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The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: My Week 5 Top 25 ballot…with context

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It’s that time of the week! The new Top 25 poll is set to drop sometime this evening, and though several teams were not in action at all over the last seven days, I do expect some slight changes as voters shuffle their ballot around. Though I don’t anticipate many new teams, if any, we should see the order of teams changed from last week’s poll after a handful of notable results, particularly Trine’s win at Hope and Chicago’s win at Whitewater. As I do every week, for the sake of transparency, and for fun, I have broken down my ballot. So here we go…

  1. NYU: Hope’s home loss to Trine on Saturday wasn’t terrible at all, but it was enough for me to move undefeated NYU into the #1 spot. NYU has played a relatively weak schedule thus far, though the Violets looked really good in their win over Tufts on the road, which gives me confidence in them moving into UAA play. 
  2. Hope: While the loss to Trine is disappointing, let us not forget that Hope still has wins over UW-Eau Claire and Calvin. Wins over IWU and Wisconsin Lutheran were notable early on, but with neither of those teams looking very sharp at this point, the strength of those wins diminishes a bit. 
  3. Transylvania: Transylvania stays #3 in my ballot and took care of business on the road at John Carroll on Saturday. We still haven’t seen the Pioneers truly tested in my opinion, and probably won’t until we reach NCAA Tournament time. 
  4. Trinity (TX): The Tigers have a showdown with #15 Mary Hardin-Baylor tonight in San Antonio in a game that will have concluded before this poll is released. But the game will be played after our voting deadline, so that result will factor into next week’s poll. Regardless, Trinity has looked strong throughout this entire year, and has two notable wins over Hardin-Simmons, one of which came on the road. I don’t see anyone, except maybe Schreiner, challenging Trinity all that much in SCAC play. 
  5. Christopher Newport: CNU dominated against Colorado College in Puerto Rico on Sunday, forcing 30 turnovers. CNU looks sharp once again this year, and with UCSC playing great basketball, and Mary Washington also in the mix, the C2C Tournament should be fairly exciting later this year. CNU hasn’t wavered yet, though we will see how the Captains fare against Cortland today on a neutral court. 
  6. Baldwin-Wallace: The 2OT win over Trine is looking especially good now that Trine beat Hope, and that win, along with victories over Wilmington and at Marietta, boost BW’s resume. The Yellow Jackets stay at No. 6 for me. 
  7. Scranton: Scranton’s win over Ithaca seems to be the one that really jumps out, though we’ll see them play Wartburg later today. Again, a lot of key games will be played late today, so we may see some movement come next week as a result of the results from today and tomorrow. Overall, Scranton has looked sharp to me, despite playing a relatively weak non-conference schedule. 
  8. Amherst: The Top 10 didn’t change much for me, as there were few results to go on. Amherst is looking true to its typical form, playing suffocating defense and relying on that to win games. So far, it’s led to a 7-0 record, though the SOS is lacking. Amherst holds just one notable win over Springfield, and that came by four points back on Nov, 15. 
  9. Babson: Babson gets a really nice test against an underrated Loras team tomorrow in Florida, but didn’t play at all this past week. Still, Babson stays at #9 for me this week, still undefeated, with a 7-0 record. 
  10. UW-Eau Claire: I brought UWEC back to No. 10 as I evaluated them further. The SOS number of the Blugolds of UWEC is a lot better (#8 in Massey SOS) compared to a lot of other Top 15 teams. Now, two losses are on their resume, but those were against Hope and Loras, both on the road. Not to mention wins over Wartburg, River Falls and La Crosse, all Top 40 Massey teams (Wartburg and La Crosse are both Top 20). I’ve seen enough to convince me that UWEC is still the WIAC’s best team right now. 
  11. Trine: Taking down #1 on its home court is huge. And that win for the Thunder will be well-rewarded in this poll. I moved them from #18 to #11, and if they continue playing to the level that they did Saturday, they’ll crack the Top 10 soon enough for me. Why aren’t they Top 10 right now? As I mentioned above, I look at this ballot more from a “total body of work” standpoint than a week-to-week standpoint, if that makes sense. Trine’s win over Hope is super impressive, considering I’ve had Hope at #1 this entire year. But, you can’t forget about the losses to Baldwin-Wallace and Ohio Northern, neither of which are bad losses at all, but in my opinion, are worse losses than UWEC’s. Again, this is one voter’s approach, so I have no problem if you don’t agree with my opinion on this. You could make a case for either UWEC or Trine at #10. 
  12. Springfield: At 9-1, Springfield’s only loss remains to Amherst. The Pride took down a solid Albertus Magnus team by 14 this past week, and I like the direction they are headed. Key matchup to look ahead to will be the Dec. 30 duel with Trinity (CT). Very excited for that one. 
