January 24, 2022: One thought on each of the 25 teams I had ranked in my Week 8 ballot
Posting this a little later than usual but here’s how my Top 25 ballot looked for D3hoops.com today, with a thought or two on each of my 25 ranked teams. We’re starting to see a smaller group of teams receiving votes now, which only means voters are getting a better grasp on the truly “elite” teams right now in D-III WBB.
1-Trinity TX- The Tigers stay #1, and at this point, save for a wild SCAC upset, they’ll be my #1 until at least tournament time. Even with a fairly strong schedule, there is a very clear path for Trinity to go undefeated.
2- Christopher Newport:The Captains stay #2, having fought through a tough road environment at Southern Virginia this past week, and without Gabbi San Diego on the floor. Would think we’ll get a good look at CNU on Wednesday, when the Captains visit Marymount, who is a formidable opponent, and 15-3 overall.
3-Transylvania: Transy is as dominant as ever, now 17-0. I only wonder if we’ll see an HCAC opponent keep a game within reach through at least the first three quarters before the season’s end. My bet would be no.
4-Scranton: The Lady Royals stay at #4 for me, having won by 13 at Drew, who has definitely garnered some attention and respect in the Landmark Conference as of late. I feel like we have been talking a lot about there being a fewer number of undefeated women’s teams out there this year, but everyone in my top four hasn’t taken a loss yet.
5-NYU: I highly value the wins over Emory and Rochester this week, causing me to move NYU up a spot. The Violets may have struggled on their most recent road trip, but clearly showed why they were #1 not long ago, putting back-to-back convincing performances on the floor against two top quality UAA foes.
6- Smith: Barely edging WPI in overtime made me rethink Smith at #5, but they drop one spot mostly because I valued NYU’s two recent wins higher. At 16-1, some of Smith’s best wins (re: Trinity (CT), Bowdoin, Williams, Hamilton) have come on the road, which certainly gives them an advantage in my eyes when evaluating resumes and comparing them to what I’m seeing live.
7-Trine: It’s Hope-Trine week. Does Trine complete the season sweep over the Flying Dutch? They’ve won their last five, but haven’t been truly tested since the Dec. 29 loss to Eau Claire.
8-Baldwin Wallace: I’m finding the Yellowjackets tend to find themselves in tight games. And usually, they win those games. Let’s just say they make it interesting for all of us following along. BW has played five games decided by five points or less, but give them credit, they’re 4-1 in those contests!
9-Hope: Hope really needs to beat Trine this week, but regardless, has put together a pretty solid resume, highlighted by the early win to UW-Eau Claire. Replacing the key seniors from last year’s team hasn’t been easy, but Brian Morehouse has the Flying Dutch headed in the right direction at the most pivotal point of the year.
10-UW-Eau Claire: You never know what you’ll get in the WIAC, but UWEC avoided being the victim of an upset this week. A dominant win over Stout really impressed me, as did the four-point overtime win at UW-La Crosse. The experience of UWEC’s roster certainly helped in that one.
11-Chicago: The Maroons are actually sitting atop the UAA right now, tied with WashU. In a league without a conference tournament, that is huge. Chicago for Pool A? It’s a possibility I certainly wouldn’t count out!
12-DeSales-Yes the one-point loss to Stevens drops them five spots in my ballot. The SOS just isn’t there, though I definitely think they are a Top 15 team from watching them play. They’re No. 2 in the nation in assist/turnover ratio.
13-Babson- Writing this after we submitted our ballots, but Babson played a tight game at home against Trinity (CT) tonight. Trinity emerged with a 65-61 win, though Babson did a lot of things well, looking through the box score. The NEWMAC is really a two-team race right now, but Babson’s SOS should guarantee a Pool C berth even in the likely case Smith wins the league.
14-Trinity (CT): The Bantams remain the only NESCAC team on my ballot, now 17-1 overall after Monday’s win over Babson. They continue to shoot the ball really well, and Reilly Campbell will be a tough matchup through NESCAC play. But can the Bantams stay perfect in one of the more competitive conferences, top to bottom, in the nation?
15- Puget Sound: The best on the west coast right now, Puget Sound controls the NWC. They are 15-2 but do have Whitman coming up this week. The Loggers are by far the favorites, but that is a Friday night showdown you probably won’t want to miss.
16-Hardin-Simmons: The Cowgirls now have wins at Mary Hardin-Baylor and East Texas Baptist which adds to a really solid resume for HSU. I liked the win they picked up over ETBU this past week a lot, as it took a tough, gritty effort to pull out the victory.
17- Rochester: You really don’t want to punish a team too much for a loss, but losing twice in the same week hurts Rochester’s standing in my ballot. Not only did they lose to NYU by double digits (which honestly should be expected), but losing to Brandeis does not look good at all. Not to take anything away from Brandeis, they played outstanding, but in the eyes of the regional committee, it won’t look very good as Rochester tries to compete for a Pool C.
18-Ohio Northern: ONU takes a two-spot drop. Marietta is a good squad and once again, it is very hard to win conference games on the road. The Polar Bears ran into a bit of a hiccup this past weekend, but should bounce-back strong against Wilmington and Mount Union this next week. Just watch.
19-UW-Whitewater (UWP is hot or cold, but losing at home to a sub-.500 WIAC team isn’t very good, 6 spot drop, didn’t like the effort at all in that game on Wednesday)
20-UW-Oshkosh: The Titans were dominant in a 20-point win over UW-Stevens Point, then beat a very good Stout team on Saturday for the first time this season (Stout won in the earlier meeting back at the beginning of WIAC play). But one piece of advice…don’t try to use the transitive property in the WIAC! This league is good top to bottom which is why I have five WIAC schools in my Top 30!
21- Millikin: What is it now…12 straight wins? The Big Blue are on a roll and show no signs of slowing down anytime soon, dominating in the CCIW.
22-Loras: A loss to Wartburg on road isn’t terrible, but I did drop Loras two spots as Oshkosh and Millikin just put better performances on the floor. Loras’ non-conference resume is really second to none in my opinion.
23-UMHB: The Cru jumps back into my ballot. They forced 28 turnovers in win over Concordia, and were really solid defensively in their lone game of the week. They’ll have a big one @ home against ETBU come Thursday.
24-Calvin: Calvin is also back in. They’ll still have to battle the MIAA’s best in Trine and Hope, but the Knights are 14-3, with no bad losses and a win at UW-Whitewater that I really like, despite Whitewater’s stock dropping as of late.
25- Gustavus Adolphus- I haven’t seen any reason they shouldn’t remain in my ballot, I’m just not sure how high. But they’re playing well in an underrated, yet deep MIAC. It’s not an easy conference to win in and the Gusties have battled well. They are 14-2 and like Calvin, the two losses suffered at the hands of Concordia-Moorhead and Bethel don’t bother me too much. Watch them play and you’ll know what I mean. They could be a dark horse in March.
My next five….
26-UW-La Crosse
27-Ithaca
28-UW-Stout
29-Emory
30-Elizabethtown
Dropped Out: → UW-Stout (#23), UW-La Crosse (#24)
Back In: →Mary Hardin-Baylor, Calvin
As always, feel free to reach out with any questions or comments you might have. My email is rileyzayas@gmail.com, or use the comment section below. Or better yet, DM me on Twitter. I’ll respond either way. Have a great day!