Dave’s Top 25 ballot: Recapping the season

Posted on January 6, 2015 by Dave McHugh

I’ll be honest: I enjoy doing these blogs mainly because it allows me to reexamine my ballot on a weekly basis. Sometimes, as I have been writing these over the past few years and giving my reasons for why a team rose or fell on my ballot, I would change my mind and either go back and adjust my ballot before the deadline or keep my notes in mind during the upcoming week. I also knew that I needed to have valid reasons for my decisions or the public would call me out. But let me even more honest: I have not looked forward to writing this blog this season because the men’s Top 25 is a clustermess. There was no way I could write my thoughts on teams without argue against myself into a never ending pit for every single team in every single position on my poll. I joked with Pat Coleman while putting my pre-season ballot together, and again in Week 1, on whether I could start at number ten and go down from there.

However, it is about time I put my ballot back out for the world to see and I decided a few weeks ago this would be as good a time as any. We are about halfway through the season and at least some things are shaking out. Of course, there is plenty of teams getting Top 25 attention (the last poll had 48 teams receiving votes; this week’s poll probably has even more) and there are plenty of different opinions amongst the 25 voters – my ballot has never looked so completely different than the overall poll in all of my years of voting – but, at this point there is nothing to lose, so here it is.

Now so you can better understand what my voting has been but without breaking down each week, below is a table of each of my ballots from the preseason on:

	Preseason	Week 1	Week 2	Week 3	Week 4	Week 5
1	UW-Whitewater	Augustana	Augustana	UW-Whitewater	Wash U.	Wash U.
2	Augustana	UW-Whitewater	UW-Whitewater	Amherst	St. Thomas	St. Thomas
3	Randolph-Macon	St. Thomas	St. Thomas	St. Thomas	Augustana	Augustana
4	Amherst	Amherst	Amherst	WPI	UW-Whitewater	UW-Whitewater
5	St. Thomas	Randolph-Macon	WPI	Wash U.	WPI	WPI
6	WPI	WPI	DePauw	Ohio Wesleyan	Babson	Babson
7	DePauw	DePauw	Chicago	Augustana	Richard Stockton	Randolph-Macon
8	Babson	Wooster	Virginia Wesleyan	Randolph-Macon	Randolph-Macon	Emory
9	Calvin	MIT	MIT	Virginia Wesleyan	Virginia Wesleyan	Dickinson
10	Albertus Magnus	Chicago	Wash U.	Richard Stockton	Ohio Wesleyan	Wooster
11	MIT	Virginia Wesleyan	Wooster	Illinois Wesleyan	Illinois Wesleyan	Albertus Magnus
12	Chicago	Wash U.	Randolph-Macon	MIT	Dickinson	Virginia Wesleyan
13	Illinois Wesleyan	Cabrini	Richard Stockton	Albertus Magnus	Albertus Magnus	Ohio Wesleyan
14	Wash U.	Richard Stockton	Albertus Magnus	Babson	Wooster	Marietta (new)
15	Virginia Wesleyan	Albertus Magnus	Babson	Wooster	Amherst	Richard Stockton
16	Wooster	Babson	Illinois Wesleyan	DePauw	Chicago	Chicago
17	Williams	Calvin	Emory	Chicago	Scranton	Eastern Connecticut
18	Cabrini	Illinois Wesleyan	Ohio Wesleyan	Scranton	Eastern Connecticut	Husson
19	Richard Stockton	Emory (new)	Scranton	Claremont-Mudd-Scripps	Emory	Amherst
20	Scranton	Dickinson (new)	Calvin	Eastern Connecticut	Claremont-Mudd-Scripps	Scranton
21	Whitworth	Scranton	Claremont-Mudd-Scripps	Emory	Centre	North Central (new)
22	Christopher Newport	Stevenson	Dickinson	Dickinson	Bethel (new)	Illinois Wesleyan
23	Stevenson	Ohio Wesleyan (new)	Eastern Connecticut (new)	Centre (new)	St. Olaf (new)	Claremont-Mudd-Scripps
24	Whitman	Whitman	Stevenson	Stevenson	Stevenson	St. Olaf
25	Claremont-Mudd-Scripps	Claremont-Mudd-Scripps	Cabrini	Cabrini	Bates (new)	Franklin & Marshall
Dropped	out:	#17 Williams #21 Whitworth #22 Christopher Newport	#24 Whitman	#20 Calvin	#12 MIT #16 DePauw #25 Cabrini	#21 Centre #22 Bethel #24 Stevenson #25 Bates

Clearly plenty of movement and plenty of turmoil. I am actually surprised I’ve only had three different number one teams. Also, the amount of losses I have racked up in each of these ballots is pretty surprising. For example, there were 15 losses between the preseason and Week 1 polls; there were eight losses between Week 2 and Week 3; and between Week 4 and Week 5 I racked up 14 losses. Sure, some of those had extended periods of time, but that is still a lot of losses.

You are probably wanting to know what I think of each team, because I usually provide those thoughts. Not that I am completely convinced of some of my own arguments, here is the Week 5 ballot in my eyes:

1 – Wash U. (Unchanged)
Talk about meteoric rise for the Bears. They aren’t even picked to win the conference this year and yet they remain undefeated at 11-0, but will get started with conference play this week in a long awaited game against Chicago and then they will face Emory and Rochester the following weekend. Talk about a perfect time to prove whether the Bears are as good as their first half has indicated (which included a win over Wheaton [Ill.], Webster, and Illinois Wesleyan and struggle against sub-par Trinity [Tex.]). We all know Wash U. is a well-coached team, I just didn’t think they had enough talent coming back to be this highly ranked. The next two weeks will be very revealing.

2 – St. Thomas (Unchanged)
Maybe I am the only one who is seeming something out of the Tommies that deserves this high a ranking, but I like how they are playing. Sure, their loss to Gustavus Adolphus shook my head, but they rebounded to beat St. John’s who has been a thorn in St. Thomas’ side for awhile. They also have a convincing sweep of Whitman and Whitworth on the road and a solid win over UW-Stevens Point. I like the Tommies who, wont’ have a huge challenge for a few weeks when they face Bethel and St. Olaf both improved and both on the road.

3 – Augustana (Unchanged)
The Augies certainly have had a strange season to this point. Losing players to injury, beating Bradley in the preseason, barely beating Albion and MacMurray, losing to Central, knocking off UW-Whitewater… not sure Augustana doesn’t have a little Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in them this year. This is a talented bunch who has played together for several years now. You can’t help but have high expectations for this squad, but they will get a test in the coming weeks by first taking on Elmhurst (good way to gauge the Blue Jays as well) before then facing North Park, North Central, Wheaton, and Illinois Wesleyan. Let’s see how they do before I feel completely comfortable with number three (I wasn’t even close to comfortable with them number one when I voted them accordingly earlier this season).

