The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: November 27, 2022: Two Top 10s fall…

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Welcome back! What a day it was in D3 women’s hoops yesterday. Let’s get right into it!

Game of the Day: WashU @ Illinois Wesleyan, 4 pm EST

This is going to be a good one. Perhaps both of these teams deserve to be ranked. Perhaps both will. The bottom line is, WashU is still undefeated, having shown exeplorary effort in the comeback over #14 Millikin last week. IWU is 4-2, but those two losses are to Hope and UW-Whitewater, two teams ranked in the Top 4. IWU looked sharp in yesterday’s win over DePauw and will be on their home court, but WashU is looking better and better each time the Bears step out there.

Keep an eye on…

#7 Smith @ Trinity (CT), 3 pm EST

UNE (4-2) @ #11 Tufts (4-0), 1 pm EST

Swarthmore @ Washington & Lee, 12:30 pm EST

Thoughts…

  • No. 4 UW-Whitewater was the highest-ranked of the Top 25 teams that fell yesterday, as Calvin came up with an upset, winning 66-64 on Whitewater’s home court. Talk about a big-time win for Calvin, who is now 5-0. It was tight all the way down the stretch, with Calvin refusing to go away, though the Knights trailed 34-31 at the half. In perhaps one of the most impressive plays from my perspective, Gabby Timmer stepped up on the defensive end for Calvin, blocking a Whitewater shot with under 20 seconds to play, Calvin leading 62-61. After a pair of free throws, the Warhawks again had a chance to tie it on a three, but failed to convert. Playing in a conference that includes Hope and Trine, wins like this one are huge come selection time in March (though Calvin in my opinion is a legitimate MIAA contender).
  • Whitewater wasn’t the only Top 10 team to fall. In another game I mentioned you should keep your eye on yesterday, No. 8 Trine suffered its second loss of the season at the hands of Ohio Northern, who is unranked, but also undefeated. Trine had a chance to go ahead late, trailing 51-50 with under 10 seconds left. But the three point try was missed, and Ohio Northern’s Brynn Serbin made a leap as the ball was traveling out of bounds of the hands of an ONU player. She grabbed the ball, and got it to a teammate before her feet landed out of bounds. The ensuing free throws were enough for a 53-50 win for ONU. Trine seemed to struggle more than I thought they would, but ONU is definitely a team I’ll be paying closer attention to in the weeks to come.
  • #5 Trinity beat #18 Hardin-Simmons for the second time this week, winning both on the road, and at home. Trinity will be at least #4 in my Top 25 ballot this week. The Tigers beat HSU 81-68 yesterday, as their offense continues to roll, and that is without Maggie Shipley, mind you. Her presence is worth at least another 8-10 points for Trinity, meaning we’re not even seeing the Tigers are full strength right now.
  • Augustana definitely has scorers. It will serve them well in CCIW play. Against Webster yesterday (an 87-64 win), four different players had double figures in points, including Carly Stone, who came off the bench with 14. Gabriela Loiz had 18 points in just 18 minutes of action and Presley Case nearly had herself a double-double, with 14 points and nine rebounds.
  • In today’s action, I’m keeping an eye on some matchups that could impact the way the Top 25 shakes out. As mentioned above, #7 Smiths plays a talented Trinity (CT) team on the road today. Smith has been somewhat inconsistent against quality, yet unranked opponents to start the year. But they’re also 4-0, and I really want to get a good idea of where they stack up amongst the nation’s best. UNE also plays #11 Tufts today in a game that I think could be close. UNE is 4-2, having played well as of late, but nobody has been able to slow Maggie Russell.

Enjoy the rest of your day and your weekend. Be sure to read The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops each day, either right here, or on my Substack. 

The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: November 26, 2022: Back in action…

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Took a couple of days off for the Thanksgiving holiday but I’m back, and so is a full slate of Saturday D3 hoops action! As a Top 25 voter, I routinely keep a list of games I want to pay especially close attention to. Today’s list is especially long, because so many teams are playing in pivotal games, especially as we prepare for the first in-season poll of the year. That’s good news for you D3 women’s basketball fans, because you’ll be entertained from midday until the evening. Look no further than the Game of the Day, which falls at the convenient time of 5 pm EST, 4 pm CST.

#18 Hardin-Simmons @ #5 Trinity

The Tigers made the trip out to Abilene on Tuesday of this week, and now it is time for HSU to return the favor, traveling southeast to the home of the Alamo for what should be an intriguing matchup. Trinity won the first meeting between the ranked opponents, 76-69, defending HSU’s three-point shooting with remarkable success. But I expect this one will be a little different, not necessarily in who emerges as the victor, but in how the matchup is assessed. Facing the same team twice in a week is something more common in baseball or softball, where conferences conclude the season with double-elimination tournaments. With Tuesday’s matchup fresh in their minds, I am interested to see what each team took away, and what they will be looking to tweak or improve. A win for Trinity could easily put the Tigers in contention for the #4 spot in next week’s Top 25, considering HSU is both a Top 20 team and the ASC preseason favorite. A win for HSU would be a huge SOS boost for the Cowgirls, who play in a conference with at least four real contenders. Lots on the line this afternoon in San Antonio.

Keep an eye on…

  • Calvin (4-0) @ #4 UW-Whitewater (5-0), 5 pm EST
  • WashU (3-0) @ Rose-Hulman (2-0), 4 pm EST
  • Illinois Wesleyan (3-2) @ DePauw (2-2), 2 pm EST
  • Wilmington (4-0) @ #2 Transylvania (2-0), 3 pm EST
  • Ohio Northern (3-1) @ #8 Trine (3-1), 3 pm EST

Thoughts…

  • Not a ton of good games on the slate yesterday, but I did tune into a good portion of #24 Puget Sound’s home game against Chapman. After losing by 6 to Wheaton a week ago, I have some questions about how Puget Sound stacks up against the best in the nation. But they looked sharp in yesterday’s game, utilizing full-court pressure and traps in the backcourt well. I was also impressed by how they used their height around the rim, patiently working the ball into the post on plays when they were unable to push the ball up the floor.
  • #13 UW-Eau Claire had no trouble getting past Northland in an 83-41 win. The Blugolds showed just how efficient their offense was in the opening half, outscoring Northland 57-14. UWEC continues to impress me, whether it be playing against the #1 team in the nation or a winless team from the UMAC. Jessie Ruden had 18 pts on 7-of-10 shooting in the victory.
  • One of the day’s best contests came late, as Claremont-Mudd-Scripps hosted Augsburg. CMS came out strong, and I was surprised at the level at which the Athenas were playing, until the fourth quarter, when Augsburg just seemed to flip a switch. Augsburg outscored CMS 16-6 in that final quarter, upping the intensity on both ends of the floor, to win 65-61. That moves them to 3-1, though I’ll need to see a more convincing performance to consider Augsburg a legitimate contender on a more national level.

Not a ton of other notes for you as I write this late Friday night. But teams outside of the preseason Top 25 that I’d be keeping an eye on would be WashU (has a notable win over #14 Millikin), UW-La Crosse (7-0 to start the season), Washington & Jefferson (5-1, 3-0 to start PAC play), and Augustana (if they remain consistent offensively, they could be a contender in a very deep CCIW). That’s all for today. Enjoy your weekend! And be sure to subscribe on Substack if you haven’t already, or you can also find this blog each morning right here on the Daily Dose.

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!