The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: December 2, 2022: Business as usual in the world of D3 women’s hoops

It was business as usual in the world of D3 women’s hoops last night. The Top 25 teams took care of business, and the rest of the “favorites” did the same, with no large-scale upsets coming about, a stark difference from the way Wednesday night went. And that’s a good sign. As much as I enjoy the fact that on any given night, “anybody can beat anybody”, it is good to see a level of consistency as we approach the one-month mark of the season. Most teams are close to one-third of the way through their schedules, and after nearly two full months of practice, are finding their rhythms.

Friday’s slate has the potential for another night of Top 25 teams going undefeated, but it won’t be easy. For one thing, Babson has a test tonight in Bridgewater, MA…

Game of the Day: #17 Babson (4-0) @ Bridgewater State (6-1), 8 pm EST

Babson has started off well, but so has Bridgewater State, and this is a big one for both teams, as it should increase each of their the non-conference SOS numbers. BSU’s offense looked good in Tuesday’s 95-91 win over Mass-Dartmouth, with Kylie Grassi and Sydney Bradbury forming a scoring duo that tallied 47 points. But they’ll be up against a strong test tonight, as Babson’s defense has not allowed more than 69 points in a game, and limited opponents to 28.2% from the field this season. Expect a game decided by single digits, with the score getting into the high-60s, maybe 70s.

Thoughts

  • Top 25 teams went 2-0 last night, with #6 Smith pulling out a 66-55 win over Eastern Connecticut, and #24 Hardin-Simmons taking down LeTourneau, 81-52.
  • Bench production is something I always try to pay attention to, as it is a good indicator of the depth of a team. Smith’s Ally Yamada came off the bench last night, scoring 16 points in 26 minutes on 4-of-6 three-point shooting. Also worth a mention, MIT’s Elise Harvey had 12 points off the bench in MIT’s 82-77 overtime win at Worcester State, and Mary Washington’s Sydney Sherman scored 18 in just 23 minutes, making all 10 of her free throw attempts as Mary Washington rolled to victory.
  • Speaking to that same point about individual performances, forward Jordan Ouellette played a full 40 minutes in the win for St. Joseph (CT) and Mitchell, scoring 29 points on 12-of-18 shooting and added eight rebounds.
  • My game of the day, between ETBU and McMurry, was very competitive through the first half, with ETBU leading by just three, 34-31, at halftime. But ETBU held nothing back in the third quarter, outscoring McMurry 24-8 in the third quarter, as the Tigers ran away with a 76-51 victory. McMurry, now 6-1, has started very well as I said yesterday, and the Warhawks proved they could play with one of the ASC’s top-level programs last night, even leading 18-12 after the first quarter. ETBU, having to replace a number of key players due to graduation, has continued getting solid contributions from Jade Goynes and Bridget Upton, who each scored in double figures.
  • There was a conversation on Twitter yesterday in regards to the Coast-to-Coast Conference, which is an eight-team conference comprised of schools in 7 different states and all parts of the country. Due to this set up, very few conference games are played, though the conference does have an automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament. Why not? The C2C meets the requirements set forth for an AQ, but I can understand the argument from the other side too; the side that says the C2C having an AQ is somewhat unfair, considering the lack of conference games, and that the C2C teams should be forced instead to vie for a Pool B bid. It is definitely an intriguing situation, but we must remember that it is the coaches of those programs who are forced to schedule nearly triple the number of non-conference games as most teams across the country. Their job is not easy. Potentially something could be worked out to increase the number of conference games within the C2C during the regular season (thus making scheduling a little easier on the coaches and adding some confirmation to the C2C getting an AQ) though finances become a factor there as well. For the time being, the C2C has an AQ. And to be honest, whichever conference CNU plays in, there’s a good chance they will win the league title, so it’s really not all that controversial. Unless the NCAA changes its AQ requirements, there’s no reason for the C2C to change its way of life. Just my $0.02. So the question is, should those requirements for an AQ be changed?

With that, I’ll end it here. Lots of great action set for tomorrow, but there will be some great games out of this slate tonight as well. Enjoy the action, and as always, feel free to leave a comment, question, or feedback in the comments section below.

