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Messages - hickory_cornhusker

#31
Multi-Regional Topics / Re: 2020 NCAA Tournament
March 09, 2020, 09:14:21 AM
Insane question I came up with listening to Hoopsville. Dave mentioned Hobart to CNU is 500 miles and vice versa is 501 miles or possibly that's flipped. Let's say it was 500 from Hobart to CNU and 499 CNU to Hobart. Would they push to have Hobart to host solely because that doesn't require a flight?
#32
General football / Re: D3 vs. NAIA
November 19, 2019, 12:05:51 PM
There is another one Saturday when Greenville hosts NAIA Olivet Nazarene in the NCCAA's victory bowl.
#33
Multi-Regional Topics / Re: Conference changes
July 15, 2019, 02:17:52 PM
Quote from: Christan Shirk on July 15, 2019, 01:04:37 PM
Quote from: Ralph Turner on July 13, 2019, 09:08:07 PM
Quote from: Caz Bombers on July 13, 2019, 03:09:29 PM
The ACAA just keeps on trying to make fetch happen. It's not gonna happen, guys.
The ACAA still allows a school to have Player of the Week, All-Conference and All-Academic awards.
Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on July 14, 2019, 12:57:17 PM
They're getting close to AQs in a few sports.  I think they'll probably keep plugging away.

Apparently not everyone is OK with an AQ going to a conference with an arrangement like the ACAA (and the GSAC in its latter years) where there is no conference regular season schedule, just an end-of-season conference tournament.  The Conference Automatic Qualification Requirements Working Group of the Division III Championships Committee looked at this issue and the potential for some sort of a conference regular season requirement and they ended up recommending that teams should be required to play regular season games against at least 70% of their conference opponents in order to be eligible to earn the conference's automatic berth.  The Championships Committee supported the concept, but wouldn't endorse a specific percentage, wanting feedback from the Division III Conference Commissioners Association concerning what percentage of conference opponents teams currently play in other conferences.

[Sources:
http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/media-center/news/diii-championships-committee-shifts-approach-regional-realignment (at the end)
https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/committees/d3/champs/Jun2019D3CC_Report.pdf (see item 10)


Now, I note that the recommendation as described does not speak to conference eligibility for an automatic berth, but rather team eligibility to earn that automatic berth. But despite the difference, the effect could be the same in the end.  Some of the incentive (i.e. a chance at an automatic berth) to join a geographically scattered conference with only a conference tournament would be lost, and with reduced incentive it could become even harder to recruit enough schools to gain the automatic berth in the first place.  Sure, there's still the incentive to have a chance at a conference championship and conference awards/honors.




Another change in the works that could impact (and in this case help) a conference like the ACAA is a proposal to allow schools in Years 3 and 4 of provision/reclassifying membership to count toward a conference's minimum of seven teams during the 2-year waiting period following a successful application for an automatic berth.  The conference would need seven full/active D-III members to apply for and receive the AQ, but if during the 2-year waiting period, a team(s) would leave the conference, teams in the final two years of the transition to D-III could be used to make up the numbers and not lose the AQ.

Question about the 70% rule though with St. Norbert leaving the MWC it's likely to be a moot point at least for now. They had 12 teams for football (two 6 team divisions). You played your division (5) and crossover and played two teams for the other division (2). Then there was the championship at the end (1st vs 1st, 2nd vs 2nd, etc). It is possible you could play a team you met in the crossover and would end up playing 7 of 11 conference teams for 63.6% of the conference. Is this possibly why the percentage to use was thrown into question?
#34
Quote from: miac952 on May 22, 2019, 01:15:57 PM
Quote from: TheChucker on May 22, 2019, 12:53:46 PM
Quote from: miac952 on May 22, 2019, 12:46:01 PM
The "involuntary" language here is important. My understanding is UST, and a team of well payed lawyers, are working with the NCAA to go directly the DI route vs. stopping for the 5 year cup of coffee in DII; due the forced nature of the departure. There is not much precedence for this exemption but the NCAA has brought greater flexibility recently, and UST knows a guy with some clout in the main office now in McDonough. Oh the irony.

