Tag Archives: Top 25 Ballot

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The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: Week 9 WBB Top 25 Ballot breakdown

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By Riley Zayas

February 6, 2024

As the weeks go by, putting together a Top 25 ballot becomes more and more difficult, and I think a lot of that is because by this point, only four teams in the country are undefeated, and nearly everyone has a few question marks next to their resume. We know more about these teams now than we did in December, and while that allows for more informed analysis, it also creates some tough decisions to make in the bottom spots of my ballot. So anyway, here’s how my Top 25 ballot looks this week! Definitely left a couple good teams out, and added a couple teams in that I feel are on the rise.

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out yesterday’s D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll! Link here: d3hoops.com/top25/women/2023-24/week9

Also a reminder that the first edition of regional rankings will be released in the next few hours, and while they are ranked alphabetically this week, they should provide us with some valuable data. I’ll have an update on that this afternoon. Link to the rankings here (this is where you’ll find them once they are made available): https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/basketball-women/d3/regional-rankings-0

Top 25 Ballot Breakdown

  1. NYU (20–0): The Violets continue to impress. In a tough stretch of UAA play that involves playing the same two teams on consecutive weeks, NYU handled it with ease. The Violets opened their road weekend at Rochester’s historic Palestra, and put 95 points on the board, which I have been informed is the highest point total for NYU ever in a single game at Rochester. Less than 48 hours later, they went to Atlanta, and beat Emory in statement fashion, 82-46. Emory, for reference, was ranked #12 in the country entering the week. NYU isn’t just winning. They are winning big, and doing so against tough UAA competition.
  2. Rhode Island College (22-0): RIC went on the road in a key Little East showdown against UMass-Dartmouth, the No. 2 team in the league, on Wednesday, and only further added to what has been a dominant regular season thus far. The 62-50 victory saw RIC win the rebounding battle by +12, score 36 points in the paint, and overcome a rough shooting day from long-range to win big. The Anchorwomen are very disciplined on the defensive end, and that cuts down on the opponent’s free throw opportunities. That element will be even more important in the NCAA Tournament, and I can also appreciate the efficiency with which RIC operates. The Anchorwomen are No. 2 nationally in overall efficiency (per D3 Datacast).
  3. Transylvania (21-0): The win streak just keeps on going for Transy, who has now won 54 straight games. It is extremely impressive, and when you talk efficiency, the Pioneers are up there with the best, ranked No. 4 in the country in overall efficiency.
  4. Gustavus Adolphus (18-1): The Gusties continue to rise and this is the highest I’ve had them all year. The league-leader in the MIAC, Gustavus has found success in pretty much every game they’ve played thus far, and even in the loss to RIC in December, I thought the Gusties really contended well with what RIC was doing offensively. A fine-tuned machine on the offensive end, Gustavus is an incredibly smart team that can score the ball quickly without using a dribble, and again, is a Top 10 efficiency team. Noticing a trend? Gustavus swept the week, with wins over St. Scholastica and Bethel.
  5. UW-Whitewater (18-3): UW-Whitewater went 0-2 this past week, falling to UW-Oshkosh at home before dropping a 69-60 game to UW-Stout on the road. The Warhawks have done more than enough work to be a Top 10 team despite dropping three of their last four, though I expect some voters will drop them a good amount more than just two spots. But there’s important context here. Kacie Carollo didn’t play against UW-Stout and she is a game-changing type of player for the Warhawks. Her absence was noticeable, but as long as I’m under the impression that Carollo will be back at some point this season, I’m not going to drop Whitewater too much. They’ve got several talented players of course, but Carollo is central to what the Warhawks run on both ends of the floor, and it will be interesting to see how voters handle Whitewater in regards to Carollo’s absence on Saturday. The credit goes to Oshkosh and Stout for winning the games itself—the WIAC is a top-tier league for a reason—but point being, I’m going to take a cautious approach with Whitewater for now, based on what I’ve seen throughout this season, rather than dropping the Warhawks too much too quick, especially if Carollo returns.
  6. Christopher Newport (21-1): CNU’s lone game of the week saw the Captains pull away from Mary Washington in a dominant fourth quarter, winning 74-56. They play Mary Washington again this week—this time on the road. CNU has, as expected, been remarkably consistent, and the fourth-quarter performances continue to be notable. In fact, CNU has outscored its opponent in the fourth quarter of every game dating back to Dec. 2.
  7. Hope (20-1): The Flying Dutch won their lone game of the week, beating St. Mary’s (IN) at home to notch yet another 20-win season. Hope now closes the season by playing three of its last four on the road, and this is the third week that I have Hope No. 7 in my ballot. The MIAA has certainly challenged Hope well this year, with single-digit games against Albion, Calvin, Alma, and Trine. Hope keeps finding ways to win, though.