  13. DeSales: Still undefeated, but with only one win on a Massey Top 50 team, DeSales is a program I’m paying close attention to. They looked sharp against Messiah back on Nov. 28, but I don’t know when we’ll see them really tested again. I’m a big believer in rewarding strong SOS as compared to just the W/L record, so putting DeSales 13 makes me somewhat uneasy. Time will tell. 
  14. Smith: Smith has the loss to Framingham State, but wins over Trinity (CT) and Bowdoin that look really good on their resume. I slid them up on spot from last week in my ballot, though I figure they’ll likely be ranked a couple spots higher. 
  15. UW-Whitewater: I went back and forth on putting Whitewater ahead of Chicago or not because Whitewater and Chicago have such similar resumes, though Chicago beat UWW on Wednesday behind a fourth quarter comeback. I tend to avoid placing too much emphasis on the head-to-head wins, because I feel you get a better perspective of a team by looking at their complete resume, rather than just one or two games when they really found a rhythm. Still, it helps a lot in these kinds of situations. Chicago’s best wins have come over Carroll (#42), Wheaton (#50), Whitewater (#11), and Wisconsin Lutheran (#86). Whitewater’s best wins are over Millikin (#21), IL Wesleyan (#30), UW-La Crosse (#16), and Augustana (#51). I don’t think the margin between the two is that large, but for now, Whitewater’s best wins more than make up for the two losses in my opinion. 
  16. Chicago: Reference my thoughts above…
  17. Mary Hardin-Baylor: As some of you know, I run the website True To The Cru, covering UMHB athletics, so I’m essentially a beat writer for Crusader sports, and have had several opportunities to see this team in action. I really think they are a Top 15 team, but felt Chicago deserved to move up which bumped UMHB down. However, a good showing in San Antonio tonight and tomorrow, and UMHB might just leap four or five spots up in my ballot since Trinity and Puget Sound are both Top 20 teams. For now, though, SOS-wise, and all things considering with the other teams in my ballot, UMHB is #17. 
  18. Rochester: With Chicago moving up, Rochester, like UMHB, slides back a little bit. I am excited for UAA play to begin, because I think we will have more clarity on both Rochester and Emory by that point. Rochester has some solid wins, having beat Messiah, St. John Fisher, and Ithaca, which gives me a lot of confidence as to how they will perform in a very deep UAA this season. They’re a clear Top 20 team for me.
  19. Puget Sound: The only blemish to Puget Sound’s record is a home loss to Wheaton, who is proving to be a very good team, and the more I watch them play, the more I am convinced PS can win in the NCAA Tournament. They lack strong defense, but can score in bunches and beat Coast Guard by 20 in their lone game of this past week. 
  20. UC Santa Cruz: UCSC moves up three spots in my ballot after shooting the ball very well against Cal Lutheran yesterday in a 75-54 win. The Banana Slugs are set to battle UW-Whitewater tomorrow in what will be a pivotal matchup for us as voters. For now, UCSC is No. 20, but a win tomorrow will put them much higher in my ballot. 
  21. Tufts: Let me make this clear: sliding Tufts down this far won’t be something every voter is doing. Tufts is certainly a quality team. But here’s what concerns me. When Maggie Russell is not on the floor, Tufts tends to struggle in a big way. But from a resume standpoint, I just don’t know. They’ve beaten three Massey Top 100 teams, but zero Top 50 teams, and didn’t look good against Emory or NYU. 
  22. Ithaca: Not much of an update on Ithaca. They don’t play again until January 2. Slightly concerning as that is a long break from their most recent game on Dec. 7. For now, Ithaca stays in my Top 25. We’ll see what the new year brings. 
  23. Hardin-Simmons: HSU drops a little bit in my poll, but not a lot, as the Cowgirls have rolled through their American Southwest Conference schedule. They’ll play Bates on Dec. 29 in Puerto Rico which should be a good resume boost and as I’ve said before, the consecutive losses to Trinity (TX) don’t look great, but I applaud Coach Kendra Whitehead for scheduling that. Her team is certainly better because of it and with PG Paris Kiser back on the floor, HSU is looking sharp. 
  24. Gustavus Adolphus: The Gusties have risen to #6 in Massey’s Ratings, but did not make last week’s Top 25. I’m keeping them at #24, and while Simpson’s continued fall hurts the SOS number a bit, wins over Augsburg, UW-Stout, and St. Benedict look really good right now. I honestly don’t know who in the MIAC will contend with Gustavus Adolphus this season. They’re playing great basketball right now. 
  25. Calvin: Calvin stays in my ballot at #25, though this was a tough one since Millikin, Bowdoin, and even UW-La Crosse are all knocking on the door. But considering Calvin’s two losses are to Hope and Trine, and the Knights have wins over Whitewater and Wisconsin Lutheran (though the latter result isn’t as good now as it was a month ago), there is reason enough for me to say Calvin most certainly deserves a spot in my ballot. 

