The most impactful results of the weekend in D3 Women’s Hoops

Posted on February 19, 2024 by rzayas

The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops by Riley Zayas

February 19, 2024

It’s been a few days since I posted a write-up here, but we’re in the postseason now (for almost everyone with the exception of the UAA) and I’m excited for what is to come. You can expect much more consistent coverage here as we follow along through conference tournaments and into this weekend as the NCAA Tournament discussions ramp up. This is such a fun time of the year to be following D3 women’s hoops!

I wanted to quickly recap some of the most impactful games of the weekend (all of them coming from Saturday’s slate) from a regional ranking/Pool C perspective. As I will note below, these were games that could shift regional rankings as well as the Pool C conversation and there will certainly be plenty more of these in the week ahead.

Before I get to that though, I wanted to quickly mention a few things…

The Conference Tournament Tracker is up on D3hoops.com…find that here and keep up with all of the tournament games across the country!
All data referenced here is from Scott Peterson’s D3 WBB website, d3data.weebly.com. Check it out if you get a chance. Lots of insightful data there, especially with Pool C outlook and projected final regional rankings.
I will probably not be putting out a Top 25 ballot breakdown this week as I want to focus more on regional rankings and conference tournaments. At this point in the year, those are the things that will be much more impactful to the national audience than my Top 25, but a screenshot of my ballot is below.

Most impactful games of the weekend
Scranton def. Elizabethtown, 67-58: The odds were stacked against Elizabethtown, playing on the road, but the Blue Jays certainly had a chance to knock off the Lady Royals, already holding one win over Scranton this season. But the Lady Royals defended their home court well, and in the process, eliminated Elizabethtown from Pool C contention. It is possible Elizabethtown remains regionally-ranked, which will help Scranton and Catholic, but the Blue Jays will likely fall to the No. 7 spot in Region 5.

Hardin-Simmons def. Mary Hardin-Baylor, 88-85: UMHB’s resume was not impacted all that much by the overtime loss at home to close the regular season, but HSU put itself in even more of a firm Pool C position, in the event the Cowgirls do not win the league tournament. UMHB’s Pool C resume remains solid as well, and it is likely we see The Cru still sitting at No. 1 in Region 10 tomorrow. For HSU, this was big, as the Cowgirls have been a bubble-in team for the last several weeks. Now, it’s safe to stay HSU is a lock to get into the tournament, with a projected final 865/523 resume.

Nazareth def. St. John Fisher, 73-65: In Region 3, this was a big win for Nazareth, who went down the road and took down its bitter rival. Due to an SOS tiebreaker, SJF got the top seed in the E8 Tournament, but there’s a chance Nazareth might jump ahead of SJF in Region 3. Maybe. SJF was No. 5 last week in R3, while Nazareth was No. 6. SJF is now 21-4, while the Golden Flyers are 22-3. In terms of projected resumes, Nazareth has an edge via both win percentage (+15 points) and SOS (+2 points). But current resumes are what is used. SJF has a slight edge on SOS, but it is very narrow. The two teams split their season series, and interestingly, both lost to Houghton two weeks ago. There are plenty of common opponents between the two, including Rochester, who Nazareth lost to, while SJF beat. I think SJF still probably stays ahead, but Nazareth’s head-to-head win makes this something to keep an eye on.

Vassar def. Ithaca, 66-59: Another big Region 3 result here. Vassar was No. 2, and Ithaca was No. 4 this past week in the regional rankings. Vassar lost to William Smith last week before bouncing back with this Ithaca win. By Vassar winning this one, I think it keeps them ahead in Region 3, which will be important considering three Liberty League teams are currently in the Top 4 in this region. Even with the loss, Ithaca’s Pool C resume is really solid. For Vassar to execute on the road like they did, coming off a bad loss, is impressive to me.

UW-Stout def. UW-Platteville, 66-52: I tell you what, Stout continues fighting elimination, and did so against a really good UW-Platteville team on Saturday. Stout found itself in a position six games into conference play in which the Blue Devils really couldn’t afford another loss without falling out of Pool C contention, and since that point, they’ve only lost once, to Oshkosh. Everything else has been a win, and Stout is currently sitting No. 6 in Region 9. With the depth in the region, they are the definition of a bubble team, with a slim Pool C possibility but a need to continue winning. Every time they step onto the court, they are fighting elimination from Pool C contention. As a reminder, tonight’s result against UW-River Falls has zero bearing on where Stout ends up in tomorrow’s regional rankings. Only games through Sunday are considered.

Marietta def. Baldwin Wallace, 71-56: The final team ranked in Region 7, Marietta kept itself in the Pool C conversation with this win over the OAC’s top team and did so on the road, which is so impressive. Margin of victory isn’t included in the NCAA regional ranking or Pool C conversation, but for my own assessment, I thought the 15-point win really added significance to Marietta’s victory. The Pioneers won that game on both ends of the floor, but are still going to be on the outside of the Pool C discussion. I think the Pool C chances are slight for Marietta, but still, this win at least keeps the Pioneers in the conversation. If you’re a Marietta fan, you need to be rooting for as few bid thieves as possible. It’s going to take a strong performance at the OAC Tournament and reaching the championship game. Of course, if Marietta wins the championship game, we don’t have to talk about the Pool C chances.

CalTech def. Whittier, 59-47 : CalTech played spoiler in the SCIAC on Saturday, and eliminated Whittier from the SCIAC playoffs, and as a result, NCAA Tournament contention. Whittier notably fell by just four points at NYU earlier this season, and seemed like a team that could make noise in the NCAA Tournament if they got in. As it turned out, Whittier’s season is already over. Only the top four teams in the SCIAC make the postseason, and the Poets ended up tied for fifth after the loss (at home!) to CalTech. Just a disappointing finish to what was a very promising season early, but credit to CalTech for pulling off that big win.