The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: December 1, 2022: Conference openers did not disappoint!

Welcome back! Plenty of thoughts for you on last night’s action, but first, the Game of the Day…

Game of the Day: ETBU @ McMurry

I have to venture down to my home state for this one on a fairly light night for ranked teams. Neither of these two are in the Top 25, but nonetheless, there’s a few storylines here. One being that McMurry is 5-0, the program’s best start to a season in I don’t know how long. Th Warhawks will face an elevated level of competition in this ASC opener, but are on their home court, and it might be their biggest test of the year so far. ETBU has won its last four, after opening the year with a loss to CNU, three of those victories coming on the road. We’ll see how both teams fare. I haven’t gotten a good look at either squad yet, so I’m interested to see what has been working for each team.

Thoughts

  • The much-anticipated duel between #1 Hope and #15 Calvin certainly lived up to the expectations, as Hope came out with a 62-56 win. It’s hard to describe, but just by watching it, you can tell that is what good basketball truly is. Both sides were exceptional defensively, and yet it showed just how good each offense was, to find scoring opportunities despite the intensity opposing them. Hope did a nice job of keeping pressure on the ball, which led to 21 turnovers, and Calvin defended the three-point arc very well, holding the Flying Dutch to a 4-of-20 mark from long range. Ultimately, it was visible, as it always is, just how much this rivalry means to both sides. Each team had thoroughly prepared, and it showed. Also, thought it was notable that neither side went deep into its bench, instead relying on a small rotation. For Hope, that was just eight players, and Calvin played just one more, with nine.
  • UW-La Crosse hosted #9 UW-Whitewater in a key WIAC battle, as Whitewater was looking to rebound from the Calvin loss and UWL attempted to keep its undefeated record alive. What played out was a fantastic chess match of sorts in La Crosse, as Whitewater won by the low score of 58-53. Whitewater shot 41.5% from the field, 50% from three-point range, compared to a 28.8% shooting mark, and 7.1% three-point mark for UWL. So what kept the Eagles in it? They got the free throw line. When shots aren’t going down, the free throw line becomes your best friend, and UWL found ways to get there frequently, making 18-of-24 attempts. Maggie Trautsch was very impressive for Whitewater. She has a good feel for the game, and shoots the ball with a lot of confidence. Had 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting last night.
  • Staying in the great land of Wisconsin, #12 UW-Eau Claire was given all it could handle by UW-River Falls, on UWEC’s home court. The final was a 74-71 win for UWEC, but UWRF deserves a ton of credit. Down by 19 in the third quarter, the Falcons stormed back, cutting it to single digits early in the fourth then all the way to two. The shots just didn’t fall at the right times for UWRF late in that one, as UWEC kept its lead intact…barely. Just like in football, you never know what you’re going to get from the WIAC on any given night. Nobody has an easy victory in this league.
  • Speaking of ranked teams battling in close games, #13 Mary Hardin-Baylor trailed Schreiner by six with under five minutes left, before slowly chipping away, leading to Catherine Kaiser’s layup with three-tenths of a second on the clock that broke a 61-61 tie. Great resilience by UMHB, who overcame a cold shooting night, and I’m also impressed by Schreiner’s play as of late. A team that uses a pressing defense, the Mountaineers had won three of their last four entering last night, and also lost to #24 Hardin-Simmons by just four at HSU back on Nov. 12. Pay attention to Schreiner in the SCAC.
  • Getting back to the WIAC, be sure you’re paying attention to what head coach Kelly McNiff and her team from UW-Platteville is doing. At #19 UW-Oshkosh, UWP came away with a 60-35 win behind a huge second half. Very impressive effort from UWP, who had great bench contribution, and came up with 25 turnovers.
  • Loras is probably one of those unranked teams you should keep an eye on. I’m not sure if they have a Top 25 resume just yet, but it possible they will if they can keep this momentum going. At home last night, Loras took down a solid, yet somewhat struggling Coe squad, 58-53, moving to 4-1 overall, 2-0 in ARC play. Honestly, it looked like Coe might pull this one out, leading by two as the fourth quarter began. But Loras outscored Coe 24-17 in the final quarter.
  • Augustana looked really good in its CCIW opener against Wheaton last night, fighting for a 65-63 overtime win. I like what I’m seeing from Augie as of late, now 6-1 overall, and 1-0 in the CCIW. The Vikings shoot the ball so well (41% last night), and demonstrated tremendous poise down the stretch in what should give them some momentum heading into the duel with Millikin on Saturday.