  8. UW-Oshkosh (17-4): The Titans were in my preseason ballot, but a road-heavy slate in non-conference play dropped Oshkosh from my ballot for a few weeks. Now, they’re in my Top 10. A win on the road at UW-Whitewater will do that, as I continue to be struck by Oshkosh’s outstanding defensive performances through WIAC play. The Titans control their own destiny when it comes to the WIAC regular season title and beat both Whitewater and Eau Claire last week.
  9. Millikin (18-4): Millikin had somewhat of a weird week, despite going 2-0. North Park put 91 points on them as the Big Blue won 110-91, and Millikin won by just five, 61-56, at Wheaton on Saturday. On Jan. 10, for comparison, Millikin beat Wheaton 86-47. So that’s somewhat surprising, and the same goes for the North Park result. Millikin held NP to 62 points the last time they met on Jan. 13. As far as I know, no injuries were involved. But every now and again, especially on the heels of playing two Top 25 opponents the week prior, the season starts to wear on a team. Perhaps that’s what we saw last week. Regardless, Millikin continues to win, and currently holds a 2-0 head-to-head record against Illinois Wesleyan who I have just one spot behind.
  10. Illinois Wesleyan (17-4): The Titans won their lone game of the week, beating Wheaton at home, 78-57. IWU is barely behind Millikin for me, and a lot of that is the head-to-head results against the Big Blue a couple weeks ago, though Millikin is also slightly ahead of IWU in efficiency. But I continue to hold to the fact that IWU is a Top 10 team, both resume-wise, and based on the eye test, having seen the Titans progression over the course of this season. The defensive intensity seems to have taken a step forward the last week or so as well, and we saw it with 28 Wheaton turnovers last Wednesday.
  11. Wartburg (20-2): The Knights took a step forward this week for me, moving up three spots from last week’s ballot. Beating Loras in overtime gave Wartburg the season sweep over the Duhawks, 2-0, and there’s a good possibility we see them meet again in the ARC title game. Wartburg is playing well and seems to have gotten past some of the struggles that led to a couple one-sided losses to Whitman and WashU in December. Through the second half of this season, Wartburg has found ways to win, and the victory over Loras, combined with losses by Catholic, Bowdoin, and Johns Hopkins, gave me an opportunity to move Wartburg up, just outside the Top 10.
  12. Bowdoin (20-2): Bowdoin split the weekend in NESCAC play, taking its first loss in the league at Bates, 72-57, before defeating Tufts, 77-63. The Polar Bears dropped a few spots in my ballot this week, but I think Bowdoin’s body of work speaks for itself. Also worth noting is that Bowdoin beat Bates, 68-48, in a non-conference game back on Dec. 4. So while Friday’s loss to Bates is more recent, this is a Bowdoin team that beat the other 7-1 NESCAC team by 20 earlier in the season.
  13. Catholic (20-1): The Landmark Conference is tough at the top, and Scranton took down Catholic on Saturday in a 1-1 week for the Cardinals. Their 20-win streak came to a close, but Catholic remains No. 1 in the Landmark and despite the lower SOS, has posted some nice wins, especially within league play. The win over a talented Elizabethtown team at home on Wednesday keeps Catholic in my Top 15, as that is a solid victory and season sweep that increases Catholic’s resume in my eyes.
  14. Johns Hopkins (18-2): The Blue Jays fell two spots in my ballot as Wartburg moved ahead, with JHU taking a tough loss to Gettysburg last Wednesday, 78-67. It was JHU’s lone result of the week, and the Blue Jays ended up splitting the season series, 1-1, with the Bullets. I’ve spoken quite a bit about how impressive JHU has been this season, and previous performances are keeping the Blue Jays narrowly ahead of Mary Hardin-Baylor and Scranton.
  15. Mary Hardin-Baylor (19-2): The Cru picked up a pair of wins at home this past week against Sul Ross State and Howard Payne, tying last year’s overall win total (19). UMHB is the top team in Region 10 and is in a very good spot with the regular season nearing the finish line. Notably, leading scorer and All-American Arieona Rosborough did not play in either victory this week, but UMHB saw Remi Adeleke, Alexia Carmosino, and Lauren Baker step up in big ways.
  16. Scranton (19-2): Seeing Scranton beat Catholic on Saturday is a marquee win that will keep Scranton right towards the top half of the Region 3 rankings. It was a victory the Lady Royals desperately needed, having lost to Catholic and Elizabethtown already this season. But as the season has progressed, Scranton has found more of a rhythm, and now has a win over a Massey Top 25 team.
  17. Carroll (17-4): Carroll is having one of its best seasons to date, and that includes beating Millikin twice. Carroll won at Carthage and rolled over North Park at home for yet another 2-0 week, the Pioneers are currently tied with IWU for first place in the CCIW, half a game ahead of Millikin. Wheaton and North Central are up next for Carroll, who currently boasts the top scoring defense in the CCIW (61.9 PPG).
