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The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: #1 Trinity goes down in exciting weekend of action

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By Riley Zayas
February 5, 2023
Well…how do you put this past weekend into words? I don’t think you do. #1 went down this afternoon, 3 Top 25 teams fell in their respective conferences on Saturday, the OAC provided us with some thrilling matchups, and so did the UAA. Don’t forget about the WIAC, where Whitewater made a statement on its home court. And Trinity and Tufts are now locked in battle for 1st place in the NESCAC. Let’s get into it! (I broke this weekend article into categories because there was just so much to cover!)

The Upsets

  • There was no bigger upset than the one of Sunday afternoon in the final game of the week. Colorado College, on its home floor, took down #1 Trinity (TX), 70-64. I was very surprised, thought I thought CC might have a chance with the way they’d be playing as of late. On the other hand, I really thought Trinity was unbeatable. Even giants can fall. But I’d also add that CC is very sound on both ends of the floor, and is a team we’ll likely see in the regional rankings this coming week. On top of that, this loss might be good for Trinity. Remember what Hope said about last year’s loss to Trine that ended “the streak?” The loss took off some of the pressure that had been weighing in the team and allowed them to refocus, reset, and play a bit looser en route to a national title. Trinity didn’t have as much of a streak to defend in this instance, but the comparison seems valid nonetheless. As far as the game itself, CC did an exceptional job defensively, perhaps better than any Trinity has faced so far. CC challenged nearly every shot, and held Trinity to a 1-of-13 mark from three-point range. That’ll hurt you. Ashlyn Milton had just 2 points for Trinity, which also didn’t help. Audrey Bayston was excellent for CC, with 23 points, and converted FTs late when it really mattered, with no lead entirely safe against a team like Trinity. They played team basketball, were engaged defensively, and took quality shots, which allowed them to overcome their 20 turnovers.
  • #14 Baldwin Wallace was my “dubious” pick on Hoopsville this past week, and Otterbein seemed to prove that correct, pulling off a massive victory on senior day at home, 58-55. It was a complete game from Otterbein on its home floor, as BW was held to a shooting percentage of 27.8% while the Cardinals were 40% with 10 more points in the paint than the opposition (28 to 18). This is one of those late-season situations where Otterbein’s win here could really play “spoiler” in BW’s quest for the OAC title and conference tournament hosting privileges. I was really impressed by the toughness displayed by Otterbein, who erased a four-point BW lead in the early minutes of the fourth quarter.
  • Moravian was been a team I thought had a shot against #24 Elizabethtown, especially at home, but at 11-9 overall an with a sub-.500 record in the Landmark Conference (4-5), I wasn’t sure how the Greyhounds would fare against a prominent program like Elizabethtown. ETown was 18-2 entering the game with its only losses having to to #4 Scranton, but Moravian added its name to that list in a 75-70 win. It was such a closely-contested game, and a look at the box score reveals just that. Both teams shot above 40%, though Moravian really won the game at the FT line. Moravian was 9-for-9 at the line in the final quarter.
  • Wheaton also pulled off a fairly surprising win over #25 Millikin, who I have been voting for in each of the last four polls. It more because of the 85-66 margin than anything else, especially since Millikin was 11-0 in the CCIW entering that one. Wheaton shot the ball so well, and ended up with four players in double figures in points. Wheaton seems to be one of the midwest’s more overlooked teams.

The upsets that were…then weren’t

  • It looked like Capital had #13 Ohio Northern all but defeated, leading 42-29 at halftime. It had the makings of the day’s biggest upset, especially with Capital at home. But ONU pulled off a scoring run to a degree that I haven’t seen this season. Down 65-56 with just over three minutes to play, the Polar Bears rattled off a 14-0 run that closed the game, winning 69-65. It was incredible. Every shot seemed to fall, and on the other end, Capital’s hot shooting quickly fizzled out.
  • UC Santa Cruz led #3 Christopher Newport by five at halftime, and though this wouldn’t have been a “big-time” upset, it would’ve been a surprise regardless. Though it was competitive through the second half, a few key UCSC players got into foul trouble, and CNU looked so much sharper over the final two quarters, winning 73-62. In fact, the Captains held UCSC to just 4 points in the entire 3rd quarter. I’m anticipating a rematch in the C2C Tournament Championship here in a few weeks.

