RPI has done surprising well with all of their key injuries.  Two of their starters from the first eight games remain sidelined and I don't know if either one will return this season.  Dylan Matchett (LL 2^nd team last season) has missed the last six 1/2 games and Pat White has missed the last eight games.  Two of their other top eight have missed multiple games earlier in the season.  Yechiel Stewart was their leading scorer before he missed five games.  Nate Tawiah-Boateng has missed six games.

The last time RPI had everyone healthy, they won by 20 points.  RPI has found a way to go 7-1 since then. All but one of the games were close, and any of them could have been a loss. 

Close games mean the starters are playing more minutes.  It makes the Saturday games tougher.  At least there will be one or more days off in the playoffs.

If I understand the tie breakers correctly, it looks like RPI now controls their own destiny for the top seed.  They need to win out or If Vassar beats Union next week, RPI can lose another game. In any case, it will not be easy.

I have only been able to watch a portion of RPI's games, and the one's I have seen have all been via streaming.  That said, I am very impressed that they are doing as well as they are.  Here are a bunch of somewhat random observations:

• Mark Gilbride has proven himself to be an excellent coach.  His teams always play great team defense.  If you don't buy into the system, you do not get playing time.
• Seven of the top eight can all hit the three.  There are good shooting nights and bad ones, but they are not dependent on one or two three-point threats.
• They have been in every game they have played except Union.  Union played very well and pretty much dominated them throughout.
• The other two losses that I witnessed, came down to clutch long-range three-point shooting by the opposition.
• RPI was up at least 14 points in the second half of three games, and they gave up much of the lead late in the game.  The still managed to pull out the win in all three.
• Injuries have really hurt them, and it may get worse.  Four of the normal eight-man rotation have missed games.  This includes three of the five starters from game one.  Two of them are currently on the sidelines and Dylan Matchett's injury against RIT looked serious.
• A promising freshman from last season who got meaningful playing time transferred out.  He went to an SEC school and is not playing basketball.
• PJ Scalisi and Andrew Deppe have been healthy and played very well all year long. Both are juniors and both have started every game since their freshman year (with the exception of a couple of senior nights). With RPI's offensive philosophy, neither one will put up the stats of some of the better LL players.  But they are among the best.
• After limited minutes last season, sophomore Billy Feeks has started most games.  He has been a good ball handler and a pleasant surprise from three-point range.
• With all of the injuries, freshman Kellen Driscoll stepped into the starting lineup in early December and he has remained there ever since.
• The biggest concern is the injuries that are forcing people to play more minutes. This can hurt, especially on the second game of the back-to-backs.
• The biggest positive is they are getting contributions from many people, and a bad shooting night by one or two is possible to overcome.

This was the pre season coaches poll:

1. RPI, 73 (4)
2. Vassar, 70 (2)
3. Ithaca, 67 (2)
4. Union, 66 (2)
5. St. Lawrence, 45
6. Hobart, 43
7. Skidmore, 29
8. Clarkson, 24
8. RIT, 24
10. Bard, 9

Based on what we have seen so far, Hobart moves into the top four and Ithaca moves out. I think any of the current top four can win the league.  I would be surprised if any of the rest will contend.  Maybe Ithaca will figure it out and prove me wrong.  We will learn a lot after the upcoming league games

Quote from: unionpalooza on November 06, 2025, 06:45:27 PMI also recall that the secondary tiebreaker is winning percentage over winning teams.  So, in an Ithaca beats RPI and RPI beats Union scenario, it's RPI if Ithaca loses to Cortland (because of RPI's OOC win over a Brockport team that will finish with a winning record).  If IC beats Cortland, they have the same WP against >.500 teams as RPI, and IC takes the head to head.

So for Union - beat RPI and they're in, regardless of what happens at Rochester. Lose to RPI and they're out.

RPI - beat IC and Union, or lose to IC but beat Union plus an IC loss at Cortland. 

IC - beat RPI and Cortland, plus a Union loss to RPI. 

There is no scenario in which a second LL team gets an at large bud.

The "In the D3FB Huddle" podcast released yesterday talked about all of this. They promised to post a written summary.  They confused me a little bit on how Alfred's final two games could impact this, but their conclusion seems to be exactly what you presented.

You can hear what they said beginning at about 52:45. https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1a9ZmXk1Z1/

Quote from: Caz Bombers on November 06, 2025, 03:16:47 PMso what happens if Ithaca beats RPI, Union beats Rochester, and RPI beats Union?

unbreakable 3-way tie at 6-1. Best NPI ranking gets AQ?

I asked this a while back, and no one seems to know.  If your scenario happens, and the best NPI gets the NCAA bid, then it all comes down to Cortaca. According to one NPI calculator, Ithaca should have the best NPI if they beat Cortland.  Otherwise RPI should have the better NPI.

I have found nothing in any public LL documents about a three way tie. "The Liberty League champion will be the team with the best winning percentage in league competition. If the teams have the same records, the tiebreaker will be head-to-head competition."