  18. Emory (16-4): Emory has been an interesting team this year, with solid wins over Washington & Lee (away), Hardin-Simmons (home), WashU (away). But at the same time, the Eagles have not contended with NYU to much of a degree in either of the two meetings against the Violets the last two weeks. Maybe that just says a lot about NYU, so I don’t want to knock Emory too much, considering the 6-3 UAA record the Eagles currently hold. Led by Claire Brock and Daniella Aronksy, Emory has experienced talent on its roster; the perfect type of team for a strong NCAA Tournament run. But I would’ve liked to have seen Emory compete with NYU a little bit more to stay in that Top 15 mix. There’s just so many great teams right now as well, that this middle portion of this ballot is very difficult. Carroll, Scranton, and Emory all could easily be Top 15 teams, but just got pushed a little further down on the ballot this week.
  19. Hardin-Simmons (19-3): The head-to-head result against Emory—a 76-68 road loss on Dec. 30—hurts HSU a little bit here, considering HSU and Emory ended up around the same spot. There’s a lot to like about HSU with its effective and high-scoring offense, as the Cowgirl offense is ranked No. 4 in the nation by Massey. I do think the defense is more of a struggle than initially expected, and we’ve seen that in several games so far, as HSU can outscore just about everybody in the ASC, but hasn’t been the best when it comes to picking up defensive stops at a consistent rate.
  20. Gettysburg (17-4): The previously-mentioned win over Johns Hopkins pushes Gettysburg up five spots this week in my ranking. The Bullets played at a high-level on both ends of the floor against JHU, and got off to a fast start that carried them through the final three quarters. A 61-60 win over Haverford on Saturday was a bit too close for comfort, but once again, we saw the Bullets get off to a fast start. Gettysburg has now won 11 straight games, and is carrying plenty of momentum into the final two weeks of the regular season. I definitely think this is a team on the rise and one that could make some noise come tournament time.
  21. Bates (19-3): The big win over Bowdoin definitely gave me confidence in Bates’ place within my Top 25, and while the loss to Colby on Saturday is a bit of a surprise, it is not a loss that knocks Bates out of the Top 25, in my opinion. Had Colby won by 15, that would be a different story, but they didn’t. They won by two after trailing entering the fourth quarter. Certainly a tough way for Bates to have its perfect NESCAC record snapped, but for my ranking purposes, it helps the Bobcats, considering the narrow margin. Bates only beat Colby by a single point the first time they played (as a non-conference game), so it was not a great shock to see Colby contend with the Bobcats in the way they did. And I’d also add that in Bowdoin’s only other loss (to Whittier), the Polar Bears fell by just four, which makes Bates’ 15-point win that much more noteworthy.
  22. Loras (17-3): The loss to Wartburg is tough for Loras, considering the Duhawks made a big run to get back into the game and push the contest into overtime. But even in the loss, I think we saw that Loras is right there with Wartburg, and perhaps the gap between the two teams is closer than I have it here. I like Loras a lot, especially with how many players the Duhawks returned from last year’s successful squad, and after a slower start to the season, it seems Loras has finally clicked offensively under first-year head coach Justin Busch. The defense has really been there all season. The Duhawks got back in the win column with a victory at Central on Saturday, though I do expect they’ll drop a couple spots in the poll itself from No. 19 (Update: they did…Loras is now #22).
  23. Smith (17-3): Smith picked up a pretty solid road win at Coast Guard on Wednesday before dominating against Clark, but I am keeping Smith low. We’ve seen pretty solid wins over MIT, Trinity (CT), Springfield, but two of those three came by three points or fewer. And then you have the recent loss to Springfield, and losses to Dickinson and UMass-Dartmouth. Those all came by five points or less. So Smith hasn’t been blown out, but they also aren’t beating anyone of top quality by a significant margin either.
  24. DeSales (19-2): DeSales won at King’s and at home against FDU-Florham this past week, as the Bulldogs near the 20-win mark. The issue with DeSales, as it is with Washington & Lee, Webster, and a few others, is the lack of quality results. They have one Massey Top 100 win, currently (against Messiah). But I have seen the defense really step up for DeSales, and the 12-game win streak doesn’t hurt either.
  25. Ohio Wesleyan (17-4): As it turned out, I was the only Ohio Wesleyan voter. This 25th spot was a toss-up between a few teams, but at the end of the day, I think OWU makes up for the lower winning percentage with some higher-quality results. I’ve been saying since late last season that OWU was going to be a real contender out of Region 7 this year, but early on, I wasn’t sure that was the case. A loss to Muskingum pretty much took OWU out of contention for a Top 25 spot, but that was on Nov. 29. Since that point, the Bishops have beaten Albion by 12, won twice against Oberlin and Denison, and took down a strong DePauw team by 10 at home this past Saturday. The DePauw win pushed OWU just a little bit higher, and into that final spot of my ballot. OWU brought back just about everyone from last year’s NCAC Tournament Championship team and I believe that has played into this success.

