Final Rutter Division III Rankings with Comments

[LakersFan]

Here are my final D-III rankings for the years. I had to adjust the last few games since they were tournament games and ties were not a possible outcome. I will not be updating ranking through the D-III tournament. I have included the NCAA tournament seed (http://www.uscho.com/ncaawd3/) and the reason why the team was selected.

Rank Team Rating Seed Reason
1 Plattsburgh 2.5184 1 Pool C
2 Gustavus Adolphus 2.1972 2 MIAC
3 Middlebury 2.1144 3 Pool C
4 Elmira 2.0344 5 ECAC West
5 RIT 1.8932
6 Wis-Stevens Pt. 1.8629
7 Amherst 1.7983 4 NESCAC
8 Wis-Superior 1.6603 7 Pool B
9 Saint Anselm 1.5679
10 Manhattanville 1.2299 6 ECAC East

DISCLAIMER. I do not follow D-III much, and I do not have a horse in this race, so the following comments are based purely on the results of my ranking system and the little bit I have read the D-III tournament threads. Also, I am 99.9% sure the NCAA committee does not look at my rankings.

Seems to me Plattsburgh deserves the number one seed, and therefore to host the tournament. If Plattsburgh played the number two team, GA, 100 times, my system predicts that Plattsburgh would win 63 of them.

Manhattanivlle is the lowest ranked team to get in. If they played Middlebury (their quarterfinal opponent) 100 times, they would only win 19 times. Pretty tough task if you ask me.

Finally, Point vs. Superior. How close are these two teams? If they played 100 time, Point would win 58 and Superior 42 (again, bases on my system). Sounds like the committee had to make a tough call: conference tourney winner vs. slightly higher ranked team. If Point had a substantially higher rating than RIT, the first pool C team not to get in, their argument would be stronger. Regardless, an argument cab be made for both teams.

[MNhockeyfan09]

Thanks again for crunching numbers for us. Hope to see you next year.:)

[gojackets]

Anyone know why Superior is the 7th seed behind Manhattanville? There record and SOS is better.

[obserbear]

The NC$$ is pretending their seeding has some integrity, so #2 hosts #7 and they are on the opposite side of the bracket from #1.

[annotated]

The NC$$ is pretending their seeding has some integrity, so #2 hosts #7 and they are on the opposite side of the bracket from #1.

It sounds like the NCAA is all about the money and not fairness to the athletes. Well I have to agree with you, but it happened in the Division I women's tournament also, and it happens on the men's side. It's just the way it is and let's be honest, women's collegiate hockey isn't exactly the "cash cow" like some of the other sports in the NCAA.

[obserbear]

The following is the Mission Statement from the NCAA.org web page:

"Core Purpose
Our purpose is to govern competition in a fair, safe, equitable and sportsmanlike manner, and to integrate intercollegiate athletics into higher education so that the educational experience of the student-athlete is paramount.

Core Values
The Association - through its member institutions, conferences and national office staff - shares a belief in and commitment to:

The collegiate model of athletics in which students participate as an avocation, balancing their academic, social and athletics experiences.
The highest levels of integrity and sportsmanship.
The pursuit of excellence in both academics and athletics.
The supporting role that intercollegiate athletics plays in the higher education mission and in enhancing the sense of community and strengthening the identity of member institutions.

An inclusive culture that fosters equitable participation for student-athletes and career opportunities for coaches and administrators from diverse backgrounds.
Respect for institutional autonomy and philosophical differences.

Presidential leadership of intercollegiate athletics at the campus, conference and national levels".

When you look at the revenue stream available from D-IA football and D-I basketball it just amazes me that "integrity and sportsmanship" and "excellence in both academics and athletics" cannot translate into a diverting a bit more money into sports at the DIII level (where they actually have amateur athletes), say for the championships they sponsor or maybe even the training of the officials.

[dave1381]

The NCAA makes updates the number of seeded tournaments on a case-by-case basis. It's pretty typical for 25-50% of the bracket to be seeded, which means that the bottom half of the bracket is paired on the basis of geography. When more teams can seeded, it's legislated at high levels with budgetary decisions in mind. All these meeting minutes are public.

There are plenty of people who also think the NCAA should pay the athletes in basketball and football and that they're a cartel. Of course a lot of that money then goes to finance non-revenue sports, instead of the athletes. You can justify that to some degree on the basis that the major sports wouldn't be as successful without the institutions behind them, and that their relative to some degree is a function of past discrimination against female athletes... but still. Anyway, I'm definitely in a "be thankful for what you have" mode on this issue.

[obserbear]

The NCAA makes updates the number of seeded tournaments on a case-by-case basis. It's pretty typical for 25-50% of the bracket to be seeded, which means that the bottom half of the bracket is paired on the basis of geography. When more teams can seeded, it's legislated at high levels with budgetary decisions in mind. All these meeting minutes are public.

