2012 Division III NCAA Tournament

[fpc85]

where can i get the start times for the games this weekend...i am trying to justify a full day off for my 6 hour ride to plattsburgh

The start times are on the brackets.  Amherst Stockton starts at 6:00, Plattsburgh  Brandeis will probably start by 8:45-9:00 at the latest.

Go Ospreys.  Then there is the standard NJAC reply to Go Ospreys, What the He!! is an Osprey?  I know, it's a seahawk, but it is still fun to shout it out.

I reminder... men's games times are always pre-set. They are 6 & 8 PM local time for the games on Fridays and then at 7PM for Saturday's game. The only change that could have is if the gym at a host site is "cleared" between games on Friday.

Thanks! I know the Ospreys well...I was recruited by them many years ago.

[David Collinge]

Go Ospreys.  Then there is the standard NJAC reply to Go Ospreys, What the He!! is an Osprey?  I know, it's a seahawk, but it is still fun to shout it out.

[njachoopsfan]

Now that we're down to the Sweet 16, who do you think will survive each of the 4 regions and make it to Salem.   Will we have any more upsets?

Cast your vote at http://www.tobannounced.com/index_files/Page3174.html

[LogShow]

It not too bold of a guess but...I don't think all four hosts will make it out alive

[njachoopsfan]

Now that we're down to the Sweet 16, who do you think will survive each of the 4 regions and make it to Salem.   Will we have any more upsets?

Cast your vote at http://www.tobannounced.com/index_files/Page3174.html

[njachoopsfan]

I agree, I think we will have some surprises this weekend.  I think Stockton survives the Plattsburgh bracket, but I am not sure of the other 3 yet.

[Gregory Sager]

Those of us who follow the CCIW have been pretty clear all season long that our league didn't have a real national powerhouse this year, but as always, the CCIW was one of the strongest conferences in Division III due to its balance and depth.  Illinois Wesleyan has been to Salem three times now as an at-large team - 1996, 2001, and 2006.

... and North Park won the national championship in 1985 as an at-large team. The Vikings tied with North Central for the league championship, but NCC got the automatic bid on the fifth tiebreaker, league record over the last nine games (the CCIW did not have a conference tournament at that point).

I enthusiastically second what Q is saying here. League strength is measured top-to-bottom, not just by the teams at the top.

I wonder how many of the national champions in D3 have been at-large teams.

I've often wondered that myself. Unfortunately, it's hard to unearth the facts about some of the earlier champions who have long since altered conference affiliations. For example, did Wabash's league back in '82 have an automatic berth? I'm pretty sure that the original D3 champ back in '75, LeMoyne-Owen, was an independent and thus an at-large. Also, UW-Whitewater would've been an at-large for both of its national championships ('84 and '89), because the WIAC (or the WSUC, as it was then called) was mostly an NAIA league in those days.

Those three, and the '85 North Park team, are the only four at-large titleholders that I'm sure about.

By the way - I'm sad to say I got the Donald Sutherland reference. 

Alright! Better to work to an audience of one than to an empty room!

[Pat Coleman]

The 1996 Rowan team that won the national title did not win the NJAC -- Richard Stockton won the conference title that year.

[ILive4This]

I am pretty sure Amherst was an at-large team last year, losing to Williams at home in their conference tournament.

[ILive4This]

wait, say that again, you think stockton what....they are in arguably the toughest bracket of them all, and you think they get out as the one team NOT ranked in the d3 hoops top 10. I am sure their is some NJ bias there, but they have to beat the defending national champions, and then play either the host team, or Brandeis the #5 team in the country, who did not have a single loss to a non-tournament team.

[HopeConvert]

I agree - I don't see Stockton winning the backetall tournament.

[ILive4This]

As for everyone else, hmm lets see

At Ursinus, they have to defeat a conference foe again, which is always tough, but I will give them the advantage given that they are playing at home. Rochester will be playing cinderella Coast Guard which I love as a fun story this season, and with a local naval base they may get some good support, however, I am not sure they can match up with Rochester. HOWEVER, if the game is close and it comes down to free throws....well lets just say the coast guard will sink UR. Assuming a Rochester/Ursinus matchup....i really am not informed enough about Ursinus, but I want to assume a bit that given their location their win total is a little bit inflated. Perhaps they will get beat just like centre. As much as I did not think we would see Rochester in the Final Four this year, I think that they may have the bracket to do just that, because I do not see either of the other three teams really making it.

Wow as I go through this and see who is left, the Northeast bracket is just crazy stacked I will not make any predictions there, I just hope Brandeis can get through it and get to Salem, not an easy task, but not out of the question.

To me there is no question who comes out of the Hope Bracket, its almost like they have 2 byes in the sweet 16 and elite 8, I know I will catch some flack for this, but I mean its Midnight for Ohio Wesleyan, and assuming Wheaton beats the west coast free ride to the sweet 16 in Whitworth, Hope will handle Wheaton (the last team in) easily on their home floor in front of a packed house.

Finally, Wash U's bracket, that is a tough place to play and win, only one team did it this year (Brandeis) snapping a 28 game home win streak for the Bears. This is a tough bracket, but still nothing like the northeast. BV is a tough team, but they are coming off a tough 1 point victory, but then again the bears could be a bit run down by 2 big big games this past weekend. My feeling though is each team recovers just fine over the week, and Wash U with the tournament experience, and the experience defeating wooster and augustana, will take the win. To be honest the other half of this bracket I dont really know/care about. St. Mary's beat Ben Strong and Guilford and then beat a widener team that is just a shadow of its former self a decade ago. And I know nothing about Millsaps. I will assume for a minute that they defeat widener fairly easily, and will play wash u in the elite 8. If Wash U has a close game vs BV its a toss up, but if they win big and come back well rested, well then the Bears are headed back to Salem....Wow after losing Sean Wallis, I did not think I would be saying WASH U and Salem in the same sentence, almost more surprising than Rochester.

