Monthly Archives: November 2022

The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: November 20, 2022: A look back on Saturday’s best games

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Welcome back! There were plenty of intriguing matchups yesterday on a very large slate of games, and after yesterday, I’m more excited than ever to see how the UAA, WIAC, and MIAA conference schedules begin. These three conferences are going to be deep and competitive throughout this season, especially as teams get more games under their belts. Just three Top 25 teams are in action today (#5 Trinity (TX), #10 Scranton, #15 UMHB), and along with them, we have a few matchups between unranked teams that you’ll want to be keeping an eye on, including our Game of the Day…

Game of the Day: Piedmont @ Emory, 5 pm EST

Went with an unranked battle today for the Game of the Day pick, and this should be a competitive one. Piedmont will be a contender in the USAC this year, and is still undefeated. Emory’s lone loss is to the #15 team in the nation by four points. Both teams can shoot well from three-point range and rely on guard play in a big way, so expect a lot of the action to happen in the backcourt.

Keep an eye on…

Stevenson @ Williams, 3 pm EST

Misiericordia @ Susquehanna, 3 pm EST

Luther @ Cornell, 2 pm EST

A few (short) thoughts from yesterday…

#1 Hope and #13 UW-Eau Claire played really close for the majority of it, with Hope eventually winning 89-77. I was most impressed by the three-point shooting of both teams, and this makes them dangerous heading into conference play, as good three-point teams can put together runs in the blink of eye with two or three 3s in a row. Hope’s Meg Morehouse is really good at getting to the rim, and did so several times against the interior defense of UWEC yesterday. That is something I had remembered from last year’s first win for Hope over Trine. Jessie Ruden is skilled player for UWEC who I hadn’t seen play much this season before yesterday. She had 22 pts, and is going to do big things in the WIAC.

WashU and #14 Millikin played into overtime, with WashU handing Millikin its third loss of the season, 72-66. Let me first say that WashU seems to be looking better and better every game. As I said yesterday, when referencing Rochester, that UAA title race is going to be very fun to watch. Millikin is 3-3, and at this point, I anticipate them dropping in the Top 25, but not by as much as you might think. They have played a tough schedule, and two of those three losses have come to quality undefeated teams on the road. I give great credit to Olivia Lett for putting together a challenging non-conf. schedule. It’ll help Millikin in CCIW play. I continue to feel like the rebounding margin is hurting Millikin tremendously. WashU outrebounded them 42-28, with 19 offensive boards. Without a few of those second-chance points, Millikin likely wins that game in regulation.

#15 UMHB edged out Emory yesterday in Atlanta, 63-59. Really close result as the Cru defended the three-point arc well and held Claire Brock to 15 points, nearly 12.5 below her average.

Catholic is definitely a team to keep an eye on, as Gordon Mann mentioned on Hoopsville the other day. The came within one bucket of sending the game with #20 Ithaca into overtime, though the visiting Bombers won 67-65. Zoraida Icabalceta continues to be a force coming off the bench for Ithaca, as she had 13 pts, on 5-of-9 shooting. Catholic shot 50% from three-point range, on 18 attempts. They were also 43.6% from the field. One thing both teams will be working on heading into this next week is maximizing free throws: Ithaca was 35.3% from the line, Catholic not much better at 57.1%.

Trinity hosts Sul Ross State today in San Antonio. But there is a good chance they’ll be without All-American candidate Maggie Shipley, who went down with what appeared to be a shoulder injury against Howard Payne on Friday. The hope is that it was not anything too serious. Trinity is deep enough to where having Shipley out will not hurt them too much, but let’s just say having her on the floor probably makes the wins come easier.

Calvin is off to a 4-0 start, and making a case heading into MIAA play later this month. Every single win Calvin has this year has been decided by single digits. Gabby Timmer is such an exceptional player for the Knights, with an almost-effortless scoring ability around the rim. She had 36 pts in the 79-73 win over North Park yesterday, and is averaging 24 on the year.

