Quote from: D3BBALL on December 26, 2025, 04:24:45 PMMy Post Xmas rankings. Strength of Schedule is from Massey and out of 409 teams
1) Trinity 8-0 - No Change- Strength of Schedule 217. Blah Blah Blah zero change, best team in NESCAC, maybe best team in D3. No one can touch their top 7.
2) Wesleyan 8-2 - No Change - Strength of Schedule 106 - Playing well and a tough schedule. Until someone beats them in the NESCAC, they are my #2. They have already beaten Williams as well.
3) Bates 9-0 - Up 2 Spots - Strength of Schedule 323 – Every time I watch Pouye, like him more and more. Upcoming Emory game will tell a lot.
4) Tufts 9-2 - No Change – Strength of Schedule 155 – Have won 9 in a row, but not very convincing against average teams. Injuries issues continue to grow. Clark & WPI upcoming, they can make their case to move up.
5) Colby 7-1 – Down 2 – Strength of Schedule 275 – Not a good loss to St. Joes of Maine, who I believe were still missing some key players. Still early, new coach, different system, will take time.
6) Conn 8-1 – Up 1 – Strength of Schedule 219 – New players really helping this team. Espinosa shooting better, loss to Western NE not great.
7) Williams 8-2 – Down 1 – Strength of Schedule 264. Injury issues and still questions on guard play, rebounding and shooting. Haven't really beat anyone below 150 in rankings except Suny Oneonta.
I think NESCAC could get 4-5 in the NCAA, 2-6 all have a real shot, Williams at this time Bubble at best.
8) Bowdoin 7-3 – Up 2, Strength of Schedule 161. Cuevas playing well, just need others to step up.
9) Amherst 7-1 – Down 1 – Strength of Schedule 395 out of 409. Loss to Springfield bad. Play no one until out of conference Wesleyan game.
10) Middlebury 4-3 – down 1 – Strength of Schedule 103. They have played the toughest rated schedule in NESCAC but haven't really beaten anyone in top 150 rankings. Lost a ton of talent, new coach, new system, not looking great.
11) Hamilton 2-8, No Change – Strength of Schedule 199. They just don't have enough talent.
Middlebury clearly still has a great deal of talent, both veteran and new, but adjusting to a new coach and a new system is understandably challenging. Players such as Flaks, McKersie, and Witherington are solid contributors, yet they are not receiving the kind of consistent minutes seniors typically saw under Coach Brown. It is especially difficult for players to develop rhythm and confidence when they start games only to be subbed out as a group after three to five minutes. As someone who has watched nearly every game, the new system is not entirely clear to me, and it may not be clear to the players either. Offensively, Midd is shooting a low percentage, which seems to stem from a lack of clarity about how the team is trying to generate high-percentage shots.