I hope I was able to provide some background and insight behind my ballot turning out the way it did this week! Once again, stay tuned on those regional rankings. I’ve also been working on some bracketology that should hopefully become more clear in the next week or so, though bracketing in the D-III tournament is so difficult considering the mileage limits and the different ways the committee can arrange the first weekend pods. Have a great rest of your day! I’ll check back in soon.

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February 14, 2023: The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops: My Week 11 Top 25 ballot…with context

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It’s that time of the week! The Week 11 D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll is out and I submitted by ballot yesterday afternoon, which I posted to Twitter. It is crazy to believe we only have two ballots left to submit this year…this season has flown by. A few conference tournaments are starting this week, the rest coming next week. Before postseason action begins, here’s how I saw the Week 11 Top 25, with the ranking for each team in the poll listed in parentheses next to the ranking I gave that team in my ballot. As always, drop your thoughts in the comments section below. Also feel free to shoot me a DM on Twitter (@ZayasRiley) or an email at rileyzayas@gmail.com. Always appreciate insight from readers! All the info listed below should be spot-on, but apologies in advance for any flaws. This is not a perfect perspective on the Top 25 by any means. Just one voter’s view of things. As we’ve said so many times this season, there is such a vast number of top quality D3 WBB programs that several great teams will be left off ballots each week.

Side Note: Your D3 hoops viewing schedule tonight should include the rematch between DeSales and Stevens, as DeSales seeks to avenge its only loss of the year. 8 pm EST tip-off in that one. Additionally, Hoopsville had yet another phenomenal show last night with a number of great MBB & WBB interviews that you should certainly check out. Link to that archive is here: https://www.d3hoops.com/hoopsville/archives/2022-23/feb13. And Dave will be on air again Thursday, as Hoopsville is the home of the Top 16 reveal from the MBB and WBB national tournament selection committees. These Top 16 are ideally the 16 who would host in the first weekend of the national tournament if the season ended today. Link to that show will be put out in my Thursday morning post.

Getting to the poll…

The Week 11 D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll

Biggest risers: Gustavus Adolphus (+7), Baldwin Wallace (+7)

Biggest drops: Trinity CT (-7), Puget Sound (-5)

ADDITIONS: Loras (#24), Millikin (#25)

SUBTRACTIONS: La Verne (#23), Rochester (#25)

I really liked…that Gustavus Adolphus broke into the Top 15. This is a team that will really do some damage in the NCAA Tournament, and currently has a .913 win percentage and a .529 SOS. Not enough for one of those Top 16 seeds probably, but still pretty exceptional. They continue to separate themselves in the MIAC.

I didn’t like…Messiah sliding all the way up to #13. I will say that middle part of the ballot is a challenge at times, with no good options for a team in that 12-15 range. But Messiah seems to be a team relying on its win percentage rather than the quality of opponents played. Don’t get me wrong, this is a good team, I’ve seen them play. But #13 good? I don’t know about that. Most of their “quality” wins came before Dec. 10, so in late February, that’s a hard argument to make, sliding a team up two spots.

My Ballot

1-Christopher Newport (#1)- The Captains rolled past Salisbury on the road in their lone game of the week. They’re at that No. 1 caliber and likely won’t move out of this spot for me, unless a loss makes me reconsider.

2-Trinity TX (#4)- Trinity bounced back from the loss to Colorado College by trouncing Dallas 109-47, and Austin, 84-40. The Tigers play at home from here on out, with two regular season games left (both at home), then the SCAC Tournament on their campus in the week to follow.

3- -NYU #6)- The Violets made a statement this week, and moved up two spots in my ballot. I debated whether or not to mvoe NYU higher than 5th, but with a statement win over Chicago and another over WashU this weekend, I couldn’t keep them that low.

4-Scranton (#3)- The Lady Royals pulled out a road win at Elizabethtown in overtime in a solid effort and also beat Drew, 54-42, this past week. Two nice wins there. These top 8 or so are very close in margin for me. They could honestly be put in any order, and I’d probably agree, somewhat.

5- Smith (#5)- Smith had a really strong week of its own, winning by a somewhat surprising 74-56 winning margin at Springfield, along with an exceptional 80-67 win over Babson. Smith is now 22-1 and watching them multiple times recently, they appear to be a squad that will make a tournament run.

6-Transylvania (#2)-Transy held Mount St. Joseph and Anderson each below 40 points in two more dominant defensive efforts this past week. I really like the way the Pioneers are playing right now, with an experienced roster, and I expect they will be in the Top 16 on Thursday, despite many of the numbers (such as SOS and results v/RROs) being lower than most of the teams in that conversation.