Also ironic in all of this is UST talked MIAC membership into re-welcoming St Olaf back many years ago when the rest of the conference didn't want them back in. Now the little weasel on the hill backstabs them. I am hoping his scholarly pursuits haven't been in the field of History.

If this is true, it would answer a some questions on how this all played out (e.g. secrecy from schools, involuntary removal vs. voluntary like many thought would happen over the years, etc.)

I've heard the message I noted above independently from the few people I still know in the UST athletic office. They believe there is a strong case they can make. Direct to DI is the primary and most preferred pathway. Other options like the NSIC and other DIII conferences are secondary plans. Strangely, I have heard the former IIAC mentioned as more of a possibility than the WIAC.

Would be a big jump for the WIAC to let in a full member that isn't in the University of Wisconsin system but it would give them enough for an AQ in baseball and men's hockey and they would be only one short in women's hockey.
#35
General football / Re: Regional Realignment
April 30, 2019, 04:58:13 PM
Quote from: wally_wabash on April 30, 2019, 10:25:23 AM
Quote from: hazzben on April 30, 2019, 09:53:52 AM
The thing I like is that it increases our data points for Pool B & C, since there would be more RRO info. Assuming games against out of region opponents, but still within a certain driving distance, could be counted as "In Region" games.

E.g. SJU plays UWL and Wartburg in non-con, neither of which are in their new region, but are both very driveable games. Maybe it's changed, but there was a period where a team within a certain driving distance was considered "in region" even when they fell in another region correct? If that's still the case, it could be a good thing for the top teams in good conferences. Schedule quality teams and increase your chances of RRO's.

I'd still probably lean 4, mostly just because we know it works fairly well right now. That said going to 5 or 6 would effectively end all debate about certain regions feeling jobbed for not getting a one seed. Or other feeling like they were gifted a one. Debate will always reign supreme, but at least in this scenario everyone knows there aren't enough 1 seeds to go around to each region.

You are correct - one way that a game is countable as in-region is if the schools are within 200 miles of each other.  In the SJU example, UWL and Wartburg are counted as in-region because Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa are all in the same administrative region (not sure of the driving distance, but that wouldn't necessarily be relevant).  Even further, if a team plays 70 percent of their games as "in-region", then ALL of their games against any D-III team count as in-region.  So as long as you're playing a 7-game conference schedule and a full 10 game regular season schedule, all of those games are going to be counted as in-region as long as they are against D-III teams.  They've really made it so that the only way to NOT play in-region games is to play outside of the division. 

One thing that isn't clear is if they would continue to rank 10 teams per region post-expansion.  I think most feel like they would not rank 10 teams, but maybe 7-8 teams.  I do understand the point being made there that ranking 25% of the division (regional top 10s with regions of about 40 teams apiece) is too many, but ultimately I think they would be missing an opportunity to add usable primary criteria data if they didn't rank 10 teams per region.  So who knows. TBD.

Five regions with eight ranked teams each is still 40 ranked teams. Six regions with seven ranked teams each is 42 ranked teams so it would be (or essentially be) the same percentage of the division regionally ranked as before.
#36
Quote from: Pat Coleman on April 14, 2019, 02:55:20 PM
Quote from: jamtoTommie on April 14, 2019, 02:11:14 AM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on April 14, 2019, 12:01:29 AM
Quote from: jamtoTommie on April 13, 2019, 10:19:39 PM

Not sure what d3hoops is using to source those enrollment numbers but UST has been over 6000 and mostly stable for a bit. And every source I see shows St Kate's over 3000. Current numbers would have them higher on a student per sport basis so why aren't they more successful?

They are not over 6,000 in full-time undergraduates, which is what we report out, based on the school's filing with the U.S. Department of education.
Thanks. The discrepancy must be full-time vs part time as every stat I could find shows them around 6200.
I'm not clear why full time is the relevant number as it's not necessary to be full time to maintain athletic eligibility (source: JErdmann in the ATN Podcast)

If you only need a class or two to finish your degree then you are eligible if taking those classes. I think you can understand that that is a very limited number of people.