So there you have it. Some great basketball has been played so far, with a handful of upsets already. And the day is far from over, with a solid slate tonight. Plus, stay tuned for the release of the new Top 25 on D3hoops.com. As always, send your thoughts/comments/questions in, either by commenting below or emailing me at rileyzayas@gmail.com.

The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: December 18, 2022: Reacting to the weekend that was

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Hope this edition of The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops finds you well on this Sunday night. We’re exactly one week away from Christmas, and plenty of teams played their final games before the holiday over the course of this weekend. There were a few upsets, some especially notable performances, and plenty of action overall, from Hawaii to the midwest United States, and all the way to Puerto Rico. So I’m going to put my reactions to these games below, including thoughts on where certain teams may fall in the Top 25, set to be released tomorrow.

I’ll try to keep these thoughts short. After all, a breakdown of my Top 25 ballot will be hitting your inboxes tomorrow around noon (so be sure you’re subscribed…it’s free!)…so here goes…

Saturday

#16 Trine, 76 @ #1 Hope, 64: The consensus #1 fell for the first time this season on Saturday afternoon, as Trine put together a near-perfect performance at DeVos Fieldhouse. It is very hard to win at DeVos, but as my colleague Scott Peterson wrote on Twitter yesterday, of Hope’s last seven seasons, the Flying Dutch have lost just seven times, five of those coming to Trine. It was Trine who ended Hope’s record win streak a year ago as well. So it goes without saying that the Thunder know how to win against Hope. To me, the key for Trine seemed to be its patience on offensive possessions, even against what was a high-pressure Hope defense for much of the contest. By staying patient and not turning the ball over as much as teams typically do against Hope, the Thunder found the open shooter time and time again. And when Hope’s defense finally seemed to slow Trine, it was just too late. Sidney Wagner was super impressive for Trine, finishing with 29 points on 11-of-17 shooting. Was 3-of-4 from beyond the arc.

Hope will be fine coming out of this. Look what happened after last year’s loss to Trine; they won a national title. Though I don’t think they’ll be #1 come tomorrow’s poll.

And for Trine, I think we can officially say the Thunder are back on track. This win puts them in a good position in MIAA play, and I have little doubt Trine will find its way into the Top 13 (possibly even Top 10). More on this tomorrow.

Carroll, 57, Millikin, 72: I’ll be honest. After Millkin lost three times in five games early in the season, I wasn’t all too sure about where they stood heading into CCIW play. But since then, it’s been nothing but success for Olivia Lett’s squad, who is on a five-game win-streak and sits atop the CCIW at 4-0. Elyse Knudson had 31 in the win, but it seems like more players around her are stepping up on the offensive end, which in my opinion, is the major difference between the Millikin team we’re watching now, and the one that took those losses early on.

#3 Transylvania, 82, John Carroll, 39: Why am I bringing up a 43-point game? Because coming into it, several of us in the D3 WBB media circle thought this might be the long-awaited test for Transy that we had been hoping for. It’s hard to correctly slot a team in one’s Top 25 ballot, when that team is a proven tournament contender, but has zero wins against Massey Top 70 teams. But JCU didn’t put up much of a fight, and Transylvania was well-prepared, outscoring the Blue Streaks 25-5 in the second quarter. Very convincing performance from the Pioneers.

Greenville, 79, WashU, 70: WashU has been on my watch list pretty much since Week 1, and just hadn’t broken into my ballot yet. This loss will set the Bears back a good deal, considering Greenville was #191 according to Massey heading into that contest. I took a look at the box score from this one, trying to figure out what Greenville did so well on WashU’s home court. One of the major components was the free-throw shooting. Greenville went to the line 26 times, and made 23, while WashU was 15-of-23 on free-throws. That’s huge.