Statement….made

  • If you’re looking for a statement-making type game, a good one is probably a battle between the two highest ranked teams in the conference. #23 UW-Whitewater took it to #17 UW-Eau Claire in a huge way, dominating in an 84-52 win. The Warhawks closed the game by outscoring the Blugolds 44-26 in the second half. It started on the defensive end, as Whitewater held UWEC to a shooting percentage of 32%, the second straight game in which the Blugolds, normally a high-scoring squad, struggled offensively. I was really impressed by the way Whitewater got its outside shooters in position for 3s, as they went 10-of-21 from beyond the arc. UWEC will drop quite a bit in the Top 25, after an 0-2 week.
  • After taking its first loss in the NESCAC on Friday, Trinity (CT) responded with a 60-47 win at Middlebury on Saturday, showing that the Bantams are very much here to stay. Middlebury shot just 27%, as Trinity looked very solid on the defensive end. A wide disparity in the number of free throws for the two teams wasn’t there either, which seemed to help. Reilly Campbell posted yet another double-double, with 17 points and 13 rebounds.
  • WashU, who successfully completed a season sweep of Rochester on Friday, found a late surge en route to a very solid 78-61 win over Emory on Sunday afternoon. I continue to be impressed by the Bears, and if they’re not ranked this week, I’ll be shocked. Despite three Emory players scoring in double figures, led by Claire Brock with 18, WashU pulled away in the 4th quarter, outscoring the Eagles 24-11. Watching the Bears’ big run in the opening minutes of the 4th, it’s no surprise why WashU has won so many big matchups in the UAA. They are able to generate momentum in a matter of seconds, and before you know it, they’re up by double digits. Maya Arnott had 26 points, and 12 boards in the win for WashU.

Other games of note that really provided some excitement this weekend

  • Rowan won in crunch time at Kean on Saturday, 78-76, to tie for 1st place in the NJAC. Those are the kind of unranked matchups that may not catch a lot of national attention, but at this point in the year, determine a lot when it comes to regional rankings and the Pool C conversation. A big third quarter powered Rowan to the win, though I honestly liked a lot of what I saw from Kean. Kean was 12-of-34 from 3-point range, won the rebounding battle by +6, and had 9 more assists. But where Rowan was really strong was in its bench. 45 of their points came off the bench, compared to just 4 for Kean.
  • Sofia Gonzalez stepped up for Tufts on Saturday in a key win at Bowdoin to keep the Jumbos tied for 1st in the NESCAC, scoring 23 points. The 66-54 victory saw Tufts really elevate its intensity defensively, as Bowdoin shot just 28%. The Jumbos were also 6-of-14 from 3-point range.
  • UW-Stout came up with a fierce comeback at UW-Platteville, and ended up winning by 9 (70-61), despite trailing by 3 entering the 4th quarter. 4 of Stout’s 5 starters scored in double figures, led by Haylee Yaeger (17). Anna Mutch had 16, Raegan Sorensen had 15, and Amanda Giesen tallied 12. Stout’s 9-0 run midway through the 4th gave way to a 62-55 lead with 3 minutes left that put the Blue Devils in control for the final few minutes. The one glaring stat in this one: Stout had 17 second-chance points, Platteville had just 3.
  • The MIAC continues to be a fun conference to watch…Carelton, just 5-12 in league play, pulled off an overtime win against Bethel, who was 11-6 in the MIAC. It was a thrilling game regardless of where the two teams stood in the standings. Bethel led by as many as 11 with 6:26 to go, before the Royals went ice cold offensively and did not score for the rest of regulation. Carleton took advantage, with an 11-0 run, capped by a pair of free throws with seven seconds left from Jasmine Choi, that tied the score. Both sides played strong defense in OT, though Carleton scored first and never relinquished the lead.
  • #10 Chicago bounced back from the home loss to Emory on Friday with a 9-point win over #18 Rochester on Sunday. The 87-75 victory saw Chicago outscore the Yellowjackets 30-20 in a high-scoring 4th quarter. The crazy thing was that both teams seemed to be trading shot for shot throughout the game’s entirety; Chicago shot 50%, Rochester shot 46%. The key for Chicago in the win was attacking Rochester in the post. They had 52 points there, and weren’t forced to shoot for the perimeter as much as usual, it seemed. Chicago’s outside shooting isn’t necessarily a weakness, but a 3-pointer will almost always be a lower-percentage shot than a short-range jumper or layup in the paint. It’s hard to compare teams because not everyone has the same personnel or style of play, but that is one thing I thought Emory did a fantastic job in Friday’s win over Chicago. They forced the Maroons into 25 3-point tries (and they made just 7 of them), while Chicago had just 15 3-point attempts today (and still only made 4). If you’re going to beat Chicago, you have to stop the ball from getting into the post.