I’m going to stop there! But the bottom line is there was a ton of great basketball last night, and so many impressive performances, both from teams and from individual players. That’s what conference play will do…it just elevates the intensity all the way around. Feels weird to be writing about conference play on December 1, but here we are. Whether a game is played on November 30 or February 15, every contest in conference play counts once it comes to tournament selection time. Hope you are doing well! Enjoy the start to the final month of 2022!

The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: November 30, 2022: The Rivalry tips off tonight…

Today marks a game that you’re not going to want to miss. It’s known simply as The Rivalry, and holds such a distinction, because, of all the rivalries in D3 hoops, this one has achieved a reputation, on both the men’s and women’s side, as being one that entire alumni bases seem to turn out for, great teams play in each season, and a significant amount of school pride on the line. Of course, I’m talking about Hope and Calvin. It’s the game of the day, and ever since I saw a tweet from Hope last night, proclaiming that it was 24 hours until tip-off, I’ve been excited. More on that below…

Game of the Day: #1 Hope @ #15 Calvin, 7:30 pm EST

This matchup, even in November, holds plenty of significance for both teams. For one thing, Calvin will be on its home floor, and provide a favorable backdrop for the Knights, who look to continue the momentum after taking down #9 UW-Whitewater on Saturday. Hope also needs this win, as it might just be the toughest test the Flying Dutch will face in the entirety of MIAA play. Stopping Gabby Timmer, Calvin’s talented preseason All-American forward, will be the No. 1 objective for Hope. If they can do that, chances of victory likely improve significantly. Plus, this is the first game in MIAA play! It feels way too early for Hope-Calvin. But here we are…

Livestream Link: https://www.youtube.com/@CalvinKnights

Keep an eye on…

#9 UW-Whitewater @ UW-La Crosse, 8:00 pm EST

John Carroll @ Denison, 5:00 pm EST

Wittenberg @ Capital, 7:00 pm EST

For a complete schedule, visit D3hoops.com.

Thoughts…

The biggest game of the night was the Top 15 duel between #14 Ithaca and #8 Scranton. Scranton seemed to have the upper hand all the way through, and emerged with a 74-53 win, in an impressive performance that solidified the Lady Royals’ standing as one of the nation’s Top 10 teams. The win is significant considering we as voters did not have a whole lot to go on when figuring out where to rank Scranton on Monday, considering the Lady Royals really didn’t have any notable wins within the first three weeks of the season. This was Scranton’s first test, and by my grade, they passed with flying colors. They were 7-of-17 from 3-point range, and had two 20-point scorers in Bridget Monaghan (20 pts) and Kaci Kranson (24 pts).

Western Connecticut State has now won three straight, after taking down St. Joseph (CT) in overtime last night, 65-63. WestConn is playing good basketball right now, and will be a contender in a very deep Little East Conference. They trailed 29-24 at halftime, but a Malaysia Dingle three-pointer with 12 seconds left in regulation sent it into an extra period. I was impressed by the play of forward Katelyn Fanning, who had 13 points, 15 rebounds and four assists. She is a do-it-all type of player for WestConn.

Emmanuel definitely gave #7 Amherst a run, though the Mammoths pulled it out, 58-53, staying perfect at 5-0. I’ll say this though, Amherst’s defense did not look good down the stretch. And neither did the offense. Emmanuel finished the game on a 19-4 run, but simply ran out of time for the comeback. So takeaways from this one were…Emmanuel is once again going to be competitive in the GNAC and the offense that put 104 points on Brooklyn this past Sunday might be the best offense Amherst has faced so far…and to its credit, Amherst made the plays necessary to stay in front, especially in the first half. It’s also surprising that Amherst continues to keep such a tight rotation, but it’s been what’s worked for Coach Gromacki for quite some time. Only eight saw the floor last night for the Mammoths.

