WBB: Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference

[Jester1390]

well in the first test of the year where rose played a team from last year it was pretty bleak.   The players all worked hard but the administration has put a burden on these players that didnt need to be.  You have a program with 8 players. Injuries are going to happen especially if all the players are playing 30 minutes plus. The grind hasn't even started and 2 players down hopefully not severe but one didnt dress for todays game at Depauw and another was hurt during the game so as of now they might be down to 6 players for Transylvania come Saturday. 

Last year they lost to a better Depauw team by 10 with the game being close to the end and then them pulling away with free throws at end.    Today a 38 point loss   Baum was 4-20 and wilson 3-10  rest of team had 19 total shots. 

Engine to answer your question as far as i  believe most of the players that left the program went to the athletic director and voiced their concerns and issues.   They obviously ignored those concerns and decided to proceed same o same o.  Why did some players stay. i have no ideal they might not have had issues. Some might be excited that now they have more Key roles  All i can tell you these players who left are extremally bright and great critical thinkers who are not even remotely soft. they all come from backgrounds of being the stud and having pressure and demands on them for all of them to say well I played this my whole life but what is going on here just isnt worth it for me.

I was told by a senior mom when my kid was a freshman that their were issues with the program  during the sisters star years and that investigations were done. I wasn't around during that time so i can only tell you what a mom told me but look at the last 7 years and look at the percentage of players who left the program its staggering its around 60 percent including recruits who signed then didnt play 

The administration knew the  issues and didn't address the issues. They are to blame for putting the current players health at risk.  With such a small rosters these players are asked to put their bodies through a huge grind every game which opens them up to more injuries. I admire the current players for doing their best but leadership failed and has put them in this situation.

[Jester1390]

Engine The complete failure to address  the issues has come home to roost.  There most likely will be an announcement probably tomorrow that will leave all supporters of the school and program shaking their heads and saying it should have never come to this.

[Jester1390]

Rose will play Transylvania tomorrow and it will be announced that the Rose-hulman woman's season will be cancelled after the game. I cant even tell you the ineptitude of the administration in this happening. 7 players quit your program all upperclassmen  and you sat and did nothing. Not even in your inaugural season  when you had players who never played you still fielded a team.  From a upcoming team to be decimated by non action.  Its embarrassing as a program as a university and as a fan.  You dont come to Rose to just play sports but to get a high education but there is no reason why a player should not have been able to have both.

i have heard there are 2 big recruits coming next year including a 6-4  with d-1 offers. If i was hope university or another engineering school I would be on the horn to them why do you want that mess. Even if the 2 come which if im a parent i would be like wait a second  Rose will be in the same position next year as they lose 3 players plus anyone else who decides not to come back. Its  possible there may not be a season next year.

its going to be ugly tomorrow and the university only has itself to blame what a horrible look.

[Enginerd]

Engine The complete failure to address  the issues has come home to roost.  There most likely will be an announcement probably tomorrow that will leave all supporters of the school and program shaking their heads and saying it should have never come to this.

YIKES!!!
You were unfortunately correct, Jester. My goodness. How embarrassing!

https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/news/2022/12/3/rose-hulman-announces-cancellation-of-2022-23-womens-basketball-season.aspx

[itsnotmeitsyou]

What are the issues regarding RHIT that seem only to significantly affect the women’s basketball team that are being ignored by the administration?

[Enginerd]

What are the issues regarding RHIT that seem only to significantly affect the women’s basketball team that are being ignored by the administration?