That’s probably long enough for today, haha. This weekend was truly packed with impressive results, and now I have the task of putting together a Top 25 ballot. I had said in past articles on the Top 25 that the easiest spot for me to fill in each week was #1. Not this week. #1-25 will be tough all the way around. So many teams are playing excellent basketball right now. Anyway, thanks for following along. Hope you have a great start to your week!

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The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: Midwest action delivered, as usual, on Wednesday night (1/26/23)

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By Riley Zayas, @ZayasRiley

It was yet another action-packed Wednesday night in the world of D3 women’s hoops last evening, and before looking ahead to the weekend, I’m taking a look back on some of my biggest takeaways from the results we saw in yesterday’s contests…

Let me start with the rematch…the showdown…the battle between the MIAA’s best. Yes, Hope and Trine, the longtime rivals met for the second time this year, this time at Trine, and Hope made its presence known, taking the Thunder down, 83-69. Hope led 26-11 after the first quarter and seemed in rhythm all the way through. 11 turnovers isn’t terrible, especially when you have 19 assists, and Claire Baugley was fantastic all evening. The Hope forward played 32 minutes, scoring 22 points with five assists, four rebounds, and two steals, guiding the Flying Dutch on both ends of the floor. This might be the best performance I’ve seen out of Hope all year, bringing back memories of those games from years past, when you would be hyped to see Hope tested against a top-ranked opponent, only to see them prevail by 10 or more. Hope will move up for me in next week’s ballot…I don’t know how high, but they’ll move up.

UW-River Falls provided us our regular Wednesday WIAC upset, as interim head coach Shelby Lyman hed her team in perhaps the biggest home victory for the Falcons this season. Unranked UWRF took down #14 UW-Eau Claire by a sizable 81-70 margin, outscoring the Blugolds in each of the final three quarters after finishing the first tied at 23. UWEC shot above 40%, but struggled from three-point range (27%). The only statistic in which the Falcons really had an advantage, box-score wise, were in terms of shooting percentage (49%) and 3-point percentage (36%). Ultimately, those four more three-pointers could have been the difference, as watching, neither team truly “dominated” the other. In fact, the final score really doesn’t tell just how close this one was.

Speaking of close, I’d be remiss if not to mention the crazy finish in UW-Oshkosh’s battle at UW-Platteville. With under five seconds left in OT, the game tied at 59, UWO was still dribbling atop the key. But then Ava Douglas made a dash towards the rim, trying to get off the Titans’ last shot from closer range. Her shot did not fall in, but she was fouled, and with 0.2 seconds on the clock, went 1/2 from the line, winning the game, 60-59, for Oshkosh. We talk all the time about teams we “wouldn’t want to face in the tournament”…I’m convinced UW-Platteville could win in the NCAA Tournament. I know it might sound crazy, saying that about a sub-.500 team, but I really believe it. Platteville has continued showing up in the big moments (like the win at Whitewater) and has a number of playmakers who are really tough to defend. And for my second hot take, I really think it’s about time Oshkosh is ranked. The quality of the schedule, the wins in WIAC play…it’s all shaping into a great resume at this point in the season.

I mentioned #23 Washington & Jefferson as my dubious pick on Hoopsville last week, and Chatham nearly shocked W&J on its home court last night, with the Presidents narrowly escaping in a 69-66 win. Interestingly enough, Chatham shot just 29% from the field, compared to W&J’s 45%, though they connected on 11 three-pointer’s compared to W&J’s six. But the big number was the turnovers from W&J; 22 to be exact. That led to 24 points for Chatham, and made it a much closer game than anticipated down the stretch.

There was no better defensive performance last night than Whitewater’s, as the #24 Warhawks took it to UW-La Crosse in a game that was not very close at any point, much to my surprise. UWL’s defense had been tremendous through the year, but it was UWW’s defense that looked like the WIAC’s best, not allowing a single UWL player to score double figures in a 66-36 win. The Warhawks never allowed more than 10 points in any one quarter.