Piedmont def. Berea, 57-50: This result won’t affect the NCAA Tournament as Berea should be the Pool B selection by a significant margin. But it could affect the Region 6 regional rankings. Berea was No. 7 in R6 last week, and I have to think there’s a chance Berea falls out with this loss and Millsaps gets in. It’ll be close, and Berea’s 22-3 record is strong, but the 469 SOS is not good, especially with a committee that values SOS highly. We saw it with undefeated Webster being unranked. So I’m not sure 22-3 is automatically going to keep Berea in. But then again, Millsaps 472 SOS is only three points higher, and doesn’t seem like enough to overcome 73 points of win percentage. So we’ll see.

Game of the Day: UW-River Falls at UW-Stout (WIAC Tournament)

As I already mentioned, this is a must-win for Stout in terms of staying alive in Pool C. And for UWRF, it is also a must-win. It’s tournament time. Neither team really has a Pool C berth to fall back on, so it heightens the intensity of this matchup that much more. What makes it more interesting is that both matchups this season have been especially close and competitive. They just played last Wednesday with Stout at home, and the Blue Devils emerged with a 71-66 win. I fully expect a similar-type game tonight, and both teams can shoot the ball well. UWRF is one of the top 3-point shooting teams in the league, so Stout’s perimeter defense needs to be on point through all four quarters, and Macy Nilsen always tends to be a tough matchup for the Stout defense. She is one of the more dynamic scorers in the WIAC, and scored 29 points in last week’s meeting with the Blue Devils. Stout has a high scorer of its own in Raegan Sorensen, who had 35 points against UW-Eau Claire two weeks ago, and both Nilsen and Sorensen rank in the top three in points per game in the WIAC. 7 p.m. CT tip-off from Menomonie tonight. Watch here: https://wiacnetwork.com/stout/

Have a great rest of your day! I’ll check back in tomorrow morning and take a look back on how tonight’s conference tournament action unfolded.

The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: In this past week, here are resumes that saw rises and resumes that took hits

Posted on February 12, 2024 by rzayas

By Riley Zayas

February 12, 2024

Welcome back to another week! I’ll have a Top 25 ballot breakdown for you soon, but wanted to first take a look at the teams whose resumes rose and fell the most over this past week. These are my thoughts and assessments, and not necessarily the way it will be perceived by the regional advisory committees in putting together regional rankings today. Additionally, as I will note throughout this, not all of these teams are in Pool C contention, so some of the teams I mention are still only able to reach the national tournament via Pool A, even with an improved set of results.

But here are a few thoughts for you as we begin the FINAL week of the regular season (for everyone except the UAA)!

Teams whose resumes are on the rise
Trinity (CT): The Bantams are 18-6 overall, but 8-2 in the NESCAC, which is tough to do considering the depth in the league this season. With five straight wins heading into the NESCAC Tournament, something has certainly clicked for Trinity as of late. A 59-45 win over Bates on Friday really pushes the Bantams into a position where they could host in the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, an opportunity that appeared pretty doubtful when they dropped four games between Nov. 26 and Dec. 9. Reilly Campbell has recorded four-straight double-digit scoring performances and the Bantams currently lead the NESCAC in scoring defense and free throw percentage. I will not be surprised if we see Trinity still playing in the second weekend of the national tournament.

Concordia-Moorhead: The Cobbers’ 2-0 week was highlighted by their 73-65 win over #4 Gustavus Adolphus, as it not only makes the MIAC title race a bit more interesting, but very much keeps Concordia in the Pool C conversation. The Cobbers are 9-0 at home this season, and by splitting the season series with Gustavus, solidified their spot within the Region 9 regional rankings. Now 17-4, and 16-2 in MIAC play, Concordia is on the rise and playing some of its best basketball at the right time of year.

Smith: The Pioneers went 3-0 on the week, opening things up with a 68-61 win at Tufts before holding Mount Holyoke to 26 points in yet another victory, followed by Saturday’s 68-63 road win at MIT. Two of those wins (both on the road) came against Massey Top 100 opponents along with another RRO win over MIT for Smith. The Pioneers have reached the 20-win mark now, as well, and are 20-3, sitting atop the NEWMAC standings along with Springfield. Smith should be a solid No. 2 in Region 2 behind Rhode Island College.

UW-Stout: The Blue Devils were sitting dead last in the WIAC three weeks ago, with a 1-5 league record. But in a pretty remarkable turnaround, Stout has won four straight and five of its last six. The Blue Devils now sit in fourth place in the league standings, and are 16-7 overall, playing with plenty of confidence and momentum in a late-season surge. Raegan Sorensen had 35 points to lead Stout to a dominant win at UW-Eau Claire on Saturday, 96-64. Why is Stout’s stock rising so much? Well, they beat both UWEC and UW-La Crosse on the road by double-digit margins this past week, and the fact that they previously lost to both of those teams at home makes the victories that much more impressive. The Blue Devils head into the final week of the regular season with a pair of home games upcoming against UW-River Falls and UW-Platteville and are #14 in Massey.

Willamette: The Bearcats now likely have the No. 1 resume in Region 10 after a pair of huge home wins over Pacific and Puget Sound this past week. Willamette now holds a two-game lead in the NWC and just continues to find ways to win. The Pacific win came on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Elyse Waldal in a dramatic conclusion to such a back-and-forth game and Saturday’s 57-47 victory over a quality Puget Sound squad saw Willamette lead 34-17 at halftime. The Bearcats are really in a good position to close the regular season this week with a 12-2 record since January. That’s impressive.