7-Hope (#7)- Hope took down Calvin in a great game on Wednesday, and held Olivet to just 18 points in Saturday’s win. 18 points! The bottom half of the MIAA is really weak, so from a numbers standpoint, that game actually hurts Hope’s SOS a bit. But what can you do? Overall, the Flying Dutch have a very solid resume, and more than pass the eye test for me. Hope is a national title contender, and I like the depth on the roster as well. That depth will help them tremendously come tournament time.

8-UW-Whitewater (#16)- The Warhawks pick up two more high-quality WIAC wins, taking down Oshkosh and Stout, and after having their struggles throughout the course of the conference schedule, became the first WIAC team to clinch at least a share of the conference title.

9-DeSales (#9)- DeSales dominated against Immaculata and Delaware Valley this past week, and should be in the Top 16 despite a very low SOS. I didn’t move DeSales up or down this week.

10-Hardin-Simmons (#8)- The Cowgirls slide up to 10th after putting 120 points on McMurry in their only game of the week. Kendra Whitehead has her team at top level right now, already locked in to host the final two rounds of the ASC Tournament, along with receiving a quarterfinal round bye.

11-Trine (#15)- I had the Thunder four spots higher than where they ended up in the poll. The win at Calvin on Saturday did it for me. Trine looked composed and played very well in a tough road atmosphere against an experienced and talented Calvin squad. That’s a big win there in addition to the other notable victories they have on their resume currently. However, I think #15 is fair…Massey has them #17.

12-Gustavus Adolphus (#14)- This is a team that continues to impress, and it was nice to see them rewarded with a Top 15 ranking this week. I had them 12th as I came away convinced in the Gusties’ standing as one of the nation’s top squads after Wednesday’s dominant 82-56 win over Concordia-Moorhead, who is in the Pool C conversation and Gustavus’ main challenger in the MIAC. Nobody has been able to slow the Gusties in MIAC play.

13- WashU (#22)- You can’t really fault the loss at NYU. That’s a tough place to play and an even tougher team to beat. They end up sliding down two spots for me, but part of that is me putting Gusty higher, rather than purposely dropping WashU lower. It’s somewhat of a mute point, but for the record, NYU certainly didn’t dominate WashU. The stats were fairly similar and WashU actually led by a solid margin throughout the first half and into the third quarter before NYU closed the gap and won by five. WashU also beat Brandeis this past week, moving to 16-6 overall.

14-Trinity CT (#19)- Trinity knew how tough the end of the NESCAC schedule was, but I’m not sure that many people anticipated Trinity going 1-3 to end the regular season. The Bantams were 0-2 against Bates and Tufts this past weekend, and though both games were competitive, Trinity was unable to get the job done on the road. Naturally, that hurts their ranking ability a little bit, especially as the three losses in their final four games moved them out of first place in the league standings. But I still think this is a team equipped for a deep run. Teams will key in on Reilly Campbell so it’ll be about who can step up around her in that post unit that will have an effect on Trinity’s postseason success. Just my $0.02.

15-Ithaca (#10)- Ithaca hasn’t played many top notch opponents within the last month and a half, but a 21-2 record can’t be easily ignored. I just don’t know how good the Bombers are. Outside of Skidmore (#96 Massey), Ithaca hasn’t played a Massey Top 150 team in their last 10 games. Looking forward to seeing them in a high-quality battle come tournament time.

16-Chicago (#18)- Chicago’s loss at NYU bothered me a little bit. I can understand a 10-point loss, even a 20-point loss. After all, NYU is stellar, and you’re on the road. But Chicago losing 80-44 definitely surprised me on Friday evening. Of course that’s not the only reason I dropped them two spots. Part of it was also Gustavus Adolphus playing really well and Ithaca jumping up in my ballot. Chicago is certainly in the Pool C conversation, but it appears that it’ll be a two-way battle between NYU and WashU for the UAA crown.

17-UW-Oshkosh (RV)- Maybe my most controversial (or questionable) selection of the week. I’ll admit, #17 is somewhat high. By my calculations, all eight points UWO received came from me. That’s ok. The Titans went 0-2 this past week, so I didn’t anticipate they would show up on a lot of ballots. But looking at the total body of work, UWO has an outstanding resume. Wins over Wartburg, DePauw, and Ripon are great in non-conference, and in the WIAC, they’ve beaten La Crosse, Stout, and Eau Claire all at least once. Their Pool C chances seem fairly favorable right now as well.