Carthage was #103 by Massey, Carroll was #32 entering last night’s CCIW duel at Carroll. Carthage nearly pulled off the upset, leading 69-66 with a few seconds left in regulation. But Brooke Foster came up with a huge three-pointer at the buzzer for Carroll, sending the game into OT. Three straight free throws late in OT allowed Carroll to gain a five-point lead, and hold on for an 82-75 win. There are several teams out there right now, including Whitewater, Chicago, and Millikin, who are rooting for Carroll to keep winning. If Carroll can stay in the win column and end up regionally ranked, it would add another RRO win to those teams’ resumes.

#18 Ohio Northern and #4 Scranton both had their Wednesday games postponed due to heavy winter weather in the region. ONU’s game at Wilmington has been rescheduled for 7 pm EST tonight, and Scranton’s home matchup against Moravian has also be rescheduled for 7 pm EST tonight as well.

Games to watch tonight…

  • ETBU at #22 UMHB (ASC): 6:30 pm EST: WATCH
  • #13 Hardin-Simmons at Sul Ross State (ASC): 6:30 p.m. EST: WATCH
  • Adrian at Calvin (MIAA): 7 pm EST: WATCH

That’s all for today. As for the news on Mary Hardin-Baylor head coach Mark Morefield, who was relieved of his position on Tuesday, I have been able to verify reports that his firing was at least in part due to a November practice incident in which a player went down with a season-ending injury after being rolled upon by a teammate. Morefield then used an expletive twice when addressing the team as to why the injury should not have occurred. That is all we have right now, as verified by sources, but will continue working this. I know several others are as well.

Anyway, hope you have a great day, and as always, feel free to reach out with any questions/comments/feedback you might have. Email is rileyzayas@gmail.com. I always enjoy hearing from the readers.

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The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: The Judges’ verdict? A massive upset!

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January 21, 2023

By Riley Zayas, @ZayasRiley

We’re back after a Friday night that saw some interesting results in the UAA to say the least. You just never know what to expect from these leagues that are seven and eight teams deep. This was something Scott Peterson, Dave McHugh, and I discussed on Hoopsville Thursday night. If you haven’t gotten a chance to watch that yet, there was a lot of WBB represented throughout the entire show, with the D3 WBB Top 25 panel in addition to interviews with Trinity (TX) HC Cameron Hill and Smith HC Lynn Hersey.

https://www.d3hoops.com/hoopsville/archives/2022-23/jan19

Now let’s get into it!

  • Well if there was one surprise of Friday night I did not see coming it was undoubtedly the shocker that took place in a gym in Watham, Massachusetts. That’s where Brandeis, previously 0-3 in UAA play, and just 5-9 overall, took down the nation’s seventh-ranked squad, #7 Rochester, by a score of 77-71. The Judges played their most complete of the season against the Yellowjackets, 13-1 entering the matchup, shooting 53.35% from the field, and outscoring Rochester in the paint, 42-36. They led by as many as 15 with five seconds left in the second quarter, and never allowed Rochester to recclaim the advantage. It seems like sometimes the most pressure on the underdog in that type of an upset situation is when a significant lead is held, because now there is a lead to defend, while knowing the opponent can erase that in the blink of an eye if only given the chance. I’m not going to make a wild claim that Brandeis will go on a tear for the rest of UAA play or anything, but I do think performances like these will help the Judges stay competitive in the league, because they now have added confidence and a sense of “we beat a Top 10 team” every time they step on the floor. Emma Reavis had a team-high 19 points for Brandeis in the win.
  • Case Western Reserve had an upset of its own, taking down a WashU team that had beaten both Chicago and NYU in the past two weeks, 74-64. WashU, who had picked up both of those marquee wins at home, struggled a bit back on the road, though it was not a contest that every got out of hand. In fact, WashU took a 19-15 lead at the end of the opening quarter, and CWRU led by just two at the half. The Spartans extended their lead to five at the end of the third, but it wasn’t until WashU went nearly three minutes without scoring and CWRU took a nine-point lead that the game ever felt out of reach. Isabella Mills was the go-to offensive weapon for the Spartans pouring in 36 points and 11 rebounds. Nobody else on the team had more than nine points in the 10-point win.
  • SUNY New Paltz came away with a key win in the regional rankings conversation, taking down Cortland in Region 3 action, 71-67. Though New Paltz shot just 36.5% compared to Cortland’s 41.9%, the Hawks were 9-of-17 from beyond the arc, which helped greatly. In fact, in almsot every stat cateogry, Cortland ended up with the advantage. But New Paltz converted at the line when it counted, and pulled out its 10th straight win, moving to 9-0 in SUNYAC play. This was a critical contest, as Cortland is the main challenger for the league title right now.