Ripon, 62, UW-Stevens Point, 51: With wins over Millikin, Carroll, Platteville, and Luther, UWSP seemed very much on the rise and had broken into the national conversation. But a loss to a Ripon team below .500 entering the game hurts UWSP’s ranking. Ripon shot a lot better, especially in the second half, and I was fairly impressed with how Ripon attacked UWSP in the paint. Those 30 paint points proved key in allowing Ripon to pull away.

Schreiner, 66, St. Mary’s (TX), 62: No, St. Mary’s is not a D-III program. It’s a D-II. And Schreiner went on the road and beat the Rattlers, who were 5-4 entering the contest and had beaten D-I Sam Houston State in an exhibition earlier this year. This won’t have much of an impact on Schreiner’s tournament resume as it’s a non-D3 result, but Schreiner is a program people need to start paying attention to. With a solid pressing defense, and several fleet-footed guards, the Mountaineers are very much on the rise. I’ve been very impressed by Schreiner’s performance so far this season.

Sunday

Luther, 89, Lake Forest, 95: This might go down as one of the best comebacks of the season. Luther led 45-20 at halftime, which was what I had expected, considering Luther was 7-3 and LFC was just 1-5. But LFC HC Tamlyn Tills must have given one fantastic halftime speech, because the small crowd in Hilo, Hawaii witnessed a dramatic rally, as the Foresters outscored Luther by 25 to send the game into overtime, where they won it. It was one of those pay-per-view-type livestreams, so I had to follow the live stats, but it seemed like Luther lost its focus late, and gave up several turnovers that led to layups for LFC. And the improved defense helped as well, as Luther made just one field goal in the final five minutes. Never say never.

Cal Lutheran, 54, #19 UC Santa Cruz, 75: I liked what I saw from UCSC today…they shot the ball with a lot of confidence (29-of-58), had a pair of 20-point scorers in Ashley Kowack (24) and Amanda Inserra (20), and had 24 assists to Cal Lu’s 13. This looks like a team ready to battle UW-Whitewater in a couple of days.

#5 Christopher Newport, 79, Colorado College, 45: Played in Puerto Rico on a neutral court, CNU dominated, with 35 points off 30 forced turnovers. CNU never trailed, and against CC, who had been playing decent basketball as of late (and scored 108 a couple nights ago), that is a notable result. CNU is built like a Final Four team this year, and I like the offensive balance the Captains bring to the table.

Well…that’s a look at a few of the games that piqued my interest over this weekend. We’ll see how the new Top 25 poll reacts to some of these results, and I’m looking forward to some of the matchups set to come in the next couple weeks, with several teams traveling out-of-region. As always, feel free to drop your comments below or email me at rileyzayas@gmail.com. Also, I often mention Scott Peterson in these posts…his rankings are now online and I’d encourage you to check them out! He has a model that ranks D3 WBB teams and if anything, it’s always nice to have another perspective, especially from a numbers standpoint. That is linked below.

https://scottdev.hashnode.dev/division-iii-womens-basketball-rankings

Enjoy the start to the week!

The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: December, 17, 2022: Here’s 5 games you should be watching today

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Good morning! Welcome to this weekend edition of The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops. There is a fantastic slate of games set for today, exactly a week before Christmas Eve (this month continues to fly by!), and with that, rather than selecting a “Game of the Day”, I’m going to quickly touch on the top five games you should be tuning into this afternoon and evening. The list starts with a big one…

#16 Trine @ #1 Hope, 3 pm EST: This rivalry played out twice in last year’s regular season, in the MIAA championship game, and in the Final Four, so these teams know each other well. Trine has rebounded from a pair of losses early on with three straight wins, but winning at DeVos Fieldhouse is awfully hard, and Hope continues to meet every test and challenge thrown its way.

Carroll @ Millikin, 3 pm EST: Millikin is 7-3, having won four straight since the loss to WashU and Carroll is 5-4, but with a very impressive SOS. Both teams are in the Top 40 in Massey’s rankings, and the lone two undefeated teams in CCIW play. Of course, only one will still be holding that one honor when the final buzzer sounds this afternoon in what should be a contest dominated by strong guard play.

