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Dave’s Top 25 ballot: Week 10

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Sorry for the tardiness on this, but celebrating the Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl title got me a little out of sync this week and then the computer I have my blog written on decided to quit working when I went to post this on Wednesday morning. Better late than never, I guess.

Once again, I had to do some real analyzing after not only the number one team lost, but when several other teams on my previous ballot took losses. (And as you will notice, I will already be changing my number one team next week.)

The one thing I have noticed and even discussed with other voters, there may be 15 or 20 teams everyone feels comfortable with, but those last five or ten spots are turning into a cluster(fill in the blank). For the most part, it seems like no one wants to step up and grab their position in the polls or in their conferences. As a result, I think voting this season may be getting harder in some ways than usual years when you really have a sense of who the best teams in the country are.

1 – Whitworth – Up 1 spot
I really debated about this. The Pirates have certainly been on a tear winning every one of their games except the season opener against St. Thomas, but besides Whitman their conference schedule has been somewhat weak. They already had to use extra time to get past a pretty decent Whitman squad, but they have also been dominating teams for the most part. I am sure I will be changing this pick sooner than I would like (and now after the fact this is indeed true).

2 – St. Thomas – Up 1 spot
I seriously considered putting the Tommies back into the number one place after they clearly rebounded from their lone loss pretty well. However, I had decided that St. Thomas’ loss to Concordia-Moorehead was worse than Whitworth’s loss to St. Thomas in game number one, so I didn’t feel comfortable changing that mentality a week later.

3 – WPI – Up 1 spot
Being the Engineers are undefeated and had a nice victory of Springfield this past week, I could have easily decided to move WPI all the way to #1. However, I am still considering who they have played… or not played. WPI is clearly having a better season than anyone could have expected, but I may need to see a little more before I think #1 is the right place for WPI.

4 – Rochester – Down 3 spots
I expected the Yellowjackets to get through the weekend unscathed, though maybe bruised, as my number one team. Of course if they had lost to Brandeis, I wouldn’t have been shocked. But to lose to an NYU team that I clearly had overrated earlier this year was not what I would have expected. Rochester did rally to get through the weekend 1 and 1, but they lost the wrong game. Considering it was their first loss of the season, on the road, and many teams below also lost, Rochester didn’t fall as much as I thought about moving them.

5 – Middlebury – Up 1 spot

6 – Catholic – Up 1 spot

7 – Hampden-Sydney – Up 2 spots

8 – Illinois Wesleyan – Up 6 spots
I was already starting to buy into the Titans, but when you beat Augustana (on the road) and Wheaton (at home) to sweep the season series from those two and remain three games ahead of North Central, I was ready to buy in further. Can the Titans get through the entire CCIW unscathed? Maybe, but the conference is too good in general for that to possibly happen. So I will continue to move IWU up the board, but won’t jump them into my top five until they get through the conference unscathed.

9 – Ramapo – Up 1 spot

10 – Amherst – Up 3 spots
The Lord Jeffs had a very good week beating Rhode Island and two conference opponents, albeit at home. As a result, their win over Williams now becomes a bigger factor, especially since it was a blow out, so I moved them ahead of the Ephs. However, Amherst didn’t have the strongest out-of-conference schedule and lost two games as well, so I think this could be my ceiling unless they beat Williams on the road in the same manner.

11 – Williams – Down 3 spots
I did move the Ephs down, but it had more to do with teams I moved ahead of them than the week they had. Granted they won two games on the road in the conference, but they were both close games against Bowdoin (12-9) and Colby (6-15). I know it isn’t the easiest thing to travel in the NESCAC especially from northwestern Massachusetts to anywhere in Maine (there is no such thing as a straight drive from Point A to Point B in that scenario), but if the Ephs are that good they should handle that scenario a bit better.