4 – UW-Whitewater (Unchanged)
The Warhawks were my default preseason number one because they were the national champions and I had absolutely no one else to put above them – everyone, including the Warhawks, had more questions than answers. At first I wasn’t going to knock them for losing to a top-level NAIA squad, but some arguments by others convinced me. They then returned to number one right before losing to Augustana on the road. I am not sure if Whitewater is that good or everyone at the top has fallen just a bit towards the middle. Either way, Whitewater is a tough team that is certainly coached well and with the least challenging of the WIAC schedule ahead of them for a few weeks, we will have to wait until the UW-Stevens Point game on January 21 to really get an idea of what kind of team this is (remember, this game was their coming out party last year).

5 – WPI* (Unchanged)
Clearly I am higher on the Engineers than others. I was higher on WPI coming out of the Hoopsville Classic than others on hand. Who knows why, but I can say I like how WPI is playing. They lost a tough game they should have won against Cabrini, but they play good defense, shoot the ball well, and have multiple options on offense. Chris Bartley knows how to get this team ready for anyone and they have beaten Chicago, Tufts, and Williams (who is surging) so far this season. The challenge will be that they are in a very challenging NEWMAC (who is on par with the NESCAC in terms of quality of teams from top to bottom) and will be reminded of that when they play Springfield (home), MIT (away), and Babson (away) in the next week and a half with Emerson and Clark lurking beyond. If the Engineers want to live up to my expectations while proving everyone else wrong, they need to start conference play with a bang.

6 – Babson (Unchanged)
Here’s another team I am clearly higher on than everyone else. Babson has continued to impress especially walking into LeFrak Gymnasium and holding Amherst to 49 points while handing them their second straight home loss by 19 points or more. Babson has beaten an impressive Bates squad along with Bowdoin and Tufts. They have also blown the doors off of some other squads. NEWMAC play, like with WPI, will be their bellwether. They face Emerson (away), Springfield (away), and WPI (home) in the next three games. If they come out of that 3-0 they will have proven themselves and forced me to pick between the two teams I think are the best of New England right now.

7 – Randolph-Macon* (Up 1)
Are you sensing a pattern? I am higher on the Yellow Jackets then many, but I also see how much talent is on this squad and we all know how good a coach Nate Davis has proven to be. Granted, the loss to Christopher Newport at the beginning of the season and then the head-scratcher of a loss at home to Frostburg are enough to give pause, but RMC has also beaten the likes of Virginia Wesleyan and Lynchburg in conference action and survived tests against well coached squads like Mary Washington, Mary Hardin-Baylor, Wittenberg, Cabrini, and others. The true test will always be ODAC play and they have Bridgewater (home), Guilford (home), Hampden-Sydney (away), Roanoke (away), and Virginia Wesleyan (home) in the next five games to prove themselves to others.

8 – Emory (Up 11)
In this case, I am finally joining the rest of the voting bloc. I haven’t been convinced the Eagles were that good this year despite wins over Guilford and Oglethorpe. The loss to Piedmont certainly concerned me and they didn’t exactly impress against Trinity right afterward. However, the break did them some good as they steamrolled Bates and Virginia Wesleyan to give me all the reason I need to push them well up my ballot. Now Emory has Rochester, Wash U, and Chicago all on the road (at some of the most difficult places to play in the UAA) in the next week and a half. Clearly the UAA will have plenty answered in a quick period of time.

9 – Dickinson (Up 3)
I am very apprehensive over the Red Devils on my ballot at number nine. I didn’t even include them in my preseason poll because I thought they lost far too much talent, especially at the point. However, they continue to win and the victory of North Central certainly showed me they are still capable of playing with the top teams in the country. While they haven’t played a lot of challenging teams outside of NCC, the Centennial will challenge them with a resurgent Franklin & Marshall squad along with a McDaniel, Gettysburg, and Johns Hopkins teams. Dickinson may be too high in the poll, granted, but at this point… everyone might be too high in the poll.

10 – Wooster (Up 4)
I can’t figure out the Scots. Not this year. Not any year. We always know Steve Moore will put together a good team, but this year they have lost to Hanover and Ohio Wesleyan (in back-to-back games) and have also beaten Hope who beat Ohio Wesleyan. In many of their wins they have blown teams out, but Mount Union gave them a hard time. Maybe this is the Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde team! Either way, Wooster has it’s work cut out for themselves in a rather challenging NCAC. There are probably four teams who have a valid opportunity to win this conference and as last year showed, you can’t assume anything on any night in this conference. I am leery Wooster will disappoint yet again, but in the meantime they are 9-2 and again… blowing out a lot of their opponents who are usually pretty good squads.

11 – Albertus Magnus (Up 2)
The Falcons are once again running through their season with reckless abandon and garnering plenty of hype. They at least challenged themselves with Richard Stockton at the beginning of the season, but in what all accounts was an ugly game both in play and in words/actions, AMC couldn’t pull off the victory on the road. Since then they haven’t really played anyone of note (the Purchase State game should have been a good test, but the Panthers were decimated with injuries this year) and have barely won some games they should be winning easier, it is hard to figure out if AMC is really good or it is once again smoke and mirrors. The conference will once again not provide any answers except if the Falcons lose. This is pretty much the ceiling on my ballot for this team.

12 – Virginia Wesleyan (Down 3)
The Marlins are probably one of the most consistent teams this century in Division III. It feels weird if I ever consider not putting them in my Top 25. Even if they have lost a bunch of talent, Dave Macedo has someone else in line to take over – consider it their version of the next man up. An early season loss to Randolph-Macon isn’t too concerning and while losing to Emory probably wouldn’t shake any heads, losing by 13 to the Eagles (and it wasn’t even that close) does. I know Virginia Wesleyan will be competing for a conference title, but they have a somewhat easy restart to conference action. First they have a very tough Lynchburg* squad before facing Washington and Lee, Shenandoah, and Emory and Henry. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Marlins return to my top ten relatively quickly.

13 – Ohio Wesleyan (Up 1)
Talk about a meteoric rise; a picture of the Battling Bishops would be in the Division III dictionary next to meteoric the way they started the season. That start included a convincing win over Calvin before dispatching Wooster and Denison a few weeks later. Since then, OWU is 2-2 with losses to Trine and Hope in the last month (and the Hope loss was bad). I’m not sure if most of us bought into Mike DeWitt’s squad took much (he certainly thinks we did), but with Wittenberg, Allegheny, and Wabash ahead before facing DePauw, once again our answers will only come if there are losses.