18-Millikin (#25)-Millikin broke back into the Top 25, though seven spots lower than where I had them. The CCIW’s leader is in a tough Region 8, with WashU, Transylvania, and Chicago all in there. But I don’t think Millikin will be contending for a Pool C on Selection Monday (or “Matchup Monday”, I’ve heard both terms used). They won twice on the road at IWU and Carthage this past week, looking very sharp in both. Head coach Olivia Lett has her squad ready for a tournament run.

19-UW-Eau Claire (RV)- The Blugolds aren’t ranked for the second straight week, and like UWO, I can see why. But applying my similar line of thinking and approach to this ballot, UWEC’s SOS and total body of work cannot be overlooked. Massey has the Blugolds #2 nationally in SOS and while I thought the last five games from UWEC were decent but not outstanding by any means, overall, when I compare UWEC to the rest of the teams in competition for these final six spots in my ballot, I don’t see a better resume or a more dangerous tournament team.

20-Puget Sound (#21)- The tough part about teams with resumes like Puget Sound’s is that one loss can cause some significant ramifications. Though the Loggers had been frequently trailing NWC opponents in the first half of games only to dominate in the second half, Pacific found a way to maintain its lead and shock PS on the Loggers’ home court this past week. I had no choice but to drop them five spots, mostly because other teams were just more deserving. I’m more interested to see how much the loss affects regional rankings in Region 10. It shouldn’t be too much, though R10 has been a roller coaster this year.

21-Wartburg (#20)- Wartburg enters my ballot after yet another 2-0 week, with wins over Central and Buena Vista. The Knights will have a challenge on their hands against the next team in my ballot, Loras, in Saturday’s regular season finale, but haven’t lost since Dec. 20. I’ve watched a bit more of them since they broke into the poll last week and this definitely appears to be a team that will be dangerous in March. They’ll almost certainly have a tough first weekend draw, though, so a tournament run will not come easily.

22-Loras (#24)- The Duhawks, also out of the ARC remain in my ballot, and are back in the poll as well. That’s good to see. Loras has taken a pair of losses in conference action, but since losing to Wartburg on Jan. 18, the Duhawks have rattled off six straight victories. It’s a two-way battle between Wartburg and Loras atop the ARC standings and right now, there isn’t a clear favorite.

23-Babson (#17)- Babson slides down five spots in my ballot, in part due to Wartburg and Loras rising and PS and UWEC sliding further down, but still deserving a higher ranking than Babson from perspective. The Beavers were 1-1 this past week, losing by 13 at Smith, while beating Wellesley. I need to see a bit more of Babson if I’m going to rank the Beavers ahead of a team like UWEC or Puget Sound.

24-Baldwin Wallace (#12)- The Yellow Jackets prevailed in a big way on Wednesday night, taking down ONU in overtime, 66-62. It was a well-executed performance from BW, and though I’m not yet sold on the Yellow Jackets, they have the resume of a Top 25 team in my opinion. I will say it feels a bit too high to have BW at #12 in the poll; Massey has them #24 and Scott Peterson’s model has them #31.

25- Ohio Northern (#11)- I wasn’t sure what to do with ONU. They have an .850 win percentage and .585 SOS but at the same time struggled at times against Capital and John Carroll. I thought they were decent against BW, despite coming away with the loss. Maybe I’m being too harsh on ONU, I don’t know. This is the largest point of difference between my ballot and the poll, with a difference of 14 spots. I’ll reevaluate next week, but it’s really difficult with these teams who have been inconsistent in their last 8-10 games and aren’t generally favored as a Top 25 team by computers, but still have some quality wins and a resume worthy to be in the Top 4 of their region.

26-Calvin

27-UW-Stout

28-Mary Hardin-Baylor

29-Tufts

30-Rhode Island College

Fell Out: Rochester, Calvin

Back In: Wartburg, Baldwin Wallace

Biggest risers: Gustavus Adolphus (+7), Ithaca (+5), Hardin-Simmons (+3), Millikin (+3)

Biggest drops: Puget Sound (-6), Babson (-5), ONU (-3)

I’ll end it here. Some good games tonight that you’ll want to tune into…livestream/live stat links are always on D3hoops.com.

And while you’re at it, be sure to share The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops if you, whether it be with a fellow D3 fan, coach, student-athlete or someone else who enjoys D3 WBB. Really trying to bring more attention to this level of women’s college hoops with tournament time literally two weeks away. Have a great day! Subscribe to The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops on Substack: https://d3wbbscoop.substack.com/.

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

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January 10, 2023

By Riley Zayas, @ZayasRiley

Back with another ballot breakdown…this time for Week 6 after a wild week in D3 women’s hoops! Here is how I’m seeing the Top 25 right now…

Trinity (TX): I went back on forth with whether to keep the Tigers #1 or put NYU back in the top spot, but at the end of the day, Trinity’s resume remains stronger at this point in my opinion, with four Massey Top 70 wins compared to just two for NYU. Not to mention, the experience and depth Trinity has continues to make them a very dangerous matchup for any opponent.