#3 Transylvania @ John Carroll, 4 pm EST: I’m somewhat unsure about this one, as JCU did not look sharp at all in last night’s 81-60 loss to Marietta. The Blue Streaks have now dropped two straight by significant margins (the other loss coming to Capital), and while I was optimistic we would be able to use this matchup to grade Transylvania as voters, I have my doubts now. But still, JCU is on its home floor, and I know for a fact that head coach Beth Andrews will have her team well-prepared. This is a complete wild card in my opinion.

Wheaton @ Illinois Wesleyan, 3 pm EST: Another CCIW duel, this will be very competitive between two Top 70 Massey teams. IWU needs to build back some confidence after falling by 18 to Carroll last Saturday, while Wheaton has continued putting together a solid resume. These opponents share on common factor in that they both scheduled very tough in non-conference, which makes for great in-conference matchups, as both teams are battle-tested. Plus, in what I project to be a two (or dare I say, three) bid conference this year, these kind of matchups matter in a big way. IWU is currently tied for fourth in the league, and Wheaton is fifth.

Sul Ross State @ #15 Mary Hardin-Baylor, 2 pm EST: UMHB looked strong against Howard Payne Thursday, but SRSU, led by women’s basketball legend E.J. Lee Smith, in her first year as head coach, is on another level. The Lobos are 3-1 in the ASC, tied with UMHB for second place, and boast wins over Schreiner and Concordia-Chicago. UMHB beats you with depth, so the question is if SRSU can withstand the constant defensive pressure of the Cru, and do so for four quarters. I’ll be in Belton covering this one live. Just the second home game for UMHB this season.

Check out today’s full slate here! https://www.d3hoops.com/seasons/women/2022-23/schedule

A couple quick notes on yesterday’s games:

  • #19 UC Santa Cruz looked really strong in its first game in 12 days, taking down Linfield handily, 72-43. Tess Oakley Stilson had 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting, as she drove to the lane and earned a number of scoring opportunities at the rim. Kaylee Murphy had 11 rebounds, 6 offensive, and UCSC is one of those teams where, if just a few players get going, they can quickly run away with it. Can’t wait for the Dec. 20 duel with UW-Whitewater.
  • UW-Stout is now 9-1 after rolling past Cornell last night, 64-46. The Blue Devils have won four straight on the road and hold wins over Oshkosh, Stevens Point, and Luther (all Massey Top 100 teams). Once again, Raegan Sorensen came off the bench to lead the team in points (19). It feels like one of those things where Stout head coach Hannah Quilling-Iverson puts five starters on the floor, and once the opponent subs in a few reserves midway through the first quarter to rest the starters, Sorensen is inserted.
  • #20 Puget Sound had little trouble in a 76-59 win over Redlands, shooting 43 percent and outscoring Redlands 42-26 in the second half. Really liked the balance I saw from PS on the offensive end…three starters finished in double figures in points, with Katie Minnehan and Sophie Nilsson scoring 17 apiece.

That’s all for today…tomorrow will be a sort of recap article/look ahead to Monday’s slate (which is going to be even better than today’s!) and then Monday will be my Top 25 breakdown. Not expecting a lot of Top 25 changes, though there will be some. And who knows what will happen today. Saturdays are traditionally a day for big upsets! Enjoy the day and this Christmas season!

The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: December 15, 2022: What clicked for Chicago in its massive comeback?

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Last night gave way to a huge win for #21 Chicago. Not only did the Maroons back up their 8-0 record with a victory over #13 Wisconsin-Whitewater, but it was also Chicago’s first “big” win of the year. Coming into the matchup, their most notable win was a road defeat of Carroll, 70-61.

It seemed for the first three quarters that, despite what Chicago did defensively, the Maroons could not find a rhythm offensively, a testament to Whitewater’s defensive effort. Defense kept Chicago in the fight entering the fourth quarter, but still, trailing 45-35 with 10 minutes left, it seemed the Maroons’ first loss of the year might come in the very near future. In fact, Whitewater hit a three 1:30 into the fourth, taking an 11-point lead.

Then the comeback began.

A 9-2 Chicago run in the span of about three minutes cut the deficit to four, 50-46. Sophia North then took charge, scoring the Maroon’s next 7 points, the final two of which took the lead, 53-52. And Chicago never looked back. The hosts walked away with a 63-58 win, and an incredible resume boost in the process.