12 – UW-Stevens Point – Down 7 spots
It wasn’t like the Pointers had it easy this week: they played on the road against Platteville and La Crosse who are both having solid seasons. What surprised me was the fact the Pointers were held to just 46 points against Platteville and then couldn’t recover a few days later against La Crosse and only scored 62. That is just the kind of week that can derail a team and makes a voter nervous. I am not sold on just how good the WIAC is this season maybe because the top of the conference isn’t as good as usual while the middle of the conference is just as tough as always.

13 – St. Mary’s (Md.) – Up 2 spots

14 – Calvin – Up 2 spots

15 – North Central (Ill.) – Up 2 spots

16 – Christopher Newport – Down 5 spots
I was confident the Captains were pretty good this year, but when you lose to a .500 team like Greensboro at home, I take pause. I still think CNU is a solid team, but I may have had them too high in my poll. (And since I voted they lost to Virginia Wesleyan at home and it wasn’t close.)

17 – Wooster – Down 5 spots
The win over Denison at home was destruction; the loss on the road against Wabash was… well… embarrassing. I am not sure if the Scots were looking too far ahead to their game against Ohio Wesleyan or not, but this is the time of year where a team needs to put its foot down and not stub its toe.

18 – Rhode Island – unchanged

19 – Wheaton (Ill.) – unchanged

20 – Rose-Hulman – Up 3 spots
The Engineers put their foot down on the HCAC. With a very important game against underachieving Transylvania who beat them at home earlier in the year… they won on the road. Rose-Hulman now has a two game lead on the conference forcing everyone to go through Terre Haute, Indiana if they want to automatically pack their bags for the NCAA tournament.

21 – Cortland State – Up 3 spots

22 – UW-Whitewater – unranked
As I mentioned earlier, I am not sold on the top of the WIAC. I have also not been sold on the Warhawks a lot this season; they simply lost too much from last year’s national champions. But they keep winning and are now just a game back of UW-Stevens Point and may be finding their stride… for now.

23 – MIT – unranked
For the engineers, I mean beavers, no I mean Engineers (plenty of them in my Top 25), they still don’t have Jamie Karraker or Noel Hollingsworth back and may never get them back, but they are still winning. There are three seniors in double-figures including Mitchell Kates and Will Tashman who are scoring 15+ points a game and some of the underclassmen are stepping up. Only one of their four losses is a bad one (Salem State) and they have won five straight. Maybe MIT has found a way to win this season despite the challenges they have faced.

24 – Wesley – Down 4 spots
I knew that trying to sweep St. Mary’s, especially with the second game being on the road, would be a tall task. So, I really wasn’t going to eliminate them from my ballot and they only moved this far down because I was moving other teams in that I think might still be better despite the fact the Wolverines have still won 12 of the last 13 (as of my voting).

25 – SUNY-Old Westbury – unranked
In a constant search for who are the best 25 teams, I am taking another stab at a team that maybe isn’t getting enough attention. I don’t have the space to explain the season the Panthers have had simply from Superstorm Sandy and the aftermath. But consider that Old Westbury played their first 13 games of the season on the road, had to travel by van to every practice for the first several months at a gym off campus, and they didn’t even have their own locker rooms during that time. Still, the Panthers are undefeated in their conference and while games have been close recently it is probably because the Panthers aren’t used to playing in their own gym!

Dropped out this week:

DeSales – 21st last week
I will be the first to admit, I made a mistake here. Shortly after I placed DeSales in my ballot and stated they were one team flying lowest on the radar, they lost two games in conference including a pivotal game with Delaware Valley before falling asleep against Misericordia.

Transylvania – 22nd last week
The Pioneers did it to me again. I bought in and put them back in my Top 25 only to see them lose to Rose-Hulman, at home no less. I just can’t figure out the Pioneers who didn’t lose any of their starting offense from last year’s squad, but clearly lost something from the seniors who left even if it wasn’t on the court.