Matt Leinart was probably the most famous use of this rule when he played his senior year at USC while taking ballroom dance as his final class.
#37
Quote from: RFMichigan on April 05, 2019, 04:41:00 PM
Quote from: gbpuckfan on April 05, 2019, 03:09:05 PM
What is a Blueboy?

Illinois College's athletic teams are known by the nickname of Blueboys and Lady Blues. The term "Blueboy" refers to a soldier in the Union Army, a role filled by 240 Illinois College students during the Civil War. The College's rich history includes ties to Abraham Lincoln and the Underground Railroad. The entire senior class of 1863 enlisted in the Civil War and Illinois College recognizes those soldiers who fought and died in the war by using the "Blueboy" as the school's official mascot.

https://illinoiscollegeathletics.com/sports/2013/5/29/fastfacts.aspx


I remember not having an idea where this nickname came from until we played in IC's gym and they had a huge picture of a Civil War soldier on the wall. (Along with a sign which said that Illinois College was the oldest college in the state of Illinois. :o)

I've got a question regarding IC and MacMurray being in the same conference. Is/can a school get admitted into a conference by the simple majority of conference presidents or can one school veto another one from getting in? It seems as though Illinois College is an awfully long way from most other schools in the Midwest Conference, but besides the SLIAC, where would they go? The NACC? (I'm fascinated by how and why schools end up in the conferences that they are.)

It depends on the conference rules on how many votes you need to add a ew member. However, most will say that the new school was unanimously voted in, even if there was one or two holdouts. It looks better for the conference to say the move was unanimous.

There is a kind of sick irony if Illinois College were to join the NACC after St. Norbert left the MWC citing travel concerns as one of the reasons and they are forced back into their longest conference road trip they had in the MWC in their new conference.
#38
Quote from: Pat Coleman on April 05, 2019, 10:44:03 AM
Quote from: Smitty Oom on April 05, 2019, 10:38:35 AM
I hope UST does not leave the MIAC, but I pose this question from a purely hypothetical stand point.

If they do get kicked out of the MIAC, would UST make a transition into the D2 NSIC with one of their 16 members, Augustana, leaving to go D1 now? It seems like it would not take long for them to rise to the top of the NSIC if they are able to give out scholarships, given their facilities, location, academics.


What do they do with hockey?

I know this question is for if they go D2 but I just realized the WIAC might have already placed a call to UST saying their hockey teams have a home in the WIAC if they want it.
#39
Multi-Regional Topics / Re: Conference changes
April 05, 2019, 09:43:58 AM
Quote from: Smitty Oom on April 05, 2019, 09:33:31 AM
When a team moves from D3 to D2, is there a 5 year period where they are ineligible for postseason play, as is with a new D3 team?

It's only 3. Remember, D2 doesn't need to worry about cleansing their program of all of those heathen athletic scholarship kids.
#40
Quote from: Gregory Sager on April 03, 2019, 12:41:39 PM
Quote from: gbpuckfan on April 03, 2019, 11:59:10 AM
As was pointed out to me (and I had admitted) I don't know the NACC well.

From someone contending this isn't a step down, pointing out the NACC's successes:

The NACC had two baseball teams in the NCAA Tournament last year, Concordia-Chicago and Aurora. Concordia has gone to the World Series twice, as has Aurora I believe. Also, Benedictine played in the men's basketball national championship game in 2016 and Dominican men's soccer has reached the Final Four. Wisconsin Lutheran women's basketball won an NCAA Tournament game this year. Aurora beat WashU in the men's basketball tournament last year.


I was just about to post these very facts. The NACC is a slight step up from the MWC, because it does have some isolated programs here and there (Concordia IL in baseball is the most consistent and noteworthy example) that have achieved national success. The MWC just doesn't have that. For example, only three times in 45 years has a MWC team made it out of the first weekend of the tournament in this sport, and the only MWC team to ever reach the Elite Eight was the 2004 Braier Lawrence team ... and that achievement is now a decade and a half in the rear-view mirror.

