We are now halfway through the season and most (if not all) teams have played at least 10 games. This larger pool of film and data allows for us D3 nerds to better evaluate teams for rankings and whatnot.
Swarthmore and Wittenberg are playing well, but more importantly, they have yet to lose. Easy choices for 1-2. These teams are ELITE.
Middlebury is next. They lost a tough one at Amherst but bounced back with a great win over Hamilton. The next two games will be very telling for the Panthers, with matchups against Albertus Magnus and Colby.
From 4-8 I think those teams are all interchangeable. They are all 1-loss teams that have bounced back nicely from their losses.
Coming in at 9 is Colby. Colby fascinates me. They have yet to lose a game, they score a ton of points, they shoot it real well, BUT their strength of schedule is questionable. I am excited to see how they do as they get deeper into NESCAC play.
I am fully on the Elmhurst fan-boat. I made an effort to watch a few games and I really like this team. The three-headed monster that is Derek "Mr. Clutch" Dotlich, Jake Rhode, and Lavon Thomas, has been a force of nature this season.
UW-La Crosse has bounced back from their loss to Oshkosh with two solid home wins. I am really looking forward to the Platteville game on the 18th.
Am I the only one that thinks Nebraska Wesleyan is under-achieving? I'll leave that there...
Im buying hard into Springfield. Jake Ross is the second-coming of Flannery and having one of the best individual seasons in D3 history.
Virginia Wesleyan has been a fun watch thus far this season. The Marlins are on pace to finish with 20-plus wins for the first time since the 14-15' season. They lost to a battle-tested Lynchburg recently but Coach Macedo has them rolling once again.
I think 15-18 are all interchangeable as well, thus continuing the trend of D3 being more evenly matched then ever before.
Babson lost a close one to Springfield then bounced back with the win over a really good WPI team. They have gone 2-2 over their last 4 with some really close losses so this may just be a quick mid-season speed bump for the Beavers.
Centre, Pomona Pitzer, and Albertus Magnus are all hot teams right now. Will be fun to see if they can maintain their level of play down the stretch.
Have you seen Utica play? This team is so fun to watch. They've got shooters, some really talented big men, and Coach Coffey has turned this program around in a very short amount of time. Keep an eye out for these guys come March.
Yeshiva hasn't lost since November 9th, their first game.
East Texas Baptist rounds out my Top 25. I really like the Tigers. They play great team basketball, get stops in crunch time, and have some nice wins under their belt. The loss to UWSP was a buzzer-beater, so that gives me hope for ETBU to be one of the better South Region teams this season.
HONORABLE MENTION:
Chapman: 11-3
I really like what they are doing. They've suffered some tough losses recently but this is a strong team.
Tufts: 11-2
The Jumbos have won 5 straight after a tough loss to Babson. They have some great wins on their schedule, so the potential for this team is very high.
WPI: 10-3
They have been so up and down it is hard to tell where this team will end up. They have the talent to contend for a NEWMAC title.
St. Norbert: 11-2
The Green Knights have won 11 in a row. This team has the right tools to run away with the MWC this year.
North Central: 12-3
I'll hear the hate on keeping them out of the Top 25. But 3 losses is too many for me right now. I will reiterate, right now. I have been transparent about how good I think this team is. The CCIW is a nightmare this season so we shall see...
Whitworth: 10-3
Again 3 losses here. I want to check back in a few weeks and see if that number remains the same.
Cortland: 9-2
Austin Grunder...just go watch him play.
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