March 16, 2023: Midweek musings (from the Austin airport)
Thinking about the current news in D3 WBB as the national semifinals tip-off Saturday night
I’m sitting here at about 3:30 a.m. in the Austin airport, getting ready to board a 5:35 a.m. flight for Fort Wayne, Indiana. That’s where the D-III men’s Final Four is once again this year, and I’m excited be up there for the second straight season, assisting D3hoops.com in their coverage.
It’s going to be a long day, with the semifinal games tipping off this evening, but an exciting one too. I always enjoy catching up with the D3 hoops media crew in person after chatting via Twitter and Hoopsville broadcasts for much of the regular season.
Anyway, now for some women’s hoops talk. I actually spoke with Transylvania head coach Juli Fulks and senior guard Madison Kellione on Monday for a feature that is now up on D3hoops.com. Check it out here! https://www.d3hoops.com/playoffs/women/2023/not-this-time-for-transylvania
One of the points of discussion that did not make its way into the article (partially because Dave asked basically the same question on Hoopsville Monday night to Fulks) but was pretty notable is how the unique setup of this season’s Final Four affects the game-planning for coaches. All four teams are going to Hartford with only one game to look to…that is a massive relief for the coaching staffs, who, in a normal year, would not only have to put together an extensive gameplan in a relatively short turnaround for the semifinal opponent, but would also need to prepare extensively for the other two teams facing off on the other side of the bracket, in the case that they reached the championship game.
Obviously, with a single semifinal game in Hartford, and the national championship game in Dallas on April 1, the focus can be completely on the semifinal opponent for both coaches and players. I’m really not sure what the downside to this (one-year only) setup is, besides the fact that teams will not have the same kind of momentum heading into the championship game that they would’ve had with it played one or two days after the semifinals. But all in all, I think it’s a great format for this year, and puts even more of the spotlight on Saturday’s matchups.
Rhode Island College and CNU play at 5 pm EST followed by Transylvania vs Smith at 7:30 p.m. EST. Both will be tremendous contests. I don’t think there’s a clear favorite in either, and especially not in the second one. I like CNU’s chances against RIC, but I think RIC has the underdog mentality and is truly playing with nothing to lose. I’m willing to bet most expected their tournament run would end in the second-round against Scranton…but it didn’t. Beating Babson (at Babson) in the sectional final last weekend really gave me confidence in RIC’s ability to stay engaged defensively for four quarters and score with consistency. They are a strong second half team, so that is something to watch for, even if CNU takes a two or three possession halftime lead. I honestly don’t see it being much more than that, though CNU has that ability to break out in a scoring run and widen a lead from 2 to 12 in what feels like a matter of seconds.
Transy and Smith’s contest is the one that really intrigues me. These are two teams who have not felt the sting of a loss in quite some time (Transy’s last was in the 2022 Elite Eight vs Trine, Smith’s lone defeat of this season came at Framingham State on Dec. 3) and boast strong senior cores. Additionally, neither left their sectional round games to chance, and I thought both looked in peak form in those victories. This feels like a game that will be decided by the final shot, not a position either is used to.
When I look at the numbers, I really do not see any clear advantages. You have to consider the conferences of each, and I don’t think it’d be controversial to say that the HCAC just isn’t as strong as the NEWMAC. Regardless, I feel like Transylvania, who gives up just over 46 PPG, has the better defense. But Smith’s offense might be the best they have seen all year, with Morgan Morrison and Ally Yamada leading the way.
I’ll try to dig into the numbers a bit more tomorrow and put out some type of post comparing some things, but based on my eye test, I think this one is a complete 50/50. Which means you need to make sure you tune in! I believe this is the correct livestream link: https://www.ncaa.com/game/6130943
Coaching news is the other big topic at this point in the year, mostly resignations/firings/departures.
Hood is seeking a new head coach, as longtime head coach Jack Mehl will be retiring. He had been at the helm of that program since 2011, and enjoyed success at Lebanon Valley previously.
Also, late last night, I noticed Salisbury posted a press release with the news that Kelly Baskow has resigned as head coach “to pursue other opportunities”. SU struggled to a 7-19 record this season, but was 20-7 a year ago. She had a .597 win percentage in 12 seasons leading the program.
Thiel’s head coaching job opened up on Monday with the resigning of Rob Clune, and though I do not have the number of head coaching vacancies written down, there are quite a few that we are currently tracking.
Todd Kent is also taking a leave of absence from UC Santa Cruz, as was first reported by Dave McHugh. He is a fantastic coach and an even better person, as I’ve learned through our Twitter and email interactions throughout this season. He has a great perspective on things, and I currently hope he gets the necessary rest and break he needs during this time off.
For all those heading to Hartford, I hope you have safe travels, whether you’re flying or driving. I don’t know how you all are, but I enjoy getting to the airport early, getting through security, and having some time to just hang out. Apparently, if you’re crazy enough to arrive at the airport by 3 a.m. for a flight 2 1/2 hours later, you’ll have (in most cases) an almost nonexistent wait time to clear check-in. I wonder why? Haha. Anyway, hoping to get on this plane to Fort Wayne soon, and looking forward to this weekend of D3hoops Final Four action! Can’t wait!!!