Albion: There are a couple potential bid stealers in the MIAA, and Albion is certainly one of them. The Britons have won five straight, including a statement 67-41 over Calvin on Wednesday that now puts them a half-game back of Trine in the MIAA standings. Albion isn’t in position to be ranked in the Top 25 or contend for a Pool C spot, but the win over Calvin was an impressive result. Going further back, Albion has wins over Trine and Alma and while the Britons are just 5-5 on the road this season, I do think this is a team with the capability to spring an MIAA Tournament upset, especially with the way they are playing lately.

Teams whose resumes took a hit
Dickinson: I’m not sure what happened to Dickinson this past week, but the Red Devils looked very much out of sorts. They dropped three straight games in the span of seven days, including a 70-67 OT loss to Massey #147 Washington College (MD) on Saturday. That came on the heels of double-digit home losses to Centennial Conference foes Gettysburg and Johns Hopkins, and Dickinson is now 16-7 overall with a 13-5 mark in the league. In a very tough Region 5, I’m not sure the win percentage will hold up, despite a projected SOS of .550, much less earn Dickinson a Pool C bid. This week’s performance may put Dickinson in that “Pool A or bust” category, especially because Elizabethtown holds a 1-0 head-to-head against them, and has a good chance to move ahead of Dickinson, potentially “blocking” the Red Devils from even getting to the Pool C table until late in the process.

Mary Hardin-Baylor: The Cru are 1-3 on the road in their last four road games and two of those losses came this past week to UT-Dallas and Ozarks. UMHB has now dropped to second place behind Hardin-Simmons and while the Crusaders are still in a fairly comfortable Pool C position, UMHB does have McMurry and Hardin-Simmons coming up this week at home in a two very tough conference duels. The offense has stagnated, even with Arieona Rosborough back on the floor this week, and UMHB is now shooting below 40% from the field on the season (39.7%).

Messiah: Out of the MACC, the Falcons still have a Pool C shot, but it is fairly low, and a loss at Widener on Wednesday hurt those chances quite a bit more. Ranked #153 by Massey, Widener sprung the 56-50 upset and I’m interested to see how the Region 5 committee evaluates both this loss for Messiah as well as Dickinson’s results that I mentioned above. Credit to Messiah, we saw a bounce-back win at York, 52-39, two days ago, but in a league like the MACC, you really can’t afford any conference losses if you want to be in a prime Pool C position.

Colorado College: The Pool C chances are essentially nonexistent for Colorado College (now 16-7, 10-4 in SCAC), but still, the Tigers were in close contention with Trinity (TX) for the SCAC regular season title and No. 1 SCAC Tournament seed entering the week. Instead, CC heads back to Colorado with back-to-back losses, having dropped consecutive games for just the second time all season (the first came when they played NYU and Tufts in consecutive order). Having watched both games, credit goes to both Schreiner and Trinity (TX) for the big wins over CC, and the travel schedule isn’t easy for the Tigers. But they certainly looked out of sorts in a 69-63 overtime loss at Schreiner on Friday, and yesterday, Trinity hit several big 3-pointers and the CC defense struggled to keep up in a 90-80 loss. Their resume took a hit, and from a logistics standpoint, CC will now most likely be the No. 3 seed in the SCAC Tournament, meaning Trinity and TLU get the coveted first-round tournament byes while CC will now need to win three games in three days to make it to March.

There are several other teams that would qualify for this conversation, but these were a handful that stuck out to me. We don’t have a very large slate of games at all tonight, but the schedule really ramps up as the week progresses. Lots of marquee matchups are on tap especially on Friday and Saturday! Plus, the NESCAC Tournament tips off this weekend. Also, stay tuned for tomorrow’s release of the ordered regional rankings, as we’ll find out how many of these regions are shaping up, and what the Pool C order could look like based on where the committee placed several teams, especially in the deeper regions. Until then, have a great rest of your day!

The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: Competitive duels in the UAA, NESCAC highlight Friday’s action

Posted on February 10, 2024 by rzayas

By Riley Zayas

February 10, 2023

Good morning! We’ve got Saturday basketball in February and the postseason is now in sight. Today, countless teams across the country are quite literally playing with their conference tournament hopes on the line. Others are trying to maintain their place within Pool C, and first-place battles are also unfolding with only a few games left in the regular season. It is certainly a fun time of year, and here’s a few thoughts on last night’s action, with a quick look ahead to today’s slate of games.

Tipping Off

Case Western Reserve/NYU

For really the second time all season, we saw NYU seriously challenged into the second half, as Case Western Reserve came to NYC with a very well-prepared gameplan. The 3-point shooting was very impressive from CWRU as I went back and watched the film from the first half, especially, as the Spartans were 4-of-5 from beyond the arc in the opening quarter. NYU was definitely on upset alert, with the game tied at 42 at halftime and the Violets leading 57-55 at the end of the 3rd. But NYU cranked it up a gear, and pulled away in the 4th for the 15-point win, 82-67. Still, outside of the Whittier game (which was played the day before Thanksgiving), I hadn’t seen NYU pushed like that this season. Credit to CWRU for the approach and success on the road, which isn’t seen often, especially against the nation’s #1 team. NYU ended up shooting 54.8% and won the rebounding battle by +13, but hats off to CWRU for making it a very interesting final few minutes. Also, can we just think about what would happen if the UAA had a conference tournament? I can certainly appreciate the UAA rewarding the regular season champ and get the arguments for not having a league tournament, but at the same time, CWRU is just 1-9 in league play. Yet, this is a squad that just went on the road and challenged the almost-unanimous #1 team in the country. A conference tournament would be so interesting with the depth in this league, and better yet, nobody would be completely out of contention for NCAA Tournament play, which is the case right now. I get the arguments for both sides, but this was just another great example of the competitiveness found each weekend in the UAA.