Alvernia – 25th last week
You can almost copy my comments about DeSales into this section: they lost a pivotal game against conference and Reading, PA rival Albright. They didn’t lose two games, but when you are on the very bottom of the ballot, any slip can cost you.

Dave’s Top 25 ballot: Week 8

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DiBartolomeo
With Monday’s loss by St. Thomas, is the University of Rochester next in line to be No. 1?
Rochester athletics photo

This week, voting in the Top 25 was relatively easy especially when compared to last week’s overhaul that proved more challenging – though enlightening – than expected. You aren’t going to see a lot of changes this week. In fact, the first 12 positions in my poll didn’t move. I did have to deal with questions about close wins and surprising losses, but it was a handful of teams this time, not the entire ballot. So, here we go:

1 – St. Thomas – unchanged

2 – Rochester – unchanged

3 – Whitworth – unchanged

4 – WPI – unchanged

5 – Middlebury – unchanged

6 – UW-Stevens Point – unchanged

7 – North Central (Ill.) – unchanged

8 – Williams – unchanged

9 – Catholic – unchanged

10 – Ramapo – unchanged

11 – Christopher Newport – unchanged

12 – Hampden-Sydney – unchanged

13 – Wooster – UP 5 spots
Very good week for the Scots who put their foot down on the NCAC. A win over Ohio Wesleyan on the road helped give the Battling Bishops their second straight loss and give Wooster a two-game lead in the conference.

14 – Stevens – unchanged

15 – Amherst – unchanged
The Lord Jeffs did win three games this week, which would normally have me move them up. But first, there isn’t much room for moving upward and second, they only faced one team with a winning record and all three of the games were at home.

16 – St. Mary’s (Md.) – UP 1 spot

17 – Calvin – UP 4 spots
When you lay the wood to your rival Hope in one of the biggest rivalries in college sports, people take notice. Hope is clearly having a tough season (which featured another loss this week to Olivet), but the fact Calvin manhandled them in a game where a winless team would probably still make it interesting is rather telling. Calvin now has a two-game lead in the MIAA.

18 – Illinois Wesleyan – UP 4 spots
The Titans didn’t exactly beat anyone stellar in conference play this week, but they won both games on the road in a conference that has already shown that the top teams can lose to those struggling below .500. Big test coming up… North Central at home.

19 – Albertus Magnus – unchanged

20 – Brandeis – unranked
The Judges made a statement this weekend beating Chicago and then Wash U on the road. Brandeis has only two losses at the hands of Rhode Island College in the first game of the season and Amherst at the beginning of December. Seven straight wins has them tied on top of the UAA with Rochester who they will face at home on Sunday.

21 – Guilford – DOWN 5 spots
The ODAC is probably tougher this year than in years past with nine of the twelve teams with winning records and eight teams within four games of the top of the conference. Guilford got a win over Randolph midweek, which kept them from falling out of the poll with their loss to Washington & Lee, albeit on the road. And the road doesn’t get easier. They have Lynchburg at home and then on the road at Hampden-Sydney this week. Let’s see if they stay on my ballot.

22 – Virginia Wesleyan – unranked
The Marlins do lead the ODAC with a perfect 8-0 and have won five straight. However, the four-game slide at the end of December and barely able to get by Roanoke (who seemed to have the game in hand) are signs that maybe this Marlin team is lucky to be 8-0 in the conference. They are on top of the ODAC recordwise, but I am not convinced they have figured things out.

23 – Wesley – unranked
Really can’t keep the Wolverines off my ballot any more. 10 straight wins including St. Mary’s and Salisbury in the last two show this team is playing very good basketball right now. Wesley has wins over Eastern Mennonite and Virginia Wesleyan as well this season and nearly got past Christopher Newport back in November (lost in triple overtime). The Wolverines have a rematch with St. Mary’s on Saturday that will determine who is in control of the CAC heading into February.

