December 19, 2023: Big-time non-conference matchups are set to tip-off
Loras/Elizabethtown, Wartburg/Whitman, Scranton/DeSales highlights today's slate
Get ready! Today is going to be a huge day in D3 women’s hoops, with so many must-see matchups across the country, the majority of which will be part of tournaments/classics. There are so many pivotal non-conference games on tap, several of which I’ll take a deeper look at here in a second. But first, I wanted to touch on some of yesterday’s most notable results, especially the battle between Hardin-Simmons and UT-Dallas down in Abilene, Texas.
1. Thoughts on Hardin-Simmons, UT-Dallas, McMurry, and Messiah
Hardin-Simmons edged Texas-Dallas in a very competitive American Southwest Conference duel, as the 14th-ranked Cowgirls were taken right now to the final minute in what turned out to be a 63-61 win for HSU. The ASC really seems to have four main frontrunners this season, and HSU and UTD are two of them.
While UTD had a tough weekend in Abilene, dropping games to both McMurry and HSU, the Comets certainly won’t be the last to leave West Texas with an 0-2 week as the conference schedule progresses. Ultimately, in yesterday’s matchup, it was UTD who led, 30-29, at halftime, before HSU battled back in a solid third quarter. The Cowgirls outscored the Comets 15-10 coming out the intermission, and it seemed to sway the momentum in favor of the hosts. However, it was the 7-0 scoring run in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter that really seemed to turn the tide for HSU, as three straight layups, along with a Paris Kiser free throw, put HSU up 51-40. But UTD, true to the character shown by the Comets through the second half of last season, never backed down, and cut the deficit all the way back to 3 points with 13 seconds left. Time ran out on the late rally, but UTD gave HSU all it could handle, and I think it speaks to the talent of the Comets, especially defensively. HSU boasts an offense that averages 85 points per game, and UTD held the Cowgirls to just 63. That’s impressive. I’d also add that UTD outrebounded HSU by 5 (47-42) and by 4 on the offensive boards (16-12). That is not easy to do, but the Comets definitely took advantage of their strength in the post against HSU. And here’s the thing. UTD is 7-3, with its only losses coming to Colorado College, McMurry, and HSU. That is not bad at all, especially since all three were on the road. So keep an eye on UTD in that ASC race.
It also makes me think more about McMurry’s 81-69 win just two days prior. I’m not a fan of the comparative score game, considering basketball is based so much on gameplans and styles, and that will produce closer results against certain opponents (and vice versa) even if the team in question performs exactly the same. But having watched McMurry, I really like what I see. This group has a number of go-to scorers, plays solid defense, and is very cohesive. That makes the Warhawks dangerous, and I’ll be interested to see how conference play progresses for them. They took down Ozarks yesterday, 69-63, and it wasn’t necessarily as close as the final score might lead you to think. The results so far are certainly looking good for McMurry.
And as for HSU, we continue seeing the Cowgirls challenged, though this was the most they’d be challenged since that 66-65 road loss to ETBU a couple weeks ago. It’s good to see Top 25 teams facing competitive opponents, and seeing how they respond under pressure. The senior leadership of HSU really came out in that second half yesterday…you could just see it. There was no panic; only a sense of poise and determination as they worked to find a better offensive rhythm. Points were hard to come by in this one, but you take what you can get. Parris Parmer had another solid scoring day, with 19 points, and Paris Kiser continues to be efficient when it comes to shooting the basketball, as she added 18. Four of HSU’s starters played 34 minutes or more, and it definitely seems that HSU is opting for a smaller rotation at this point in the season. I really thought that the points off turnovers were huge, especially in the second half, with HSU turning 23 UTD turnovers into 24 points. The 19-of-23 mark at the free throw line didn’t hurt either. The Cowgirls found a way to win on a tough offensive day, and that definitely deserves some recognition.
Moving on…wanted to note Messiah’s 63-48 win over Albion at the Puerto Rico Shootout, as I saw it as a pretty decent result. Messiah has definitely been a question mark for me throughout this season, with losses to Dickinson and DeSales but a 7-2 overall record. The Falcons seem to have found some kind of surge as of late, with a nice victory at Mary Washington on Dec. 9, and yesterday’s win over Albion (who was a Top 100 Massey team) on a neutral court. Though I didn’t get a chance to watch that one, looking at the final stats, I immediately noticed the first half for Messiah defensively. Albion was held to just nine points in each of the first two quarters, as the Falcons led 27-18 at the half. Messiah allowed quite a few points in the paint (32), but seemed to be solid on the perimeter, as Albion was 0-for-7 from beyond the arc, and just 38.5% from the field. So good win there for Messiah! And they’re getting a great holiday trip to Puerto Rico along with it!