Jester's daughter has played more recently, so I'll let him answer regarding specifics around the administration and staff. 30,000 ft view is the school now costs $75,000 per year. Its average cost AFTER financial aid is the starting point for most liberal arts colleges - which make up 95% of Division III membership. There is a very small demographic for RHIT to recruit from (females that want engineering, want a selective school, aren't intimidated by the academics, and whose families won't vomit at the thought of paying $45-$50,000 AFTER financial aid), made even smaller by the fact that engineering only attracts women at a rate of around 18-20% of the profession annually. In addition, while RHIT isn't as selective as the Ivy League, the service academies, or MIT/CalTech, they are much more selective than everyone else by a sight. The kids that can really play are also getting looks from the above schools, who all have far bigger endowments and better financial aid. Last time I had a conversation with anyone on that staff, which was in 2015'ish up at Hope, I was told that RHIT would have a low-mid Division I caliber roster in women's basketball if they even had BAD financial aid, instead of truly horrifying financial aid.
Let's face it, the key to having an elite D-III women's program is to entice Division II/NAIA/low-mid D-I kids to play down, for whatever reason. RHIT's stats always get them in the picture, then out very quickly once families realize what it will cost. Not only that, but even D-III caliber kids don't want to tackle that much debt.
Unfortunately the school, for whatever reason, won't or can't give decent financial aid, and folks have all kinds of options. If you go online and check out the salaries they are paying their top-ten administrators, it is obvious where the school wants to put its money. They held a presidential search a few years ago and couldn't find anyone outside the school that even wanted to apply for the job, given the considerable pratfalls around the low endowment
So - bottom line is high cost, extraordinarily low financial aid, competitors offering the same degree for far less money, and now issues with the coach. Why not the same issue on the men's side? Far, far more men go into engineering, and families are more comfortable with a son taking on $150,000+ undergraduate debt than they are their little girls. I would never have paid that much money for a non-Ivy when my kids were that age.
He did have a good run, those guys took all the above drawbacks and won three HCAC titles, had two trips to the NCAA Tournament (and would have advanced at least to the Sweet 16 if their best guard hadn't gotten injured right before the NCAA's in 2018), and I believe finished in the Top-5 in scoring defense for 4-5 straight years. Hopefully whomever is next tasked to lead the program will be someone with experience recruiting in hopeless situations LoL...

[Baldini]

Hard to believe that they couldn't make the season work, where there is a will there is a way. A call to the student body for tryouts. They have a soccer, volleyball and cross-country teams that just ended seasons and have fit players who many probably played basketball in HS. Instead, they chose to blow it up and leave the current team members without a season to play. Seems wrong in so many ways. 

[Roundball999]

The costs and demographics at RHIT seem to resemble a few other schools around the country, such as RPI.  These schools have not had trouble fielding women's team though they are typically not D3 powerhouses.  I don't know the details but it seems there must be unique challenges at RHIT (financial aid and coach have been mentioned; I know nothing about those at RHIT) that make it tougher to field a team than at other market basket schools

[itsnotmeitsyou]

What are the issues regarding RHIT that seem only to significantly affect the women’s basketball team that are being ignored by the administration?

Jester's daughter has played more recently, so I'll let him answer regarding specifics around the administration and staff. 30,000 ft view is the school now costs $75,000 per year. Its average cost AFTER financial aid is the starting point for most liberal arts colleges - which make up 95% of Division III membership. There is a very small demographic for RHIT to recruit from (females that want engineering, want a selective school, aren't intimidated by the academics, and whose families won't vomit at the thought of paying $45-$50,000 AFTER financial aid), made even smaller by the fact that engineering only attracts women at a rate of around 18-20% of the profession annually. In addition, while RHIT isn't as selective as the Ivy League, the service academies, or MIT/CalTech, they are much more selective than everyone else by a sight. The kids that can really play are also getting looks from the above schools, who all have far bigger endowments and better financial aid. Last time I had a conversation with anyone on that staff, which was in 2015'ish up at Hope, I was told that RHIT would have a low-mid Division I caliber roster in women's basketball if they even had BAD financial aid, instead of truly horrifying financial aid.
Let's face it, the key to having an elite D-III women's program is to entice Division II/NAIA/low-mid D-I kids to play down, for whatever reason. RHIT's stats always get them in the picture, then out very quickly once families realize what it will cost. Not only that, but even D-III caliber kids don't want to tackle that much debt.
Unfortunately the school, for whatever reason, won't or can't give decent financial aid, and folks have all kinds of options. If you go online and check out the salaries they are paying their top-ten administrators, it is obvious where the school wants to put its money. They held a presidential search a few years ago and couldn't find anyone outside the school that even wanted to apply for the job, given the considerable pratfalls around the low endowment
So - bottom line is high cost, extraordinarily low financial aid, competitors offering the same degree for far less money, and now issues with the coach. Why not the same issue on the men's side? Far, far more men go into engineering, and families are more comfortable with a son taking on $150,000+ undergraduate debt than they are their little girls. I would never have paid that much money for a non-Ivy when my kids were that age.
He did have a good run, those guys took all the above drawbacks and won three HCAC titles, had two trips to the NCAA Tournament (and would have advanced at least to the Sweet 16 if their best guard hadn't gotten injured right before the NCAA's in 2018), and I believe finished in the Top-5 in scoring defense for 4-5 straight years. Hopefully whomever is next tasked to lead the program will be someone with experience recruiting in hopeless situations LoL...