WashU keeps its Pool C chances alive

Here’s another case of a UAA team whose only path to the NCAA Tournament lies in earning a Pool C bid, and in this case, elevated its resume last night. WashU has shown it can win big games, and win on the road, despite struggles are various points of the season. The Bears went to No. 19 Emory last night and took down the Eagles, 72-61, as Jessica Brooks had an 18-point, 11-rebound double-double. The rebounding margin was what surprised me…+23 in favor of WashU! That made up for a -7 turnover differential and WashU also really forced its way into the paint, scoring 48 points there. I have a hard time with WashU, because on one hand, I still like them as a Top 25 team. On the other, I think they’ve been more inconsistent than you’d like to see from a Top 25-caliber squad. The issue for WashU is that even if the Bears go 3-1 over their final four games, the win percentage would be .680, which is just below a threshold of .700 that the committee seems to favor. However, with the emphasis on SOS, WashU may benefit in a big way from the committee’s slant towards that metric. Keep an eye on how WashU navigates the next two weeks. It will be very interesting to see where they stack up in Region 8, and if they do get into the tournament, it is likely going to be right at the end of the selection process. If you’re a WashU fan, you need to be rooting for every conference tournament favorite to win, because the Bears really can’t afford any bid thieves if they want to preserve their Pool C chances.

Bantams are on the rise

I’ve definitely changed my thoughts as of late on Trinity (CT), a team I had in my Top 5 to start the year, but dropped out of my ballot after a very sluggish start. The tide has turned though, and Trinity (CT) now sits tied with Bates for second place in the NESCAC, just one game behind Bowdoin. Not only are the Bantams 7-2 in league play, but they’ve won 9 of their last 10 as well! Trinity is now in position to host in the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, and I’m more convinced of that after seeing last night’s big 59-45 win over Bates. We all know how good Bates has been, and for the Bantams outscore the Bobcats in the way they did over the final three quarters is impressive to see. Elsa Daulerio had 21 points and 13 boards, but as a team, Bates was fairly quiet, a testament to Trinity’s defensive approach. I like the momentum that the Bantams have, and with their regular season finale against Tufts today, I think it is possible we see Trinity head into the NESCAC Tournament with a five-game winning streak.

Interesting turn of events at the end of regulation as Oglethorpe defeats Sewanee

I was going to put this in the “fast breaks” section, but let’s just put it here. Oglethorpe and Sewanee played the highest-scoring game of the night, as the contest went in double-overtime, with Oglethorpe emerging in a 97-92 victory on Senior Day. But how they got to that final score is pretty interesting. Due to a very disappointing camera swivel, we never saw Sewanee’s go-ahead 3-pointer with five seconds left for a 75-73 lead (#d3problems!). But what we did see was the officials huddle up and assess a technical foul on Sewanee “for entering the court in celebration”. Again, that’s all I know as the camera operator kept the stream fixed on one end of the court. But regardless, it changed the game. While Oglethorpe did miss both free throws, the Stormy Petrels got the ball on their end of the court as part of the technical, which set up a drive to the lane by Malia Melton, and a foul call that sent her to the line with two seconds left. She came up clutch, made both free throws, and sent the game into OT. The two teams tied at 8-8 after the first OT before Oglethorpe outscored Sewanee 14-9 in the second OT. 54 of Oglethorpe’s points came in the paint, as the Stormy Petrels moved ahead of Sewanee with the head-to-head result for the No. 5 spot in the SAA standings.

Fast Breaks

» Brandeis put together an impressive 26-point 4th quarter, and got past Carnegie Mellon, 72-70, for the Judges’ first UAA win of the season. Caitlin Gresko had 19 points for Brandeis.

» In Colorado College’s 69-63 loss to Schreiner, Zoe Tomlinson grabbed 26 rebounds, which is tied for the third-most rebounds in a women’s game in SCAC history. She also surpassed 800 career rebounds in the process.

» In a SUNYAC upset, Brockport handed Cortland an 84-80 loss, as Brockport fought off a late 4th-quarter rally from the Red Dragons. Brockport was 50.8% from the field and 11-of-20 from 3-point range, as SUNY New Paltz now holds a two-game lead in the SUNYAC standings.

» In a surprising NESCAC result, Wesleyan, who entered yesterday’s game at 1-7 in the league, took down Tufts. And it wasn’t close. 73-61 was the final as Tufts continues to struggle. It marked Wesleyan’s first win over Tufts since 2006 and keeps Wesleyan in contention for the NESCAC Tournament.

Looking Ahead

#18 DeSales at Lebanon Valley, 1:00 p.m. ET

#21 Smith at MIT, 1:00 p.m. ET

Capital at Ohio Northern, 2:00 p.m. ET

#25 Bates at Wesleyan, 3:00 p.m. ET

#8 Scranton at Susquehanna, 4:00 p.m. ET

#16 UW-Oshkosh at UW-River Falls, 4:00 p.m. ET

Randolph-Macon at Washington & Lee, 4:30 p.m. ET

UW-Stout at UW-Eau Claire, 5:00 p.m. ET

Puget Sound at Willamette, 7:00 p.m. ET

The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: Week 9 WBB Top 25 Ballot breakdown

Posted on February 6, 2024 by rzayas

By Riley Zayas

February 6, 2024

As the weeks go by, putting together a Top 25 ballot becomes more and more difficult, and I think a lot of that is because by this point, only four teams in the country are undefeated, and nearly everyone has a few question marks next to their resume. We know more about these teams now than we did in December, and while that allows for more informed analysis, it also creates some tough decisions to make in the bottom spots of my ballot. So anyway, here’s how my Top 25 ballot looks this week! Definitely left a couple good teams out, and added a couple teams in that I feel are on the rise.