Also a quick shout-out to Linfield, who got past NAIA Corban in OT yesterday, 73-66. It improves Linfield’s record to 6-4, which marks the most wins totaled before Christmas for the program since 2015-16. Good things happening for them out on the West Coast.
2. Looking ahead to today’s schedule
10 a.m. ET: Loras vs #25 Elizabethtown (Puerto Rico Shootout): As Scott Peterson has pointed out, this could essentially be an NCAA Tournament Pool C play-in game, considering the way both teams’ numbers are shaping up, and the fact that neither is the “favorite” in their respective conference title races. So that immediately makes this one mean more, not to mention the fact that both of these teams are incredibly talented and right on fringe of the Top 25 (Loras is just outside, and Elizabethtown is just inside).
11 a.m. ET: Grove City vs #3 Christopher Newport (Music City Classic): CNU head coach Bill Broderick would become the winningest head coach in CNU WBB history with a victory for the Captains in this one. He’s going for Win No. 266. Really impressive. Plus, we get to see CNU in action against a quality GCC squad.
2:00 p.m. ET: #22 Whitman vs #7 Wartburg (Music City Classic): Man, do I wish I was in Tennessee for this tournament today! The CNU game is immediately followed by this Top 25 clash and both Whitman and Wartburg are playing at a high level right now. It’s an intriguing matchup, especially because this isn’t a game we’d often get outside of the NCAA Tournament. Interested to see how both teams handle the gameplans and what unfolds between two star-studded, experienced squads.
2:00 p.m. ET: Marietta at Washington & Jefferson: Really interested in this one. This is likely to be W&J’s toughest test in non-conference play (though Ohio Wesleyan was certainly a very quality opponent as well), and Marietta enters this one after a tough road loss to Ohio Northern on Saturday. Potential RRO opportunity here.
3:00 p.m. ET: Marymount vs #19 Catholic (Jamie Lynn Roberts Fairfield Inn DC Holiday Classic): This one will be played on Catholic’s home court as part of a four-team event, and if Marymount wants to solidify its place within the Region 5 regional rankings, a win here would certainly be a step in the right direction. Regardless of a win or loss here, I think Marymount has a high probability of being ranked, and that increases the importance for Catholic here. In the case that Scranton wins the Landmark AQ, Catholic would be competing with Elizabethtown (and likely Gettysburg) for a Pool C bid. Adding one more RRO win would be huge for Catholic’s tournament resume. This will be great basketball, and I’ve really enjoyed watching both teams play throughout the first half of this season.
5:00 p.m. ET: #6 Scranton at #18 DeSales: This non-conference battle is huge. We’ll finally see Scranton in a Top 25 matchup and that will be very helpful from a Top 25 voting perspective. I’m also interested to see how DeSales approaches this matchup, and how the high-powered Scranton offense contends with DeSales’ outstanding defense.
7:00 p.m. ET: Augustana at #16 Hope (Post Exam Jam): Hope hosts Augustana in what will be another great test for the Flying Dutch. We saw Hope easily roll to four straight MIAA victories this last few weeks, and coming off a 10-day break, this is a nice non-conference matchup for them against a quality opponent. That said, Augustana has shown some inconsistencies in its 6-4 start, but has won its last three, including a pretty solid 72-51 win at Carthage. I won’t be surprised if this is a game decided in the final five minutes.
3. No Top 25 Poll this week, but here’s the perspective from two voters
While we didn’t have a new D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll this week, Scott Peterson and I compiled a composite Top 25. We took both of our updated Top 25 ballots and used the same voting system as is used for the D3hoops.com Poll, with points awarded to each team on a 25-24-23-22… basis. For example, we both had NYU at #1, so NYU picked up 25 points from each of us for a total of 50 points. Again, this is just the perspective of two voters. There are 23 others who may have completely different opinions. But here’s how our composite poll turned out, in case you haven’t seen it yet:
That just about wraps up this edition of The Scoop on D3 Women’s Hoops! Enjoy today’s games! Have a great day! As always, feel free to share this newsletter with someone else who enjoys D3 WBB. Thank you, as always, for the support. God Bless!