While helpful info., players are already IN the program and THEN leaving the team. Seems to me that the issues at the root cause of the problem aren’t tuition cost/financial aid-related. Something else is amiss.

Btw - this job, if done right, is a GOLD MINE!!! Clearly you can get more talented kids than any league foe would have access to.

[FCGrizzliesGrad]

What are the issues regarding RHIT that seem only to significantly affect the women’s basketball team that are being ignored by the administration?

Jester's daughter has played more recently, so I'll let him answer regarding specifics around the administration and staff. 30,000 ft view is the school now costs $75,000 per year. Its average cost AFTER financial aid is the starting point for most liberal arts colleges - which make up 95% of Division III membership. There is a very small demographic for RHIT to recruit from (females that want engineering, want a selective school, aren't intimidated by the academics, and whose families won't vomit at the thought of paying $45-$50,000 AFTER financial aid), made even smaller by the fact that engineering only attracts women at a rate of around 18-20% of the profession annually. In addition, while RHIT isn't as selective as the Ivy League, the service academies, or MIT/CalTech, they are much more selective than everyone else by a sight. The kids that can really play are also getting looks from the above schools, who all have far bigger endowments and better financial aid. Last time I had a conversation with anyone on that staff, which was in 2015'ish up at Hope, I was told that RHIT would have a low-mid Division I caliber roster in women's basketball if they even had BAD financial aid, instead of truly horrifying financial aid.
Let's face it, the key to having an elite D-III women's program is to entice Division II/NAIA/low-mid D-I kids to play down, for whatever reason. RHIT's stats always get them in the picture, then out very quickly once families realize what it will cost. Not only that, but even D-III caliber kids don't want to tackle that much debt.
Unfortunately the school, for whatever reason, won't or can't give decent financial aid, and folks have all kinds of options. If you go online and check out the salaries they are paying their top-ten administrators, it is obvious where the school wants to put its money. They held a presidential search a few years ago and couldn't find anyone outside the school that even wanted to apply for the job, given the considerable pratfalls around the low endowment
So - bottom line is high cost, extraordinarily low financial aid, competitors offering the same degree for far less money, and now issues with the coach. Why not the same issue on the men's side? Far, far more men go into engineering, and families are more comfortable with a son taking on $150,000+ undergraduate debt than they are their little girls. I would never have paid that much money for a non-Ivy when my kids were that age.
He did have a good run, those guys took all the above drawbacks and won three HCAC titles, had two trips to the NCAA Tournament (and would have advanced at least to the Sweet 16 if their best guard hadn't gotten injured right before the NCAA's in 2018), and I believe finished in the Top-5 in scoring defense for 4-5 straight years. Hopefully whomever is next tasked to lead the program will be someone with experience recruiting in hopeless situations LoL...

Considering how good other teams are at Rose (and possibly struggling less with turnover), it's something significant but localized to WBB. Last year in the HCAC, RHIT was 1st in the men's all-sports ranking, 3rd in the women's all-sports rankings, and were just edged out by Hanover for the Commissioner's Cup. The football team this year were in a de facto conference title game a few weeks ago. No other sports seem to be affected like women's basketball has been.