But what went so well for Chicago in that final quarter? What did the Maroons do right? I tried to answer a few of these questions as reflected on the victory this morning. Here’s a few of my thoughts…

For one thing, Sophia North got the ball in space, able to score with remarkable ease. She had been Chicago’s main source of offense all evening, with 15 through three quarters. But once the 4th began, perhaps due to the score, perhaps due to Whitewater’s defense seeming more spread out, North put 11 on the board. That included the seven-point span with under five minutes left that eventually gave the Maroons the lead. She was 4-of-6 from the field, and 2-of-2 at the FT line in the 4th.

Chicago NEVER sent Whitewater to the free-throw line in the fourth, a rare occurrence in tight games. Especially from a team who needed to play aggressive defense down the stretch in order to have a chance at victory. But Chicago was incredibly disciplined on that end of the floor in the final quarter, and forced the Warhawks to shoot the ball, rather than attempt to draw fouls. That might be the most impressive statistic, in my opinion.

Speaking of the free-throw line, the Maroons made plenty of trips there throughout the fourth, finishing 10-of-12 at the line. Six of those attempts came in the final 20 seconds, when Whitewater had no choice but to intentionally foul and hope Chicago missed. But the Maroons did not, and the ability to convert at the line down the stretch will serve Chicago well in UAA play, where I anticipate a lot of single-digit results this season.

Another factor was how well Chicago matched up with Whitewater in the post. Aleah Grundahl had a total of five points in the contest, and was held scoreless on three shots in the five minutes she played in the fourth. Whitewater’s go-to offensive weapon in the paint, Chicago made it tough on her to find open looks, which forced more three-point attempts from the Warhawks.

Those are four takeaways I had from that fourth quarter. If you have others, please drop them below. Everyone sees the game from a different perspective, which is one of the things I enjoy so much about sports across the board.

Getting to some other results from last night, here’s a few thoughts I had as I scrolled through the D3hoops.com scoreboard and checked in on various games…

Albertus Magnus actually did give Springfield a good test, and kept it closer than I had anticipated, considering the final was 79-65. Springfield only led 21-19 at the end of the first quarter, but outscoring Albertus Magnus by a combined 38-27 in the second and third quarters was the difference. Strong showing from Springfield’s Kayla Madden, who had 27 points, on 10-of-21 shooting, and was 5-of-9 from 3-point range.

The NACC is going to be a fun conference to follow this year. And the preseason “favorite” is not even in the top 4 in the standings right now! Concordia-Chicago is 5-0 in NACC play, St. Nobert is 4-0, Concordia (WI) is 4-1, and Aurora is 3-1. Aurora looked impressive in its eighth win of the year last night, trouncing Eureka (who admittedly is not a team in the national conversation at just 2-6), 98-63. Still, the offense from Aurora has been stellar. The Spartans have scored 90 points three times already this year.

Keep an eye on UW-Stevens Point in the WIAC. Matt Hockett has his team off to an 8-2 start, with notable wins at Millikin and Carroll, along with a victory over UW-Platteville that looks really good right now. The two losses to UW-Stout and St. Nobert aren’t bad either. Stevens Point is now ranked No. 40 by Massey, and has a matchup against Wheaton (#64 by Massey) on Dec. 29 that could be another resume builder. That said, 2-5 St. Mary’s (MN) gave UWSP a real fight last night, though UWSP came out with an 81-79 OT win. Alexa Thomson’s layup gave the Pointers the lead with 59 seconds left, and UWSP held St. Mary’s scoreless for the final minute.

Amongst the biggest jumps forward in Massey’s ratings was Capital, who took down Olivet, 48-38, last night at home. Capital, now 8-2, rose 11 spots to #89 according to Massey, with the victory.

We will see what happens in tonight’s action. No particularly notable matchups, though I am interested to see if Greensboro moves to 5-0 in USAC play with a win over Ferrum tonight. Greensboro has looked fairly good this season, though the schedule that they’ve played hasn’t been particularly impressive. Still, if they keep playing well in the USAC, an automatic bid could be coming their way. Enjoy the evening!

The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: My Week 3 Top 25 ballot…with context

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Coming to you with an evening edition of the blog, breaking down my Top 25 ballot as I do each week. By no means is it a representation of the entire panel of 25 voters…where I have one team may be very different from where another voter has that same team. This is simply my ballot, 1 of 25, and my thoughts on each particular team that I’ve decided to rank. This week was super hard, as I had to leave a couple teams off my ballot that certainly have Top 25 resumes, but for the most part, I’m feeling pretty good about where I have everyone.