NYU: The Violets are still very close to Trinity in a lot of ways, and there’s not a clear No. 1 at this point. Still, Trinity has more quality wins based on Massey’s ratings, and just going on the eye test, I think the Tigers are the better team right now. Will they be next week? Who knows…but right now, that’s how I’m seeing it. NYU has looked good in its key games against Bowdoin and Tufts and there is a very likely chance the Violets will stay No. 1 in the poll this week.

Christopher Newport: I’m sure you’ll be able to find video of this somewhere (or even just on demand on the W&L website), but CNU’s game against W&L yesterday went into double OT with the Captains winning 104-102. But after the first OT it seemed the game was all but over, as CNU went up 93-91 in the final seconds, but a technical foul AFTER the final buzzer against the CNU bench kept W&L alive. Hanna Malik hit back-to-back free throws with no time on the clock, sending it into a second OT. It was one of the more thrilling finishes of the weekend, no doubt. That said, W&L did expose some areas, and because W&L was careful with the ball, it limited CNU’s opportunities to generate turnovers. That will be something to keep an eye on moving forwards.

Transylvania: The defense continues to reign supreme for the Pioneers, who held Defiance to just 40 points on Saturday. Transy has allowed 50 points or more in just two of its 14 games this season. That’s enough for me to slide them up two spots.

Hope: Hope looked good on the road against Olivet and Alma, though neither opponent has more than four wins this season. The Flying Dutch are 13-1, on a four-game win streak, and though Carlee Crabtree is no longer on the roster, freshman Sydney Vis has really stepped up, with 11 points against Olivet. Karsen Karlblom is another freshman who has seen some more minutes as of late.

Scranton: The Lady Royals continue to impress me under the leadership of new head coach Ben O’Brien, winning by 10 on the road at Catholic, who is 10-3, on Saturday. Though Scranton hasn’t played the toughest schedule out there, the Lady Royals have risen to the challenge every time they’ve been faced with a top-quality opponent (ex. Ithaca, Catholic, Wartburg).

Smith: Springfield might not be in its top form right now, having lost two of its last three, but still, for Smith to win against Springfield by 14 on Saturday is an impressive result to me. Watching that one live, I liked how well Smith attacked the boards with 11 offensive rebounds. This is a team that seems to have made great strides over the course of the year, starting out with some unconvincing wins but is playing at a high level right now, on a six-game win streak.

Baldwin-Wallace: BW drops down in my ballot a little bit, after narrowly surviving an overtime upset bid from Mount Union earlier in the week. The Yellowjackets are still 13-0, and have some notable victories, but have now been taken down to the wire twice in the last two weeks against Hamilton and Mount Union. This is a clear Top 10 team, and the margin between Smith and BW seems very thin.

DeSales: DeSales is another undefeated team in my top 10, at 13-0, though I haven’t seen them challenged much yet, which makes it hard to rank them. Their last two results have been 82-18 and 72-30. Talk about playing in one-sided games…

UW-Whitewater: To go to UW-Eau Claire and win with points to spare is very impressive to me, considering the Warhawks barely beat UW-Stevens Point this past Wednesday at home. Having a positive mentality on the road is so key, as Whitewater has now won at UC Santa Cruz and UW-Eau Claire in two quality victories. The defense from UWW was very good against the WIAC’s top shooting team, and puts them back in my top 10.

UW-Eau Claire: Whitewater is now the higher-ranked of the two WIAC teams in my ballot, but not by much. UWEC and UWW have very similar resumes now, though UWEC’s loss on Saturday doesn’t drop the Blugolds a whole lot in my ranking. Keep in mind they still have wins over Trine, Wartburg and UW-La Crosse.

Trine: The Thunder took care of business against St. Mary’s this past week, in a dominant 86-52 win. Their resume remains solid, highlighted by the victory at Hope last month, and I now have three three-loss teams in a row.

Rochester: I really like the 75-66 win at Emory, which came on Saturday. We saw how tough it was to play in Atlanta after Tufts fell to the Eagles by 15 a month ago, and Rochester is now 11-1 after winning there. Katie Titus is on pace to become the nation’s leading scorer, with another 20-plus point performance (26).

Babson: Babson gets bumped up three spots in my ballot after finding a way to down Tufts in a wild finish on the road Sunday. It was quite a game, and came down to the final shot, as the Beavers are now 11-1, having responded well to the Loras loss a couple weeks ago. The 60-51 win on Dec. 30 over Middlebury looks pretty good now after Middlebury beat Amherst on Saturday.