An All-Region/All-American candidate to be paying attention to is Rochester’s Katie Titus. A D-II transfer who is a graduate student at Rochester, she is averaging 19.5 points per game through Rochester’s first four contests, and had 21 last night against Keuka. She is 38.7% from 3pt range and 53.8% from the field. Plus, she’ll be facing great competition in the UAA this season.

That’s all I have for today. Be sure to tune into a game or two tonight. You won’t regret it. Great basketball is being played across the country, and many conferences are tipping off tonight, adding an extra level of excitement and intensity to the mix. It’s a great day for D3 hoops!

The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: November 29, 2022: The Week 1 Top 25 has been released!

Welcome back to another edition of The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops! The much-anticipated Week 1 Top 25 poll was released yesterday, and I’ve included some notes below on that. To check out the complete D3hoops.com Top 25 poll, click here. As a , voter, I also broke down my ballot in an article here. But before getting to that, there is a Top 15 matchup you should be sure to tune into this evening…

Game of the Day: #14 Ithaca @ #8 Scranton, 7 pm EST

This will be not only the game of the day, but certainly one of the best games of the week, as we should see Scranton truly tested for the first time this season, while Ithaca is seeking yet another big win, after beating Cortland and Catholic in the last three weeks. Bridget Monaghan leads Scranton’s offensive attack, as 12.8 points per game, though first-year head coach Ben O’Brien has four starters averaging double figures in points. Ithaca can score too, and is averaging 65.0 points per game, behind the emergence of freshman Zoraida Icabalceta (11.0 PPG, 7-of-12 on 3pt) and senior forward Emily Dorn (12.0 PPG).

Some Top 25 Thoughts…

  • To start off at #1, I’m surprised that Hope was not a unanimous top pick. The Flying Dutch picked up 21 of the 25 possible first-place votes, but NYU had three and Transylvania had one. I just don’t see. Not yet, at least. Neither Transylvania nor NYU has beaten a team even close to the Top 25 this season. Hope has wins over #12 UW-Eau Claire, and a strong Illinois Wesleyan team, who received votes in the poll.
  • I understand that Smith was #7 in the preseason, and they are certainly a talented squad. But moving them up to #6, after barely beating Maine Maritime and Trinity (CT) in overtime is not something I would have expected. Time will tell with Smith.
  • Calvin had an incredible 48 or so hours. The Knights did not land on anybody’s preseason ballot, but after coming up with a two-point win over #9 UW-Whitewater (at the time ranked #4) on Saturday, Calvin found itself at #15 when yesterday’s ranking was released. The MIAA will be an intriguing conference to watch this season.
  • Rochester joins the club of being a team with zero preseason votes who ended up in the Top 20, coming in at #18. Consecutive wins over Messiah and St. John Fisher, teams ranked in the preseason who have now dropped out of the poll, certainly helped Rochester’s case. In a stacked UAA, they will have a great schedule to build their SOS, and also contend for the league title.
  • UC Santa Cruz made it debut in the poll, coming in at No. 22 with a 7-0 record. That is a big accomplishment for a team that seemed to be on the fringe of the Top 25 for most of last year.