Looking ahead to today…what game’s should you be paying attention to? Here’s a couple

  • #16 UW-Eau Claire at UW-La Crosse, 4 pm EST: UWL has a lot of height in the post, but so does UWEC. If UWL can contain the outside shooting of Jessie Ruden and others, this could be a key home win for the Eagles.
  • New Jersey City at TCNJ, 1 pm EST: The NJAC is anyone’s league to win right now, and despite a very rough start, NJCU seems to be on the right track, with five straight wins. Both NJCU and TCNJ are 7-3 in league play, trailing Ramapo by just a game in the standings. For that reason, both teams will be bringing their best this afternoon.
  • Augustana at Millikin, 3 pm EST: Millikin is 8-0 in CCIW play, and at home in this one, but Augustana has been somewhat unpredictable this year. They have played plenty of tough competition, and recently beat a solid Carroll team, 67-64. I think this could be closer than a lot of people expect. But as long as Millikin wins in this one, they will stay in my ballot for Week 8.
  • UW-Stout at UW-Oshkosh, 4 pm EST: Maybe the most critical WIAC duel of the day, both of these teams have cases to be ranked, and more importantly, remain in the WIAC title fight. Even if neither wins the regular season league title, conference tournament seeding is on the line in matchups like these. Both young squads have shown improvement over the course of the year, and have come a long way since first taking the court back in November. This will be a close one, no doubt.
  • Hamilton at Amherst, 3 pm EST: This NESCAC duel could go either way, and I feel like Hamilton is right on the verge of picking up what would be considered a “notable win”. They’ve neatly beaten Baldwin-Wallace, Ithaca, and Babson, already beat Rochester and Tufts, and have a 9-7 record that doesn’t reveal how good they are. If they can take away some things from Williams, Chapman, and Concordia-Moorhead, who all recently beat Amherst, and find ways to score, this could end up as a pivotal win for Hamilton in the NESCAC race. Both Hamilton and Amherst are 2-2 in league play entering this one.

Kept it short on this Saturday morning, but hope you get the chance to watch some great basketball at some point today. There are so many contests playing out from coast-to-coast on this mid-January afternoon. In case you missed it, the Pre-Championship manual was released by the NCAA yesterday morning. I’ll link it below. Until tomorrow’s post, have a great day, God Bless.

https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/championships/sports/basketball/d3/women/2022-23D3WBB_PreChampionshipManual.pdf

The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: The D3 WBB Pre-Championship Manual for 2022-23 is out!

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Planning to put out a post later tonight/early tomorrow looking at the top games of the day and what we have on tap for Saturday’s slate, but sometimes news comes up that can’t wait. A few minutes ago, I found out that the Pre-Championship manual for 2022-2023 had been released by the NCAA, including some great information about strength of schedule calculations, important dates (including when each regional ranking will be posted), and future NCAA tournament dates.

One notable exclusion is the fact that unlike the men’s manual, there is no regional rankings section in this publication. The men’s manual broke down the number of eligible teams in each region and also noted how many teams from each region would be included in each edition of the rankings. If anyone reading this knows why that was excluded, it’d be much appreciated to have that info.

Still going through all of it now, but wanted to post the link here that way you all can go through it and have it on hand as we get closer and closer to NCAA Tournament selection time. Hope you’re having a great day!

https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/championships/sports/basketball/d3/women/2022-23D3WBB_PreChampionshipManual.pdf

 

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The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: My Week 7 Top 25 ballot…with context

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by Riley Zayas

I’m back with another Top 25 ballot breakdown as I look back on the week that was in D3 women’s hoops and prepare to file my ballot for D3hoops.com. This wasn’t easy, as usual, because of the sheer number of quality teams right now in the division. But here we go… (as always, feel free to comment below or email me at rileyzayas@gmail.com with questions/comments/feedback/thoughts).

