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!

The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: November 16, 2022: Illinois Wesleyan playing in another Top 5 matchup…at #4 UW-Whitewater

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Welcome back to this Wednesday edition of The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops! Hard to believe I’ve been writing this blog for a week now. Very honored and excited to see so many people supporting and reading this each day. Now for the Game of the Day…

Game of the Day: Illinois Wesleyan @ #4 UW-Whitewater, 8 pm EST

These are two NCAA Tournament contenders, who haven’t been afraid to face some of the nation’s best right out of the gate. IWU played at the Hope Tip-Off Tournament last weekend, and UW-Whitewater hosted a tournament that included #14 Millikin on its home floor. Facing high-quality competition has only made these two teams better in this early part of the season, and both know a major non-conference win is on the line in this one. The perimeter shooting of IWU will clash with the post play of Whitewater in what should be a game decided in the final quarter.

Keep an eye on…

  • #16 Springfield @ Endicott, 7 pm EST
  • Salisbury @ Catholic, 6 pm EST
  • Cornell @ Wartburg, 8 pm EST
  • St. Norbert @ UW-Stevens Point, 8 pm EST

Other Notes…

  • As far as last night’s games go, there were certainly some entertaining ones. I titled yesterday’s post, “Can RWU stop Tufts and Maggie Russell?” Well…RWU did a fantastic job against Russell, holding the dynamic forward to just eight points in 28 minutes. But the focus on Russell opened up opportunities for Sarah Crossett and Sophia Gonzalez, who each scored in double figures in Tufts’ 57-48 win. RWU was good inside, scoring 40 of its 48 points in the paint, but Tufts’ defense was impressive, forcing 22 turnovers. The defensive battle between Tufts and Amherst later this season will probably be one of those games where neither team scores 60, and yet is exciting for all 40 minutes.
  • I saw a few minutes of UW-Oshkosh’s battle against Edgewood. Maybe Edgewood was just having a good day, but I think the Eagles could be an outside contender in the NACC. It’s a pretty wide-open conference, though Wisconsin Lutheran seems to be pretty strong at this point. Edgewood has had a tough start to the year, facing Wartburg and UWO in consecutive games, but I was impressed by how well they found scoring opportunities from short-range. Paige Banks is a stellar forward, and had 23 points in that one. Looking at UWO, it’s still a learning process for that young group, but they turned it over just eight times and came up with a couple of key 3-pointers when it counted. Sarah Hardwick continues to be my pick for WIAC Freshman of the Year (not that I have any say in that!). Had a double-double with 14 points, 11 rebounds last night.
  • I got the chance to listen to an excellent interview on Hoopsville with Hope’s Brian Morehouse. Lots of great topics covered there, including the record-breaking season opener, enjoying the 2022 national title, and the MIAA as a whole. I thought Morehouse made some great points about how competitive the MIAA is going to be this season, with Calvin and Trine as real contenders (though it’s hard for anyone in the country to compete with Hope), and he also mentioned they will be going to NYC next year. I know nothing about this, but I feel like a Hope-NYU matchup might be the works…maybe? That’d be a must-see for sure. He also said that he had recently talked with Randolph-Macon MBB HC Josh Merkel over Zoom, which had to be an incredible conversation considering those two are some of the best minds in D3 hoops. It’s always cool to see the support between the coaches of MBB and WBB teams in D3. That’s a special part of this division. There’s way too much to cover here, so don’t just read my thoughts. Go listen to the interview!
  • Take a look at this stat line from Anderson’s Lexi Dellinger this past weekend: 29.5 PPG, 4.5 Steals/Game, 5.5 RPG…wow! Well-deserved selection to the D3hoops.com Team of the Work for her.

This has been a long post…so if you’ve read this far, thank you. Be sure to try to get out and support your local D3 schools if you aren’t doing so already. It is always disappointing to see box scores with attendance numbers of 100 or below listed. It means a lot to players and coaches alike when there are fans in the stands, and people believing in what they’re doing. And have a great rest of your day!

By the way, If you enjoy The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops, please tell a friend, a teammate, a fellow coach, or just another D3 fan. It goes a long way! Follow this blog daily on Substack or the D3hoops.com Daily Dose!

The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: November 15, 2022: Can RWU stop Tufts and Maggie Russell?

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Welcome back to The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops! Here’s your daily look at the world of D-III women’s basketball, as we continue to move through the month of November…

Game of the Day: Roger Williams @ #11 Tufts

RWU looked especially strong out of the gates in last Wednesday’s season opener against MIT, taking a 22-9 lead early, and ended up with a 71-47 win. But Tufts is another level up in the relative pyramid of D-III, and is also 1-0 after a 24-point win over Bates. The thing I like about RWU is that the Hawks share the ball so well. It forces the defense to pay attention to all five on the floor, rather than keying in on one or two shooters. But RWU’s defense will be tested in a huge way against Maggie Russell. I’m not sure that very many teams in D-III will find a way to hold her to less than 20 points per game. Yes, she’s that good (had 31 pts and 17 rebs against Bates). It would be an exaggeration to label this as a possible upset, but who knows? RWU will no doubt stay competitive with Tufts through the first half. It will come down to the second half play.

