By Tim McCaffrey
McCaffrey’s Musings is here for what YOU crave!! Rankings!! Let us begin with the ladies as we trim our selections down to the Final nine!
TMAC’S Women’s NIFTY 9
1) SNHU (17-5) ▲1
2) Le Moyne (15-4) ▲2
3) Bentley (11-6) ▼2
4) Pace (19-5) ▲1
5) Chestnut Hill (20-4) ▼2
6) Jefferson (19-5) ▲1
7) USciences (17-3) ▼1
8) Stonehill (10-7) ▲1
9) Daemen (15-3) ▼1
OUT: #10 Franklin Pierce
NOTE: The OFFICIAL NCAA Regional Ranking debut Wednesday and will include games through Sunday (1/13).
After the nine above, there are zero teams with an at-large possibility. #9 Daemen is behind Stonehill because the Wildcats lost at home to the Skyhawks and the fact Daemen has three victories over teams above .500 (Molloy & Roberts Wesleyan 2x). Tricia Brown’s group won at #3 Bentley and deserves to be on the eight line. Remember, the ECC winner projects #8, so Stonehill would need to get to at least #7 or win the NE 10 Tournament. Another notable fact about these two, is they combined to have ONE common opponent, Saint Anselm.
As we dig deeper into the numbers, we notice Jefferson with a win at Sciences so the Rams hold #6. Bentley is 0-3 versus the top two, but defeated Pace. It is very easy to overseed Daemen, but the more you look into the numbers the worse it gets. Once you peel the layers of the onion and do waaaaaaaay too much research, you realize just how good certain schedules are compared to others!
Game of the Week
#1 Southern New Hampshire @ #2 Le Moyne; 1:30 Monday
Some of you will be reading this and the game will be over. If SNHU triumphs, they have the inside track to hosting the regional and if Le Moyne gets the hand raise, then the Dolphins do. It is that simple, but we’ll break it down a little bit more. A win for Le Moyne would mean the Dolphins are 3-0 versus the top three. Hard to move them off the one-line if that is the case. If SNHU wins, they are 3-0 versus Bentley and Le Moyne and it would be hard to move the Penmen off of #1. A regional location could hang in the balance when these two meet in Syracuse! It will be an honor to call the game!
Men’s Top Nine
1) Bentley (17-3) ↔
2) Adelphi (17-6) ▲1
3) Franklin Pierce (12-7) ▲2
4) Saint Anselm (13-7) ▼2
5) Daemen 17-6 ▲2
6) Dominican (16-5) ▼2
7) Pace (15-8) ▲3
8) New Haven (14-7) NR
9) Saint Thomas Aquinas (20–4) ↔
So you’re saying there’s a chance: SNHU, Stonehill.
Here is what we know: Bentley is the clear favorite to host the 2022 Division II Men’s Basketball East Regional. After that, take each remaining team and put it into a hat and begin.
The data will melt your brain. Dominican is especially hard to seed. The Chargers have four must-win games ahead. If you don’t like these rankings, just wait a few hours. Here are six huge games this week that will go a long way into determining the field of eight!
Games of the Week
# 2 Adelphi @ SNHU 5:30; Monday
This is a must-win for the Penmen and the beginning of a treacherous six-day stretch for the Panthers. Dave Duke has done a wonderful job with his team, but he needs to figure out how to get two wins this week to lock up a bid to the dance.
#8 UNH @ #3 Franklin Pierce 7:30; Monday
David Chadbourne’s Ravens could end up as the #2, or could miss the field completely. Beating New Haven would solidify Pierce’s standing, but a loss would make Wednesday’s game a must. UNH has zero wiggle room. They could get away with a loss and winning out to the NE 10 Finals, but I would not suggest it.
#3 Franklin Pierce @ #4 Saint Anselm 7:30; Wednesday
This could be a must win for both teams. I cannot begin to explain how thin the margin of error is for both squads. Saint A’s closes the season at Bentley and doesn’t need a fourth home-loss on its resume. If Pierce splits Monday and here, the Ravens should be ok as long as they win two of three at home. Two losses would mean the Falcons may have to win out in the regular season, which would include a game in Rindge verses Bentley.
#3 Adelphi @ #7 Pace 7:30; Wednesday
If Pace wins they have a season series sweep and would be two wins away from going undefeated against the NE 10 Southwest Division. The Setters would need this game even more if SNHU beats Adelphi on Monday. If Adelphi comes in off a setback, the affair in Westchester Country will take on even more significance.
#9 Saint Thomas Aquinas @ #5 Daemen 7:30; Friday
A win for STAC and they keep hope alive for an at-large. A Wildcat victory, coupled with winning out to the ECC Final should be enough to get Daemen into the field on a couple of conditions. However, a loss in Western New York and a loss in the ECC finals would make the conference a one-bid league. I see very little chance a Spartan win gets them inside the Top 7 where they would need to be. Tobin Anderson’s club will in all likelihood need to beat Daemen and still need to win the ECC or get a lot of help from NE 10 teams playing spoiler.
# 8 UNH @ #2 Adelphi 3:30; Saturday
A mirrored maze of a week for the Panthers could see them a solid #2 or out of the field completely. That is as crazy as it gets. New Haven has quietly gone about its business and will be partaking in its third game of the week as well. If both teams are seeking a third win, it could be a colossal battle.
NEXT WEEK
The Rankings drop to eight. We’ll look at what the Regional Committees had to say and break down the projected brackets! Until next time, always do what’s right, Not what’s easy!
McCaffrey’s Musings is authored by Tim McCaffrey who has covered D2 basketball since 2003. He has broadcast hundreds of Division II Games and can be paid by food. If you would like to reach out he responds to all e-mails tpmccaffrey@gmail.com