There are plenty of people who also think the NCAA should pay the athletes in basketball and football and that they're a cartel. Of course a lot of that money then goes to finance non-revenue sports, instead of the athletes. You can justify that to some degree on the basis that the major sports wouldn't be as successful without the institutions behind them, and that their relative to some degree is a function of past discrimination against female athletes... but still. Anyway, I'm definitely in a "be thankful for what you have" mode on this issue.

Dave, are you employed by or affiliated with the NCAA in any capacity?

[dave1381]

Dave, are you employed by or affiliated with the NCAA in any capacity?
No, not presently.

But if you want to see how the NCAA operates, look over the minutes from their championships/competition (http://www.ncaa.org/wps/portal/!ut/p/kcxml/04_Sj9SPykssy0xPLMnMz0vM0Y_QjzKLN4g38nYBSYGYxqb6kW hCjggRX4_83FSgeKQ5UMA0NEw_Kic1PTG5Uj9Y31s_QL8gNzSi PN9REQDSw7cx/delta/base64xml/L0lJSk03dWlDU1lBIS9JTGpBQUV5QUJFUkVSRUlrLzRGR2dkWW 5LSjBGUm9YZnJDRUEhLzdfMF81VVYvMTcxMjE1?WCM_PORTLET =PC_7_0_5UV_WCM&WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=/wps/wcm/connect/NCAA/Legislation%20and%20Governance/Committees/Division%20I/Champ%20Cabinet/) cabinet. I certainly am sympathetic of your position, but all these championships have budgets, and they grow on a meeting-by-meeting basis.

[dave1381]

Manhattanivlle is the lowest ranked team to get in. If they played Middlebury (their quarterfinal opponent) 100 times, they would only win 19 times. Pretty tough task if you ask me.

Yeah, I never bought this prediction. I think the problem is, it's a lot easier to play down to bad opponents than it is to play up to good opponents. Manhattanville has beaten Plattsburgh and St. Anselm, but then had awful losses to Bowdoin and N.E. College. I think a tournament setting, team's upside matters a lot more for predictive purposes, while the downside doesn't matter a whole lot. Yet those two losses were devastating for Mville's ranking.

[LakersFan]

Yeah, I never bought this prediction.

Technically, this a prediction of what would happen if they played 100 times. As soon as the finish the other 99 games, we can see how I did :)

[stetem]

Yeah, I never bought this prediction. I think the problem is, it's a lot easier to play down to bad opponents than it is to play up to good opponents. Manhattanville has beaten Plattsburgh and St. Anselm, but then had awful losses to Bowdoin and N.E. College. I think a tournament setting, team's upside matters a lot more for predictive purposes, while the downside doesn't matter a whole lot. Yet those two losses were devastating for Mville's ranking.

I think its Very tough for teams like Mville and Gustavos playing in very weak divisions
Then try to bring you game up to the same level as Plattsburgh Elmira Middelbury

[dave1381]

The thing is, Mville split Plattsburgh and played Elmira really tough. They also split St. Anselm, who's probably right up there but not D-III. So I think they were pretty well battle-tested coming into the tourney.

[MNhockeyfan09]

I think its Very tough for teams like Mville and Gustavos playing in very weak divisions
Then try to bring you game up to the same level as Plattsburgh Elmira Middelbury

I believe that is why Gustavus can't win in the post season and their record is
always in the 20+ wins. Their goalies never get tested and are not ready for that type of competition.

[SHUCrosscheck]

I believe that is why Gustavus can't win in the post season and their record is
always in the 20+ wins. Their goalies never get tested and are not ready for that type of competition.

Which is why regardless of NCAA rules they should come east to play.

[gojackets]

Which is why regardless of NCAA rules they should come east to play.

I hope you go to the tournament this weekend in Plattsburgh and see a good western team play...and maybe come to your senses.


Now Superior...don't go out there and lay an egg for me.

[spwood]

So who's going to be in Plattsburgh this weekend? I will be in my usual seat and would like to meet some of the posters here. I will be working all four games on the weekend.

[gojackets]

I believe that is why Gustavus can't win in the post season and their record is
always in the 20+ wins. Their goalies never get tested and are not ready for that type of competition.

It also doesn't help that they have such a dominant offense and weak defense. I believe Superior scored on their first 3 shots of th e 2nd period. It might have been 3 of the 4, granted the second and third shots were on breakaways. The 2-0 breakaway scavo had no chance at...I think most goalies would have been able to get a pad on Gina's shorty......but when there has been very litte action in your end the whole game I think it gets hard to keep focused.

[gojackets]

So who's going to be in Plattsburgh this weekend? I will be in my usual seat and would like to meet some of the posters here. I will be working all four games on the weekend.

buy me a plane ticket and i'll be there!!! lol

[Derek Dunning]

So who's going to be in Plattsburgh this weekend? I will be in my usual seat and would like to meet some of the posters here. I will be working all four games on the weekend.

I'll be there!:cool:

Look for all four team previews to be posted at various times throughout the week.

Is it Friday yet?

Both DIII Frozen Four's in North Country (just an hour a part) couldn't get any better than this!