We’ll find out the new rankings from D3hoops.com here in a couple hours. Until then, here’s my Week 3 ballot…with context…

#1 Hope: Hope picked up a pair of wins over winless teams and continues to find plenty of success despite a number of returners having stepped into new roles. The Flying Dutch stay #1 for me.

#2 NYU: I was unsure about whether to put NYU ahead of Transylvania entering this week. But after watching NYU dominate on both ends of the floor in the second half against #11 Tufts yesterday afternoon, keeping the Violets at #2 makes more sense.

#3 Transylvania: Transy has rolled through a weak schedule as per usual, but just added a game at John Carroll, set for Dec. 17, so that is welcome news to voters. As for this last week, a 28-point win over Bluffton keeps the Pioneers at #3 for me.

#4 Trinity (TX): The Tigers remain 9-0, but will not play their next game until Dec. 19, likely due to the university’s finals schedule. But I’ve seen enough to keep Trinity at #4 in my ballot for the third straight week.

#5 Christopher Newport: CNU pushed the scoreboard to triple digits in Sunday’s 110-57 win over N.C. Wesleyan in its only game of the week. The Captains are also 9-0, and haven’t had much trouble assembling that unblemished mark. Games against Colorado College and Cortland should provide quality tests for CNU coming up next week.

#6 Baldwin-Wallace: A three-point win at Marietta on Saturday puts BW up to #6 in my ballot, as the Yellowjackets now have notable wins over both Trine and Marietta. I’ve liked what I’ve seen defensively from BW, who continues to be my pick to win the OAC. They’ve held teams below 50 points on four occasions this season.

#7 Scranton: A convincing performance against 7-3 Misericordia on Wednesday in a 64-46 win solidifies Scranton at #7 in my ballot for the second straight week. That win, along with the victory over Ithaca at the end of November are Scranton’s most impressive results. Like a handful of other Top 10 teams, Scranton will not play this coming week.

#8 Amherst: The Mammoths’ best win remains the four-point victory at home over Springfield back in November, and outside of that, Amherst does not have a great resume. However, despite playing lower-caliber teams, Amherst has continued adding to the win total, now 7-0.

#9 Babson: Head coach Judy Blinstrub won her 700th career game on Tuesday, becoming just the 11th coach in D-III WBB history to do so. The 71-63 defeat of Framingham State moves Babson to 7-0 and into the Top 10, as both that one and the victory over Roger Williams were fairly impressive to me. My colleague and friend Scott Peterson, who often joins us on the Hoopsville WBB panel segment, has a model that measures the “average Massey ranking of all wins”, in other words, it is an average of where all the opponents a particular team has beat were ranked according to the Massey Ratings, a widely regarded computer model. Babson is No. 3 on that list, with the average ranking being around 94. They are one of only three teams who are below an average of 100 according to that model.

#10 UW-Eau Claire: Yes, a nine-point loss to Loras is not going to do UWEC any favors, but Loras is a team I’ve liked since the early weeks of the season, so neither of the Blugolds’ losses are particularly “bad”, considering the other came to Hope, and both were suffered on the road. The victories over La Crosse and River Falls give UWEC a boost in my assessment, as does the win over Wartburg, who is now 6-2.

#11 UW-Whitewater: Another two-loss WIAC team that is fairly high on my ballot. The WIAC will be deep this year, so even the best teams will suffer a few losses. But strength of schedule-wise, Whitewater’s numbers are very notable, including the average Massey ranking of wins being 59.71, far and away the best resume according to that metric. Victories over Millikin, Illinois Wesleyan, Augustana, and @ La Crosse are solid resume-builders. Whitewater gets a big test visiting Chicago Wednesday night.

#12 Mary Hardin-Baylor: UMHB suffered its first loss of the year at ETBU on Saturday, falling 66-59 in a game where they forced 28 turnovers, but shot poorly. The loss does not help the Cru’s case, but a 5-1 record, with all six games coming on the road (yes you read that right…can’t think of another Top 25 team that did that this season) is notable. Plus, the season-opening four-point win at Emory really helps strengthen their resume.

#13 Springfield: The Pride continues to rise in my ballot, now 8-1, with a number of strong performances. Their lone loss came at Amherst in the second game of the season, but since that point, Springfield has won seven straight. An 81-72 win over Emmanuel on the road along with double-digit victories over Middlebury and Williams remain as their “best wins” in my mind. They play undefeated Albertus Magnus on Dec. 14. Sam Hourihan is playing well right now, averaging 16.6 pts, and 8.8 reb per game.