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out yesterday’s D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll! Link here: d3hoops.com/top25/women/2023-24/week9

Also a reminder that the first edition of regional rankings will be released in the next few hours, and while they are ranked alphabetically this week, they should provide us with some valuable data. I’ll have an update on that this afternoon. Link to the rankings here (this is where you’ll find them once they are made available): https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/basketball-women/d3/regional-rankings-0

Top 25 Ballot Breakdown

NYU (20–0): The Violets continue to impress. In a tough stretch of UAA play that involves playing the same two teams on consecutive weeks, NYU handled it with ease. The Violets opened their road weekend at Rochester’s historic Palestra, and put 95 points on the board, which I have been informed is the highest point total for NYU ever in a single game at Rochester. Less than 48 hours later, they went to Atlanta, and beat Emory in statement fashion, 82-46. Emory, for reference, was ranked #12 in the country entering the week. NYU isn’t just winning. They are winning big, and doing so against tough UAA competition.
Rhode Island College (22-0): RIC went on the road in a key Little East showdown against UMass-Dartmouth, the No. 2 team in the league, on Wednesday, and only further added to what has been a dominant regular season thus far. The 62-50 victory saw RIC win the rebounding battle by +12, score 36 points in the paint, and overcome a rough shooting day from long-range to win big. The Anchorwomen are very disciplined on the defensive end, and that cuts down on the opponent’s free throw opportunities. That element will be even more important in the NCAA Tournament, and I can also appreciate the efficiency with which RIC operates. The Anchorwomen are No. 2 nationally in overall efficiency (per D3 Datacast).
Transylvania (21-0): The win streak just keeps on going for Transy, who has now won 54 straight games. It is extremely impressive, and when you talk efficiency, the Pioneers are up there with the best, ranked No. 4 in the country in overall efficiency.
Gustavus Adolphus (18-1): The Gusties continue to rise and this is the highest I’ve had them all year. The league-leader in the MIAC, Gustavus has found success in pretty much every game they’ve played thus far, and even in the loss to RIC in December, I thought the Gusties really contended well with what RIC was doing offensively. A fine-tuned machine on the offensive end, Gustavus is an incredibly smart team that can score the ball quickly without using a dribble, and again, is a Top 10 efficiency team. Noticing a trend? Gustavus swept the week, with wins over St. Scholastica and Bethel.
UW-Whitewater (18-3): UW-Whitewater went 0-2 this past week, falling to UW-Oshkosh at home before dropping a 69-60 game to UW-Stout on the road. The Warhawks have done more than enough work to be a Top 10 team despite dropping three of their last four, though I expect some voters will drop them a good amount more than just two spots. But there’s important context here. Kacie Carollo didn’t play against UW-Stout and she is a game-changing type of player for the Warhawks. Her absence was noticeable, but as long as I’m under the impression that Carollo will be back at some point this season, I’m not going to drop Whitewater too much. They’ve got several talented players of course, but Carollo is central to what the Warhawks run on both ends of the floor, and it will be interesting to see how voters handle Whitewater in regards to Carollo’s absence on Saturday. The credit goes to Oshkosh and Stout for winning the games itself—the WIAC is a top-tier league for a reason—but point being, I’m going to take a cautious approach with Whitewater for now, based on what I’ve seen throughout this season, rather than dropping the Warhawks too much too quick, especially if Carollo returns.
Christopher Newport (21-1): CNU’s lone game of the week saw the Captains pull away from Mary Washington in a dominant fourth quarter, winning 74-56. They play Mary Washington again this week—this time on the road. CNU has, as expected, been remarkably consistent, and the fourth-quarter performances continue to be notable. In fact, CNU has outscored its opponent in the fourth quarter of every game dating back to Dec. 2.
Hope (20-1): The Flying Dutch won their lone game of the week, beating St. Mary’s (IN) at home to notch yet another 20-win season. Hope now closes the season by playing three of its last four on the road, and this is the third week that I have Hope No. 7 in my ballot. The MIAA has certainly challenged Hope well this year, with single-digit games against Albion, Calvin, Alma, and Trine. Hope keeps finding ways to win, though.
UW-Oshkosh (17-4): The Titans were in my preseason ballot, but a road-heavy slate in non-conference play dropped Oshkosh from my ballot for a few weeks. Now, they’re in my Top 10. A win on the road at UW-Whitewater will do that, as I continue to be struck by Oshkosh’s outstanding defensive performances through WIAC play. The Titans control their own destiny when it comes to the WIAC regular season title and beat both Whitewater and Eau Claire last week.
Millikin (18-4): Millikin had somewhat of a weird week, despite going 2-0. North Park put 91 points on them as the Big Blue won 110-91, and Millikin won by just five, 61-56, at Wheaton on Saturday. On Jan. 10, for comparison, Millikin beat Wheaton 86-47. So that’s somewhat surprising, and the same goes for the North Park result. Millikin held NP to 62 points the last time they met on Jan. 13. As far as I know, no injuries were involved. But every now and again, especially on the heels of playing two Top 25 opponents the week prior, the season starts to wear on a team. Perhaps that’s what we saw last week. Regardless, Millikin continues to win, and currently holds a 2-0 head-to-head record against Illinois Wesleyan who I have just one spot behind.
Illinois Wesleyan (17-4): The Titans won their lone game of the week, beating Wheaton at home, 78-57. IWU is barely behind Millikin for me, and a lot of that is the head-to-head results against the Big Blue a couple weeks ago, though Millikin is also slightly ahead of IWU in efficiency. But I continue to hold to the fact that IWU is a Top 10 team, both resume-wise, and based on the eye test, having seen the Titans progression over the course of this season. The defensive intensity seems to have taken a step forward the last week or so as well, and we saw it with 28 Wheaton turnovers last Wednesday.
Wartburg (20-2): The Knights took a step forward this week for me, moving up three spots from last week’s ballot. Beating Loras in overtime gave Wartburg the season sweep over the Duhawks, 2-0, and there’s a good possibility we see them meet again in the ARC title game. Wartburg is playing well and seems to have gotten past some of the struggles that led to a couple one-sided losses to Whitman and WashU in December. Through the second half of this season, Wartburg has found ways to win, and the victory over Loras, combined with losses by Catholic, Bowdoin, and Johns Hopkins, gave me an opportunity to move Wartburg up, just outside the Top 10.
Bowdoin (20-2): Bowdoin split the weekend in NESCAC play, taking its first loss in the league at Bates, 72-57, before defeating Tufts, 77-63. The Polar Bears dropped a few spots in my ballot this week, but I think Bowdoin’s body of work speaks for itself. Also worth noting is that Bowdoin beat Bates, 68-48, in a non-conference game back on Dec. 4. So while Friday’s loss to Bates is more recent, this is a Bowdoin team that beat the other 7-1 NESCAC team by 20 earlier in the season.