As to the cancelled season, I'm reminded of the Medgar Evers women back in 2012-13. They struggled with roster size and were getting humiliated (several games early on failing to score double digits) but they played on and you can tell they got better as the season progressed even if they went winless.
If there were at least 6 players who said they want to keep playing, I think they should be able to play. Cancelling the season is the nuclear option so I hope every possible alternative was tried.

[Enginerd]

What are the issues regarding RHIT that seem only to significantly affect the women’s basketball team that are being ignored by the administration?

Jester's daughter has played more recently, so I'll let him answer regarding specifics around the administration and staff. 30,000 ft view is the school now costs $75,000 per year. Its average cost AFTER financial aid is the starting point for most liberal arts colleges - which make up 95% of Division III membership. There is a very small demographic for RHIT to recruit from (females that want engineering, want a selective school, aren't intimidated by the academics, and whose families won't vomit at the thought of paying $45-$50,000 AFTER financial aid), made even smaller by the fact that engineering only attracts women at a rate of around 18-20% of the profession annually. In addition, while RHIT isn't as selective as the Ivy League, the service academies, or MIT/CalTech, they are much more selective than everyone else by a sight. The kids that can really play are also getting looks from the above schools, who all have far bigger endowments and better financial aid. Last time I had a conversation with anyone on that staff, which was in 2015'ish up at Hope, I was told that RHIT would have a low-mid Division I caliber roster in women's basketball if they even had BAD financial aid, instead of truly horrifying financial aid.
Let's face it, the key to having an elite D-III women's program is to entice Division II/NAIA/low-mid D-I kids to play down, for whatever reason. RHIT's stats always get them in the picture, then out very quickly once families realize what it will cost. Not only that, but even D-III caliber kids don't want to tackle that much debt.
Unfortunately the school, for whatever reason, won't or can't give decent financial aid, and folks have all kinds of options. If you go online and check out the salaries they are paying their top-ten administrators, it is obvious where the school wants to put its money. They held a presidential search a few years ago and couldn't find anyone outside the school that even wanted to apply for the job, given the considerable pratfalls around the low endowment
So - bottom line is high cost, extraordinarily low financial aid, competitors offering the same degree for far less money, and now issues with the coach. Why not the same issue on the men's side? Far, far more men go into engineering, and families are more comfortable with a son taking on $150,000+ undergraduate debt than they are their little girls. I would never have paid that much money for a non-Ivy when my kids were that age.
He did have a good run, those guys took all the above drawbacks and won three HCAC titles, had two trips to the NCAA Tournament (and would have advanced at least to the Sweet 16 if their best guard hadn't gotten injured right before the NCAA's in 2018), and I believe finished in the Top-5 in scoring defense for 4-5 straight years. Hopefully whomever is next tasked to lead the program will be someone with experience recruiting in hopeless situations LoL...

While helpful info., players are already IN the program and THEN leaving the team. Seems to me that the issues at the root cause of the problem aren’t tuition cost/financial aid-related. Something else is amiss.

Btw - this job, if done right, is a GOLD MINE!!! Clearly you can get more talented kids than any league foe would have access to.

WBB has won as many HCAC titles and has as many NCAA appearances as Women's soccer at RHIT over the past decade. Football has indeed had a great run - but if you look at their roster they are FULL of California kids, who have nowhere to go West of the Mississippi if they want to play football and get an elite engineering degree PLUS California has far more wealthy folks willing to spend whatever it takes and everyone pays through the nose in CA even for public universities. The women's tennis team at RHIT has had one or two good years but nowhere near the amount of success of the men's tennis squad.

The one women's program that has proven your theory correct, itsnotmeitsyou, is the women's golf team. They've obliterated the HCAC since 2019, finishing 1-2 with their B team at a conference meet last year. Not coincidentally, the same person who recruited the great RHIT BB players from the early 2010's was also the women's golf coach - but they've left now as well. Jester knows why but he ain't telling! My point is that golf is a "country club" sport with a completely different demographic to choose from than BB. Soccer as well, really, if  you're anywhere near a green space in a big-city suburb on any summer Saturday, you'll understand what I'm talking about.

