I was looking at the guy that Denver jumped on.  Thought it was pretty weird for a D1 school to grab him, especially that early.

Breaking news: my Vassar squad managed to ink the future principal of the high school Ferris Bueller attends (called Shermer High in the movie, I think).  He's trying to go by Eddie, but I know who he really is (the low DE rating is an obvious giveaway of someone who will someday get beaten up by Jeannie Bueller).

Tournament Predictions:

Rank	Team	Conference	Wins	Conf Wins	Rating	Seed
1	Hardin-Simmons	ASC	24.54	15.09	57.83	1
2	Buena Vista	Iowa IAC	24.42	15.57	57.05	1
3	Millsaps	University	21.09	14.35	55.98	1
4	Capital	Ohio	23.32	15.35	55.79	1
5	Willamette	Northwest	22.93	14.30	55.78	2
6	Earlham	N. Coast	21.62	13.55	55.73	2
7	Austin	ASC	21.58	13.66	55.63	2
8	Nebraska Wesleyan	Iowa IAC	22.67	15.08	55.22	2
9	Emmanuel	Great NE	21.17	14.10	55.02	3
10	Palm Beach Atlantic	USA South	22.18	15.47	54.88	3
11	Webster	St. Louis	22.34	14.88	54.87	3
12	Hamline	Minn. IAC	24.33	15.55	54.84	3
13	Transylvania	Heartland	22.82	15.62	54.72	4
14	Lynchburg	ODAC	21.97	14.21	54.42	4
15	Penn St. Altoona	CC	24.78	15.07	54.41	4
16	Calvin	Michigan	22.03	15.45	54.40	4
17	S. Vermont	Great NE	23.42	13.69	54.38	5
18	Bridgewater	ODAC	22.35	14.15	54.23	5
19	Trinity (TX)	University	20.98	12.57	54.07	5
20	Whittier	S. Cal.	22.47	14.89	53.83	5
21	Howard Payne	ASC	21.72	12.43	53.80	6
22	Kenyon	N. Coast	19.61	10.79	53.68	6
23	E. Oregon	Northwest	19.88	12.00	53.66	6
24	Allegheny	N. Coast	19.57	10.67	53.58	6
25	Hendrix	University	18.29	11.50	53.57	7
26	Johnson and Wales	Great NE	21.37	11.83	53.08	7
27	Ramapo	New Jersey	20.15	14.29	52.99	7
28	U.S. Merchant Marines	Skyline	20.90	15.19	52.96	7
29	Dallas	University	18.21	11.02	52.95	8
30	Dickinson	Centennial	18.69	13.83	52.81	8
31	Wabash	N. Coast	17.64	10.84	52.81	8
32	Susquehanna	CC	19.83	14.05	52.80	8
33	Menlo	Northwest	16.46	10.88	52.74	9
34	Hiram	N. Coast	15.69	9.30	52.70	9
35	St. Norbert	Midwest	23.21	14.55	52.66	9
36	Chapman	Northwest	17.54	10.83	52.66	9
37	Arcadia	Penn.	23.26	14.74	52.63	10
38	Occidental	S. Cal.	20.48	14.21	52.62	10
39	Ursinus	Centennial	20.30	14.00	52.57	10
40	Texas Lutheran	ASC	19.75	13.31	52.52	10
41	Christopher Newport	USA South	19.94	14.04	52.43	11
42	Wisconsin, Platteville	Wisconsin	18.24	13.81	52.23	11
43	Suffolk	Great NE	17.95	11.27	52.22	11
44	Louisiana	University	16.25	9.89	52.21	11
45	Baldwin-Wallace	Ohio	17.70	12.42	52.16	12
46	Dominican	St. Louis	19.03	12.10	51.96	12
47	Martin Luther	CCIW	20.40	12.78	51.90	12
48	Emerson	Great NE	16.89	10.17	51.86	12
49	Whitworth	Northwest	16.13	9.82	51.85	13
50	Wisconsin Lutheran	CCIW	20.24	12.68	51.80	13
51	Ohio Wesleyan	N. Coast	15.20	9.02	51.69	13
52	Colby	NESCAC	21.64	14.12	51.55	13
53	Oberlin	N. Coast	12.41	7.30	51.54	14
54	Concordia (IL)	St. Louis	19.95	11.62	51.53	14
55	Maryville	Ohio	18.16	13.10	51.50	14
66	Wilkes	Freedom	21.23	13.92	50.86	14
68	UMass, Boston	Little E.	20.39	12.49	50.79	15
69	Vassar	Empire 8	18.43	13.06	50.77	15
71	Maine Maritime Academy	N.Atlantic	20.44	13.35	50.64	15
76	Gordon	Coast	20.32	13.02	50.44	15
79	New York U.	Upstate	19.62	12.80	50.35	16
82	Marymount	Capital	19.57	14.22	50.30	16
132	York (NY)	CUNY	17.29	11.56	48.86	16
168	SUNY New Paltz	SUNYAC	17.21	11.48	47.96	16

