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The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: Geneva stuns W&J, ONU takes down top seed Baldwin Wallace in OAC semis

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Welcome back to another day in one of the best weeks of the year, as conference tournament time unfolds and we approach championship weekend. We’ve got several league title games in play tonight, and honestly, we had so much that happened yesterday that most of this newsletter will be looking back on last night. After all, two No. 1 seeds fell in a matter of minutes, and we had great games from coast-to-coast (literally).

UPSET COMPLETE: Geneva ends W&J’s season in PAC semifinals

Three days ago, Geneva entered the week with a sub-.500 overall record, sitting at 12-13, lucky to have grabbed to the fifth seed in the PAC Tournament. But what do records matter when it comes to postseason basketball?

The Golden Tornadoes cleared their first hurdle at Allegheny on Tuesday, winning 84-73, clinching the program’s first PAC semifinal appearance in the process. And last night, they made history once again, finding their way into Saturday’s championship game with a chance to reach the NCAA Tournament. Who would’ve thought…

The 89-75 win for Geneva over heavily-favored Washington & Jefferson came as a shocker, especially considering W&J’s 23-2 record and No. 6 ranking within Region 7. After taking a surprising loss to Chatham in last year’s PAC semifinals, it seemed W&J may have used that loss as motivation in this scenario, jumping out to a 26-15 lead through one quarter.

Things changed in the second half however, after Geneva had gotten the halftime deficit to just nine. A 26-17 third quarter was followed by a massive 31-17 fourth for Geneva, who saw its seven-point lead dwindle to zero with 4:32 left. In fact, at that point, Geneva trailed, 68-67. But a 16-0 run followed for the Golden Tornadoes and there was no bigger stretch at any point in the contest. Mackenzie Barricklow’s 3-pointer for an 81-68 lead was the nail in the coffin to W&J’s hopes at a comeback, as Geneva earned the biggest upset of the night…by far.

W&J scheduled really well in non-conference, but unfortunately, the Presidents are going to have a difficult time getting into the Pool C discussion. The SOS is just too low, and much of that is the PAC weighing those numbers down. The win percentage is impressive, but with the emphasis on SOS in this conversations, W&J is very far down on the Pool C board. Scott Peterson’s updated NCAA resumes model has W&J at #51 on the Pool C board. And for reference, only 21 Pool C bids are up for grabs.

Ohio Northern stuns top seed Baldwin Wallace in OAC Tourney

That said, Ohio Northern might have something to say. The Polar Bears also took down a top seed, though as I noted in yesterday morning’s newsletter, this was one we could see as being a possibility. Fourth-seeded ONU took down No. 1 seed Baldwin Wallace in the OAC semifinals on the road, 57-43. For as tough of a year as its been for ONU, I think it was always understood that the Polar Bears had the talent capable of winning a game like this one. It was 33-13 at halftime, and ONU absolutely controlled the game from start to finish in one of the more dominant semifinal showings I saw last night. Brynn Serbin had 22 points and with Kristen Luersman having been back on the floor as of late, ONU has looked more in rhythm offensively.

This also creates an interesting situation with Baldwin Wallace and the Yellowjackets status as the current No. 3 team in Region 7. While they might not be a Pool C “lock”, I think chances are good that Baldwin Wallace gets to the selection table within the first 10 rounds at least. As the projected Pool A out of the OAC, we also have our first potential bid thief situation, as Baldwin Wallace is likely to “steal” an at-large bid now. We knew coming into the week that BW’s chances to get in via Pool C were decent but not secure, and we’ll see how that aspect of things plays out, especially since Marietta, who beat Capital handily the other OAC semifinal, will almost certainly jump ahead of Baldwin Wallace now. In the case that ONU wins on Saturday, Marietta will likely get to the Pool C table before Baldwin Wallace, creating a situation where BW is “blocked” from being considered until Marietta is selected, which could be in the later rounds. It is definitely something that Scott Peterson and I have both been tracking, and will continue to keep an eye on as it relates to the Pool C projections and how other teams are fitting into that mix.