Check out the NPI season simulator d3fbhuddle.com/npi.html

Quote from: stlawus on November 05, 2025, 06:08:23 PMI'm already whiffing a bit. Clarkson I was not sure with an injury to Aydin Kocak last year so I left him out but he's back healthy and will start at forward.  I got one of the freshmen starters wrong, as newcomer Nate Abernethy is starting and not Bobby Piddock. 

SLU does not have McPherson on the roster.  He had a back injury for a good portion of last season so that might be a factor for him not being rostered.

Very hard to do without intimate knowledge of each program.  This took a lot of work and I'm sure your batting average will be pretty high.

A few notes on RPI from public information:

• New graduate assistant coach is Aidan Macauley. He knows the Liberty League very well!
• Lost two underclassmen including FR Tucker Tharpe who played some meaningful minutes last year.  I believe he transferred to an SEC school and is not playing basketball.
• Added one more newcomer.  Patrick Faughnan is a 6-5 forward who was in school last year but not on the roster.  He had a great junior season in high school and had some D1 interest.  Unfortunately he tore his ACL early in his senior year and has not played since.  This gives RPI three players from Our Lady of Lourdes HS in Poughkeepsie.

Does anyone know the tiebreaker rules if three teams finish with one loss? Maybe not likely, but definitely possible with all three teams  playing  each other, with one home and one away game for each team.

Quote from: Caz Bombers on September 17, 2025, 03:23:45 PMBard is probably playing Sarah Lawrence at Washington College on Nov 9 and it's just not reflected on Bard's schedule yet (SLC hasn't posted theirs, but they are in the event). Might also be Immaculata instead.

Vassar: Nov 12 at Marist (D1) (exhibition for VC probably); Nov 21-22 vs New Paltz (at MSMC) and vs MSMC (at New Paltz), the reverse of Bard. That's an annual event.

Thanks. I made the changes.  Based on the Immaculata and Washington College schedules, Bard has to be playing Sarah Lawrence.

Everyone except Vassar and St. Lawrence has posted their schedules.  Here are all on the non-conference games with a few caveats:

• I found two game for Vassar in California
• St. Lawrence info came from previous post by stlawus
• Hobart has not posted the teams in their tournament
• I only found 6 games for Bard
• RIT has eight games, with two against D1 opponents.  I suspect one or both are exhibitions.
• I did not include Union's exhibition against Siena
• Let me know about any mistakes or additions.
• Added changes from Caz Bombers (9/17/25 4:45pm)
• Updated Vassar and Hobart as full schedules are posted (9/22/25 4:45pm)

Bard
@Washington (Md)
Sarah Lawrence (@Washington (Md))
USMMA
SUNY Purchase
@Mount St. Mary's
@SUNY New Paltz
@Hartwick

Clarkson
Marywood (@Nazareth)
Nazareth or Medgar Evers (@Nazareth)
SUNY Canton
@SUNY Poly
@SUNY Potsdam
Alfred State
@SUNY Plattsburgh

Hobart
York
@St. John Fisher
@Keuka
USMMA
Fredonia or Hamilton
@Rochester
Utica

Ithaca
Brockport
@Cortland
@Hamilton
Western New England
Rochester
Kean (@Stevens)
St. Josephs (Me) (@Stevens)

RIT
@Binghamton (exhibition???)
@Nazareth
@Buffalo (exhibition???)
Geneseo
Keuka
Brockport
Johnson & Wales (@Christopher Newport)
@Christopher Newport

RPI
@Castleton
@SUNY Delhs
Penn State Altoona (@SUNY Oneonta)
SUNY Oneonta or Wheaton (Ma) (@SUNY Oneonta)
SUNY Cobleskill
@Middlebury
@Utica

Skidmore
Plattsburgh State
Middlebury
Western Connecticut
@SUNY Purchase
@Norwich
Concordia (MN) (@Guilford)
Guilford or Coast Guard (@Guilford)

St. Lawrence
Geneseo
@Oswego
Plattsburgh
@Nazareth
St. John Fisher (@Nazareth)
@SUNY Poly
@WPI

Union
SUNY Poly (@Oswego)
Oswego or Mt. St. Vincent (@Oswego)
@Middlebury
@Plattsburgh State
Manhattanville
Russell Sage or Trinity (Ct)
Stevens

Vassar
SUNY Geneseo
Colby Sawyer or Hartford
Mount St. Mary's (@SUNY New Paltz)
SUNY New Paltz (@Mount St. Mary's)
@Williams
@Claremont-Mudd Scripps
@Chapman

Quote from: Jersey42 on August 26, 2025, 06:23:25 PM

Quote from: UfanBill on August 25, 2025, 01:39:44 PM. . . One name noticeably absent is punter Hayden Hall. Hall burst onto the scene last season as a surprise D1 transfer (Monmouth/UConn) and his booming punts were instrumental in the Garnet defense. He averaged a 10th best in the country 41.5 yds/punt which repeatedly changed field position in Union's favor. Hall was named All-Liberty League second team and D3football.com All-Region 2 Third Team (2024) I'm guessing his punting prowess enabled him to get a better offer. Good luck to Hayden but he'll be missed.

