my ballot, but I am curious how the Blue Jays adjust to losing Conor Delaney who helped shoot Johns Hopkins to a couple of Centennial championships. Hopkins has a wealth of talent back for a program that under Josh Leffler has returned to its former glory. The conference should be a tougher road this season, but JHU seems to be in the driver’s seat and Goldfarb Gymnasium is usually pretty difficult for visitors.

15 – WPI (#11)
I’m nervous on whether I’m making the right call with the Engineers. I mentioned on Bob Quillman’s Q-Cast in October that WPI is a team to watch. They had a seemingly unexpected, but great season last year and I mentioned I am expecting them to be even better. However, I then wondered if I had misread things when we got the Top 25 data. That data showed WPI graduated 35% of its offense. I still think WPI will be at the top of a competitive NEWMAC and looking to make waves, but they are 15 when I had initially thought they would be a Top 10 program.

Hardin-Simmons is out to a 1-3 start. Cowboys looked like a serious threat this season, but it may require reevaluating later in the season. (HSU Athletics)

16 – Hardin-Simmons (unranked)
Texas could be an interesting place to watch in DIII this season, especially the ASC. The Cowboys bring back a lot while losing some key pieces. However, I am more intrigued with the core group returning along with the transfer the team informed us via the Top 25 data request. They also may be a faster, more up-tempo, team than in the past and that could make Hardin-Simmons far more difficult to beat. They just must stay consistent. I thought about waiting to see more on HSU before buying in but went with a vote for the Cowboys anyway.

17 – Rowan (unranked)
The NJAC is always competitive as a lot of teams in the last few years have had coaching changes and are building strong programs. Rowan is a great example of that shift. Joe Crispin took over the program a few years ago and has seemingly re-built the Profs. Last year’s squad was pretty good but fell short a conference title. They bring back four starters, eight players who saw significant time, which adds up to most of their offense. Plus, they bring in a few DII transfers and Ryan Ems formerly of Scranton who is a large presence inside for Rowan.

Welseyan had it’s best season in program history in 2021-22. Nicky Johnson and the rest of the Cardinals could make it an even better history this season. (Wesleyan Athletics)

18 – Wesleyan (16th)
The Cardinals are coming the program’s best ever season. Yes, like many programs, Wesleyan graduated some of their talent, but they still have a wealth of experience returning. The NESCAC will not be easy (has it ever?). The bottom of the league has become more competitive and coaching changes in the last few years are starting to show results. I like Wesleyan and think they could maybe surprise while everyone is watching Williams, Middlebury, and others.

19 – Heidelburg (unranked)
The Student Princes surprised everyone last season and likely were a year ahead of expectations. Four starters and more than three-quarters of their scoring returns and they will need all the experience they can muster. The OAC will be yet another battle at the top with half the conference capable of winning the title.

Sophomore Nate Amado is averaging 25 ppg for Babson to start the season.

20 – Babson (unranked)
Something about Stephen Brennan’s squad has me intrigued. I didn’t think I would be voting for more than one NEWMAC team when I started this, but the Beavers have peaked my interest. They may be one of the riskier teams I’m eyeing as they have three starters and less than 30% of their scoring returning. However, Amado and Kirkpatrick are a strong duo and some of the talent coming in looks like it could contribute immediately.

In the final installment of the blog, I’ll share with you my 21-25 ranked preseason Top 25 men’s teams in Division III along with some final notes and personal reactions.

The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: November 21, 2022: My Top 10 through the first two weeks of the season

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Welcome back! Hope your weekend was a good one. As some may know, I am a Top 25 voter for the D3hoops.com Women’s Top 25 Poll each week. With it being so early in the season, we did not have a poll this week, but I thought I’d put down a Top 10 based on my thoughts from watching these teams play the last 12 days or so. So here you go…