Keep an eye on…

  • #20 Ithaca @ SUNY-Geneseo (Battle of unbeatens), 5:30 pm EST
  • UW-River Falls @ Augsburg, 8:00 pm EST
  • Oglethorpe @ Covenant, 6:00 pm EST

Thoughts on this Tuesday morning…

  • I’m not sure we’ve had a slate of games yet this season with more lopsided scores than yesterday. At least percentage wise. I did the math, 90% of games were decided by 15 points or more, and we had four games with a margin of 40+ points. The only “close” game of the day was also one of the lowest scoring, as Medgar Evers beat SUNY-Old Westbury 38-35. They combined to shoot 19% from the field!
  • I did catch a few minutes of Mitchell’s 68-44 win over CCNY. Granted, you have to factor in for the opponent here, but I was very impressed by Mitchell’s defensive effort early on. CCNY had just two points in the first quarter, as Mitchell kept pressure on the ball, and forced a few turnovers too, turning those in points in transition.
  • Manhattanville might be a team to keep your eye, considering how efficient the Valiants (what a cool team name) are from three-point range. To shoot above 40% from beyond the arc in wins over York (NY) and Pratt is impressive. They were 13-of-31 on threes in yesterday’s 102-21 rout of Pratt.
  • Interim HC Shelby Lyman is looking to keep UW-River Falls undefeated through three games this year, as the Falcons play tonight at Augsburg. It’s been a pretty convincing start from a team that was below .500 a year ago. And Augsburg still hasn’t played a game yet, making them one of the last teams to begin the season, though #15 UMHB won’t play its first game until Saturday.
  • Saw that UW-Whjtewater’s Kacie Carollo was named the tournament MVP of the Whitewater tournament this past weekend. In two wins over Carroll and Millikin, she averaged 15.0 points and 10.0 rebounds.

On a side note, Hoopsville, the comprehensive show about D3 men’s and women’s hoops, made its season debut last night. As always, great work by Dave McHugh on the mic. Be sure to check it out! https://www.d3hoops.com/hoopsville/archives/2022-23/nov14

 

The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: November 14, 2022: Amherst’s defense is the real deal!

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Happy Monday! We’re back into the weeknight games now after an excellent first weekend of several tournaments around the country that gave us some exciting matchups, and a scoring record broken too, (Ref. Hope). Hope you had a good weekend, and let’s take a look at today’s Game of the Day…

Game of the Day: William Peace @ Guilford

Admittedly, it is a very light schedule tonight…but this one still has storylines to follow, as William Peace (1-1 overall) comes off a 84-71 loss to Lynchburg and will look to rebound with a better performance in this one. Guilford (1-0) won at Greensboro on Saturday, aided by the shooting of forward Courtney McMillan who scored 25 points….off the bench! I expect Guilford to win this one, but look for an increased pursuit on the glass from them, as they were outrebounded in the season opener, 52-40.

Additional thoughts from around the league…

  • Tuned into the #9 Amherst-Rowan game yesterday, and as it progressed, I became more and more impressed by Amherst’s defense. The Mammoths have always seemed to be best in low-scoring, defensive-dominated contests, so this 57-50 final score fit them like a glove. Rowan led by five with about six minutes to go, but Amherst had already stepped up its defense by that point. Rowan would not make a single (yes, you read that right) shot from the field in the fourth quarter, and did not score at all in the final 4:07. Really impressive performance from Amherst on this opening weekend.
  • #3 NYU rolled to a pair of wins this weekend over Alvernia and Haverford. The Violets looked incredibly sharp, and Belle Pellecchia had 24 points for NYU in yesterday’s nine-point win over Haverford. She is a dynamic player, sees the floor well, and is someone NYU will probably have on the floor for 30+ minutes a game this season.
  • Stevens won its second game in a double-overtime thriller against Moravian, winning 87-84. Didn’t get a chance to watch it, but looking back over the box score, Stevens used a 27-point fourth quarter to force the game into overtime, and after each side scored seven apeice in the first extra period, it went into a second. Stevens’ Lucy Alberici played 47 minutes in that one and Moravian’s Morgan Amy played 48. Both had 20+ points. Talk about endurance!
  • Mary Washington came away with a 53-49 win over Gettysburg yesterday. Keep an eye on Mary Washington. One thing that sticks out to me about them is their depth. Three players came off the bench to play 20+ minutes in the win. They’ll need to cut down on turnovers though. Had 20 against Gettysburg.

That’s all for today. Hope you continue following along, as the season will only get better from here!