  1. Trinity (TX): This is the only easy one of this ballot…Trinity took care of business on the road at Texas Lutheran and Southwestern this past week, putting 125 on the board in Georgetown on Saturday. They’ve been my #1 for the last three ballots and I expect the rest of the panel will join me (and the four others who had them #1 last week) in putting the Tigers in the top spot after NYU’s two losses in UAA play.
  2. Christopher Newport: CNU goes from third to second, and looked incredibly sharp in a 20-point win over a Mary Washington team that is 15-3 and has been receiving votes. The Captains had a close call at Washington & Lee two weeks ago, but by and large have a notable resume that puts them as one of the nation’s top squads. I’ve been impressed by the cohesion of this squad, and at 16-0, CNU has a very good shot to finish the regular season undefeated.
  3. Transylvania: With UT-Dallas now on the rise, having beaten ETBU, it is likely Transy will get at least one regionally-ranked win this season. The defense continues to be, in my opinion, the nation’s best, especially in terms of discipline. The Pioneers won at Mount St. Joseph and Anderson in HCAC action this past week, improving to 16-0.
  4. Scranton: Scranton cracks the top five after being #6 for a few weeks on my ballot. Hope’s loss certainly helped the Lady Royals move up, but the 20-point win over RV Elizabethtown on the 13th gave me a lot of confidence in Scranton’s ability to win in the big moments. Scranton has a nice resume, with a neutral court win over Wartburg, a road win at Catholic, and home victories over Ithaca, Tufts, and ETown.
  5. Smith: In all honesty, if NYU had managed to beat WashU, this is where the Violets would have ended up. But losing twice in the same week, and especially to a team not even in Massey’s Top 30 (WashU) makes it tough for me to drop them just three spots. But Smith, in its own right, has found its way back to the top of my ballot. They were a “dubious” pick for me early on…but now seeing some of the teams they beat, that weren’t considered great wins at the time but are now, really makes them rise in my rankings. Beating Trinity (CT) and Bowdoin back-to-back, not to mention the 16-point road win over a very competitive Hamilton team to lead off this past week, are all really solid wins. Going to have to take a “wait-and-see” approach to Smith in terms of leaving them at #5 for weeks to come, but I’m liking the product that’s being put on the floor.
  6. NYU: The Violets really struggled after entering the week undefeated and ranked No. 1. First came the loss at Chicago early in the week, in which the 14-point margin was the most surprising aspect, then Sunday’s defeat at WashU despite holding a nine-point halftime lead. The weird thing was there were no injuries (at least not any that were apparent). NYU had its regular starting five on the floor for both games. But for the second straight game, there was very little rebounding presence, and WashU did a great job defensively in the second half, winning 57-56.
  7. DeSales: DeSales slides up two spots, now 15-0. Another team I could see going the entire year undefeated, DeSales seems unfazed as MAC play progresses. An 81-37 win over Arcadia is the most recent, 40+ point win for the Bulldogs.
  8. Baldwin Wallace: Because of Hope and NYU’s losses, BW’s loss to an Ohio Northern team I have ranked in the Top 20 doesn’t end up affecting the Yellow Jackets’ ranking at all. I had BW at #8 last week and that’s where they will stay (though I still feel this is a little high). At 14-1, wins over Trine and Hamilton stand out, and while BW has looked a little shaky as of late, I can’t see a good reason to punish a loss that came by two points to a Top 25 team on the road.
  9. Trine: I have two MIAA rivals in consecutive order, as Hope follows at #10. First time this year that I’ve done that on my ballot, I believe. The Thunder were dominant in MIAA play this past week, including a Saturday performance that saw winless Kalamazoo manage just five first-half points and a total of 16 in an 84-16 win for Trine. At 13-3, Trine’s best win remains over Hope, as it came on the road, and saw the Thunder win by double digits.
  10. Hope: The Flying Dutch took their second loss of the year against Albion on Saturday in a pretty shocking result. Albion was clearly the better team on this particular day, winning 69-53. But with that said, I think Hope’s experience level on the roster and overall resume (wins over Calvin, Carnegie Mellon, UW-Eau Claire, losses to Trine, Albion) is enough to keep them in the Top 10 for the time being.