We’ll see how this all plays out, then break it down tomorrow morning as we head into the Thanksgiving week. Thank you as always for following along and be sure to share The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops with a friend, teammate, fellow coach, or D3 hoops fan!

The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: November 19, 2022: A Top 15 battle in Holland

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Welcome back! We have another full slate of Saturday basketball…

Game of the Day: #13 UW-Eau Claire @ #1 Hope, 3 pm EST

This is going to be a must-see matchup, period. Watching both of these teams play, they appear built for the postseason, and this will almost be a preview of what we might see come March. UWEC has four seniors in the starting lineup, which certainly helps, and is especially good in the rebounding game (40.8 reb/game). We all know that Hope has been crushing everyone in its path as of late, but this one might be a little different. UWEC might just be the best team Hope has battled up to this point, and the Blugolds will be eager to achieve a marquee conference win to add to their resume, especially heading into WIAC play, where multiple teams have legitimate cases for the tournament spots. Of course, keeping the margin within single digits against Hope might be a win in it

Keep an eye on…

  • #15 UMHB @ Emory, 3 pm EST
  • #7 Smith @ Bowdoin, 4 pm EST
  • #20 Ithaca @ Catholic, 4 pm EST

Thoughts…

  • As far as yesterday’s games go, I ended up being spot-on about the matchup between #11 Tufts and WPI. With WPI playing at home, the Engineers nearly sprang an upset on Tufts, with the final score being only a three-point margin, 60-57. Watching it back, there is not much more WPI could’ve done, besides maybe not foul Maggie Russell, who cut Tufts’ deficit to just one on a pair of free throws with about a minute and a half left. The Jumbos were on their game defensively, and besides a three-point attempt that missed long, WPI did not have many good opportunities offensively down the stretch. It is no secret that Tufts is reliant, to some degree, on Russell and her ability to score. She had 25 points last night, every one of which were key considering the narrow result. Now that may hurt Tufts as the season progresses, facing teams such as Amherst. But only time will tell. The Jumbos also turned the ball over just nine times in the game, compared to 13 turnovers for WPI.
  • I tuned into the Millikin/Coe game, and saw the Big Blue closing in on their second straight win. But then Coe found a spark, and almost in the blink of an eye, had Millikin’s lead down to two. Coe is one of those programs in the ARC that is looking to bounce back after a down year last season (they were 8-17), and has started fairly well. They were 3-0 entering the game, and hung with Millikin for the vast majority of it, until the Eagles went stagnant offensively. They struggled to make shots, in large part because of Millikin’s defense, which was the best I’ve seen it be this season. Millikin extended the lead back to nine, and Coe never got any closer, with the final being 66-57.
  • I was emailing with a coach yesterday who recommended I take a look at the UAA. Though I had been following the scores of programs in the league, like Rochester, NYU, and Emory, I took a look at the conference’s overall record yesterday, and was both impressed and a little surprised to see it at 21-3. All but two of the league’s eight teams are undefeated. There is a lot of experienced, deep teams in the UAA this year, and it will be a conference to watch, if nothing else, because of the parity we’re seeing here in the early weeks of the season.
  • #15 Mary Hardin-Baylor visits Emory (4-0) in an intriguing matchup this afternoon. UMHB is officially the last Top 25 team to start its season, and I can’t say I disagree with head coach Mark Morefield’s thinking on this. Talking with him, he noted that the Crusaders would have liked to have played last weekend, but due to the travel schedule, it didn’t end up working out. But he also said this set up makes more sense, as it has given UMHB additional time to work out the kinks before the season opener, and have over a month to prep following Oct. 15, rather than less than a month, as most teams did, starting on Nov. 8-12. Be sure to watch the guards in this matchup. Emory’s Claire Brock has been virtually unstoppable through four games, averaging 27.5 PPG. On Wednesday, she became the program’s first player to go for 30+ points in consecutive games. UMHB also has a handful of talented guards, a number of which are incoming transfers, and that battle backcourt, if you will, is going to decide a lot in this one.
  • Congratulations to Joe Shotland on his first head coaching win at UT-Dallas last night. After a tough start in Rochester last weekend, the Comets won 69-37 against Covenant last night. They have Transylvania today…we’ll see how that goes. This is probably Transy’s best non-conference game…
  • Maine Maritime had No. 7 Smith on the ropes last night, but struggled to score in overtime, putting just three on the board in the extra period, as Smith won 66-60. But USMMA looks like they will have no issue following up on last year’s 20-4 campaign.