#14 DeSales: Now 9-0, DeSales hasn’t played an especially tough schedule, but holding Misericordia (who is 7-3) to just 29 points in a win on Saturday gives DeSales a boost in my mind. I like the product they’re putting on the floor, playing with the intensity of a tournament team in December.

#15 Tufts: Tufts looked good for a half on Sunday, but completely lost all momentum on their home floor in the second against NYU. One notable thing there, though…the Jumbos were without All-American Maggie Russell. Having her on the floor changes the game for Tufts, which gives me some concerns about the Jumbos’ scoring depth. The 15-point loss at Emory isn’t great either, but both came to good teams, which remains my rationale for keeping two-loss teams in the Top 15. The Jumbos are #17 in Massey’s ratings, and have wins over Roger Williams and WPI, both of whom are Massey Top 80 teams.

#16 Smith: After losing to Framingham State, Smith goes 2-0 on the week with low-tier wins. At 8-1, they still have victories over Trinity (CT) and Bowdoin. Though they weren’t especially great in either of those two performances, they still found a way to win against high-quality opponents. That’s worth a lot, even if the stats aren’t always there.

#17 Rochester: A dominant 83-66 win over #17 Ithaca on Wednesday moved Rochester back into my Top 20. They are 8-1 and Katie Titus continues to step up in big moments for the Yellowjackets. A D-II transfer, Titus is certainly on my watch list as the potential UAA Player of the Year.

#18 Trine: I only moved Trine down in my ballot to allow for Rochester to move up, but Trine plays Hope on Friday in what should be an excellent opportunity to gauge where the Thunder are at, having won three straight after the loss to Ohio Northern. The win over Calvin remains Trine’s best win in my opinion, considering it was by a 15-point margin.

#19 Chicago: Chicago jumps into my ballot as an 8-0 team that has potential for a big year, playing several Massey Top 100 teams in a stacked UAA conference. They also host Whitewater this week as previously mentioned in what could be a big-time resume builder. Chicago has great point, turnover, and rebounding differential, partially due to play some weaker opponents, but nonetheless, watching them on film, it’s clear they belong in the Top 25. Best win is probably on the road against Wheaton.

#20 Puget Sound: Like the rest of the west coast teams, Puget Sound didn’t play this past week, but I’m moving them up regardless.The home loss to Wheaton still hurts the resume, but they have won four straight since then, including wins over Whitworth and Whitman. Neither are ranked in my ballot, but both will be competitive in the NWC.

#21 Hardin-Simmons: The Cowgirls don’t move in my ballot after a 2-0 week with wins over Howard Payne and Sul Ross State in ASC play. The 81-65 win over ETBU is looking better now after the Tigers took down UMHB.

#22 Ithaca: Ithaca has lost to Rochester and Scranton by significant margins, but remains a quality team in my opinion due to their road wins over Catholic and SUNY-Geneseo. Still, I was expecting a little bit more against Rochester this past Wednesday. You have to win in the big games (or keep is closer than 17) to stay high in the rankings.

#23 UC Santa Cruz: Still waiting to see UCSC’s games against Whitewater and UMHB to get a better look at the Banana Slugs, but overall, Todd Kent’s team remains undefeated against D-III opponents. In my opinion, UCSC is two good wins away from being a Top 15 team. They’ll have plenty of opportunities coming up in the second half of the regular season.

#24 Gustavus Adolphus: The Gusties have a sneaky-good resume, with no especially impressive wins, but also no bad losses. The only loss came by a point to Concordia-Moorehead, but they have three wins over Top 50 Massey teams in Augsburg, St. Benedict, and UW-Stout. The Stout win was on the road, and the Gusties won by 19, which says a lot with Stout putting together a strong start to WIAC play.

#25 Calvin: Losses to Hope and Trine aren’t bad at all, considering the margin in the Hope game ended up being just six points. The Knights beat St. Mary’s (Ind.) 83-58 in their only game of the week, and remain on my ballot still holding wins over Colorado College and Whitewater.

Next 5: Bowdoin, Ohio Northern, Trinity (CT), UW-Oshkosh, Mary Washington, Cortland

Dropped out: Ohio Northern (#25), Whitman (#22)

Starting tomorrow, I’ll be back to doing daily posts on this blog. So be sure to follow along on Substack or D3blogs.com, wherever you find The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops. Enjoy the evening!