  11. UW-Eau Claire: UWEC doesn’t move in my ballot, though I expect the Blugolds will rise a bit in the overall poll, as they entered this past week ranked #14. At 14-3, UWEC has had its hiccups, losing to Hope, Loras, and UW-Whitewater. But not one of those would be classified as a “bad loss”. Losses are going to happen. It’s a long season. Wins over Trine, UW-Oshkosh and UW-La Crosse stick out to me.
  12. Chicago: The Maroons make a jump of three spots for me, after taking down the nation’s #1 in NYU on Wednesday. It was a very strong effort, especially on the boards, from Chicago, who won 71-57. At 13-1, and playing in a strong UAA, it won’t surprise me if Chicago breaks into the Top 10 at some point down the road.
  13. UW-Whitewater: Whitewater slides back a few spots for me after losing a tight game at UW-Stout on Saturday, but overall, I still really like the Warhawks’ Final Four chances. With nine Massey Top 100 wins, Whitewater belongs in the national conversation. Felt that UWEC and Chicago were more deserving based on what I’ve visually seen, but I still have a lot of confidence in what Whitewater can do come tournament time.
  14. Rochester: Led by Katie Titus, Rochester was dominant in UAA play against Case Western Reserve and Carnegie Mellon in the week that was, winning both by 20+ point margins. A 13-1 team, I’m still waiting to see Rochester face the UAA’s best (NYU, Chicago, WashU), but overall, I’m fairly convinced this is a team that can make a run past the first weekend in March.
  15. Babson: Babson, also a one-loss team, is looking good atop the NEWMAC right now. In the Beavers’ lone game of the week, they took down RV Springfield 75-55 in a convincing victory. Since the loss to Loras just before Christmas, Babson has won its last five. They face Hamilton today in non-conference action in what should be a competitive matchup.
  16. Ohio Northern: ONU took down Baldwin Wallace in a massive victory (not their first) in OAC play early in the week, edging the Yellow Jackets 53-51. 53 is ONU’s lucky number apparently, as the Polar Bears also scored 53 in the upset of Trine back on Nov. 26. As long as ONU keeps winning, it’s very possible the Polar Bears end up winning the OAC regular season title. Kristen Luersman is a fun player to watch, and a matchup issue for opposing post players. She leads the league in rebounds and is second in FG percentage.
  17. Trinity (CT): The last remaining undefeated team in NESCAC play, Trinity has been consistent all season, in my opinion. The only loss in the Bantams’ 15 games came to Smith by three points in overtime, and though a 56-51 win in their only game of the week against Connecticut College wasn’t a significant margin, I continue to be impressed by the defensive effort, allowing just 49.3 points per game.
  18. Puget Sound: The Loggers played a key NWC game that probably didn’t get enough attention against RV Pacific on Friday, winning on the road, 63-51. I can’t say it enough. No matter how highly ranked you are, it’s so hard to win on the road in conference play. PS is deep and has clearly found a rhythm since the loss to Wheaton back in November.
  19. Hardin-Simmons: I got the chance to see HSU up close in Belton in Thursday’s Top 25 matchup against Mary Hardin-Baylor. The Cowgirls showed an ability to adapt, getting to the rim against the UMHB defense, while also maintaining a threat from beyond the three-point arc. Paris Kiser has been an impact transfer, coming from UT-Dallas, and runs the offense so well. This is the team to beat in the ASC right now. Head coach Kendra Whitehead has her squad playing with an enormous amount of poise and confidence.
  20. Loras: The Duhawks’ loss to Luther a week ago doesn’t look all that good, as all three of their losses have come against teams who aren’t ranked above No. 50 by Massey. But the quality of wins Loras has accumulated is outstanding; UW-Eau Claire, Babson, Calvin, UW-Stevens Point, are the top four right now. They took care of business against Dubuque and Neb. Wesleyan this past week, winning by sizable margins in each, warranting a two-spot jump.
  21. UW-Oshkosh: The Titans struggled in the first half of Wednesday’s matchup at UW-Whitewater, but came back to cut the margin somewhat close in the second half, falling by just 10, 66-56. The win I really liked was the 61-53 victory over UW-La Crosse on Saturday at home. UWO might be young, but hung in well against the WIAC’s top defense (statistically speaking). UWL had been very good in taking away scoring opportunities, with a strong post group, but UWO scored 12 more points than the average of UWL’s previous opponents and limited the rebounding margin to +8 in favor of UWL. I thought it was a complete performance from the Titans on both ends of the floor, and they stay comfortably in my Top 25.