D2 Post University in CT.  Probably got some money.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DFtqD7hMCLk

I also see that 2024 all Liberty League honorable mention Quadir McEachin has transferred to D2 Shaw University in NC. He was a freshman LB last year at Buffalo St.  I see he went into the portal in December and it looks like he had a few D2 offers.

Based on probably incomplete information, RPI's recruits are mostly from NJ, NY or MA.

• NJ – 13
• NY – 12
• MA – 9
• Other – 9

Some of the interesting ones based mostly on prior school accolades:

• Super 26 all state LB from MA
• 2x Class AA first team all state DL from NY
• Class 5A all state QB from PA
• 2nd team all state LB from NJ
• DL/LB brother of Gagliardi finalist from NJ
• Jr OL transfer from Cortland State who started several games

Often it will be others who provide positive surprises.

Quote from: UfanBill on August 25, 2025, 01:39:44 PM. . . One name noticeably absent is punter Hayden Hall. Hall burst onto the scene last season as a surprise D1 transfer (Monmouth/UConn) and his booming punts were instrumental in the Garnet defense. He averaged a 10th best in the country 41.5 yds/punt which repeatedly changed field position in Union's favor. Hall was named All-Liberty League second team and D3football.com All-Region 2 Third Team (2024) I'm guessing his punting prowess enabled him to get a better offer. Good luck to Hayden but he'll be missed.

D2 Post University in CT.  Probably got some money.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DFtqD7hMCLk

RPI announced their four recruits last week.  Two were previously reported by stlawus.

The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's basketball team, led by 11th year head coach Mark Gilbride, will welcome four freshmen to campus this fall. Noah Daniel, Kellen Driscoll, Zach Hart and Payne Wood all recently signed Division III Celebratory Forms in honor of their intentions to attend RPI and join the men's basketball program.

It is a talented and well-balanced class," said Coach Gilbride. "Most importantly, these are young men of high character who will make Rensselaer proud. We are excited to welcome this tremendous group of student-athletes to our basketball program."

Daniel is a 6'2 guard from Portsmouth, NH.  While at Berwick Academy he was a three-time All-NEPSAC Class C selection. As a senior Daniel averaged 26 points, six rebounds and six assists per game on his way to being named Eastern Independent League Player of the Year.

Driscoll comes to Rensselaer from Glens Falls High School in Glens Falls, NY. The 6' 3" guard led Glens Falls to back-to-back undefeated seasons in his junior and senior year. He was named Tournament MVP twice during his two Class A state championship campaigns and was named Foothills Council League MVP in both of those years as well. As a senior Driscoll scored 19 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out seven assists, and was awarded New York State Class A Player of the Year.

Hart is a 6'7 forward from Poughkeepsie, NY. Hart led our Lady of Lourdes High School to back-to-back New York State Class AA Section 9 Championships. Hart was named Mid-Hudson Athletic League Player of the Year and Section 9 AA Player of the Year in both his junior and senior seasons. As a senior Hart averaged 23 points and ten rebounds on his way to being named Poughkeepsie Journal Player of the Year.

A 6'3 guard, Wood comes to Rensselaer by way of Spartanburg Day School in Spartanburg, SC where he earned South Carolina Independent School League All-Region II honors three times. As a senior Wood averaged 17 points and five assists per game. Wood was honored as an SCISL All-State selection and a High School Sports Report All-State selection in his senior season. 

https://rpiathletics.com/news/2025/8/21/four-sign-celebratory-form-for-mens-basketball-class-of-2029.aspx

Only a few of the LL teams have posted their 2025 schedules.  With publicly available information,  I have tried to piece together the non Liberty League schedules for all 8 teams.  It looks like Buffalo and Hobart will play three Empire 8 teams. I made the assumption that the week one games for those teams will not be one of the official crossover games with the E8.  Here is what I have deciphered.  The missing games for Buffalo and St Lawrence will be against either Hartwick or Fisher.

I found the Buffalo St and St. John Fisher schedules to complete the missing games. - 5/5/25

If anyone has better information, please post.
 

School	OOC	E8 1	E8 2
Buffalo	Brockport	Hartwick	Alfred State
Hilbert	St. Vincent	Alfred State	Hartwick
Hobart	Alfred	Brockport	Utica
Ithaca	Johns Hopkins....	Alfred	Cortland
Rochester	Olivet	Morrisville	St. John Fisher....
RPI	WPI	Utica	Brockport
St Lawrence....	Norwich	St. John Fisher....	Alfred
Union	Susquehanna	Cortland	Morrisville

Quote from: ICAlum16 on March 13, 2025, 09:28:19 AMDoes anyone know if there have been any FBS or FCS transfers into any of the LL teams? I feel like there are usually a few in any given offseason which I always find interesting. Curious if anyone is up to speed on this.

RPI has been posting their recruits over the past two weeks on X.  I noticed one grad transfer from FCS Penn and one soph D2 transfer from Franklin Pierce.  The first is a defensive lineman and the second is a linebacker. Both are local Capital District kids. Neither saw much playing time at their former schools.