  1. Hope: The Flying Dutch don’t rebuild, they reload. Despite losing a strong senior core from last year’s national championship team, Hope was seldom challenged in its first three contests against Geneva, Illinois Wesleyan, and Finlandia. Even UW-Eau Claire, who I would put around #11 or #12 right now, wasn’t able to keep the score within single digits on Saturday. Hope is the clear No. 1 and I’d be surprised if anyone else picks up a No. 1 vote in next week’s official poll.
  2. Transylvania: The Pioneers opened the season late, just a few days ago on Nov. 18. Their swing through Texas saw them pick up wins over Concordia (TX) and UT-Dallas, good ASC teams, but not the most high-level competition. Still, Transylvania’s play on the court suggests another dominant season seems to be in store. Perhaps, as we spoke about on Hoopsville last week, an undefeated season…
  3. UW-Whitewater: Here is where I differ from the Preseason Top 25. NYU has done nothing but roll to big wins in these first two weeks, but Whitewater has done the same…and against what appears at this point to be better competition. Millikin is a Top 25 program at this point, despite some recent struggles on the road, and IWU will compete right alongside Millikin for the top spot in the CCIW. Those two wins give the Warhawks the upper hand from my perspective, and for what it’s worth, Massey has Whitewater #8 in defensive efficiency, while NYU is #25. Defense wins championship. But seriously, the margin between these two is very thin.
  4. NYU: So keeping on with that same conversation, NYU’s four wins are over Alvernia, Haverford, Vassar, and Kean, who has a combined record of 8-11 right now. You certainly can’t punish a team for the poor play of its opponents, but when the margin is thin in this early part of the season, the quality of its non-conference opponents is significant in all of this. NYU won’t truly be tested until Dec. 11, when it faces #11 Tufts in a must-see battle.
  5. Trinity (TX): Going very much off of the eye test here, but watching Trinity play is just so impressive. The execution in transition is flawless, and the overall offense is one of the best I’ve seen at this point. They move the ball well and create shots, which have led to four fairly one-sided wins. The real tests come this week in a home-and-home with #18 Hardin-Simmons. Trinity goes to Abilene tomorrow, before HSU makes the return trip to San Antonio on Saturday.
  6. Christopher Newport: CNU has opened its season strong, winning all five of its games by double digits. ETBU came the closest, falling just 63-53 at home on Nov. 11. Massey has CNU at #3 in offensive efficiency, and I’d believe it. Four starters average 9.0+ PPG.
  7. Amherst: Amherst slides up to #7 for a few different reasons. One is the resume; notably, the 54-50 win over No. 16 Springfield, and the fact that all three opponents have been held to 50 points or lower. There’s a reason Amherst is the No. 1 defensive team according to Massey. Even on days when the shots aren’t falling, the Mammoths are often in the lead, due to superior defense. But #8 Trine’s loss to Baldwin-Wallace slides them back a spot, and #7 Smith had close calls at Maine-Maritime and Bowdoin this weekend, which drop them back as well.
  8. Scranton: #10 to open the season, Scranton is 5-0, and has given no reason why they don’t deserve to slide two spots up. Once I get all the numbers next week, this could change, but watching Scranton’s game against Wilkes yesterday, the Royals are clearly a title contender. They are so deep, which makes them dangerous for any opponent. We’ll get a good look at the Royals on Nov. 29 when they face #20 Ithaca. That will be a great indicator of where both teams are at.
  9. Trine: The Thunder didn’t look all that good at Baldwin Wallace, but it was also the second game of the season, and the bottom line is that they found a way to push it into double overtime. Though BW won 75-70, that is Trine’s only loss in four games. I can’t see putting them any lower than #9 based on what I’ve seen up to this point.
  10. Smith: Yes, Smith is undefeated. But in the two games that would give us the best indication of where the Pioneers were at, they struggled, nearly losing to Maine-Maritime (but eventually winning 66-60 in OT) and trailed Bowdoin 32-21 at the half on Saturday. Again, they came back to beat Bowdoin 54-50, and there is little doubt they are a good team, but at this point, I can’t see them still as the seventh-best team in the nation. They will have a good test against a 3-0 Trinity (CT) team on Nov. 27, that I’ll certainly be watching to get another look at Smith and where they might stack up in next week’s top 10.

Other notes:

  • Not a whole lot of other action today, but NJCU does play at D-I Delaware State in a winnable game for the Gothic Knights. Their only game currently played is a 79-70 loss to D-I Monmouth, and they looked sharp for much of that one. If they can stay strong on the boards, this could end up as a win. DSU is just 1-3 overall.
  • Concordia-Chicago plays a UW-La Crosse team that is 5-0. Concordia has won its last two, but nobody has been able to stop UWL yet. Consistency on the defensive end will be important to both teams in this one.
  • Colorado College and Augustana play in what could be a good game at 6 pm EST. CC is looking to get back on track after a 1-3 start, though the schedule has been tough with Emory and Calvin on there. Augustana is 3-1, coming off the loss to Calvin.

That’s all for today. Hope you enjoyed reading through my thoughts on the Top 10…what are yours? Feel free to add a comment below!