So I have two UAA squads in the Final Four, and if Brandeis can get through the toughest bracket left, that would make 3 and boy do I hope it will be 3. And if that is the case, I may need to cancel my plane ticket to south beach (also never thought I would say that).

[njachoopsfan]

Yes I think Stockton can survive and here is why;  I was at both games last weekend and they played a good all around game against Rhode Island.  they shot well, passed he ball extremely well, and played good defense.   Don't let the score fool you, they were up by 20 points for several minutes in the 2nd half of that game.  I think if they continue to play this way they have a good shot at surviving.

Keep in mind that I have not seen the other teams.  I have no idea how tough the competition is in those either conferences.  And yes there is a little NJ bias here, no different from any of the other DIII fans across the country

Hey there were some that thought Nazareth was going to win that bracket and advance and they didn't even get past the first game.

I'd be curious to get some feedback from anyone who has seen any of these other teams play this season.

[ILive4This]

1. I don't think anyone seriously thought Nazareth would get out of the bracket....if you mean the Pod, they maybe, but still fairly doubtful.

2. If you have paid even the smallest bit of attention over well this year, last year, any year, you would know who the NESCAC and UAA are, and perhaps even the SUNYAC.

Amherst is the defending national champion, and the NESCAC is one of 2 conference to get 4 teams into this years tournament, the other is ...  you guessed in the UAA which actually has three of those teams remaining one of which is Brandeis. Plattsburgh had only 2 losses this season, none of which were "in region" going undefeated in their conference, the first time anyone has done so in I think I remember seeing like 15 years. Then they won their conference tournament and were the Auto-Bid.

3. How they got to where they are.

Amherst - well they got a bye, and then the NCAA was nice enough to throw John Jay at them, and Amherst was nice enough to let them leave town with atleast their clothing.
Brandeis - played near by Lasell College in the first round and defeated them by 21, then played NESCAC runner-up Bowdoin, again at home winning by 15, although Bowdoin did go on a 16-2 run at the start of the first half, but Brandeis answered back.
Plattsburgh - Another team with a bye, and another host. They had a tough win against King's in overtime, exposing perhaps a little bit of their weaknesses, although not having watched the game or even read the box score yet, I am not entirely sure what those are, my guess though is that Brandeis' players and coaches do, and that Plattsburgh coaches and players will be trying to correct them.
Richard Stockton - another host, had an easy first rounder, and then defeated a good RIC team, a team that beat Holy Cross earlier this season and beat UMD twice (at UMD regular season, and then the LEC final).

4. Interesting things in this bracket, 3 teams are ranked in the top 10 in D3 hoops latest poll, each with one other team between them, that is no longer in the tournament, Amherst (3), centre defeated, Brandeis (5), Augustana defeated, Plattsburgh State (7).

Also Brandeis was the only d3 team to beat Amherst during the regular season, and defeated Bowdoin the only other d3 team to defeat Amherst at anytime this year (conference semi). Amherst and Plattsburgh's womens XC teams finished first and second respectively at this years national championships at ST. Olaf. At the time that is all the fun facts I know but perhaps more will come out later.

[SLP-O-8]

As for everyone else, hmm lets see

At Ursinus, they have to defeat a conference foe again, which is always tough, but I will give them the advantage given that they are playing at home. Rochester will be playing cinderella Coast Guard which I love as a fun story this season, and with a local naval base they may get some good support, however, I am not sure they can match up with Rochester. HOWEVER, if the game is close and it comes down to free throws....well lets just say the coast guard will sink UR. Assuming a Rochester/Ursinus matchup....i really am not informed enough about Ursinus, but I want to assume a bit that given their location their win total is a little bit inflated. Perhaps they will get beat just like centre. As much as I did not think we would see Rochester in the Final Four this year, I think that they may have the bracket to do just that, because I do not see either of the other three teams really making it.

Wow as I go through this and see who is left, the Northeast bracket is just crazy stacked I will not make any predictions there, I just hope Brandeis can get through it and get to Salem, not an easy task, but not out of the question.

To me there is no question who comes out of the Hope Bracket, its almost like they have 2 byes in the sweet 16 and elite 8, I know I will catch some flack for this, but I mean its Midnight for Ohio Wesleyan, and assuming Wheaton beats the west coast free ride to the sweet 16 in Whitworth, Hope will handle Wheaton (the last team in) easily on their home floor in front of a packed house.

Finally, Wash U's bracket, that is a tough place to play and win, only one team did it this year (Brandeis) snapping a 28 game home win streak for the Bears. This is a tough bracket, but still nothing like the northeast. BV is a tough team, but they are coming off a tough 1 point victory, but then again the bears could be a bit run down by 2 big big games this past weekend. My feeling though is each team recovers just fine over the week, and Wash U with the tournament experience, and the experience defeating wooster and augustana, will take the win. To be honest the other half of this bracket I dont really know/care about. St. Mary's beat Ben Strong and Guilford and then beat a widener team that is just a shadow of its former self a decade ago. And I know nothing about Millsaps. I will assume for a minute that they defeat widener fairly easily, and will play wash u in the elite 8. If Wash U has a close game vs BV its a toss up, but if they win big and come back well rested, well then the Bears are headed back to Salem....Wow after losing Sean Wallis, I did not think I would be saying WASH U and Salem in the same sentence, almost more surprising than Rochester.

So I have two UAA squads in the Final Four, and if Brandeis can get through the toughest bracket left, that would make 3 and boy do I hope it will be 3. And if that is the case, I may need to cancel my plane ticket to south beach (also never thought I would say that).

I believe St Thomas was 19-0 or something on their home court before BV came to town.