Catholic (20-1): The Landmark Conference is tough at the top, and Scranton took down Catholic on Saturday in a 1-1 week for the Cardinals. Their 20-win streak came to a close, but Catholic remains No. 1 in the Landmark and despite the lower SOS, has posted some nice wins, especially within league play. The win over a talented Elizabethtown team at home on Wednesday keeps Catholic in my Top 15, as that is a solid victory and season sweep that increases Catholic’s resume in my eyes.
Johns Hopkins (18-2): The Blue Jays fell two spots in my ballot as Wartburg moved ahead, with JHU taking a tough loss to Gettysburg last Wednesday, 78-67. It was JHU’s lone result of the week, and the Blue Jays ended up splitting the season series, 1-1, with the Bullets. I’ve spoken quite a bit about how impressive JHU has been this season, and previous performances are keeping the Blue Jays narrowly ahead of Mary Hardin-Baylor and Scranton.
Mary Hardin-Baylor (19-2): The Cru picked up a pair of wins at home this past week against Sul Ross State and Howard Payne, tying last year’s overall win total (19). UMHB is the top team in Region 10 and is in a very good spot with the regular season nearing the finish line. Notably, leading scorer and All-American Arieona Rosborough did not play in either victory this week, but UMHB saw Remi Adeleke, Alexia Carmosino, and Lauren Baker step up in big ways.
Scranton (19-2): Seeing Scranton beat Catholic on Saturday is a marquee win that will keep Scranton right towards the top half of the Region 3 rankings. It was a victory the Lady Royals desperately needed, having lost to Catholic and Elizabethtown already this season. But as the season has progressed, Scranton has found more of a rhythm, and now has a win over a Massey Top 25 team.
Carroll (17-4): Carroll is having one of its best seasons to date, and that includes beating Millikin twice. Carroll won at Carthage and rolled over North Park at home for yet another 2-0 week, the Pioneers are currently tied with IWU for first place in the CCIW, half a game ahead of Millikin. Wheaton and North Central are up next for Carroll, who currently boasts the top scoring defense in the CCIW (61.9 PPG).
Emory (16-4): Emory has been an interesting team this year, with solid wins over Washington & Lee (away), Hardin-Simmons (home), WashU (away). But at the same time, the Eagles have not contended with NYU to much of a degree in either of the two meetings against the Violets the last two weeks. Maybe that just says a lot about NYU, so I don’t want to knock Emory too much, considering the 6-3 UAA record the Eagles currently hold. Led by Claire Brock and Daniella Aronksy, Emory has experienced talent on its roster; the perfect type of team for a strong NCAA Tournament run. But I would’ve liked to have seen Emory compete with NYU a little bit more to stay in that Top 15 mix. There’s just so many great teams right now as well, that this middle portion of this ballot is very difficult. Carroll, Scranton, and Emory all could easily be Top 15 teams, but just got pushed a little further down on the ballot this week.
Hardin-Simmons (19-3): The head-to-head result against Emory—a 76-68 road loss on Dec. 30—hurts HSU a little bit here, considering HSU and Emory ended up around the same spot. There’s a lot to like about HSU with its effective and high-scoring offense, as the Cowgirl offense is ranked No. 4 in the nation by Massey. I do think the defense is more of a struggle than initially expected, and we’ve seen that in several games so far, as HSU can outscore just about everybody in the ASC, but hasn’t been the best when it comes to picking up defensive stops at a consistent rate.
Gettysburg (17-4): The previously-mentioned win over Johns Hopkins pushes Gettysburg up five spots this week in my ranking. The Bullets played at a high-level on both ends of the floor against JHU, and got off to a fast start that carried them through the final three quarters. A 61-60 win over Haverford on Saturday was a bit too close for comfort, but once again, we saw the Bullets get off to a fast start. Gettysburg has now won 11 straight games, and is carrying plenty of momentum into the final two weeks of the regular season. I definitely think this is a team on the rise and one that could make some noise come tournament time.
Bates (19-3): The big win over Bowdoin definitely gave me confidence in Bates’ place within my Top 25, and while the loss to Colby on Saturday is a bit of a surprise, it is not a loss that knocks Bates out of the Top 25, in my opinion. Had Colby won by 15, that would be a different story, but they didn’t. They won by two after trailing entering the fourth quarter. Certainly a tough way for Bates to have its perfect NESCAC record snapped, but for my ranking purposes, it helps the Bobcats, considering the narrow margin. Bates only beat Colby by a single point the first time they played (as a non-conference game), so it was not a great shock to see Colby contend with the Bobcats in the way they did. And I’d also add that in Bowdoin’s only other loss (to Whittier), the Polar Bears fell by just four, which makes Bates’ 15-point win that much more noteworthy.
Loras (17-3): The loss to Wartburg is tough for Loras, considering the Duhawks made a big run to get back into the game and push the contest into overtime. But even in the loss, I think we saw that Loras is right there with Wartburg, and perhaps the gap between the two teams is closer than I have it here. I like Loras a lot, especially with how many players the Duhawks returned from last year’s successful squad, and after a slower start to the season, it seems Loras has finally clicked offensively under first-year head coach Justin Busch. The defense has really been there all season. The Duhawks got back in the win column with a victory at Central on Saturday, though I do expect they’ll drop a couple spots in the poll itself from No. 19 (Update: they did…Loras is now #22).
Smith (17-3): Smith picked up a pretty solid road win at Coast Guard on Wednesday before dominating against Clark, but I am keeping Smith low. We’ve seen pretty solid wins over MIT, Trinity (CT), Springfield, but two of those three came by three points or fewer. And then you have the recent loss to Springfield, and losses to Dickinson and UMass-Dartmouth. Those all came by five points or less. So Smith hasn’t been blown out, but they also aren’t beating anyone of top quality by a significant margin either.
DeSales (19-2): DeSales won at King’s and at home against FDU-Florham this past week, as the Bulldogs near the 20-win mark. The issue with DeSales, as it is with Washington & Lee, Webster, and a few others, is the lack of quality results. They have one Massey Top 100 win, currently (against Messiah). But I have seen the defense really step up for DeSales, and the 12-game win streak doesn’t hurt either.
Ohio Wesleyan (17-4): As it turned out, I was the only Ohio Wesleyan voter. This 25th spot was a toss-up between a few teams, but at the end of the day, I think OWU makes up for the lower winning percentage with some higher-quality results. I’ve been saying since late last season that OWU was going to be a real contender out of Region 7 this year, but early on, I wasn’t sure that was the case. A loss to Muskingum pretty much took OWU out of contention for a Top 25 spot, but that was on Nov. 29. Since that point, the Bishops have beaten Albion by 12, won twice against Oberlin and Denison, and took down a strong DePauw team by 10 at home this past Saturday. The DePauw win pushed OWU just a little bit higher, and into that final spot of my ballot. OWU brought back just about everyone from last year’s NCAC Tournament Championship team and I believe that has played into this success.