14 – Marietta (Unranked)
I did all I could to avoid putting the Pioneers in my ballot the last few votes. I knew they were undefeated, but it wasn’t like they had anyone that caught my eye on their schedule. Yes a win over Hanover to start the season was note-worthy, but until they spanked John Carroll and beat Eastern Connecticut I wasn’t convinced. They are now 12-0 halfway through the season and if they really are this good they will run through the OAC like a hot knife through butter. That being said and even if they stay undefeated, I’m not sure how much higher I could put Marietta on my ballot considering their SOS isn’t going to be that impressive.

15 – Richard Stockton* (Down 8)
The Osprey were way too highly ranked. I finally get to see Richard Stockton this past weekend and realized that my gut feeling of having them seventh on my last ballot was correct – they were too high. Even if they had beaten Franklin & Marshall on Sunday, they probably would have fallen at least five spots (maybe staying ahead of Ohio Wesleyan). This is a good team with plenty of talent, but they play immaturely, can’t keep their emotions in check, don’t seem to listen to the coaching staff at times (how else do you get a technical for too many men on the court out of a timeout), and don’t have a grasp of the game at other times (you never foul a buzzer beating three point attempt, for example). It is nice to see the Osprey back in the national conversation, but remember this is a very young squad who is probably riding the coattails of last year’s success in the eyes of other voters and has already proven can make a lot of mistakes. Oh, and they lost their point guard a while back and are still searching for that leadership on the court.

16 – Chicago* (Unchanged)
I am probably higher on the Maroons then they are of themselves. I am sure Mike McGrath is shaking his head that I have had Chicago as high as seven on a ballot this season. However, the UAA is full of good coaches and if they think Chicago is the team to beat, I take note. Yes, they couldn’t get past WPI and barely survived against Stevenson at the Hoopsville Classic, but that’s where I thought they proved things to me. Their losses to Wheaton and Illinois Wesleyan were disappointing, especially how much both squads are struggling right now, but they have a lot of good talent that seems to be coming together. Of course with Wash U, Rochester, and Emory coming to the Ratner Center in the next week and a half, this is the perfect time to prove themselves. Or maybe they are a year away from really being at their best.

17 – Eastern Connecticut (Up 1)
The Warriors are proving once again they are a very good team. They will most likely have their sixth straight 20-win season and top the Little East, but I wasn’t willing to jump on board at first when they lost to Hartwick near the beginning of the season. However, they have beaten some good teams like Stevenson, York (N.Y.), Rhode Island College, and Messiah since while barely losing to a clearly good team in Marietta. The Warriors are playing well and have a great test against Amherst that will have all kinds of regional implications coming up Tuesday.

18 – Husson* (unranked)
The Eagles had everything to prove and lose at the D3hoops.com Classic in Las Vegas and they proved everyone wrong, so welcome to the Top 25 Husson. Not only did they play extremely well against Scranton to earn the victory in their first game, they held strong against a very challenging Hampden-Sydney team and came away with a thrilling, buzzer beater win to close out day two at the South Point Arena. Warren Caruso has plenty of talent and many options on this squad whose only loss to Bates probably has done more to show how good Bates is as a team. Husson has Colby ahead before getting back into conference play. Conceivably the Eagles could go the rest of the season without a loss and will then look back on their Las Vegas experience when they enter the NCAA tournament – because they will have to prove people wrong once again.

19 – Amherst* (Down 4)
The Lord Jeffs are far younger than I kept reminding myself. Not sure how I ever convinced myself they should have been as high as number two – though, I know I kept telling myself how good a coach Dave Hixon is an how much he gets out of his players. The problem is, Aaron Toomey was just that good and it at least got me spoiled into thinking everyone else was that good, too. Amherst is a very good team with plenty of talent to watch out for, but they are not the same team as they have been the last three or so years. I saw them lose a 16-point second half lead and need a buzzer beating three just to tie Goucher (2-9) and force overtime. They had barely survived against a tough Drew squad before that. And we all remember what happened in their final two home games before the holiday break. Amherst may be the team to beat in the NESCAC, but despite two wins I moved them down because they are not as great a team as I was giving them credit.

20 – Scranton* (Down 4)
The Royals are once again a very consistent and challenging team. They just aren’t as good as I was indicating in my previous ballots. The loss to Misericordia now makes more sense to me after seeing them play Husson and Hanover in Las Vegas and then watching them barely survive against King’s and Wilkes this past weekend. Scranton seems to never put together 40 minutes of basketball and certainly can’t do it over a multiple-game spread. I think they are well coached and I think they have plenty of talent, but that talent never gels on the same day. If Ross Danzig is hitting shots early, you better watch out; if he is cold early, his decision making process goes cold as well. Brendan Boken is a very talented post player with great, quick moves, but if you take him out of his game like Husson did, Scranton struggles to find other options. Scranton is going to win the Landmark conference and make a return trip to the NCAA tournament. However, the Royals have got to figure out how to play consistent basketball game in and game out before they are going to be a real threat.

21 – North Central (Ill.) (Unranked)
I just haven’t been convinced the Cardinals were that good this season. They beat UW-Stevens Point and I told myself UWSP isn’t that good this year. They then faced Dickinson and if they had won I was prepared to argue that proved the Red Devils weren’t as good as others thought they were. But now they have beaten Illinois Wesleyan (to complete a rare Cardinals sweep of the Titans in men’s and women’s basketball) and coupled with the fact they have found ways to win throughout the season and I can’t ignore NCC. They have Milikin and Wheaton ahead, but the games I am keying on are January 14 and 17. They will play Augustana and Elmhurst respectively. That will help me get a better gauge of the Cardinals along with the rest of the CCIW this season.

22 – Illinois Wesleyan (Down 11)
Talk about a rough holiday break for the Titans. Did they get coal in their stockings? Illinois Wesleyan blitzed Nazareth and then apparently forgot to show up against Cal Lutheran the next night. They followed that up with a loss at North Central in an important opening game to CCIW play. Some of the comments Ron Rose said of his team, especially after the Cal Lutheran game, should cause concern especially since I don’t think the team headed those words before facing North Central. I am not sure what to make of Illinois Wesleyan right now and with games against Wheaton, Carthage, Milikin, and North Park to come… we might not get a better understanding until they face Augustana on January 21.

23 – Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (Down 3)
The Stags are clearly on everyone’s radar, but I think everyone is trying to figure out what to make of CMS. They started the season with a strange loss to Ohio Northern, but then when on a tear before losing to UW-Stevens Point. They clearly have a talented squad, but with so many games against questionable teams or non-Division III teams (three), the Stags are putting themselves on an even bigger island than they and the rest of the SCIAC already are. Chapman (10-0) is another SCIAC who is off to a great start, but it is so hard to figure these teams out. (Tournaments like the D3hoops.com Classic could really help teams in the SCIAC.) I liked CMS in the preseason, so I am riding them for now.