Chicago: WashU, despite battling some injuries, shocked Chicago in St. Louis on Saturday with perhaps the upset of the day. It is the Maroons’ first loss of the year, and I’m only dropping them three spots, despite falling to an unranked opponent (I’m confident there will be voters dropping them five or six spots). Had they played a tougher non-conference slate, the slide may not have been as great as it likely will be, but they also have a big-time win over Whitewater, that remains their only Massey Top 50 victory.

Trinity (CT): I should’ve ranked Trinity last week…there’s no other way to say it. The Bantams were #26 for me last week, but have now jumped into the middle of my ballot. At 13-1, Trinity is one of just two NESCAC teams who are 2-0 in conference play, having edged Bowdoin in a Top 25 matchup on Saturday, 49-43, in an incredible defensive effort.

Puget Sound: PS drops one spot, after struggling majorly in the first half against Willamette, but it was more due to Trinity’s big win over Bowdoin than anything the Loggers did. I’ve liked what I’ve seen from PS throughout the last four weeks or so, and have been impressed by the offensive depth on the roster, with several players who can easily go for 15 or 20 points on any given night.

Ohio Northern: ONU is 12-1, and hasn’t lost since Nov. 22. But it’s not all about just the results. Those are a factor, but not the only factor. Watching ONU live, I really like the grit on the defensive end seen from the Polar Bears. An overtime win over Otterbein was closer than I’d anticipated earlier this week. Once again, it is really hard to win on the road.

UW-Oshkosh: The Titans are another team that goes from unranked to in my Top 20. That’s what happens when you have the amount of parity we have in the division this season, and that’s a good problem for voters to have! Oshkosh has six Top 70 Massey wins right now, a statement only two other programs (UW-Eau Claire and Loras) can make. With a young roster, the Titans started out with a few tough defeats, but have weathered the storm and emerged on the other side, as much in the WIAC title race as anyone.

Hardin-Simmons: The Cowgirls took down McMurry this weekend in a crosstown showdown between the only two schools in the ASC located in the same city. HSU’s offense has been solid throughout its non-conference schedule and into ASC play, at 75.6 PPG and 44.6% shooting from the field (both No. 1 in the ASC). They still have the two losses to Trinity, but have won all the rest. They embark on a five-game road trip over the next three weeks, which will certainly test them.

Loras: After jumping into the Top 20 after being unranked for the entire year last week, the Duhawks dropped their next game to Luther, in a surprising upset. Again, it’s tough to win on the road, no matter who you are. Loras has a super impressive resume, and that game was one of the only times I’ve seen the Duhawks play poorly. They fell back just two spots, and it was more because of Oshkosh moving into my ballot than anything else.

Mary Hardin-Baylor: Another road test…another close result. That’s becoming the theme as I write this ballot breakdown. The Cru trailed by three at UT-Dallas on Saturday with three minutes left, but went on a 7-0 run to close it out, winning 53-49. The defensive effort was top-notch and though they did not score much, UMHB is improving as a collective unit coming off those two losses in San Antonio just before Christmas. We may look back and see that as the turning point of the year come March.

Millikin: Millkin was a team I voted for Week 1 and like Oshkosh, quickly fell out of my ballot. But the Big Blue is back in. Bailey Coffman has recovered from her jaw injury and is contributing off the bench at this point, scoring in double figures despite limited minutes as she works back into the rotation. Coffman, along with Elyse Knudsen, form a 1-2 punch that could end up winning Millikin the CCIW title. Millikin is 11-3, 3-0 in CCIW play at this point. The rough start is far in the rearview mirror for Olivia Lett’s squad.

Gustavus Adolphus: Losing to Bethel, 70-66, hurts the Gusties a fair amount in my ballot, especially as other teams continue to add quality wins. But Gusty is my favorite to win the MIAC title, and somewhat of a dark horse in my opinion. They don’t have any “earth-shattering” victories, but no bad losses either.

UW-La Crosse: This final spot came down to two WIAC programs with very similar resumes: UWL or UW-Stout. At the end of the day, I’m taking UWL, a program that has won its last five. Watching them play, the Eagles can win a bunch of different ways, which is very valuable in a team; they played fast at Chapman and won 74-48, this past Saturday, a defensive battle played out at Stevens Point, and they won 47-45. The defense is very good too, as the only WIAC team with over 100 blocked shots this season and the only team in the league allowing under 50 points per game (49.6).

Going beyond the ballot…here’s who my next five would be

UW-Stout

Tufts

Springfield

UC Santa Cruz

Bowdoin

Bottom line:

-Trinity (TX) stays No. 1 for the third straight week (second with an official D3hoops.com ballot)

-Newcomers are: Millikin, UW-Oshkosh, Trinity (CT), UW-La Crosse

-Dropped out: Springfield, UC Santa Cruz, Amherst, Tufts

-Trinity (CT) makes the biggest jump, going from unranked to #16

-Oshkosh also goes from unranked to #19

-Whitewater has reentered the Top 10

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: 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!