Tip-off time: The 2023-24 D-III basketball season begins today!

6 games to keep an eye on Wednesday night + thoughts on Pacific's D2 win and Berry's strong showing at Georgia State

The first day of the season has finally arrived! Ever since I watched Transylvania cut down the nets in Dallas in April, I’ve been looking ahead to today, when we finally have D-III hoops back!

That said, we haven’t been completely without D3 basketball for the last couple weeks, as plenty of NAIA, D2, and D1 schools have played exhibitions against D3s. Monday was “opening day” for the D1s; when games start actually counting towards their record. Several D3s were in action as a result, including Berry College, who actually led Georgia State at the half!

Berry, who has a fairly young roster, but several returning playmakers from last year, went toe-to-toe with Georgia State for three full quarters. The final ended up being 78-41, but if you watched it (I believe it is still available on demand via ESPN+), you would’ve seen the Vikings of Berry nearly outrebound a D1 opponent (26-20 was the final margin in favor of GA State), lead 30-27 at halftime, and dish out nine assists to Georgia State’s eight in the first two quarters.

Elly Callihan was terrific for Berry, and as she is a sophomore, we could hear her name in with the All-America conversation in future years. She finished with 12 points and has an exceptional shooting touch that will be seen more as the year goes along.

And Pacific…wow. Credit to Scott Peterson, who was the only Top 25 voter to have the Boxers in his preseason ballot. The Boxers took down D2 Alaska-Anchorage on Sunday afternoon, 76-75, behind a pair of clutch free throws from Brilie Kovaloff with 0.3 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Huge win, even with it being in the preseason.

Anchorage was picked to finish 3rd in the GNAC (the D2 league, which ironically enough, is located about as far from the D3 GNAC as you’re going to get!), which adds to the value the result holds. It was a pretty solid win for a Pacific team that is incredibly experienced, and per reports, was without one starter as well as couple of other key players for that exhibition. They could be very dangerous this season. Pacific hosts Stevens in a cross-country matchup on Friday that will be a must-see showdown between the Boxers and Ducks.

As for tonight though…

I thought it would be fun to pick the top six “most intriguing” games on the slate (in my opinion, of course) tonight, considering so many D3s are in action. On Friday morning, I plan to have a post outlining the top tournaments/classics for the weekend, and some of the great matchups we should see on Friday/Saturday/Sunday.

So here’s my six “Games to Watch” on tonight’s season-opening slate! Have another game today that you think deserves some recognition? Drop it in the comments section below!

• Emmanuel at MIT, 7 pm Eastern—These are two programs with outstanding returning production, and while neither made the NCAA Tournament last year, both are very much in the mix for a national tournament bid later this season. Emmanuel plays in the GNAC, and while a Pool C bid isn’t likely out of that league, the Saints are a 20-win team almost every year (as they were last year, going 22-6). It’s good to see a team like this competing against top-quality competition right out of the gate, especially with leading scorers Olivia Matela and Yan Man Chan back in the starting lineup.

  MIT, on the other hand, has 84% of its roster returning from 2022-23, and will have a tough road (even to a Pool C) in a very deep NEWMAC that includes Smith, Babson, and Springfield. But it is certainly a possibility considering how wide-open that conference will be. 3 of the 4 starters who started 27 games last season will be on the court for MIT, in Sarah Berman, Angie Choi, and Kamsi Nwogu.

• #6 Scranton at Rowan, 7 pm Eastern—Scranton enters as the major favorite here, as the Lady Royals are a lock for a Top 5 spot nationally in my opinion. Rowan has a new head coach in Kate Pearson, and lost quite a bit from last year’s squad that reached the NCAA Tournament. Still, I think this could be a competitive matchup, and Pearson will have her team ready to go. It will also be an opportunity for us to see Scranton in action after plenty of talk in the offseason about the potential for a big year from head coach Ben O’Brien’s squad.

• Framingham State at Albertus Magnus, 7 pm Eastern—We talk about it all the time…games on Nov. 8 count the same as games played on Feb. 12 when it comes to NCAA Tournament selections. And both of these teams are in Region 1, meaning this result could have notable implications come regional rankings time. Framingham State, out of the MASCAC, is led by Flannery O’Connor, who will be a senior forward to watch all season. She averaged 17.8 PPG last season, and could be in for a strong start to the year. Albertus Magnus, who went 22-4 last season, returns 89% of the 2022-23 roster, and will be very experienced, which is a major plus in early-season matchups. Junior guard Diamond White will be the scorer to watch for Albertus Magnus in this one.

• Springfield at Western New England, 6 pm Eastern—Another NEWMAC team is in action tonight, but Springfield is on the road, which complicates things. 88% of WNE’s returning production is back, which makes me think that the Golden Bears may give Springfield a real test for all four quarters. Sam Hourihan graduated for Springfield, which will be a key player to replace, but Rachel Vinton has a ton of experience and scoring potential as a senior guard. Look for her to have a big impact.

• Minnesota Morris at Concordia-Moorhead, 6:30 pm Eastern—Headed to the midwest! Minnesota Morris was 10-15 last season, but I think a significant improvement could be in the cards. 68% of last year’s roster is back, with Malory Anderson, Jay Kwateh, and Jadyn Sondrol back as senior standouts. Concordia-Moorhead is likely the No. 2 team in the MIAC and could very well end up regionally-ranked in Region 9 by the end of the season. Lots of talent is back on the roster, and Moorhead is the favorite, though I wouldn’t rule out a very competitive showing from Minnesota Morris.

• St. Vincent at Marietta, 7 pm Eastern—Very interested to see how this one unfolds. Both of these teams are Top 60 teams in Scott Peterson’s “Preseason Outlook” model, and for good reason. Marietta, who plays in a stacked OAC, needs all the regionally-ranked wins it can get, and there’s an outside chance that St. Vincent squeezes its way into the regional rankings in Region 7 out of the PAC. Marietta brings back seniors Olivia Gribble and Hannah Schill, who should be a stellar duo in the backcourt. St. Vincent brings back 79% of last year’s roster, including Emily Cavacini, who led the team in minutes (33.7/game) and points (12.4/game) last season. Cavacini, a senior point guard, could be the difference in this one. This definitely feels like a matchup that could be decided in the final minute or two. Make sure to keep a close eye on this one!

I’ll leave it at that today! Back tomorrow with some thoughts on these games and others, as well as a look ahead to tomorrow night. Not too many games scheduled for Thursday, but there’s certainly a few worth watching. Enjoy the matchups tonight! To any coaches out there making their head coaching debuts, I wish you the best of luck and hope this season-opener is a memorable one. To all of the teams, it’s good to see all of you back in action. And to the entire D-III community, let’s get ready for tip-off! We’ll have games every day (minus a few days around the holidays) up until tournament time. Get ready…it’s going to be another thrilling year in the world of D3 Women’s Hoops!

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