24 – Rhode Island – unchanged
The Anchormen didn’t exactly impress this week. In fact I thought about dropping them when considering they beat Mass-Dartmouth and Plymouth State – a combined 5-26 – by a total of nine points. The games were on the road and New England is probably distracted with the Patriots this week, so I gave them the benefit of the doubt. A battle for the top of the LEC looms Saturday with Eastern Connecticut on the road – if Rhode Island doesn’t forget they play Western Connecticut first.

25 – Rose-Hulman – unchanged
The Engineers didn’t do anything to impress me this week, either. They beat Franklin (who is 11-6 and has a win over Illinois Wesleyan on their resume) easily, but then struggled at home against 7-10 Bluffton. So, I thought about moving Rose-Hulman off my ballot until I remembered they still only have two losses. Who would I have replaced them with? Transylvania who beat Rose-Hulman last week – so the reason would have been good.

Dropped out this week:

Ohio Wesleyan – 13th last week
Yeah, this might be harsh, but I wouldn’t have removed them from my Top 25 with just their loss to Wooster. Their lost to Hiram by 13 on the road midweek on the other hand made the loss to Wooster at home just the cherry on top. I like the Battling Bishops but they shoot horribly from the free-throw line and they have games like Hiram, Allegheny and others that have me shaking my head.

Washington Univ. – 20th last week
A trusted friend in the Midwest Region things the Bears are a Top 25 team and I agree with him, until they lose at home to Brandeis. Sure, on paper that shouldn’t be a surprised since Brandeis is clearly playing well. Except it was at home where Wash U. hadn’t lost all season and this is the Bears third loss in the UAA. Furthermore, Wash U is now 2-2 in the last four games. I watched the game against Brandeis and nothing impressed me. Something doesn’t seem to be working right now in St. Louis. Here is hoping they turn it around fast before they lose any chance of making the NCAA tournament.

Dave’s Top 25 ballot

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Derek Raridon
Dave McHugh doesn’t have North Central No. 1, or even in his top three, and he’ll tell you why.
D3sports.com photo

In an effort to provide more information and give the fans of Division III basketball something to ponder each week, I thought I would try and give you a look at my men’s Top 25 ballot and give you reasons for most, if not all, of the teams on my ballot. I will also give you a reason for the teams I removed. This by no means will explain why some teams are in the actual Top 25 or not. This is simply a chance for you to see how I voted and some of the reasons behind it.

Now, I am certainly not perfect in my voting, as I will describe, and I am certainly not fool-proof in my thinking. So, please take this information simply for what it is … information. Healthy debate is more important than bashing my particular ballot.

Of course, there have already been five previous weeks of Top 25 polls plus a preseason poll, so I am a bit tardy on the season with this. However, it is never too late to start and this is certainly when voting in the poll becomes much more interesting.

This week, I did a little house cleaning, “blowing up” part of my poll and the thinking behind it. You will see some big movers that are due to the fact I had them too low to begin with or I am changing my mind on other teams. I also eliminated teams despite no losses because I have other teams I think I am not giving a fair shake to.