Notes from around the division…

  • The biggest game yesterday was between DeSales and #25 Messiah, in which DeSales left no doubt in a 61-35 victory that saw its starting five account for all but seven of its points. I did not have DeSales in my ballot, in large part because I wanted to see how the Bulldogs fared against Messiah. You don’t anticipate seeing wins, even in November, by that margin between ranked teams. DeSales entered the Top 25 at #23, but ballots were submitted a few hours prior to tip-off. I anticipate the Bulldogs sliding up at least a few spots as long as there are no hiccups in the first two games of MAC Freedom play.
  • Alma took a three-point lead into the final quarter, and gave Capital all it could handle. But Capital put 23 points on the board in the fourth, winning on Bri O’Connor’s buzzer-beating jumper, as the Comets won 65-64. It was a great effort from an Alma team now 1-5 overall, while Capital is 4-1. Very exciting game down the stretch.
  • We had two postponements yesterday, one in which a reason was stated, and one in which it was not. Oglethorpe was scheduled to play Emory tonight, but “due to injuries and illness” the game was postponed, and will be rescheduled, according to a tweet from Ogelthorpe women’s basketball. Wentworth was also scheduled to play Dean, with both teams posting “gameday” announcements yesterday morning, before Wentworth released a tweet just after noon, saying simply: “Tonight’s women’s basketball game against Dean has been postponed. A make-up date, if available, will be announced.” Two postponements on the same day is not something we see all that often, though in D-III, where programs sometimes carry roster of only 10 or 11, a few players being out could risk injuring or overplaying the remaining healthy players available.
  • I received a message about McMurry in the American Southwest Conference yesterday from a loyal reader. Even as someone who covers the ASC, I had not noticed McMurry’s 5-0 start. Perhaps because the Warhawks aren’t exactly a team that has contended for titles in the ASC in a quite a long time. To put the 5-0 start into context, McMurry was 3-20 last season, so head coach Drew Long is doing something right. The university removed his interim tag following last season, and that will be a turnaround story to keep an eye on as the year progresses.

That’s all for today…but the plan is to have more notes and news in tomorrow’s post. Until then, enjoy your day and feel free to leave a comment with any questions or thoughts you might have.

The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: November 28, 2022: My Top 25 ballot…with context

Well, here we are. The first Top 25 ballot of the season comes out in just a few hours. Being a Top 25 voter (and I’m very appreciative to the D3hoops crew for giving me this opportunity), I did my best over the last several days to break down my ballot. It’s not perfect, and there are so many teams I considered, but came up with these 25. The best part of the season is still to come, and teams have only been playing games for about three weeks now. I did my best to give an accurate picture of how I’m seeing the best teams in D-III, and where they stand at this point. So here you go…my Top 25 ballot…explained.

#1 Hope

Hope entered the season at #1 and the Flying Dutch will stay there. At least for the time being. Because Hope showed no signs of a letdown in any of its first six contents, including battles against quality opponents in UW-Eau Claire and Illinois Wesleyan. If Brian Morehouse’s team is not a unanimous #1 this evening, I’ll be surprised.

#2 Transylvania

Watching Transylvania play, I was impressed by the ball movement and ability to create three-point shots through good passing. Transylvania could easily go undefeated this year, having already faced what is probably its toughest non-conference opponent in UT-Dallas in the season opener, a 57-43 win. Transylvania is an easy #2 for me.

#3 NYU

Thinking along those same lines, nothing has told me from watching NYU on film that the Violets should stay at #3. They’ve looked sharp in all five contests on both ends of the floor, particularly offensively, and though they haven’t played the strongest competition yet, NYU has won by margins worthy of keeping them in the #3 spot.

#4:Trinity (TX)

We have some movement now. Trinity beat #18 Hardin-Simmons, who I consider to be a very good team, twice this past week, completing the rare double of winning at HSU, then winning at home, in games separated by only five days. They won by at least six in each of those, as Trinity seems to look better and better each game. The Tigers will only get better once Maggie Shipley returns to the floor, whenever that might be.

#5 Christopher Newport

CNU has faced quality competition, though not a lot of it. The one notable non-conference win you could point to would be the 63-53 result over ETBU. But that game was played on the road early in the season, and the Captains certainly get some added points for that one. They’ve looked how I expected they would, like a Top 5-caliber team who will be awfully hard for anyone to stop this season.

#6 UW-Whitewater

In truth, I was already planning to move Whitewater down a spot in order to move Trinity up, considering I graded Trinity’s wins over HSU as very strong, especially the road win in Abilene. But Whitewater falls to #6 in my ballot after losing by a single point to unranked Calvin on Saturday. However, the Warhawks also have wins over Illinois Wesleyan and Millikin and will be a WIAC contender. No need to overreact to Saturday’s loss. The defense has also been fairly solid, ranked eighth by Massey ratings.

