WBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletics Association

[pointlem]

A heartbreaking loss for Hope after cruising to a second half 16-point lead, and then losing in the last minute. It's a game that leaves fans—and surely coaches and players, too—thinking "If only." But credit Chicago for an amazing comeback, enabled by an effective press and Hope's cold shooting.

That's the short-term pain. The bigger picture is that this was another 20+ win season, capped by a league tournament championship and a tournament run. Hope will miss its senior contributors, including Sydney Vis's power moves to the basket. But they return three sophomore all-league players, some promising new players, and the John Wooden of DIII coaches, with his positive influence and nearly 800 wins . . . and, hopefully, miles to go before he sleeps. Am I the only one seeing (perhaps supported by some new recruits), a top-5 team the next two years?

P.S. Our esteemed experts offer computations that concur with my last sentence: https://thed3statlab.com/preseason_rankings.html