I'm not defending anyone. I've been hearing that the coach was a tyrant since at least the early 2000's when my kid was there and he coached the men's team - but I'm pretty sure recruiting WBB players at RHIT is harder than it looks.

Also, Roundball999, you're correct about the similarities with RPI, but RPI, (and Union, Stevens, Hamilton, MIT, Rensselaer etc...) is in NY and in an area with a much bigger population and easy access to the NY/New England corridor.  RHIT is in Terre Haute, IN. Plus, the whole world comes to Indiana to recruit basketball players and, at least 20 years ago, it was not uncommon to see those schools creeping around events in the Midwest. RHIT has never been able to "put up a fence" and get who they want from the Midwest. I'm sure WashU, Hope, Calvin, Indiana Tech, and especially Trine just murder them financial aid-wise whenever an engineering kid that can play pops-up. RHIT was my kid's most expensive option by at least $20,000 but she fell in love with the school, and were fortunate to have some family money to help with the outrageous cost - were it not for that she would have been at Hope, Calvin, or Michigan State most likely.

[Enginerd]

Other than a disastrous 2nd quarter, looks like Bluffton came the closest of anyone so far this season - to giving Transylvania a game. Three glaring stats that stand out:
 - Bluffton had 24 turnovers, Cannot defeat a good team turning it over that often. Transylvania scored 28 points off those turnovers.
 - Transylvania had TWENTY ONE offensive rebounds. That is an astronomical number of offensive boards.
 - Transylvania was only whistled for 10 fouls while Bluffton was called for 20.  Transylvania shot 18 free throws to Bluffton's 2. To be expected in Lexington. RHIT has always struggled with the officials down there. I'll say this though, Transy is very aggressive, and officials are human and often call the game based off the more aggressive team - otherwise they'd be calling fouls all night.

Another shocking stat is that of the 66 shots that Transylvania got up today, 41 of them were 3's. 63% of Transy's shots today were 3's.

Therein lies the problem for opposing teams, and what makes Transy so difficult to defeat. When you shoot 41 shots from beyond the arc, that means there will be a lot of long rebounds. Stacy and especially Thornton are so quick and athletic, and with the floor so  spread-out when a 3-pt attempt goes up, it's very, very difficult to block them out. Thornton in particular is a match-up nightmare. Most teams have to put a legit post player guarding her, or Transy will just high-low them to death over the top of smaller players - but that taller, longer player often isn't athletic or mobile enough to block her out and keep her off the offensive glass when she starts from 15 feet away from the basket - which is usually where she is when a 3-pt attempt goes up, if not further away.

It will be interesting to see where it goes from here for Transy. They are very, very good, again. However, they aren't shooting it quite as well from the field (42.8% in 2021-22 vs. 37.9% this year) as they did last year and their 3-pt % is down as well (31.9% last year compared to 28.8% this year).  Their scoring IS a bit more balanced so far this season, with 3 players averaging 13 pts per game - while last year Kellione and Stacy accounted for over 40% of the team's points.

Only three of the seven teams they've played so far this year have winning records, with two of those teams being HCAC members Franklin and Bluffton - and Bluffton is notorious for playing weak schedules. Nevertheless, Bluffton, along with Hanover and possibly Wisconsin Lutheran, are the only remaining teams that have a prayer of beating Transy in the regular season - IF they limit turnovers, limit Transy to 12 or fewer offensive rebounds, and hold two of Transy's starters to fewer than 10 points.

Will Transy's remaining schedule be enough to prepare them for the NCAA Tournament? They still have road games at Hanover and Bluffton, which are potential stumbling blocks - but they do not otherwise have to face ANY other real tests all the way potentially to the Sweet 16. One might argue that they'll see 4-3 Wisconsin Lutheran, whose best win is over a DePauw squad that's struggled this season (plus I suppose you could argue that they played Calvin tough-who played Hope tough), and 7-0 Berea, who's played one of the weakest schedules in the MIdwest (their opponents are a combined 10-41), but that event is at home. Again, Transy, is really, really good, but an important aspect of this is how important it is for them to play at home - which, barring some unexpected losses, is guaranteed all the way through the Elite 8.