1 – St. Thomas (Minn.) – UP 1 spot
The Tommies moved into my #1 position this week due to solid play so far this season. They have very good wins over Whitworth, Whitman and UW-Stevens Point and just pasted Augsburg which had come in looking like they were having a really solid season. They certainly will have some challenges in the conference, but the Tommies look good.
2 – Rochester (N.Y.) – UP 1 spot
I will first admit, I am leery and very worried this is just too high for the Yellowjackets. They are an impressive 12-0 and have an solid win over Ohio Wesleyan while also rolling through their region, so far. Their toughest test comes up this weekend with Chicago and Wash U. coming to the Palestra. Stumble here will have me disappointed in myself and have Rochester falling quickly.
3 – Middlebury – DOWN 2 spots
I had the Panthers No. 1 in the last poll, but after watching their game against Tufts, I couldn’t keep them there. I have hardly, if ever, dropped a team from No. 1 without a loss. However, the game against the Jumbos was just bad. If Tufts could have hit the shot at the end, I probably would have dropped the Panthers even further. Now, don’t get me wrong, Middlebury looks really good this season considering they lost Ryan Sharry due to graduation, but I need to see they are playing better basketball before I am even comfortable with them at No. 3.
4 – North Central (Ill.) – UP 1 spot
I actually moved the Cardinals up a spot from last week and realize I am the only voter with them outside of the top three spots. After seeing North Central in Las Vegas, I just don’t see them surviving the CCIW unscathed and I am not sure I can see them getting to the final four, let alone Salem in general. Landon Gamble is a terrific player inside and Derek Raridon is good forward. However, when the Cardinals did not handle expressive, pressure defense from Ramapo and UW-La Crosse very well, I took pause. Raridon actually disappeared at times against the pressure. North Central did get past Wheaton (who had some flu issues) this past week, but Augustana looms this week and Illinois Wesleyan on January 23rd.
5 – Whitworth – UP 2 spots
I probably undersold Whitworth all season, but have moved put them in my Top 5 this week. They have been playing pretty good basketball after their lone loss of the season being to St. Thomas on opening night. That being said, Whitman is basically the only strong contender they will face the rest of the season. Time will tell just how good the Pirates really are.
6 – Catholic – UP 3 spots
I have loved the Cardinals since the Hoopsville Classic. They are a very talented team, despite going only about eight deep. However, they certainly seem like a team that has jelled. Catholic has a chance to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament if they can keep playing at this level, but they have also shown in the past when things get tough they tend to derail. Here is hoping they keep their focus when foes in the Landmark, including Scranton, start gunning for them.
7 – Ramapo – UP 3 spots
The Roadrunners were another mixed bag in Vegas. I love the play from guys like Stephon Treadwell and Elgin Brown, but was very disappointed in Will Sanborn. I could find a slot machine far easier than his teammates seemed to find him on the court. If Sanborn continues to want to take games off, Ramapo isn’t going to get very far. However, when he is on and with the likes of Treadwell and others contributing, the Roadrunners could be a big surprise by the end of the season.
8 – WPI – UP 7 spots
I actually can’t believe I have the Engineers this high in my poll. They are undefeated with a win over Rhode Island College on their resume, but that is it. Their conference looks to be their biggest test as they still have two games each with MIT and Springfield ahead. However, the Engineers have not had a lot of close games, so they certainly seem to be in control.
9 – St. Mary’s (Md.) – UP 7 spots
Here is another team I have kept low on my ballot until recently. With their lone loss being to Catholic, the Seahawks are playing very good basketball. They have wins over a tough Randolph-Macon squad along with Christopher Newport and F&M the night this poll came out. The Seahawks have shown that even with the loss of a major inside presence in the offseason, they can find ways to win even when they aren’t putting a lot of points on the board. What I am worried about is if the Seahawks can stay focused.
10 – Christopher Newport – UP 2 spots
Here is another one-loss team that is quietly getting things done. They lost to St. Mary’s (a future conference opponent) on the road and have tested themselves with Randolph-Macon, Salisbury, Wesley, and Eastern Mennonite and got victories in all of them. Ahead is the conference which doesn’t seem all that challenging, but teams like Ferrum and N.C. Wesleyan will be gunning for them.
