As we head into the NCAA Tournament, this Top 25 was the hardest of the year.
I like keeping Swarthmore at number 1. The loss to Johns Hopkins is not a bad loss. JHU is the real deal.
Mount Union is currently my favorite team to watch. They can beat you in so many ways. These guys are REALLY good.
St. Thomas and St. Johns have stayed hot, only losing to each other. Both teams are elite teams good enough to make a Final Four.
Johns Hopkins enters my top 5 after the win over Swarthmore. They have 3 losses, 2 to Swarthmore, and 1 to Stevens. Id say thats some great quality...
Randolph-Macon won their league and remain an elite team. I think RMC is good enough to win the whole thing.
Wittenberg lost to Wooster over the weekend but remains in the top ten. This is a team that could make a nice run in March.
Nebraska Wesleyan and UW-Platteville are both in the same boat for me. Other teams jumped them based off certain big-name wins, but both of these teams are more than capable of Final Four runs.
Elmhurst is coming off the CCIW title after a really rough early February. This team is intriguing and could make some serious noise in the tournament.
Ah, Yeshiva. Arguably the most inquisitive fan-base in D3 but thats not why I love them. They are deep, they can beat you in multiple ways, and are extremely well coached. I said it earlier this season: this team has the potential to play on the second and third weekends...
Colby comes off a tough loss to Tufts in the NESCAC Championship. For anyone who watched the game, you know how good Colby is, Tufts just seems to be Colby's kryptonite this year. Colby has some serious offensive weapons that will make for a dangerous team to see in March.
Brockport is a blast to watch. They play aggressive, they play fast, and right in your face for 40 minutes. They are so deep that they have a pre-seaosn All-American coming off their bench...
The UAA co-champion Emory has been a fun watch all season. Emory was given hosting privileges and that will help them greatly. Excited to see this high-powered offense in the tournament.
Washington U is coming off a tough loss to Chicago in the regular season finale but still managed a share of the UAA title. They have a tough first round matchup vs. a very good Bethany Lutheran team.
Stevens is legit. They took Swarthmore to the final minute back in January, and then didn’t lose a game in February.
St. Joseph has been a fun watch this year. They play hard and have some serious talent. I am excited to see them in the tournament.
North Central is the strangest team I have seen all year. They are night and day. Some nights, they look like they could win the whole thing. The next night they look like a mediocre team.
I am bummed that Virginia Wesleyan didn’t make it in the Tourny. These guys had a phenomenal season and are really good.
Springfield, ohhhh Springfield. They beat WPI, then beat Babson, then lose to Coast Guard? (Hats off to CGA for the cinderella run in the NEWMAC tournament.) Springfield has arguably the best 1-2 punch in the nation with Ross and Post.
York is coming off the win over CNU in the CAC finals. That plus they have not lost since early January.
Tufts won the NESCAC title. That should translate to being really good, right?
Centre. Love the redemption this year, winning the SAA after the upset last year.
Middlebury you confuse me. At one point the D3 world was convinced you were a top 3 team. But you stumbled late losing a weird one against Bates (huh?) and then getting trounced by Trinity.
Oshkosh! Yes!! I never lost faith. I get bonus points for that. My WIAC pick comes through and gets it done. Excited to see these guys in the Tourny.
Comments