Alright…this is all, since I realized we’re nearing an hour until some games tip off. Expect an earlier post tomorrow. And enjoy the day!

The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: November 18, 2022: Rochester is on a roll…

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We have arrived at the end of the week…which means it is time for weekend basketball! Yes, that includes the Friday night matchups, at least in my definition! And we have plenty of intriguing games on the slate on tonight, starting with the duel in Worcester…

Game of the Day: #11 Tufts @ WPI, 7:30 pm EST

Tufts will be on the road for the second time this season, after opening at Bates on Saturday. So far, Tufts has found a way to beat two solid teams in Bates (still looking to fill the hole left by Mia Roy), and RWU. But WPI presents another challenge, as a NEWMAC contender with an excellent defensive presence. I haven’t seen WPI play yet this year, so I’m looking forward to seeing what we can take away in a game that will likely be controlled by defense.

Keep an eye on…

  • #14 Millikin @ Coe, 6 pm EST
  • #12 Baldwin-Wallace @ Wittenberg, 7 pm EST
  • UW-Oshkosh @ DePauw, 8 pm EST
  • ETBU @ Rhodes, 7 pm EST

Thoughts as we head into the weekend…

  • Rochester has the potential to be really good this year. Like NCAA Tournament-caliber good. At least, as long as the Yellowjackets put together performances like last night’s, as they downed #17 St. John Fisher, a previously 2-0 squad, by a score of 68-55. Racing out to a 25-12 lead in the first quarter certainly helped, but I was most impressed by the consistency at which they shot the ball. Taking good looks, moving the ball around the perimeter, and finding the open shooter, were all things U of R did very well in the win. The final stats reflected it, as they shot exactly 50% from the field (25 of 50), and 40% from 3-point range (9 of 22). Four of their five starters ended up with double figures in scoring. Rochester is another one of those teams that had zero preseason Top 25 votes, but may start getting some attention from voters, considering they’ve now won consecutive games over ranked opponents with the 13-point win over #21 Messiah on Saturday.
  • Was scrolling through the D3hoops.com scoreboard and caught the end of an overtime battle between Wentworth and Anna Maria, with Wentworth winning its second straight, 66-63. It wasn’t a game that meant a whole lot nationally, but watching these two teams go toe-to-toe down the stretch, it was a good reminder that even in games that do not involve Top 25 teams (or as we get later on in the year, Pool C bids), the passion and will to win is most certainly there. Maddy Foster was terrific for Wentworth, with 19 points and 12 rebounds as she played all but eight minutes of the 45-minute contest. Not that Wentworth’s starters had much choice. They had just three on the bench, which is the smallest roster I’ve seen this season (10 are listed on the roster, but it appeared that only eight were in uniform).
  • Quick congratulatory note to Theil’s Destiny Johnson, who broke the program’s single-game record with 28 rebounds. Had 22 points as well, as she accounted for 1/3 of her team’s scoring, and almost half of its rebounds.
  • Also wanted to give a shout-out to Howard Payne’s Presley Fisk, who earned her first win as head coach of her alma mater last night. HPU defeated Barclay College 89-67.
  • I had the opportunity to join Dave McHugh, Gordon Mann, and Scott Peterson on the WBB Top 25 panel of Hoopsville yesterday (show is out now, listen here!). Let me just say now that putting together a list of some of our “dubious, debateable, and deep dive” teams was hard. It’s just too early to really know with a lot of these teams, of how good they can be, and how to grade the losses and wins through the first two weeks of the season. But a great show nonetheless. I enjoyed being a part of it!