I hope I was able to provide some background and insight behind my ballot turning out the way it did this week! Once again, stay tuned on those regional rankings. I’ve also been working on some bracketology that should hopefully become more clear in the next week or so, though bracketing in the D-III tournament is so difficult considering the mileage limits and the different ways the committee can arrange the first weekend pods. Have a great rest of your day! I’ll check back in soon.

D3 WBB Daily: Catholic stays perfect, Linfield upsets Whitman, Emory wins 12th straight

Posted on January 13, 2024 by rzayas

January 13, 2024

By Riley Zayas

Good morning! We’ve got a full Saturday of D3 women’s basketball ahead! But first, let’s take a look back on last night’s action and key storylines. There were several across the country…literally. We had a huge win in Washington D.C. to start the evening, and finished with an upset in McMinnville, Oregon.

So here we go…

Tipping Off

Catholic remains undefeated in a big win over Scranton

On its home court, Catholic came up with the biggest win of its season, knocking off ninth-ranked Scranton Friday night in an overtime thriller, 89-86. Considering the Cardinals hadn’t beaten Scranton at home since the 2019-20 season, it was a huge result, and even more so, because it kept Catholic undefeated, backing up a #13 national rank that I was admittedly a bit skeptical of entering the matchup. I knew Catholic was a Top 25 team, certainly, but was unsure how the 13-0 record stacked up with the Cardinals having played the nation’s No. 200 strength-of-schedule thus far. But to beat a team with the talent level of Scranton (in addition to having already beaten Elizabethtown on the road) says a great deal about Catholic’s place amongst the nation’s best. The Cardinals certainly appear to be the frontrunner in the Landmark Conference title race, with victories over the league’s other two main contenders already.

With 4:44 left in regulation, Scranton took a 60-47 lead, appearing to be en route to a huge conference win. With 2:20 left, Catholic still trailed by 11. But then came a 10-0 run from the Cardinals, eerily similar to the comeback made late in the win over Elizabethtown back on Nov. 29. Kerry Flaherty kept connecting from 3-point range, and Catholic never backed down in the face of a double-digit deficit. In the blink of an eye, it went from a 66-55 game to a 66-65 game, and Keegan Douglas’ 3-pointer with one second left in the fourth sent the contest in OT, where Catholic emerged with the victory.

What an effort from Douglas, who played 42 minutes, and scored 29 points, shooting 4-of-7 from 3 and 11-of-13 at the free throw line. As a team, Catholic shot 11-of-27 from beyond the arc, making up for the -20 rebounding differential. The Cardinals will take a big step forwards in my ballot this week.

