There are TONS of games on today, so I won’t even try to list them all. Here are a few interesting ones involving Top 25 teams or key games in conference races.

On the men’s side, Baldwin-Wallace will try to stay undefeated in the OAC against the up-and-coming Wilmington Quakers. Hanover and Bluffton battle in the HCAC with the loser likely dropping out of the Top 25. UW-Stout has a big match-up with defending WIAC champs Stevens Point.

On the women’s side, Mark Simon featured the University of Ozarks in this week’s ATN. Today the Eagles try to get a big win against Top 25 ranked McMurry. DePauw goes to RHIT and Swarthmore and Dickinson joust for position in the Centennial Conference.

There are several games whose broadcast I couldn’t confirm, including Augustana-Elmhurst (Men) and Chicago-Wash U (Women). Plus it looks like the annual “It’s not a conference game but I dislike you just the same” battle between Amherst and Williams is only on pay-per-listen Teamline.

If you have information on those games, additions or corrections, please post them below.

1 PM EST: Men – Springfield (4-8) vs. Coast Guard (6-2, 0-1)
Broadcast on Sportsjuice.com (CGA)

2 PM EST: Women – No. 18 McMurry vs. University of the Ozarks (7-4, 6-2)
Broadcast on KZQC (McM)

2 PM EST: Women – Swarthmore vs. Dickinson
Broadcast on the Centennial Conference Basketball Network

3PM EST: Men – #24 Hanover vs. #25 Bluffton
Broadcast on Sportsjuice.com (HC)

3 PM EST: Men – No. 12 Baldwin-Wallace vs. Wilmington (11-1, 4-1)
Broadcast on WBWC (B-W)
NOTE: You may need a high-speed connection to listen to this broadcast

3 PM EST: Men – No. 17 Randolph-Macon vs. Guilford (4-6, 2-1)
Broadcast on Sportsjuice.com (both)

3 PM EST: Men – No. 24 Ohio Northern vs. Capital (5-6, 2-3)
Broadcast on BCmonsters.com (Capital)

4 PM EST: Men – McMurry vs. University of the Ozarks
Broadcast on KZQC (McM)

4 PM EST: Men – Swarthmore vs. Dickinson
Broadcast on the Centennial Conference Basketball Network

6 PM EST: Men – No. 10 UW-Stout vs. UW-Stevens Point (9-4, 4-1)
Broadcast on WMEQ (Stout) and WKQH (SP)

6 PM EST: Women – No. 10 DePauw vs. Rose-Hulman (7-5, 0-2)
Broadcast on WGRE (DPU)

8:30 PM EST: Men – No. 1 Illinois Wesleyan vs. Carthage (4-7)
Broadcast on WJBC (IWU)

There’s a ton to listen to this weekend as conference play revs up. Time permitting, I’ll try to post a few links for each day.

On the east coast the UAA takes center stage and D3hoopsNet will be there to bring you the Carnegie Mellon-Brandeis doubleheader with Mark Simon on the call. Meanwhile NYU will try to stay undefeated on both sides against Rochester.

On the west coast No. 4 George Fox tries to stay undefeated against Puget Sound in a battle of the last two NWC women’s champs. Then the No. 8 Logger men will try to beat the Bruins in Tacoma, Wa.

In the middle of the country, No. 3 Wooster faces a TCNJ team coming off a big win over Ramapo. Please notice that game starts earlier than usual since it’s the opener of W&J’s tournament. And please feel free to add more links or corrections with the comment feature.

6 PM EST: Women – No. 2 Brandeis vs. Carnegie Mellon (4-7)
Broadcast on D3hoopsNet

6 PM EST: Women – No. 15 NYU vs. Rochester (7-2)
Broadcast on WYSL AM (UR)

6 PM EST: Men — No. 3 Wooster vs. New Jersey (8-2)
Broadcast on Quicktime (Wooster)

8 PM EST: Men – No. 19 Carnegie Mellon (10-1) vs. Brandeis (7-3)
Broadcast on D3hoopsNet

8 PM EST: Men – No. 18 Rochester vs. NYU (10-0)
Broadcast on WYSL AM (UR)

9 PM EST: Women – No. 4 George Fox vs. Puget Sound (9-3)
Broadcast on Real Player (UPS)

11 PM EST: Men – No. 8 Puget Sound vs. George Fox (8-2)
Broadcast on Real Player (UPS)

Business has me in northwestern Ohio area this week, along the I-75 corridor between Toledo and Dayton. Naturally, I checked the D3 schedules and saw that I was just 30 miles from both Bluffton, OH and Ada, OH, where both Bluffton and Ohio Northern were hosting HCAC and OAC contests respectively.