11 – Franklin & Marshall – Unchanged
I actually moved a few teams ahead of the Diplomats this week, because they are heading into a challenging few weeks. Their loss to Transylvania wasn’t that surprising to me, so I didn’t really punish them earlier (they have been in and around this spot in my poll for most of the season). However, they have shown some inconsistent play especially from their big man inside who produces one night and disappears the next. How they hold up with six of seven games on the road (though, they lost the first already to St. Mary’s) will give me a better sense of whether they are too high in my poll.
12 – Washington (Mo.) – DOWN 8 spots
Just as I bought into the Bears, they stumble against Chicago. I actually had Wash U. No. 4 last week, but their loss to the Maroons was their second road loss of the season (the other being to Wheaton) and has me a little worried. They have to travel to Atlanta and then Rochester this weekend and while Mark Edwards always has his team ready, but I wonder if sometimes they are looking too far ahead.
13 – New York Univ. – DOWN 4 spots
OK… I admit… I am the only voter voting for NYU. Why? I am not as sure as I was a week ago. I actually had them #9 until they lost to Brandeis this past weekend. And while I usually subscribe to the theory of not buying into NYU in non-conference play, something about what I saw in preseason and during the beginning of the season had me maybe a little too confident. I also thought their loss to New Jersey City was simply a blip on the radar. Heck, they handed Stevens their only loss of the season. Now I am very nervous. The Violets face Case Western Reserve and Carnegie Mellon this weekend. Certainly not overly challenging competition, so one stumble here will have them out of my poll next week.
14 – Hampden-Sydney – Unchanged
I think the Tigers are very underrated. They are 11-2 this season with their loss to N.C. Wesleyan the only head-scratcher. The loss to Guilford was almost written in the cards as you will see below. Hampden-Sydney has maybe the best talent in the ODAC if not the country including Harrison George. However, they do have the tough task of playing in the ODAC and with games against Randolph-Macon, Eastern Mennonite, Randolph, and Guilford (again) in a four-game stretch starting Jan. 16. A lot of questions will be answered before the end of the month.
15 – Ohio Wesleyan – Previously unranked
Every time I went to buy in with the Battling Bishops, something made me take pause. A loss to Rochester and narrow victories against Defiance, Otterbein, and DePauw had me wondering what Mike DeWitt’s squad was really all about. But then they beat Wittenberg on the road by 12 and I put more chips on their spot – in fact they went from unranked to No. 15 as part of my gut check this week. This is a good squad that is tied with Wooster on top of the NCAC and has a real shot of winning of the conference or at least making the tournament if they don’t.
16 – Wooster – UP 1 spot
Two losses for the Scots at this point in the season isn’t bad. They did lose to Adrian at home which had me worried, but their loss to a tough Transy squad on the road is nothing to be worried about. They are in the middle of my Top 25 because they need to make a statement to move up. Of course they have to play two against Ohio Wesleyan and still have one more against Wittenberg that could make things a little more interesting.
17 – Albertus Magnus – UP 1 spot
The Falcons only loss this season is to D-I Yale … but they really haven’t had too many challenges. They have beaten a surprisingly down Wesleyan squad and a scratch-your-head Trinity (Conn.) team. And they have no challenges in their conference. How good are the Falcons? I really don’t know.
18 – UW-Stevens Point – UP 1 spot
Yes, it took this long to get down to a WIAC school. Surprised, aren’t you? In some ways I am surprised as well, but I can’t get a read on the WIAC this season. Either the teams are really good, but can’t beat everyone, or they are more “average” than they have been in the past. That doesn’t mean a team like the Pointers isn’t good, but when you look at a loss on the road to Concordia (Texas) two games after losing to St. Thomas … I take pause. The chances of them getting through the conference unscathed are about as likely as me winning the lottery. Stout, La Crosse and Platteville are the next three (all at home) before seeing Whitewater on Jan. 23. The next two weeks will tell me if the Pointers are for real or if this placement in the Top 25 is appropriate.
19 – Randolph – UP 2 spots