24 – St. Olaf (Down 1)
The Oles got on my radar when they beat UW-Stevens Point and only had Bethel as their lone loss. They certainly got on other radars as well and when I was looking for new teams a few weeks back to add to my ballot, they got the nod. However, I am leery. They just haven’t played anyone of note besides UWSP and Bethel. Conference action will certainly help answer some questions especially when they play Augsburg and St. Thomas in the coming weeks. Could the Oles really be that good?

25 – Franklin & Marshall* (Unranked)
I could make arguments for why the Diplomats should be higher; I could make arguments for why the Diplomats shouldn’t even be ranked. After watching them on Saturday, I didn’t think they stood a chance against Richard Stockton. Then watching them get a 20 point lead into the second half I couldn’t believe what I was watching. They pretty much blew that lead and needed to hold on to dear life to win. This is a squad that is very young and is still looking for not only its identity, but some leadership. Clearly Glenn Robinson has gotten some talent on this squad that will contribute for some time to come, but I can’t help but think the Centennial schedule is going to rear its head against F&M. No longer are people in awe when they arrive at Mayser Center and no longer is F&M the team to beat in the conference. Dickinson, Johns Hopkins, Gettysburg, and McDaniel all will get additional shots at the Diplomats and should F&M come out of that relatively unblemished and can keep their heads at places like Swarthmore and Washington College, then I will tell you publically F&M is a team to worry about come March.

Dropped out:

Centre (Previously #21)
The Colonels are a good team, but when you lose two of your last three to Johns Hopkins and Sewanee, I can’t keep you in my Top 25. I have mentioned Hopkins a few times as teams in the Centennial will have to deal with, but on a national scale Top 25 teams should beat the Blue Jays. And then Centre lost to Sewanee on the road starting conference play on a real rough note.

Bethel (Previously #22)
I just don’t know what to make of the Royals. They lost to a very good Buena Vista squad (picked to win the IIAC) and they beat St. Olaf earlier in the year. But they lost to St. John’s in a game that clearly would have stated Bethel was ready for conference action. Not sure they have a resume to keep them on a Top 25 ballot.

Stevenson* (Previously #24)
I have liked the style of play the Mustangs play for a while now. They are very well coached by Gary Stewart, but the loss to Albright after barely beating Macalester on the road and having a tougher battle than I expected against Allegheny is cause for concern. They had previously beaten Widener is what can only be described as an ugly game. Now they have Messiah, Alvernia, and Hood ahead who are all well coached and all have the capabilities, even if they aren’t the same squads as last year, of getting a quality win over Stevenson. The next few weeks are critical for the Mustangs if they hope to win the conference and ever return to the NCAA tournament.

Bates (Previously #25)
I took a flier on the Bobcats in the last poll because they were undefeated with wins over Babson, Husson, and Bowdoin. And while I think they are still very good team, they lost back-to-back games to Emory and Birmingham-Southern while in Atlanta. If they had gone 1-1 with their lone loss to Emory, I would have left them on my ballot. They have some really good tests ahead with Brandeis and Middlebury in their next two games and of course the rest of NESCAC action ahead. The Bobcats may still be a Top 25 team, they just have to prove they can recover from their Atlanta trip.

* – teams I have seen in person. I am not indicating who I have watched online as they are too numerous to keep track of accurately.

There you have it. I could make arguments for teams I left in my Top 25 to be taken off the poll. I could make arguments for teams I have been considering, but just haven’t placed on the ballot as of yet. I could argue I have teams too high, too low, etc. There are undefeated teams who haven’t played anyone of note. There are teams with three or more losses who have played a litany of good teams. It is a challenging year to vote in the men’s Top 25 and I don’t think it is going to get any easier as the season moves forward.

In the meantime, I will stew over this ballot for the next week and figure out what I am missing or over analyzing. Who knows… I might blow the whole things up in the coming weeks.

Rebuilding Hoopsville’s Studio

Posted on July 14, 2014 by Dave McHugh

I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer and basketball off-season. As I write this, I realize we are four months away from the ’14-’15 season tipping off, so no better time then the present to start preparing.

Thanks to over a hundred generous contributors, the Hoopsville Fundraising Project was a major success four months ago. Part of that project was to improve how we do the show along with getting opportunities to take the show, or at least ourselves, on the road to visit Division III schools and teams around the country.

The first part of that is certainly the most important. We want to always improve how people get to enjoy Hoopsville and how we can interact with fans and interview our guests. We always intended to tweak our studio as a result, but thanks to a broken water pipe, those plans were both delayed for several months and changed drastically on the execution side. (For those of you who don’t know, Hoopsville is produced in my basement office – which I share with my wife – thus leaving us some limitations.)

The former Hoopsville studio circa 2014.

The former Hoopsville studio circa 2013.

We are now in the rebuilding stage and that’s when we had a great thought: why not solicit ideas from those who enjoy the show! We have rearranged the studio to give us a bit more room, but we thought we can at least do some things to dress up studio a little bit more. For those of you who haven’t noticed, we normally throw up a Hoopsville or NCAA Basketball banner behind us with a few odd and ends behind us as well and call it good. However, that’s boring and with the ability to dress things up with a semi-clean slate, why not do a little more?

Some of the ideas we have are hanging some of the t-shirts we have collected over the years from different basketball programs around the country (something we could change each show or week), display hats we may have as well, hang up signs like our “Road to Salem” one we collected recently, maybe even get a picture or two to make things more interesting. Most of what we do in the background will stay there for all shows, but we can change some others around for each show we do.

So, what are your ideas? What do you think would make the Hoopsville studio more interesting to see behind us? Do you know of anything we might be able to get our hands on to put behind us? All ideas are welcome, just share them in the comments section down below or on Twitter (@d3hoopsville and #Hoopsville) or Facebook (www.facebook.com/Hoopsville).

Thank you and we will look forward to hearing your ideas and showing you the revamped studio in November (or beforehand… stay tuned for another show idea in the works).

Dave McHugh
Creator and Host, Hoopsville

ODACcess: The End of the Line (Virginia Wesleyan at Mary Washington)

Posted on March 15, 2014 by odaccess

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – While ODACcess was in Ashland last week, taking in the Yellow Jackets first round loss to DeSales, the ODAC champion Virginia Wesleyan Marlins were getting their tournament underway at home. They dominated their Friday matchup with surprise Centennial champ Johns Hopkins, and outlasted nationally-ranked Wesley the following night, despite an 0-for-7 performance from Rookie of the Year Khory Moore.