That wraps up today’s post…we’ll have even more to cover tomorrow, and if a few games go the way I’m thinking they will, it will be a lot of fun to take a look at those in particular. But until then, enjoy the rest of your day and the D3 hoops slate on this weekend before Thanksgiving.

Dave’s Top 25 Ballot (’22-’23) – Preseason (Part 1)

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Welcome (back) to my Top 25 blog and the 2022-23 Division III basketball season.

This was originally written two weeks before the start of the DIII basketball season. And then I put it aside to deal with other things and … well … here we are. Please keep in mind that what I have written here are my preseason thoughts. None of this is based on results so far.

For those not familiar, I used to blog out my Top 25 ballot nearly each week … but it’s been a while. I didn’t think it had been missed, but I would get inquiries about it nearly every week last season so I figured I would try and get back to it. Hopefully I will be able to blog each week the Top 25 is released.

For this D3hoops.com Top 25 Preseason Men’s poll, I made one significant change to my usual process – I never looked at how I voted nor what the final Top 25 poll looked like at the end of last season. I wanted to try and come in with a clear(ish) mind. The only thing I remembered was Randolph-Macon finished atop my ballot and the poll … obviously.

I’m unsure this new plan worked as I hoped it would.

The idea was to have as little prejudice, obvious or subliminal, as I researched and read about each team being considered. If I couldn’t remember how I or others voted for them at the end of the season, I could maybe have a fresher take on how I expected them to be this season (or at least start).

However, I found myself struggling more to read the “tea leaves.” Having an understanding how I felt a particular team finished last season is useful information. And it helps me appreciate how much a team has lost or gained in the offseason. By coming in without that info, my analysis of a team’s strengths and weaknesses was broader. I felt more unsure about where I felt a team was or wasn’t when it came to my ballot.

I appreciated that I did it differently. There is a real chance I considered some teams more than I may have in the past. And I stuck with the plan even when near the end I was searching for a decision point when trying to slot teams – or even include or not include them on my ballot.

I still have not looked at last year’s information before writing this blog. When I do, I suspect some of my decisions, especially teams I left off my ballot, will feel like errors.

One other important item. For years before COVID-19 disrupted everything, we talked extensively about parity in Division III Men’s Basketball. While teams do tend to rise to the top, the number of programs which legitimately could be considered Top 25 quality outnumbered how many we could vote for each week. That parity has continued to increase. While we were given data on 53 teams in the Top 25 Preseason info to consider, there were others any of us likely considered. When I got to the point of putting my ballot together, I had whittled my short list down to only 40 or so.

I left some really good teams off my ballot, and I am in no way thinking I got it right.

On last thing to mention before revealing my ballot: I do not, nor have I ever felt, that how I vote is “right” or the most accurate. There is a reason Pat Coleman (and Gordon Mann on the women’s side) makes sure not only there are 25 voters distributed around the country, but they represent different perspectives – media, coaches, SIDs, etc.

With that in mind, here is my Top 25 ballot with some brief thoughts on each team along with where I had them in last season’s final Top 25 (information I’m looking up for the first time for this blog).

Miles Mallory is leading RMC with a near-double-double (15.7 ppg, 9.7 rpg) to start the 2022-23 campaign.

1 – Randolph-Macon (#1)
I felt most of the off-season that RMC would likely remain my number-one vote, though I was very conscious of the fact that the team was losing more than just Buzz Anthony. Anthony was a unique, generational talent that will leave a large hole, however Josh Merkel has the services of Josh Talbert, Miles Mallory, and a number of others back. RMC still lost some good players along with Anthony, but they were so much better than everyone else last season that it is hard not to vote for them as the top team.