Closest game of the day? Loras vs. Coe

The finish to the ARC semifinal between Loras and Coe might have been the closest of any of the day’s games, with the difference being a free throw made with four-tenths of a second left on the clock. Loras’ 61-60 victory sent the Duhawks to the ARC championship as Daniella Jarrell converted on a critical free throw, undoubtedly the biggest free throw of her career, to break a 60-60 tie. With nine seconds left, Coe’s Ellie Wisner hit a 3-pointer that knotted the score, and Loras inbounded the ball with just over eight seconds left out of a timeout, looking for the game-winner. Silvana Scarsella had a decent look with only a few seconds left from the right corner, but missed short, and Jarrell was in the right spot for the offensive rebound. As she went up for the putback, it appeared contact was made, resulting in the trip to the line with 0.4 left. Needless to say, the call was met with some frustration from the Coe bench, and to a degree, the contact seemed minimal, especially for that kind of a moment in a tournament semifinal. But take a look at it yourself (VIDEO LINK)…I’d love to hear thoughts on whether that contact warranted a whistle, especially with under a second left. As an overall game, it was so competitive, and credit to Loras for fighting back. Coe led big, 40-29 at the half, but Loras outscored Coe 30-22 over the final 20 minutes. And I’m certainly not criticizing the officiating here at all, but the free throw disparity is worth a mention. Coe was 3-of-3 at the FT line. Loras? 15-of-18.

Carroll starts fast, takes down Millikin in CCIW semifinals

I’m not sure anyone had a better start in a more pivotal game than Carroll last night, who defeated Millikin for a THIRD time this season. This time, it was in the CCIW semifinals on a neutral court at Illinois Wesleyan, and Carroll got out to a significant lead in a hurry. It was 27-17 after the opening quarter, and 45-26 at halftime, as the Pioneers shot a ridiculous 19-of-29 in the first two quarters. Millikin answered with a 22-12 third quarter, and impressively, got the deficit to three with 4:46 to go. But Carroll refused to let it slip away and sealed its trip to the CCIW championship game with a 9-3 spurt for a 71-62 lead. Carroll walked away with a 75-66 victory and one of the day’s more impressive performances. Olivia Rangel was terrific for Carroll, as she has been all year, and tallied 24 points in the win.

As for NCAA Tournament implications, both teams are safe. Millikin is in a good position right now, and should be one of the first several teams taken in Pool C. Carroll now plays for the CCIW’s AQ, but the Pioneers also have a strong Pool C chance.

Other Notes

Occidental and La Verne battled in a game that saw the final minute play out in about 17 minutes total…it was a true chess match, and La Verne cut an 12-point deficit to 3 in the span of 36 seconds. Marissa Howell had two big 3-pointers (off-balance, too) for La Verne, but Occidental was 10-of-13 at the free throw line in the final minute. That kept Oxy in front en route to the 76-70 win, and sends the Tigers to a SCIAC title game on Saturday against top-seeded Cal Lutheran.

In a MASCAC semifinal, Framingham State emerged with an 81-55 win over Salem State. In that victory, FSU’s Flannery O’Connor scored 24 points along with 19 rebounds, four assists, and two blocks in an absolutely stellar performance. Her presence will be key as FSU prepares to face Bridgewater State in the MASCAC title game. FSU also set a new program record for wins, with 23, last night, surpassing the previous high of 22.

Houghton pulled off a big win at Nazareth in the Empire 8 Tournament semifinals, 63-52, sending Houghton to its first E8 championship game. Second-seeded Nazareth fell behind in the first quarter, and never got especially close to taking back a lead, as third-seeded Houghton took down the Golden Flyers for the second time within the last two weeks.

Scranton and Elizabethtown battled hard in the Landmark Conference semifinals, with Scranton eventually pulling out a 51-42 win. But it was close all the way through, and with 5:43 left, the score was tied at 40. ETown briefly took a 41-40 lead with 3:23 left before Scranton scored the next six points. Notably, Kaci Kranson did not play for Scranton in the win, so that is something to keep an eye on heading into Saturday’s Landmark championship game, and the NCAA Tournament beyond.

Conference Championship Games finalized last night:

GNAC, Region 1: #2 St. Joseph (CT) at #1 St. Joseph’s (ME), Saturday

MASCAC, Region 2, #2 Bridgewater State at #1 Framingham State,

OAC, Region 7: #4 Ohio Northern at #2 Marietta, Saturday

PAC, Region 7: #5 Geneva at #2 Chatham, Saturday

MIAC, Region 9: #2 Concordia (MN) at #1 Gustavus Adolphus, Saturday

SCIAC, Region 10: #3 Occidental at #1 Cal Lutheran, Saturday

Championship Games on tap tonight

CUNYAC, Region 4: John Jay at Brooklyn, 5:30 p.m. ET

NJAC, Region 4: NJCU at TCNJ, 7:00 p.m. ET

WIAC, Region 10: UW-Stout at UW-Oshkosh, 8:00 p.m. ET

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

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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.

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

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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!

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

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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

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

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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

  1. 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.
  2. 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).
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. 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.
  13. 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.
  14. 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.
  15. 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.
  16. 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.
  17. 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).
  18. 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.
  19. 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.
  20. 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.
  21. 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.
  22. 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).
  23. 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.
  24. 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.
  25. 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.