As we noted last time, Mary Washington dismissed Springfield in the first round, earning their first ever tournament win. In their second game, which, like their first, was played on a neutral court in theory, but was a home game in reality, they thoroughly trounced DeSales, holding them to 15 first half points. If you watched the Eagles in that first weekend of play, or at all during the course of the season, you knew that they were built around their long range shooters. Every one of their starters plays like a guard, from true guards like Bradley Riester to stretch players like Dylan Farinet. After the first weekend of NCAA play, Mary Washington ranked fifth in the nation in three-point attempts, and fourth in made threes. Right behind them were the Marlins, scheduled to meet in the round of sixteen. Thanks to fortuitous geography, and the early round loss of New York’s Purchase College, Mary Washington found itself poised for another first: an NCAA tournament home game, in their sparkling new gym, the Anderson Center.

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These two teams have something of a history. Senior Dylan Farinet spent his freshman year at Virginia Wesleyan, where he spent almost all of the year on the bench. He then transferred to Mary Washington, where he’s blossomed into a primary contributor to Ron Wood’s program. Dajon Daniel, another UMW starter, played for three years at Eastern Mennonite, playing against Virginia Wesleyan five times in those seasons. With this experience with Wesleyan, Coach Wood scheduled a home game with the Marlins for mid-December.

Both squads entered the game with only one tough loss on the season: Mary Washington to Hampden-Sydney at the buzzer, and VWC to regional rival Christopher Newport in overtime. Farinet and Riester led the way for UMW in the first half, opening up a 7 point lead over Wesleyan by halftime. The second half, as it has been all season, was the DJ Woodmore’s time to shine, as he put up 21 points to lead the Marlins as they tied the game. In the second overtime, Wesleyan’s threes failed to fall, and the Eagles pulled out a 95-87 win.

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Unlike last week, we missed the undercard, a high-scoring affair between Williams and Albertus Magnus, which the Ephs won 110-92. By the time we arrived, only standing room only tickets were available, and the line for them stretched 30 feet out of the door. Inside, the arena was packed, the pep band in full force, and the student sections, both behind and across from the UMW bench, were boisterous.

Coach Wood had taken some lessons away from the closely fought contest, first among them that DJ Woodmore was always a threat, and had to be the focus of any defensive game plan against the Marlins. The Eagles committed Daniels to guarding Woodmore from the get go, hoping to contain his explosiveness from all areas of the court. Of course, the Marlins have other weapons, which Coach Macedo was sure to exploit. Specifically, Khory Moore, coming off of his terrible shooting night against Wesley, exploded in the first half for 20 points, including 4 from downtown.

Unfortunately, every other VWC scorer was effectively shut down by a pesky Eagles defense. They forced 11 first half turnovers, and limited the Marlins’ second chance opportunities. On offense, Bradley Riester was continuing his dominance from long range, scoring on four of his own attempts for 17 points. His scoring was supplemented by Daniel, who contributed 11 of his own. A little run by the Marlins closed the gap going towards the half, but they still went in to the locker room down 11. It was still within range for VWC, but they needed to make some defensive adjustments in order to stay in it.

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Coach Macedo knows his team, and he knows what his team needs to do differently. Coming out of the break, the Marlins changed their defensive mindset, taking a page out of Mary Washington’s book. Khory Moore was given one defensive assignment: stopping Bradley Riester. By eliminating defensive switches, the Marlins cut down on Riester’s open looks, and allowed them to turn the tide. Soon, after a 14-3 Marlins run, the game was tied for the first time since the first 9 minutes of the game.

Daniel was still containing Woodmore, but Colby Heard had taken a bigger role in the paint. His height advantage allowed him to dominate the shorter Eagles lineup, frequently scoring on dunks, layups, and free throws. The Marlins reemphasized ball security, while simultaneously using their quick hands to disrupt Eagles passing. Even without a tremendous showing from Woodmore, the Marlins had opened up a five point lead by the 8:50 mark. Soon thereafter, Coach Wood called time to regroup.

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Out of the break, the Eagles clamped down in the paint to limit Heard’s chances. The Marlins shifted back to perimeter shooting, but were unable to capitalize on their shots. The Wesleyan defense began to play more sloppily, allowing the Eagles to create and convert free throw opportunities. UMW closed the gap, and it remained close going into the final minutes.

With two minutes left, the game remained tied at 66. Taylor Johnson broke the tie for UMW with a layup, but Woodmore responded with two of his own from the line. On the ensuing possession, Dom Morra drove to the basket for the layup, and earned the and-one. He missed the free throw, leaving it a two point game, but VWC could not get the tying bucket. Aaron Clark elected to foul Morra in the backcourt, and send him to the line with 32 seconds on the clock. With a chance to extend to a two-possession game, Morra went only 1-for-2.

The Marlins’ plan for the possession was clear: get the ball to Woodmore and allow him to work his magic. UMW’s defense hounded the ball handlers as they came up the court, but Aaron Clark and Khory Moore managed to free up Woodmore for an open shot from his favorite spot off the left wing. As the ball left his hands, Woodmore said, he thought it was going in. Anyone who had seen Virginia Wesleyan play would think the same thing. But the ball fell short and to the left, missing the rim entirely, and bouncing out of bounds as the Anderson Center thundered.

At that point, it was all but over. A few free throws sealed it for the Eagles. Woodmore, along with fellow seniors Clark, Heard, and Trent Batson, were clearly emotional as they left the court. Woodmore, after the game, said that the emotions hadn’t yet hit him, but he clearly held himself to blame for his missed game-tying shot. His awards and accomplishments (ODAC Rookie of the Year, three First-Team All-ODAC selections, including two Player of the Year honors, and a pair of conference titles) were nothing compared to his desire for a champion. But he was emphatic that this was not the end for him. He repeated words we’d heard from his coach months before: “Once a Marlin, always a Marlin.”
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The story out of tournament games is always the winner, especially when it’s a team who is doing all of this for the first time like Mary Washington is. UMW may have been the host, and may have been nationally ranked, but no one would call them a favorite. Everyone loves an underdog story. Coach Wood was his bubbly self after the game, explicitly invoking the “Cinderella” imagery that is everywhere this time of year. And they’re right to, because it gets no easier from here, with one of the strongest programs in Division III awaiting them in the next round.

But for us, the story has to be this Marlins team. A team that had tests throughout the season, and overcame them. They have a bond with their coach, their school, their fans, and their community that any program would like to emulate. They have the respect of their competitors. It’s disappointing that a career like D.J. Woodmore’s, or any of his fellow seniors’, end in a game like this. But despite Woodmore’s statement to the contrary, his team’s accomplishments are important. This is why we love sports, even when our teams don’t succeed. Each victory, each milestone, each story matters to the people who witness them.