[Baldini]

Took in the double hitter at Transylvania today and I would say the women's offense is still not in sync, but their high level of pressure defense and offensive rebounding will take them a long way. How far will depend on their 3-point shot making in games come tournament time.   

Transylvania added a game at John Carroll next Saturday to replace the lost game with RHIT, will be their toughest test of the remainder of the regular season schedule. They will need to take their A game with them to avoid a setback.

A little shoutout to the officials in both games today, thought they did a great job today. I've probably seen this women's game crew do a dozen or more games the past few years, mostly NAIA games and thought they let them play for the most part. Bluffton is a physical team and if they hadn't started so cold shooting the ball, they probably would have been in it all game. Bluffton won the second half and Transylvania never did go deep into their bench. Enjoyed watching both games.         

[Enginerd]

Took in the double hitter at Transylvania today and I would say the women's offense is still not in sync, but their high level of pressure defense and offensive rebounding will take them a long way. How far will depend on their 3-point shot making in games come tournament time.   

Transylvania added a game at John Carroll next Saturday to replace the lost game with RHIT, will be their toughest test of the remainder of the regular season schedule. They will need to take their A game with them to avoid a setback.

A little shoutout to the officials in both games today, thought they did a great job today. I've probably seen this women's game crew do a dozen or more games the past few years, mostly NAIA games and thought they let them play for the most part. Bluffton is a physical team and if they hadn't started so cold shooting the ball, they probably would have been in it all game. Bluffton won the second half and Transylvania never did go deep into their bench. Enjoyed watching both games.       

You're probably right about the John Carrol game - although Wisconsin Lutheran has a reputation as a giant-killer occasionally. Bluffton and possibly Hanover might give them trouble on the road, but it's all set-up for Transylvania to run the table. They are a fun team to watch, especially since they've embraced a tougher, more defensive-minded approach - actually they've been getting better defensively every year since 2019. Offensive rebounding from the perimeter really is their secret sauce.

As someone who likes to watch great basketball, I really wish they'd venture out and play better teams. I know as soon as RHIT felt like they had the talent, they really loaded-up with as many strong games as possible - almost all of them on the road. Hope, WashU, Chicago, IL. Wesleyan. Albion, Rhodes, Depauw, Texas-Dallas (when they were great)...etc. That Hope game was so much fun to watch. During the Bromenschenkel era RHIT always had a top-10 SOS until HCAC games began. I'd so much rather see Transy step-out and at least try to play some top-notch teams a couple times per year - it would be good for them come tournament time. They've stepped-out of the friendly confines of the Beck Center to play a D-III thoroughbred program exactly twice (counting the ETBU game in the pandemic year) in the past five years. It's almost as though their schedule is set-up to guarantee as many home games as possible, with any away games being against teams that aren't horrible, but aren't great either. Just enough flavor to guarantee themselves home-court advantage in the NCAA Tournament - which they have an outsized chance at getting in any given year being an NCAA favorite geographically.

I think it actually hurts Transylvania just a little bit that they don't have a halfway decent RHIT on their schedule this year. The antidote to Transylvania is a team that defends like it's hair is on fire and makes things exceedingly difficult offensively, has guards that will be tough against the slapping and reaching and can hold on to the ball and won't turn it over against their press, and gives them only one shot per possession and won't allow them to run wild from the perimeter, shooting 3's and getting long rebounds every other possession - just like RHIT did twice in close games last year and Trine did in the NCAA Tournament. The more often they see teams like this, the better prepared they'll be when the games really count. Go watch the first 4-5 minutes of the Transy-RHIT game from last weekend, and then imagine a team with talent, athleticism, and length doing the same thing - Transy would have been in a serious scrap. Hopefully, the schedule they have will wind up being strong enough to help propel them a game or two further this season. It would really help the conference to have a team make the Final Four or challenge for a national title.

