I only did 6 teams because I felt there was clearly 6 top teams and everyone else was way behind these 6 teams.
#1-
Greensboro (14-3, #6 WIS, #1 RPI)- The #1 RPI team and the class of d3 over the past 10 seasons is once again at the top. Greensboro is led by the three-headed monster of
Smith,
Smith, and
Reeves. They are one of, if not the most, talented team with possibly the best coach. I put them at #1 because they would be the last team that I would want to play against in the NT.
Key Wins:
vs. Roanoke,
@ Elmhurst,
vs. Piedmont
#2-Susquehanna (15-2, #14 WIS, #4 RPI)-They got off to a very hot start to the season, beating what is now the #1 team in Greensboro as well as Rowan. I almost put them at #1, but I just liked Greensboro's talent a little more. With
Haislip and
Andreassen, they are title contenders for sure. I see them making a deep run into the NT from whichever seed they get (hopefully they're not in my bracket).
Key Wins:
vs. Rowan,
vs. Greensboro,
@ Rhodes
#3-
Kalamazoo (17-0, #2 WIS, #3 RPI)-One of the first teams out of the pre-season top 10, Kalamazoo has been extremely impressive this year. They are one of them six remaining undefeated teams (the only one in this top 10 tho) and if they can beat conference rival Marantha Baptist Bible once in the regular season and once again in the conference tourney, they could easily be undefeated heading into the NT. Clearly their balanced attack on offense has brought them success. I'd be scared to play them in the NT.
#4-
Drew (16-1, #4 WIS, #13 RPI)- Another one loss team, their loss came to a good Swarthmore team by 2 in OT. Using the new team ratings feature I found that Drew is the #1 team in terms of team athleticism, team defense, and #2 in team speed. With those ingredients, this press team can obviously beat anybody. The most impressive stat for this Drew team is that they hold their opponents to 9.9 assists per game while forcing them to turn the ball over 22.4 times per game. Did I mention they only turn the ball over 10.2 times per game (the best in the country)? I don't think anyone can deny they have the best defense in the country and when you have the best defense and you don't turn the ball over, you are a title threat. If they start to rebound the ball well, I could see them being the best team in D3.
#5-
Hamline (16-1, #1 WIS, #15 RPI)- Although their schedule is a little weak, they have been destroying their opponents; they win by an average of 25 points per game and out shoot them 54% to 40%. Like Kalamazoo, they have a very balanced attack with seven players between 8.4 and 12.4 ppg. Normally I wouldn't rank a team this high with this bad of a schedule, but they have shown the ability to beat elite teams and I think their one loss was a fluke.
#6-
Marietta (16-1, #3 WIS, #7 RPI)- Their only loss this year came at undefeated Kalamazoo and I really like the talent on their team. I know it's starting to sound repetitive, but they also have a very balanced scoring attack (maybe they're onto something?). Their best player is junior SF Ronald Keller, who is scoring very effectively (60%), rebounding, and not turning the ball over. If Marietta is going to go deep into tournament play, Keller is going to be the one to lead them there.