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With Virginia Wesleyan’s elimination, the ODACcess Project as originally envisioned comes to an end. This is bittersweet, of course. We accomplished what we set out to do: visit schools, meet people, watch basketball, and tell stories. Through that, we grew connected with the ODAC players and schools we watched and covered. We don’t know exactly what’s in store for the Project, but we know it’s not exactly over.

By the time this goes up, the Final Four will be set, and travel plans to Salem arranged. More stories are there for the telling, and we’ll be there to tell them. It may not be “ODACcess” per se, but our love of basketball is not tied to a specific conference. ODACcess is about basketball, about the teams, the schools, the players and the fans, and those things are universal. And we’d be remiss if we didn’t follow those things wherever they took us, especially to this level’s biggest stage. ODACcess is dead, but long live ODACcess.

See you in Salem.

Final: Mary Washington 74, Virginia Wesleyan 70
Players of the Game: Bradley Riester (UMW) (23 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals) and Khory Moore (30 points on 17 shots, 6-11 on threes)
Mileage Tracker: 3904 miles
Next Stop: NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Final Four, March 21-22, Salem, VA

ODACcess: Madness and Joy (NCAA Tournament First Round, Ashland, VA)

Posted on March 8, 2014 by odaccess

ASHLAND, Va. – Going into Selection Monday, it wasn’t at all clear that we’d be able to attend any NCAA Tournament action. After Randolph-Macon’s early exit from the ODAC tournament, they’d taken a dent to their otherwise impressive resume, and while an at-large bid was almost guaranteed, hosting duties were no certainty. Meanwhile, Virginia Wesleyan had impressed on their run to the ODAC title, but geographic necessities were always working against them.

So of course it would turn out that both schools would be picked to host, and we would be faced with a difficult choice between the two. Ultimately, the decision for us, like for the NCAA selection committee, came down to one of geography. So it was off to Ashland, a couple hours closer to our base camp, for what might be our last ODACcess game of the season.

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Of course, before any of that, of course, there was another game to watch. The NCAA tournament’s system of pods often leads to undercards which, while often hotly contested, are played in front of empty stands. For this game, that was certainly not the case.

The University of Mary Washington has an impressive sports pedigree. Since the conference was founded in 1990, they have won more Capital Athletic Conference championships in all sports than any other member school. Their successes over the years, however, have not extended to men’s basketball. Over the past 22 years, the Eagles had won the CAC title only once, and was followed by a quick exit from the NCAA tournament.

But this season was shaping up to be different. Senior guard Bradley Riester was coming off a two 2nd Team All-CAC selections, and the Eagles had made the CAC championship game the previous year. With the addition of perennial contender Christopher Newport to the conference, the opportunity was there for more success than Fredericksburg had seen in a while.

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Early in the season, loyal readers may remember, we travelled to Hamden-Sydney to attend their early season tournament. In addition to the hosts, another ODAC school, Shenandoah, would be in attendance. Those were our attractions to Farmville that weekend, but we also got a chance to watch the UMW Eagles play, in an early road test. We only made it to the second day of competition, and were forced to watch a stream of their buzzer-beater loss to the Tigers. But we saw their dominating 77-69 win over Shenandoah. They were unable to contain Avery Green (who we named player of the game), but their offense clicked on all cylinders, with upperclassmen Bradley Riester, Dylan Farinet and Taylor Johnson leading the way.

After that, Mary Washington and ODACcess went our separate ways. In the meantime, the Eagles put up one of their best seasons under 18-year coach Ron Wood, going 12-4 in conference (including a sweep of unanimous conference favorites St. Mary’s) and earning the #2 seed in the CAC tournament. After regular-season champ Wesley fell in the semis, the Eagles hosted the CAC title game, in which they dismissed Christopher Newport, securing their second NCAA berth.
Coach Wood had his sights set on hosting first-round games, but the NCAA decided against that, giving them the next best thing: a game in Ashland, only 42 miles down I-95, and in the backyard of many of the Eagles’ players. No to mention that Coach Wood would be returning to his alma mater, where he led the Jackets to three NCAA berths in his four years.

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The Springfield Pride were not so lucky. After losing the NEWMAC title game to MIT, they were left on the bubble. They waited through 18 of the 20 at large selections before their name was called on the NCAA selection show. The NCAA prefers not to send schools more than 500 miles for their first round games, to keep costs down. Still, the trip from central Massachusetts to central Virginia entailed a 459-mile, 9-hour bus ride. The trip was so long, in fact, that their initial bus driver was forced to stop, as he had exceeded his daily driving limit, and the team switched buses and kept going. Considering the distance, the atmosphere in Crenshaw Gymnasium seemed more like an Eagles’ home game than a neutral court contest.

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Eastern Mennonite transfer Dajon Daniel and Riester got the Eagles out to an early 7-0 lead, and never looked back. While the Pride narrowed the gap early, a 21-7 run for UMW, powered by Riester’s stellar three-point shooting and a tenacious, ball-hawking defense, blew it wide open early. Riester was perfect from beyond the arc. Combined with 12 forced turnovers and a number of athletic moves by Daniel, who suffered with flu-like symptoms the entire game, the Pride were overwhelmed in the first half, and they went to the break down 37-28.

Out of the break, the Pride was more protective of the ball, creating more opportunities and cutting the lead to 5, thanks to poorer shooting by the Eagles. That, however, would be as close as they got. Asa Scott, a freshman guard from nearby Richmond, took some minutes for Daniel, who picked up his third and fourth fouls in the early minutes of the half. According to Coach Wood, “The difference in tonight’s game is that we had a freshman step up. He’s been ready to step up, and we’ve brought him along, but he stepped up big minutes.” Late in the half, facing a possible Springfield comeback, Scott hit back-to-back threes to open up a double digit lead. The Eagles played methodically on offense all night, and up 14 with 3:35 left, it was all but over for the Pride.

After the game, Coach Wood was obviously overjoyed with his team, and being able to get his first win as a coach on the floor of his alma mater: “We’ve done something tonight that Mary Washington has never done before, and that makes me proud.” He waxed nostalgic briefly, “This group, [former Randolph-Macon] Coach Nunnally would be proud of, and I’m as proud as I can be, because for the first time I’m able to come to Crenshaw Gymansium, and I’m not embarrassed to leave Crenshaw Gymnasium.”

It was, then, easy to root for a narrative in the second game: for Macon to advance and play against their former star turned rival coach. Even Coach Wood suggested he was hoping for such a matchup, only the second of his tenure. Of course, the DeSales Bulldogs cared only about their own narrative: trying to win a national title.

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Prior to this year, DeSales had made three appearances in the Tournament (once in their former incarnation as Allentown College). Their most recent appearance, in 2010, saw them win a pair of neutral site games, and advance to the Sweet Sixteen. There, they ran into a school from Ashland called Randolph-Macon, which was in the midst of its own impressive run. Macon defeated the upstart Bulldogs, on route to their first and so far only Division III Final Four. DeSales had not met Macon since, and after being drawn against them, Coach Scott Coval had to have thought back on that tough loss.