[Baldini]

Took in the double hitter at Transylvania today and I would say the women's offense is still not in sync, but their high level of pressure defense and offensive rebounding will take them a long way. How far will depend on their 3-point shot making in games come tournament time.   

Transylvania added a game at John Carroll next Saturday to replace the lost game with RHIT, will be their toughest test of the remainder of the regular season schedule. They will need to take their A game with them to avoid a setback.

A little shoutout to the officials in both games today, thought they did a great job today. I've probably seen this women's game crew do a dozen or more games the past few years, mostly NAIA games and thought they let them play for the most part. Bluffton is a physical team and if they hadn't started so cold shooting the ball, they probably would have been in it all game. Bluffton won the second half and Transylvania never did go deep into their bench. Enjoyed watching both games.       

You're probably right about the John Carrol game - although Wisconsin Lutheran has a reputation as a giant-killer occasionally. Bluffton and possibly Hanover might give them trouble on the road, but it's all set-up for Transylvania to run the table. They are a fun team to watch, especially since they've embraced a tougher, more defensive-minded approach - actually they've been getting better defensively every year since 2019. Offensive rebounding from the perimeter really is their secret sauce.

As someone who likes to watch great basketball, I really wish they'd venture out and play better teams. I know as soon as RHIT felt like they had the talent, they really loaded-up with as many strong games as possible - almost all of them on the road. Hope, WashU, Chicago, IL. Wesleyan. Albion, Rhodes, Depauw, Texas-Dallas (when they were great)...etc. That Hope game was so much fun to watch. During the Bromenschenkel era RHIT always had a top-10 SOS until HCAC games began. I'd so much rather see Transy step-out and at least try to play some top-notch teams a couple times per year - it would be good for them come tournament time. They've stepped-out of the friendly confines of the Beck Center to play a D-III thoroughbred program exactly twice (counting the ETBU game in the pandemic year) in the past five years. It's almost as though their schedule is set-up to guarantee as many home games as possible, with any away games being against teams that aren't horrible, but aren't great either. Just enough flavor to guarantee themselves home-court advantage in the NCAA Tournament - which they have an outsized chance at getting in any given year being an NCAA favorite geographically.

I think it actually hurts Transylvania just a little bit that they don't have a halfway decent RHIT on their schedule this year. The antidote to Transylvania is a team that defends like it's hair is on fire and makes things exceedingly difficult offensively, has guards that will be tough against the slapping and reaching and can hold on to the ball and won't turn it over against their press, and gives them only one shot per possession and won't allow them to run wild from the perimeter, shooting 3's and getting long rebounds every other possession - just like RHIT did twice in close games last year and Trine did in the NCAA Tournament. The more often they see teams like this, the better prepared they'll be when the games really count. Go watch the first 4-5 minutes of the Transy-RHIT game from last weekend, and then imagine a team with talent, athleticism, and length doing the same thing - Transy would have been in a serious scrap. Hopefully, the schedule they have will wind up being strong enough to help propel them a game or two further this season. It would really help the conference to have a team make the Final Four or challenge for a national title.

You have beat this drum a few times in the past and I don't disagree about this year's schedule, it is a bit underwhelming considering the talent they had returning. But I disagree with you about some of the past years, last year Tufts was #7 when they traveled to Boston to play them, and John Carroll was #3 when that game was played. With only 7 non-conference games in the HCAC it limits what they can do and still keep with their traditional games played. They have played Spalding forever in the annual Louisville-Lexington battle (hasn't been a battle in some time though) and they host their annual Pat Deacon tournament which doesn't leave many games to play with. Berea has been an annual instate game most every season also, yet some years they have worked them in by being part of the tournament.   

I'm of the belief that you need to be tested throughout the season to be ready for the post season also, but that doesn't mean every non-conference game needs to be against a ranked opponent either. Yet this year does seem light, hopefully for their sake road games with John Carroll, Hanover and Bluffton along with the Wisconsin Lutheran and Berea holiday tournament games is the tests they need.