2 – Mary Hardin-Baylor (#7)
If there is a scary team this season to keep an eye on, it is probably UMHB. They have everyone back from a team that arguably underperformed last season. Yes … underperformed. They were darn good especially in their March run, but they were never 100%. What makes them scary is that Josiah Johnson is back, and he played most, if not all, of last season on an injured knee. Add in a more experience for Ty Prince, Luke Feely, and everyone else and it is already a very talent team.

Jahn Hines is leading CNU in scoring with 20.0 ppg and .556 FG% to start the season.

3 – Christopher Newport (#6)
The Captains were the only team to defeat Randolph-Macon last season and looked like RMC’s biggest threat to a national title until CNU’s 24-game winning streak came to an end at the hands of Marietta in the elite eight. John Krikorian once again has a very talented team with plenty of depth. I’m sometimes more amazed how CNU hardly ever has to rebuild, always plugging guys into slots to keep the engine humming. The Captains will once again have to deal with a funky schedule that their C2C conference situation presents, but what should be scary come March is they are used to it now.

4 – UW-Oshkosh (#5)
The Titans have become very consistent in a very turbulent WIAC. Reminds me of the heyday of UW-Stevens Point or even back to UW-Platteville’s dominating years under Bo Ryan. And have done it under two different coaches. UWO has all their starters back and their success will start with Levi Borchert.

Collen Gurley returns to Mount Union along with other transfers which has many expecting big things in Alliance, Ohio,

5 – Mount Union (#19)
I don’t listen a lot to off-season talk about who has transferred where or what high schoolers have committed to what program. However, it seemed the topic of who was likely suiting up for Mount Union popped up in a lot of places this summer – including chats with coaches not necessarily associated with the Purple Raiders. Four of last season’s starters return, plus they bring in some fascinating transfers – one of them is former Raider Collen Gurley who was an All-OAC 1st-Teamer two seasons ago.

6 – Case Western Reserve (#10)
I may be higher on the Spartans than others, but that was the case for most of last season as well. I admittedly could have CWR a tad high right now considering how much they lost from a break-out squad, but I also know the pieces returning along with who has transferred in making them look formidable. Add in the confidence and excitement a near final four run last season brings with it and I’d be surprised if Case isn’t a team we are talking about all season. The real challenge will be a very difficult UAA.

Alex Sobel averaged a double-double (18.3 ppg, 12.1 rpg) plus nearly 4 blocks a game for Middlebury last season.

7 – Middlebury (unranked)
This is a part of the ballot where teams are slotting in a bit higher than I anticipated. Middlebury is also a team were not looking at least season’s finish may have contributed (though, hard to not know the Panthers were not on my final Top 25 ballot). Jeff Brown seems to have a darn good team in Vermont, but I had originally expected to put them somewhere in the 10-15 range. I just didn’t have enough teams to fill out my Top 10 and had to pull from those in the next level down. While our data information didn’t have a ton about Middlebury, it is hard to ignore they have everyone returning – 100% of their offense in every statistical category.

8 – St. Joseph’s (Conn.) (unranked)
One might argue the biggest loss the Blue Jays experienced was the retirement of Jim Calhoun, but that also happened in the middle of last season and St. Joseph’s continued to click right along. Furthermore, Calhoun had already been limited in his coaching and Glenn Miller was basically running the show. This could be the end of St. Joseph’s buildup from the bedrock foundation, but it is a strong group that should roll through the GNAC where they have won 35-straight games. And they are challenging themselves – their entire out-of-conference schedule are teams that made the NCAA tournament last season – it’s just too bad we can’t get them to Las Vegas … yet.

Julien Crittendon is back to help an Oswego team improve upon what was a record-breaking season in 2021-22.