I thought I would be voting for an ODAC team with Randolph in the name this season, but I thought it would be Randolph-Macon (which I did do in the preseason). However, Clay Nunley certainly has things going well in Lynchburg. The Wildcats are undefeated with wins over Ferrum and Johns Hopkins causing me to take notice. However, their win over Randolph-Macon impressed me (and other voters) and so they have moved up. They do have Virginia Wesleyan and Guilford coming up which will give me a better sense of where the Wildcats are and especially just how good Colton Hunt is (some think he is the best player in the conference).
20 – Williams – Previously unranked
Yeah, I may be underselling the Ephs here. They have wins over Wesleyan and Springfield, but they also lost to Stevens. Not all bad, but from the preseason on I haven’t felt like Williams was a top team and their road trip out west didn’t sell me either. I have them in my Top 25 for the first time and I am looking to see how they do in the coming weeks especially vs. Amherst on Jan. 23.
21 – Rose-Hulman – Previously unranked
The Engineers are off to the best start in program history – that is 100 seasons of basketball – and they are stealing the headlines from their HCAC foe Transylvania. Jim Shaw has a good squad that has only lost to Carroll. However, Transylvania is resurging and Hanover won’t be a push over (they beat them by just one earlier this season). My eye is on Rose-Hulman because as good as I thought they would be, I didn’t think they would be 12-1.
22 – Guilford – Previously unranked
The Quakers popped on my radar a few weeks ago when they beat Eastern Mennonite and Randolph-Macon in back to back games. Then they lost badly to Virginia Wesleyan which at the time I didn’t think was that big a deal. When they slapped Hampden-Sydney around and won by 14, I decided they deserved some attention. The Quakers won’t see another big test until Jan. 26 when they rematch with Hampden-Sydney. So, I am giving them a shot.
23 – UW-Whitewater – Unchanged
I can hear the WIAC fans already screaming that I have the defending champs too far down my poll. But to be honest, even when I had them far higher, I was nervous. Remember how much this team lost from last season? While they have wins over Illinois Wesleyan, Stout, and La Crosse, they also lost at home to Stevens Point and on the road at St. Norbert. They barely beat a sub-par Carthage and River Falls squads while also blowing others. That all adds up to inconsistency. I can truly reevaluate them starting on January 19th when they face Stout again and then Stevens Point. If they get through those games unscathed, I will be happy to move them up.
24 – Amherst – Unchanged
Who are the Lord Jeffs this season? They have played one team of note, Springfield, and lost, and even lost to Babson at HOME! I am just not sure what I should be expecting from an 11-2 squad that also has put up over 100 points twice, though in a relatively close game against Curry. They won’t get a real test until January 23rd when they face Williams, though they will take on Wesleyan in a week. Until they really blow me away, I am going to continue to keep Amherst around – for now.
25 – Wheaton (Ill.) – DOWN 19 spots
I nearly eliminated Wheaton this week, but kept reminding myself that their two losses were probably partially due to the fact several of their players have been down and out with the flu. However, this was also their best chance to put a stamp on the CCIW with games against Illinois Wesleyan and North Central and they couldn’t do it, especially leading at the half against the Cardinals. They will get their chance again, but still have Augustana first and any stumble at this point will drop them out of more than just my poll.

Dropped out:
Adrian – Previously ranked No. 13
I had already felt uncomfortable with where I had Adrian, so two straight losses to Calvin and Hope didn’t help their cause on my ballot. Calvin is having a good season, but Hope is having a really tough one. So, I decided to drop Adrian out and see how they handle the losing streak.
Virginia Wesleyan – Previously ranked No. 20
Four straight losses is just too much to handle. They already fell from No. 1 to No. 20 the previous week and even though they won a game, you can’t ignore four straight losses. Now let’s see if they have figured things out.
Lycoming – Previously ranked No. 22
The Warriors are a good team, but I was a little leery with the fact I had them in my ballot. Their loss to 4-9 Widener didn’t make me feel any better. Lycoming is going to need to prove that was just an oddity to make it back in.
Stevens – Previously ranked No. 25
They didn’t lose and yet I still moved them out. They were 8-1 when the voting information came out and I don’t think they don’t deserve to be in my poll but I just had too many teams I wanted to get on my ballot that also deserved it. Stevens is on the short list to get back on when necessary.