December 13, 2022: A look at the new D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll
Welcome back…the big news as it always is on these Tuesday mornings is that the D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll was released late Monday night. For a breakdown of my Top 25 ballot, check out yesterday’s article. And with the new poll out, here are a few thoughts…
One of the things that immediately jumped out at me was the fact that Amherst remained #6 despite Baldwin-Wallace’s win at Marietta this past week. The order of 6, 7, and 8 goes Amherst, Scranton, Baldwin-Wallace. Honestly, I just don’t see Amherst at #6. Top 10, yes. But really, the Mammoths’ only notable win came on Nov. 11 in a 4-point win over Springfield at home, while Baldwin Wallace has wins over Trine and Marietta. And interestingly enough, using the Massey matchup tool (which is very helpful), Baldwin Wallace would have a 59% chance of winning in a head-to-head matchup with Amherst. Just my $0.02.
Springfield and DeSales saw the biggest improvements in ranking, as each jumped four spots. Springfield went from #15 to #11, and DeSales went from #16 to #12. Neither had an especially notable result this past week, but it did help that a number of teams ahead of those two lost, allowing for them to slide up.
Several teams had significant drops, including UMHB (-5), UW-Eau Claire (-5), and Tufts (-4). But the most notable decrease in ranking was Ithaca, who went from #17 to #24. Ithaca lost by 17 on the road at Rochester last week.
Bowdoin made its debut in the poll this season, picking up just two more points (40) than Ohio Northern, who finished with the 26th-most points in the poll. Bowdoin has a solid resume, with a 7-1 record, and its only loss being a narrow defeat against Smith. There was a gap of 44 points between #24 Ithaca and #25 Bowdoin, which tells me there was a lot of variation in that #25 spot amongst the voters.
Chicago is a good win outside of the Top 20, and has an opportunity on Wednesday, hosting UW-Whitewater, ranked #13. That will be a game you will not want to miss. Chicago is 8-0, and playing high-quality basketball at this point, having moved up three spots to #21 this week.
Last Top 25 note, but UW-Whitewater slides back in front of UW-Eau Claire. Whitewater has some impressive wins, and both its losses are to teams either ranked or receiving votes (Calvin and UW-River Falls). I wouldn’t say UWEC has a bad loss either, falling to #1 Hope and Loras on the road. But Whitewater probably has a better set of wins for the time being. Massey matchup tool has Whitewater with a 56% win probability in a matchup with UWEC.
One game I’ll be paying attention to tonight is UW-Stout’s road matchup against Northwestern (MN). Stout was #25 on one voter’s ballot, and is 7-1 with wins over Oshkosh, Stevens Point and Luther. The Blue Devils have been good on the road, but I’m not totally convinced that Stout wins this one all that easily. I’m not completely sold on Stout yet, but they appear to be on track for a second straight season above .500. They are certainly a solid rebounding team, which might be their greatest strength.
That’s all for today. Have thoughts on the new poll? Drop them below! And if you know of a fellow D3 fan, student-athlete, or coach, who would enjoy this daily newsletter/blog, be sure to share The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops! Have a great day.