9 – Oswego State (#9)
The SUNYAC will once again be a beast, but the Lakers should be the top of the heap. Jason Leone has six of the top eight scorers back and the team says they have two transfers coming who should make an immediate impact. How do you improve on a season that was a program best? Can you really do better than 27-3? Sure, but I think Oswego will be better while likely being under-appreciated.

10 – Pomona-Pitzer (unranked)
Some of the best basketball in DIII takes places in Southern California and the Sagehens will once again show that this season. It won’t be easy in the SCIAC, but Pomona-Pitzer has shown the last few seasons to be able to go toe-to-toe with the best of Division III … and do so on the road. Pomona-Pitzer returns four of their five starters including All-American Brendan Mora and SCIAC Newcomer of the Year Pete Boyle. And they have a lot more talent including nine players who were significant contributors last season.

Next up, I’ll share 11-20. Then numbers 21-25 with some final notes.

The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: November 17, 2022: Whitewater with a comeback, a look at some of the top unranked teams

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Welcome back! Glad you’re here, reading another edition of The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops. Decided to take a look at some of the unranked teams who received votes in the preseason poll and have what I consider to be the best resumes for Top 25 spots heading into the first in-season poll of the year. More on that below. But first, there’s going to be a good game tonight in Rochester…

Game of the Day: #17 St. John Fisher @ Rochester, 8 pm EST

I didn’t necessarily pick this game because it is the only one tonight with a Top 25 team involved, though that is part of it! Rochester looked sharp in wins over UT-Dallas and Messiah to open the year, but SJF will present a whole new test. At 3-0, SJF has not been challenged all that much, and will benefit from facing a quality unranked opponent in Rochester. SJF is balanced offensively, sharing the ball well, with a tremendous amount of depth, which should help in late-game situations, where foul trouble, and fatigue begins to take effect.

Thoughts…

  • #4 UW-Whitewater’s duel with Illinois Wesleyan lived up the expectation of being a big-time non-conference showdown. Though UWW emerged with a hard-fought 70-61 (and trust me, it was hard-fought) win, IWU came out of the gate much stronger, shooting 64 percent in the opening quarter as the Titans took a 21-8 lead. But in a split second, things switched for the Warhawks, who scored 23 in the second quarter, cutting the deficit to 38-31 at the half. Outscoring IWU 21-10 in the third is really when things began looking up for Whitewater, and the Warhawks held off a strong charge from IWU late, cutting it to two, before the hosts pulled away. Kacie Carollo continues to shoot the ball well, as she had 20 points. IWU had a 20-point scorer of its own in Katelyn Heller.
  • DeSales is 3-0 to start the year, having added a nine-point win over Muhlenberg last night. Team “No. 26” in the Preseason Top 25 (the team that received the most votes that was not ranked), DeSales is certainly making a case for a Top 25 spot. Problem is that they do not play a particularly strong non-conference schedule, so it is somewhat hard to compare their resume with others in contention for those last five spots in the poll.
  • Big win for Gustavus Adolphus over in the midwest last night. This Simpson College team may not be the SC teams of old, but nonetheless, the Storm are still a serious contender in the ARC. The Gusties however, seem to be following up well on last year’s 22-5 season. They’re 2-0, and last night’s 76-73 win proved they can execute in pressure situations. Anna Sanders was 4-of-5 from 3-point land for Gustavus Adolphus in a pretty impressive performance.
  • Catholic is another team that I’m certainly considering as a Top 25 voter. They had the seventh-most points amongst unranked teams in the preseason poll, and have started 4-0, the most recent of those coming in last night’s 71-46 rout of Salisbury. They shot an eye-popping 66 percent from 3-point rnage (yes, you read that right), as they were 12-of-18. That long-range accuracy certainly played in Catholic’s favor, especially in the first half.

Going on Hoopsville today to talk some women’s hoops with Dave, Gordon and Scott, who always offer great insight. This isn’t a live segment, so I’m unsure when it will be put out, but once it is, I’ll be sure to add a link here! Always great to have some back-and-forth and good discussions on such a large division of college basketball!