#7 Amherst

We had a discussion about this on Hoopsville the other day, with mixed feelings on Amherst. But with #7 Smith and #8 Trine both struggling somewhat, one certainly more than the other, I felt I had seen enough of Amherst to slide the Mammoths up to #7. Scranton was a close second in that conversation, but Amherst has a Top 25 win over #16 Springfield, which helps the resume. Defensively, the Mammoths look to be their usual selves, ranked #1 in that category by Massey.

#8 Smith

Smith had two overtime games against unranked opponents in Maine Maritime and yesterday, Trinity (CT). While I believe both of those opponents mentioned, especially Trinity, will be in contention for tournament spots come late February, I didn’t see the Smith team that I was anticipating. The foul defensively quite a bit, which almost single-handedly kept Trinity in it yesterday, but are a strong shooting team that is especially good in the post. I’ll keep them at #8 for the time being until I get a more consistent string of performances from them.

#9 Baldwin Wallace

The season-opening double overtime win over Trine instantly put #12 Baldwin Wallace into the Top 10 conversation for me. The Yellow Jackets took care of business in their last four, three of which were on the road. No win came by single digits, and BW is poised for a strong year in the OAC.

#10: Scranton

Scranton didn’t play even close to the toughest competition in its first five games, but the Lady Royals won all five by convincing margins. The closest result came at Gwynedd Mercy, in a 70-56 win, as Scranton played its second game in 24 hours.

#11: Tufts

Tufts doesn’t move up or down from its spot in the preseason poll on my ballot, though the Jumbos have been very good. I’ve watched them play at least three times, including yesterday against UNE. UNE was in it for the first three quarters, separated by a couple points, until a 17-3 run in the fourth made the victory much larger for Tufts. The win over Roger Williams adds to the SOS rating, as well. We’ll see where the other voters have Tufts…

#12: UW-Eau Claire

I’ve gotten a few messages about the Blugolds, who have a tremendous amount of experience, several of whom transferred in prior to either last season or this season. UWEC is right up there with Whitewater as a WIAC contender, and played Hope (at Hope) tough, despite falling 89-77. Besides that loss, UWEC has been terrific in my opinion, with an 11-point win over Wartburg, and though I don’t put much stock into non-D3 results, fell by just two in an early season contest at D-II Concordia-St. Paul.

#13: Mary Hardin-Baylor

This is where the ballot got tough, between the numbers of 13-20. There are so many preseason ranked teams in this area who lost a few times within the first couple weeks, making it tough to figure out who should stay, and where those teams should go. UMHB, using its notable depth, came out of the gate with two wins over Emory and Lynchburg, both on the road. They started later than everybody else, and Emory gave the Crusaders a fight. I’ll need more time to get a good feel for where the Cru stand, but initially watching the guard play, and the post players Mark Morefield has brought in, UMHB is a comfortable mid-section Top 25 team for me.

#14 Trine

The loss at Baldwin Wallace was not great for Trine, but understandable, considering it was the season opener, and on the road. But the recent loss at home to unranked Ohio Northern really hurts Trine’s resume. Still, they played both of those games competitively, keeping it close, and while I certainly haven’t seen anything that tells me they’re a Top 10 team right now, nothing says they won’t be once MIAA play gets going.

#15 Springfield

Springfield’s lone loss came at Amherst, and by a mere four-point margin. The 14-point win over Williams on Nov. 22 was impressive, considering it marked Williams’ only loss of the season thus far. Springfield moves up one spot in my poll, though I’ll be keeping a close eye to see how they progress once NEWMAC play begins.

#16 Ithaca

Ithaca was #20 in the preseason poll, but now has quality victories at home against Cortland (in overtime) and on the road against Catholic (67-65). The big test is tonight against undefeated DeSales, which would have been convenient to be played before we had to submit our ballots, rather than after. But still, Ithaca is undefeated, and ranked #25 by Massey. Overall, I’ve liked what I’ve seen so far.