DeSales had once again put together an impressive season in the Middle Atlantic Freedom Conference, earning both the conference’s regular season and tournament titles, and rolling into the NCAA tournament with momentum from a nail-biting overtime win against Misericordia. Macon, on the other hand, had put together a dominant conference season, locking up the regular season title with a win over Hampden-Sydney on their home court. But the ODAC tournament in Salem saw them scuffle against that same Sydney team, leading to an early exit for the favored Jackets.

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The NCAA tournament provides an opportunity for teams to put all that behind them, but it comes with a demand of perfection. When we saw Macon play H-SC, they were operating at perfection, and Chris Hamilton embodied that: a sharpshooting role-player exploding for 27 points on a perfect shooting night. But the foundation for the Jackets was always with its big men: Joe Hassell, Akeem Holmes, and most of all, Andre Simon, who before the end of January had joined Macon’s 1,000-point club. During the regular season, these players made plays inside on offense and defense. In their loss to H-SC, they had no answers for Khobi Williamson in the second half, and that led to their early exit.

So it made sense for DeSales to focus on taking away those opportunities. For the first half, much of R-MC’s offense came off the bench. Jamie Wilson took over Hamilton’s sharpshooters role, hitting two threes in the first. But the starters, including Hassell and Simon, accounted for only 6 points, effectively contained by the Bulldog’s defense. By virtue of 6 first half turnovers, and impressive shooting early, the Jackets opened up a 27-18 lead on a 9-2 run, capped by a pair of rare Hamilton layups. It seemed like the game might soon get out of hand, so DeSales called timeout.

Out of the break, the defenses for both teams held solid, and eventually DeSales managed to convert from the line for the first time in the game. DeSales started 7-0 run of their own going into the break, leaving the Bulldogs within range, down only 27-25.

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It was hard to tell what to make of the game coming out of the break. The referees’ whistles seemed to come in quicker, the crowd grew a little more anxious than they had been. For the first six minutes, the squads traded buckets and fouls. With 14:12 left on the clock, Simon went to the line to shoot two, and missed them both. DeSales’ All-Conference guard Mike Coleman grabbed the rebound, ran the floor, and scored on the lay up to tie the game for the first time since it was 4-4, with 16:18 on the clock in the first.

And Coleman was by no means done. From that point on, he began an impressive run of dominance from the floor and free throw line, assisted by Kyle Hash, to extend the Bulldogs’ lead. The Jackets’ shooting, especially from beyond the arc, continued to suffer, while on defense they seemed unable to contain Coleman and Hash. A pair of threes from Hash and Paul Pammer extended the DeSales lead to 8 with under five minutes to play, and Coach Nathan Davis was forced to call time.

As play resumed, the Jackets drew more contact, but left points at the line, keeping some pressure off of DeSales. Coleman extended the lead back to five from the line, and and after a couple empty trips each way, there was only a minute left, and a 60-55 Bulldogs lead. Trent Walker pulled down the rebound from an errant Hash three, and was fouled driving into the paint. His ensuing free throws cut the lead to 3, and put the pressure on DeSales to put the game on ice.

The Macon defense pressured the ball handlers persistently, almost forcing a turnover after trapping Cody Deal along the sideline. Eventually, hounded by defenders, Mike Coleman through up a desperate three from 25+ feet, which missed. The Jackets corralled the rebound and called timeout to map out a play with only 11.9 ticks on the clock, still down three.

Coach Davis called upon a play he’d been running since his tenure as a Bucknell assistant, feeding the ball to Jamie Wilson. He drew the defender slightly off of Chris Hamilton, and passed the ball over to him on the right wing. With the clock winding down, Hamilton put up a hurried, contested, and off-balance shot to the tie the game, and it found the bottom of the net. Crenshaw roared with excitement, the mascot ran all over the place, and any students who had been sitting down got to their feet. A last second Coleman shot to win clanged off the rim, and the clock hit zero.

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Once again, it was easy to fall into the narrative trap: the home team putting together an incredible last minute comeback, using that energy to dominate the extra period. The DeSales Bulldogs were too well coached to allow Hamilton’s incredible shot to demoralize his squad. They came back from the brief intermission playing the same intense defense and crashing the boards. Once again, Coleman led the way, sinking two huge jumpers halfway through to open up a 69-62 lead. The Jackets were unable to convert the Hamilton three into a boost for their shooters. Eventually forced to foul, the Coleman was clutch down the stretch from the line, putting the game away. The Jackets fans who had been so delirious just minutes before began to trickle out, as the small DeSales crowd sang them out.

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The magic and the curse of the NCAA tournament is that anything can happen. On the one hand, we get crazy upsets and wonderful stories. On the other, one off night for a talented team, as the 2013-14 Randolph-Macon Yellow Jackets undoubtedly were, and the journey is over. For all their dominance over their ODAC opposition, it translated into only one postseason game in a packed Crenshaw. Of course, their loss is another’s gain. DeSales gets revenge for their loss in 2010. Mary Washington makes program history. And you can be sure that, even with the hosts eliminated, Crenshaw will not be empty tonight.

Far to the east, the Virginia Wesleyan Marlins did take care of business in their first round game, as we saw them take care of business last weekend in Salem. They alone carry the ODAC banner in the tournament, as they take on Wesley. We’re not ashamed to say we’ll be rooting for the Marlins: you can’t follow a conference for a year like we have, and not develop a bond with the teams and players you watch. But know that no matter the result, the tournament will never fail to produce as much excitement, joy and sorrow as any sporting event out there. The road to Salem is not easy, but damn is it fun.

ODACcess: On VWC’s ODAC Championship, and A Look Back

Posted on March 4, 2014 by odaccess

SALEM, Va. — The Virginia Wesleyan Marlins are the 2014 Old Dominion Athletic Conference tournament champions. In the only truly competitive game from the quarterfinals on, VWC used timely three-point shooting and an 11-of-12 mark from the charity stripe down the stretch to outlast the Hampden-Sydney Tigers, 77-74, in an electric tournament final.

Khory Moore paced the Marlins in scoring with 21 points, DJ Woodmore finished an excellent tournament run with 15 points, six rebounds and three assists, and Aaron Clark contributed 15 points and six assists off the bench. H-SC’s Mike Murray went off for 21 points and Khobi Williamson added a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double for the Tigers in the tough defeat.

The game was so tight throughout that to recap its important moments would be to go through the game play-by-play. Besides, you can read recaps from the perspective of the winners or the losers elsewhere. Instead, here are some of our highlights and observations:

1. Forcing turnovers is Wesleyan’s bread-and-butter, and while they got their share on the night, they also committed several uncharacteristic unforced errors themselves, including a 10-second violation on a slow walk up the court without a Tiger defender in sight. It was odd, and Woodmore said the team knew it.