  22. Millikin: I said it for a while and it is starting to become evident: with Bailey Coffman on the floor, this is a different Millikin team. They haven’t lost since Nov. 19 (a credit to the maturity and cohesion of this group) and took down a quality Illinois Wesleyan (#41 in Massey) team on the 11th. It seems likely that with the strong SOS and recent play, Millikin will be hosting on the first weekend of the tournament if they keep up the pace.
  23. UW-Stout: Stout surprised many with its exceptional home win over UW-Whitewater on Saturday, and the depth of this squad, composed of several sophomores including do-it-all guard Raegan Sorensen, continues to be evident. I had debated on ranking Stout last week in my Top 25, but ultimately put them at #26. Despite a tough loss to UW-La Crosse earlier in the week, the Whitewater win more than convinced me of Stout’s national standing. The Blue Devils will need to remain consistent in the WIAC, but as of now, I can only see their stock rising, with six Massey Top 100 wins, and several more opportunities to follow.
  24. UW-La Crosse: Yep, back-to-back WIAC teams here at the bottom of my ballot. And yes, UWL did beat Stout on Wednesday. But the Eagles also fell to UW-Oshkosh on Saturday. Sometimes you just can’t figure the WIAC out. I ultimately moved them up one spot after the Stout win, and at 14-3, the record speaks for itself. Outside of the Stout win. La Crosse also has wins over UWSP (#42 Massey) and Carroll (#32 Massey). As I said before, the defense of this team is exceptional in most instances, and in almost every matchup, they’ll be winning the battle on the boards.
  25. Gustavus Adolphus: The Gusties’ resume is tough to figure out. They have some very quality wins (UW-Stout, St. Benedict to name two), and both losses (Bethel and Concordia-Moorhead) actually look pretty good when compared with other teams in that 20-30 range. Ultimately, watching them live, the consistent level of play on both ends of the court impresses me most. They are the MIAC’s top offense and top defense, shooting a league-best 46.1% from the field. Rather than relying on one or two scorers, the ball distribution is excellent, and often spreads out the opposing defense.
  26. Calvin: The Knights were 24th in last week’s poll, and are at the top of my watch list of teams I’m not currently voting for. Gabby Timmer is a tough matchup for any opponent, but Calvin has plenty of other reliable scoring options as well, in Leah Harris (12.7 PPG) and Sydney Cleary (10.9 PPG), just to name two. They’ll get another shot at Hope and Trine on Feb. 8 and 11, respectively. Those will be pivotal contests, because the remainder of Calvin’s Pool C resume will be largely dependent on those two results.
  27. Mary Hardin-Baylor: Yes, for the first time this year, I do not have UMHB on my ballot. As many of you know, I cover UMHB athletics as the managing editor of True To The Cru, and while I do not approach my ballot with bias, it is still tough to leave the Cru out of the Top 25. But the simple fact is that there were teams with better resumes this week, bumping the Crusaders down to #27. They have all the parts and pieces to be a talented team on the national scale, but it’s a matter of putting those pieces together that I am looking to see from UMHB. They have played seven Massey Top 100 opponents this year, and gone 3-4 in those games (UPDATED numbers…apologies for the mistake in the first draft). They’ve been battle tested, and watching them in person so many times, they’re incredibly talented in the backcourt and deep at every position. ASC contender for sure…UMHB still has home games with Massey Top 100 teams in UT-Dallas and ETBU, as well as a road trip to HSU.
  28. Ithaca: With the long break in December, Ithaca went unnoticed as the Bombers resumed play in early January. At 12-2, with wins over Hamilton, Catholic and Cortland St., Ithaca is undoubtedly Region 3’s top team. Will continue to be high on my watch list this coming week.
  29. WashU: The Bears took some losses early on that makes it hard for me to vote them in over another team that has a stronger overall resume, but there isn’t another team in the nation who has done what WashU has in the last two weeks. On Jan. 7, the Bears shocked Chicago, then #10, and yesterday, they roared back from a halftime deficit to beat #1 NYU, 57-56. They head on the road this week to Case Western Reserve and Carnegie Mellon. I’ll be interested to see how they fare away from St. Louis, where they are 2-1 this season.
  30. Emory: Playing in the UAA, there are quite a few opportunities for high-quality (and RRO) wins. Emory is 10-2 right now, 2-1 in the UAA, and battles NYU and Brandeis later this week, followed by Chicago and WashU the next. These will be two huge weeks for Emory, who is #27 by Massey.