I saw most of the first half of Manchester at #25 Bluffton and all of the second half of Wilmington at #22 Ohio Northern…

Some immediate thoughts re: Bluffton…

1. Bluffton is a decent basketball team, but they are small. A good chunk of time in the first half with four players on floor that went 5’8, 6’2, 6’2, 6’2. They shoot the ball well form the perimeter. Take away their “J” and you take away their bread and butter. 4 of their first 5 baskets were from beyond the arc. While this was the first time I’ve seen them play, but first impressions are lasting ones…the Beavers seem vulnerable to cold streaks with their jump shots (I witnessed a 4 to 5 minute FG drought)…that could spell trouble for a team that comes out to play them tight.

2. I found both Bluffton and Manchester overpursuing on defense – they’d collapse when the ball came down low and find an open man outside. Bluffton got past CMU and the voters recognized their efforts more quickly than many other occasions…it’s unusual to see a team go from 0 votes to #25…given what has transpired so far this week, Bluffton might be in a bind to stay in the Top 25, even if they win out this week.

3. Very nice court in my first visit to an HCAC facility. Seating on only one side of the gym, half of which are actual seats (a bit cramped) and the upper section which are open benches. A impressive crowd for a game over winter break.

4. Room for improvement: C’mon…you don’t need to practice dunks before the game while the other team is on the court…as was happening on and off from a few players with 50 to 25 minutes remaining in the warmup.

With six minutes remaining in the first half, I hightailed it out down Ohio 103 and turned right onto Ohio 235 which took me straight into Ada to ONU. ONU’s campus is huge, for D3…reminded me a bit of UW-Whitewater in terms of its size.

1. Wilmington certainly seemed for real. There had clearly been some question about it given their weaker non-conference schedule and the 15 point loss to JCU.

2. Both ONU and Wilmington are all over the court on defense – never letting their intensity level fall. Neither team made egregious mistakes with the basketball, but both teams managed to step up their defense and force the other team to make mistakes they otherwise wouldn’t be making against weaker opponents. Witnessing this game made it clear to me that the OAC is right there with the NCAC, CCIW, MIAA, and WIAC in terms of high-level competition over the rest of D3.

3. Neither team allowed easy baskets – fighting for every point they had. Both move the ball with precision.

4. ONU never led in the 2nd half, the closest they got was a 54-54 tie with 3:56 remaining.

5 Another good crowd for a winter break game…the ONU Sports Center is an older facility but it’s huge and would seem a worthy host for postseason action as it has in the past. Unusual to see the huge scoreboards down just above the baskets mounted on the wall. Lowest scoreboards I’ve seen in basketball…almost to the point where it would seem to impact your vision when shooting.

6. Glad to know there should be room for both teams in the tournament if they continue their winning ways. ONU has 3 losses now, but they are quality.

7. Wilmington now has to go to B-W. If they win there…well…good things.

8. Funny random D3 moment…walking out the gym and Wilmington players were walking towards their locker room when one player uttered, “If we’re not Top 25…” Could you have found a better time to say that…and they surely don’t know who I am.

Oh yeah, IWU lost tonight…

We used to get this kind of letter all the time, but it’s been a while, so when I got a handwritten note with no return address in the mail the other day, it took me back a bit. Once upon a time we would get mail from the father of a prominent Division III player, replete with stats the father had hand-compiled, and I was wondering if this was about to be something similar.

… You do very professional work which is appreciated by basketball fanatics like myself. I’m an ex-college coach and still do personal basketball instruction. I live near the (location withheld) so I try to attend as many games as I can within a two-hour drive. …

The letter, on lined paper, written in all caps, had a clipping inside, a photocopy of a player’s bio from a school’s media guide. The letter was extolling the virtues of the particular player, who had reached a milestone on the particular night he saw them play.

… I sat with/in the midst of the (school withheld) sparse fans and to their little enjoyment (player name withheld) had a 22 point night and played bigger than his listed height. …

This could be just a low-tech version of something we see on the message board occasionally, a little rah-rah boosterism of a particular player by a non-neutral party. Whether this was a parent, uncle, grandfather, or truly just a fan, I don’t know. But it was amusing nonetheless. Keep the letters coming. It’s great to see people who care this much.