Don't get me wrong; there's still plenty of dross, competition-wise, in the NACC. But it's telling that the most consistently solid athletic department in the MWC is St. Norbert itself. This move will make the NACC a lot more competitive, and it will drag down the MWC significantly in terms of its competition level.

I would say the only sport where the top end of the MWC was better than the NACC was football (as in the best team in the best of years might get out of the first round of the playoffs). Most of that was Ffrom SNC themselves so it might be a lateral move in that regard.
#41
Quote from: RFMichigan on March 26, 2019, 12:03:53 PM
Quote from: Captain_Joe08 on March 22, 2019, 12:41:11 PM


3/21 Scores
New York U 30 Illinois Tech 19

49 runs huh? The hitting coaches were cheering and the pitching coaches . . . weren't.

The box score has the game officially as 4:24 long. On the bright side the weather was listed as "74 degrees, sunny (PERFECT)"
#42
Multi-Regional Topics / Re: 2019 NCAA Tournament
February 26, 2019, 09:22:23 PM
Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 26, 2019, 09:07:12 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on February 26, 2019, 05:15:06 PM
The figure is 3.18%, yes. And that number is established in the NCAA constitution, so any change to our percentage of D-II's percentage would require broad-based support.

I guess I've always wondered why d3 and d2 don't get together to just raise their own percentages.  They've got 2/3rds of the membership, right?  Or does it require 3/4ths?

Fear of possibly biting the hand that feeds them could be it. If The D1 schools don't like giving up more of their money they may leave and D2 and D3 could end up with nothing.
#43
Multi-Regional Topics / Re: 2019 NCAA Tournament
February 24, 2019, 02:46:26 PM
Quote from: Titan Q on February 24, 2019, 02:15:15 PM
Based on what I have above, logical bracket quadrants could be...

#1 Whitman Quadrant
1. (W) Whitman: .963, 26-1/.563/5-1
16. (GL) Marietta: .769, 20-6/.549/6-4

9. (C) UW-Oshkosh: .885, 23-3/.542/3-3 *can't host/women
10. (W) Loras: .778, 21-6/.587/2-2

#4 Amherst Quadrant
4. (NE) Amherst: .852, 23-4/.568/8-3 
13. (E) Oswego State: .815, 22-5/.532/8-4

7. (MA) Swarthmore: .889, 24-3/.536/5-1
8. (NE) Hamilton: .852, 23-4/.553/4-4



#2 Christopher Newport Quadrant
2. (MA) Christopher Newport: .893, 25-3/.549/7-3
15. (C) North Central: .815, 22-5/.543/5-3

6. (S) Randolph-Macon: .926, 25-2/.535/6-2
11. (MA) Rowan: .769, 20-6/.560/9-3


#3 Nebraska Wesleyan Quadrant
3. (W) Nebraska Wesleyan: .963, 26-1/.575/2-1
14. (GL) Wittenberg: .815, 22-5/.545/6-3

5. (C) Augustana: .889, 24-3/.547/8-3
12. (W) St. John's: .852, 23-4/.534/4-2

Flipping 15 North Central with 16 Marietta saves a flight to Christopher Newport and an additional flight if the NCAA doesn't put up the money for flying three teams to Whitman the second weekend.

Edit: Flipping 14 Wittenberg with 15 North Central would cut down two flights as well but it places Augustana and North Central in the same quadrant which would be nice if it can be avoided.
#44
Rockford gets off the winless list with 4 OT win over Marian in the Big Fond du.
#45
Men's soccer / Re: The Big Dance
November 24, 2018, 09:08:01 AM
Quote from: Saint of Old on November 23, 2018, 08:33:37 PM
Quote from: Jump4Joy on November 23, 2018, 12:44:50 PM
Have I lost my touch, or is there really no video for the Final Four?!
They actually used to have the final four over thanks giving break.
Really gave all 4 teams an opportunity to break bread before the war begins.

I'm pretty sure the NCAA not wanting to pay to fly teams on short notice on Thanksgiving weekend also has something to do with it.