#17 Whitman

Had trouble figuring out who to put here, as Millikin (#14 in the preseason) has three losses and St. John Fisher (#17 in the preseason) has two. Whitman has one loss to NAIA power Lewis & Clark State. Besides that performance, Whitman has played every game on the road (some being neutral site matchups), and emerged with a 5-1 record. Led by Korin Baker and Sydney Abbott, the Blues are the clear NWC favorites.

#18 Babson

Babson has played just three games, but has come away 3-0, facing opponents who currently have a win percentage of .500 or better. They’ve been good defensively, holding opponents to a shooting percent of 28.4%, and overall have come out of the gates strong. The 61-53 home win over Roger Williams is Babson’s most notable victory up to this point.

#19 UW-Oshkosh

Oshkosh is 6-0 to start the year, having won at Bethel, Wartburg and DePauw, as well as Augustana (neutral site). Not a bad non-conference SOS in the first month. Though Brad Fischer has a younger squad than in years past, the development seems to be progressing game-to-game, and Oshkosh is certainly in the WIAC title conversation.

#20: Rochester

Watching Rochester play, I’m surprised they didn’t end up with a Top 25 spot in the preseason. With consecutive wins over ranked opponents in Messiah and St. John Fisher, Rochester jumped onto the radar of plenty of voters. They’ll have their fair share of tests in a stacked UAA this season, but the quality of the wins over those two previously mentioned teams, along with a victory over UT-Dallas gives me confidence in their place amongst the country’s best at this point in the year.

#21 Hardin-Simmons

HSU drops a bit after losing to Trinity twice in one week, especially at home, but the Cowgirls will soon regain their rhythm. After all, I have Trinity at #4. HSU did not have the greatest non-conference start to the season, with wins over Texas Lutheran, Schreiner and Austin College (all teams below .500), but I’ve seen enough to know that HSU has playmakers and will be a force once again in the ASC. ETBU should be a quality test to give us a better idea of where they are heading into next week’s poll.

#22 Illinois Wesleyan

I’ve gone back and forth on this one, but IWU looked very good in the win over DePauw on Saturday, a quality non-conference victory for sure. They’re playing one of the tougher schedules in the country, and the 5-2 record is a bit misleading, considering both losses are to Top 10 teams in Hope and Whitewater. And both came on the road. IWU also beat Capital by 11, and WashU yesterday by 15. The Titans will be a force in the CCIW, and from my perspective, are the favorites.

#23 UC Santa Cruz

I said at the beginning of the year that UCSC was poised for a big run this season. With leading scorers Ashley Kowack and Kaylee Murphy back, along with a number of other key returners from last year’s team that went 16-4, UCSC has delivered, with a 7-0 run. Whitworth gave them all they could handle yesterday, as the Banana Slugs held on for a 58-57 win. Head coach Todd Kent is limited on his scheduling options, which may hurt UCSC’s ranking nationally early on. But watching them play multiple times, I continue to see them as a Top 25 team who will be impressive throughout this year.

#24 Calvin

Calvin was not a team I had at the forefront of my radar as we entered this year, but nonetheless, the Knights showed just how dangerous they can be, beating UW-Whitewater on the road on Saturday, 66-64. It was a narrow victory, but Calvin was the first to hand the Warhawks a loss in 2022-23, and will look to keep it going against Hope this week. Led by Gabby Timmer, the Knights are 5-0, also with wins over Colorado College and at Wisconsin Lutheran.

#25 Millikin

I debated for quite some time on whether to keep Millikin in or insert a team like Marietta, St. John Fisher or Messiah into my ballot. After all, a 3-3 start isn’t exactly eye-popping. But I want to give it more time, because Millikin has plenty of talent on the roster, Olivia Lett is an experienced head coach, and I believe they’ll turn things around here soon. Losses to UW-Stevens Point, UW-Whitewater and WashU all came on the road or at a neutral site, but still, I’m interested to see where Millikin goes from here. They certainly haven’t looked like what most thought they would be, but there are more tests still to come, with several big matchups early in CCIW play for Millikin.

Just outside

26.Puget Sound

27. Marietta

28. UW-La Crosse

29. St. John Fisher

30. Messiah

Got questions? Comments? Thoughts in general? Feel free to leave a note below.