#6 Emory wins at #25 WashU, extends win streak to 12 games

The UAA never seems to disappoint when it comes to down-to-the-wire battles and thrilling finishes that leave you on the edge of your seat. We saw one of those in St. Louis last night, as #6 Emory made the trip west for a duel with #25 WashU. Though Emory led 61-49 entering the fourth quarter, WashU proved exactly why the Bears are a Top 25 team, coming all the way back to cut the deficit to 74-73 with 48 seconds left. Emory ultimately hung onto its lead, pulling out a 76-73 victory as two chances at a tie were missed by WashU in the final seconds. Emory did a number of things well in this game, including the ball movement, which yielded 16 assists and contributed to the Eagles shooting 42.4%. WashU did challenge Emory in the paint, as the Bears scored 46 points there, and found consistent offense at the rim. But overall, on the road against a top-quality team like WashU, the defense was sound.

Interestingly, while nobody in Emory’s rotation entered the game averaging more than 30 minutes per game, four of the Eagles’ starters played at least 31 minutes, including Claire Brock, who was on the floor for 38 of the game’s 40 minutes. Brock and Morgan Laudick, who played 34 minutes, accounted for 40 of Emory’s points, pacing the offense quite well. Emory, now 12-1, closes its road trip tomorrow in the Windy City, facing Chicago. I was really impressed by last night’s performance from the Eagles, who continue to trend upwards in my Top 25.

Is Bowdoin the team to beat in the NESCAC?

It certainly seems that way. The Polar Bears went on the road to what I believe is a very underrated Middlebury team and emerged with a 68-65 victory last night, improving to 2-0 in the NESCAC and 14-1 overall. Bowdoin is rolling right now, and the fact that Middlebury won at Amherst last weekend adds even more value to last night’s victory for the Polar Bears. It came down to the wire, but Bowdoin’s defensive effort forced a pair of Middlebury turnovers in the final 20 seconds, which was key, considering Middlebury only needed a 3-pointer to tie it up at that point. Statistically, Bowdoin shot 51.9 percent, and that offensive success was something I noted in yesterday morning’s write-up. The Polar Bears have been fairly consistent offensively and while 3-point shooting is one of their strengths, Bowdoin found most of its scoring from short-range, battling inside and scoring 40 points in the paint. Amherst is certainly close to Bowdoin at this point, but I’m not sure anyone in the NESCAC is playing with more poise and consistency. Bowdoin has won 11 straight and is 5-0 on the road this season. We’ll see how the matchup against Williams plays out today, but Bowdoin really did a nice job of picking up yet another notable road victory last night. Great stuff from the Polar Bears.

Chaos in the NWC

We saw two huge results in Northwest Conference play last night, with Willamette taking down Puget Sound on the road, 70-62, and Whitman falling in a surprising loss to Linfield, 51-45. Wow, where to start…

I thought Willamette looked sharp in a number of facets, particularly on the offensive end. Willamette’s two go-to post players—forward Elyse Waldal and center Ava Kitchin—posted a pair of strong performances that certainly gave the Bearcats an advantage, at least on the offensive end. Waldal had 20 points and Kitchin added eight, along with three assists. That said…Puget Sound tallied 21 offensive rebounds, and won the battle on the boards as a result, 42-33. The Loggers capitalized on those offensive rebounds, with 20 second-chance points. But Willamette shot 52.9% and was in an offensive rhythm for much of the game…and that was key to the Bearcats maintaining their advantage. Willamette now has wins over Whittier, Whitman, Trinity (TX), and Puget Sound. Not to mention being 5-1 in NWC play.

As mentioned, Linfield pulled off the upset of #19 Whitman, and I didn’t see that one coming at all. Linfield has been good this season, but Whitman, especially as of late, looked to be the frontrunner in the NWC. Yet, Linfield walked away with a 51-45 victory, benefitting from a handful of favorable calls but also playing tremendous defense through all four quarters. Whitman struggled from 3-point range (3-of-12) and couldn’t get much of a rhythm going, especially in the second half. The fact that the Blues were just 8-of-14 at the FT line didn’t help either.

I’ve said it here before and I’ll say it again…this might be one of the most interesting conference races of the season. We’ve now got Willamette leading the league at 5-1, Pacific just behind at 4-1, and Linfield, Puget Sound, and Whitman all tied for third at 3-2. It’ll be an interesting next few weeks in that league.

Fast Breaks

» In an 84-58 victory over Case Western Reserve, #1 NYU tallied 48 points in the paint, as the Violets scored time and time again from short-range. Another big stat? 40 bench points for NYU in that dominant win.

» Amherst defeated Tufts, 68-63, in another tightly-contested battle. The Mammoths earned their fifth straight regular season win at Tufts in the process, and bounced back in a big way after being held to just two points total in the second quarter; Amherst scored 43 over the next 20 minutes, earning a crucial NESCAC road win.

» Trinity (TX) held an opponent below 50 points for the first time this season, defeating St. Thomas (TX), 83-39. That large margin of victory was largely helped by the fact that the Tigers forced 40 turnovers, which directly led to 49 points.

» For the first time since Jan. 8, 2017, Millsaps won at Rhodes, 61-55, and it was a big result, considering both were undefeated in SAA play. Millsaps improved to 14-2, and 5-0 in the SAA.

Looking Ahead

Springfield at MIT, 1:00 pm ET

Oberlin at DePauw, 1:00 pm ET

Lebanon Valley at #21 DeSales, 1:00 pm ET

#20 Mary Hardin-Baylor at McMurry, 2:00 pm ET

Mary Washington at #23 Washington & Lee, 2:00 pm ET

#16 Amherst at Bates, 3:00 pm ET

UW-Platteville at UW-La Crosse, 5:00 pm ET

#22 UW-Stout at #4 UW-Whitewater, 6:00 pm ET