“We turned the ball over a little bit late in the first, but we took a couple timeouts, we settled down and got after it,” he said. “Once we started making shots, everything turns around once you start making shots.”

Whatever Coach Macedo said in those timeouts, it worked. After recording seven turnovers through the five-minute mark in the first half, VWC took its second timeout and committed none for the remainder of the frame and only turned it over three times in the second.

2. Murray’s 21 points were two shy of a season-high. He also filled the stat sheet, adding three rebounds, two steals, and two assists to the game-high-tying points mark. Murray played with a facemask for reasons that are still unclear to us, but it clearly didn’t impact his performance–he was a huge reason why this one was even close. (UPDATE: An H-SC official tells us that Murray broke his nose during the Tigers’ semifinal against Eastern Mennonite. Best wishes on a speedy recovery.)

3. We named Colby Heard our player of the game in VWC’s semifinal. He played well, though not exceptionally, on Sunday, but one moment stood out. After having a layup attempt blocked by Mitch Owens, Heard sprinted down the floor on VWC’s next possession, accepted an outlet pass from Clark, and rose up for a powerful dunk. His expression afterwards made it clear he was frustrated by the block and was relieved make up for it in a big way.

4. Khobi Williamson set the ODAC record for made field goals in the conference tournament early in the second half. Unfortunately, he had to commit his fifth personal foul late in the game to prevent an easy Marlin layup with the Tigers trailing. It’s unlikely that his presence would have changed the outcome–although it could have–but it’s still a shame he had to watch the final 16 seconds of his final ODAC tournament from the bench, especially because he had been outstanding to that point.

5. Like a true pro, Woodmore stepped up his game when it mattered most, scoring 10 of his 15 points in the second half. Also like a true pro, Woodmore–who was named tournament Most Outstanding Player, a trophy he can add to his conference Player of the Year honors–thanked his teammates for setting the stage for his play. “I’m really proud of the way we fought today, and how we fought all season. We played great basketball today,” he said.

6. Woodmore, Heard, Moore, Williamson, and Murray were named as the All-Tournament team. Well deserved honors for each and every one of them.

7. The post-game reactions and ceremony were perfect. Words can’t do it justice, so here’s just a few pictures:

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With the victory, VWC has advanced to the NCAA Tournament. They are joined by Randolph-Macon, the conference tournament’s top-seed which fell to H-SC in the quarterfinals but did enough to earn an at-large bid from the NCAA.

Both teams will host first- and second-round games, both beginning on Saturday. The Marlins will play Johns Hopkins with the winner taking on the winner of Alvernia/Wesley in the second round. DeSales travels to Ashland for a matchup against R-MC; the winner faces the better of Mary Washington and Springfield. If the Marlins and Yellow Jackets can emerge from these difficult pods, they would meet in the third round.

ODACcess will attend at least one of the first-round games, but which one has yet to be determined. Stay tuned!

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We waited a few days before posting this writeup both because we wanted to collect ourselves after a long weekend, and also to give some of this space to the teams we have seen this year which saw their seasons end during the tournament. Without further ado, a memoriam for the 2013-14 ODAC non-advancing teams:

To Guilford: It was so refreshing to see your team always hustling, no matter what the score. Your early tournament exit must have been disappointing, but watching you was a blast this year when we were able to. And we’d be remiss if we didn’t thank the student staffer (you know who you are) who spotted us in the stands and invited us down to the scorer’s table when we came to Greensboro.

To Lynchburg: Your fans are awesome, and your team has an admirable cohesiveness. Your pace, the fastest in the league, is always entertaining to watch. Coach Scott has a system in place, and it should bring you success in the coming seasons.

To Eastern Mennonite: We wish we could have seen you more. To say that we were surprised by your home crowd is an understatement–not only do fans come out to see you in droves, but they’re some of the most passionate and energetic folks in the league. On the court, you’re well-coached, high-flying, and fun. Oh yeah, and you were part of the most exciting game we witnessed this year, and possibly ever–it’s a shame you had to lose, but it was a heck of a way to go down. Finally, just three words: David. Falk. Dunks.

To Randolph: You were the first ODAC team we watched play, and you got us off to a great start. You played hard even when outmatched by Division I’s Liberty. We couldn’t love the RAD Center more. The faint air of chlorine from the pool across the hall might be irksome to some people, but don’t count us among them. It’s charming.

To Bridgewater: You surprised the heck out of us when you took down then-#15 VWC in Harrisonburg. You ran the Marlins off the floor–almost literally, given the absurdly fast pace at which you played. It was a lesson in how tough every game in the ODAC can be. Wesleyan got its revenge in the tournament, but that game was one to remember.

To Hampden-Sydney: What to say here that hasn’t been said. Your fight in the tournament was impressive throughout, especially your resolve when Randolph-Macon came within striking distance in your quarterfinal. It’s a shame that Khobi Williamson won’t end his career with a tournament berth, but he and your team played hard until the bitter end, and for that you’ve earned our respect.

To Roanoke: That EMU game! We can’t say enough about how well your team handled that situation. In terms of Roanoke generally, we were impressed with your campus, and your home court in particular–extending the stands all the way down to the court is a nice touch. It feels intimate, homey even. It’s a great place to see a game.

To Shenandoah: With no disrespect to Woodmore, Williamson, Falk, or any of the other outstanding athletes we’ve seen, Avery Green was our favorite player this year. His craftiness and instincts with the ball in his hands are simply exquisite, and hard to encapsulate in such a small space as here. He’s also a great guy: he will drop 30 points on the night with almost no help and then defer to his coach and his team as the reasons he played so well. Class act.

To Washington and Lee: Terrific run in the tournament. To say you punched above your weight would be an understatement of epic proportions. Your team is clearly dedicated to each other and their coach. In most other conferences, your regular season record would have kept you out of the tournament–but the ODAC gave a chance, and you seized it with aplomb.

Finally, to Emory and Henry: We saw you three times this season, but unfortunately missed your two conference wins. This wasn’t your year, but you never let that get you down, fighting tooth-and-nail in every game. Best of luck to you and Coach Willson as you continue your rebuild.

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It has been a great season of ODAC basketball. Will we have a full postmortem, complete with thanking the many, many people who have helped us along the way, once the NCAA Tournament is over. For now, thanks for reading. We truly appreciate your support.

Final: #2 Va. Wesleyan Marlins 77, #8 Hampden-Sydney Tigers 74
Player of the Game: Khory Moore (21 points on 11 shots; game-sealing free-throws with one second remaining)