Sweet.  Early season exhibition between #1 and #2 tonight.

Crap, almost forgot that the real games started tonight.  Good luck in the non-conference everyone.

GotN
#6 Millsaps (0-0)(brianxavier) at #2 Hardin-Simmons (0-0)(sublightd)
We have an impressive five games between ranked opponents on opening night, let's take a look at the one with two single digit ranks.  Millsaps is looking to "rebound" this season after "only" reaching the NT second round last year (the horror) and they open up on the road at H-Sims coming off of an Elite 8 run last season.  brian has a small 6-3 lead in the series and the home team is favored by a slim 1 point.

Also considered: #3 Willamette at #10 Ramapo, #15 Webster at #7 Nebraska Wesleyan, #20 Chapman at #8 Transylvania, and #13 Emmanuel at #21 Hendrix

Sim blowout watch: California Tech is a 39 point home dog hosting #25 Vassar while Centenary is getting 32 points at home against #5 Austin.

Wooster beat a sim last night and I was really happy about it when I checked scores this morning.  Not the greatest sign for our season to come.

Last Night
Millsaps 91   #2 Hardin-Simmons 109
This one was uptempo on both sides, resulting in an exciting high scoring affair.  The first half was close most of the way until H-Sims went on a 19-6 run in the last four and a half minutes to lead 62-48 at the break.  That seemed to take the wind out of Millsaps sails as they couldn't get the deficit under double digits the rest of the way and the home team finished off an impressive 18 point home opener win.  H-Sims stays at #2 with the win while Millsaps fall down to the others receiving votes section.

Also considered: #6 Ramapo fended off #22 Willamette at home 74-67, #11 Webster got a tip-in with three seconds left to edge Nebraska Wesleyan 57-55, #5 Transylvania won a close won at home over Chapman 67-63, and #9 Hendrix got past Emmanuel at home 74-62.

Sim blowout watch: California Tech covered against Vassar 73-89 while it was much closer for Centenary but they just covered by a point vs #4 Austin 65-96.

GotN
#24 Aurora (1-0)(jbra12) at #18 Menlo (1-0)(dgravs)
Only one game featured two ranked teams tonight but it should be a good one.  Neither team was ranked to start the season but they moved up after impressive opening night victories.  It's the first meeting between these coaches and Vegas is calling it an even pick.

Also considered: Susquehanna at #6 Ramapo, Nebraska Wesleyan at #9 Hendrix, Millsaps at #11 Webster, #14 Capital at Calvin, and #25 Bridgewater at Stillman

Sim blowout watch: Shenandoah is a big 59 point home dog hosting #17 Johnson and Wales and Mary Hardin-Baylor is getting 53 points on the road at #12 Occidental.

Wooster lost to a sim last night by one point and I was really sad about it when I checked scores this morning.  Not the greatest sign for our season to come.

Last Night
Aurora 51    #11 Menlo 61
The Aurora players felt pretty good going into halftime of this one, leading 31-20 on the road.  But the second half was one to forget for them as the home team slowly but surely came marching back to tie the game and then pull away with lock-down defense and consistent shooting.  Aurora and jbra dropped out of the rankings after their first loss while Menlo and dgravs climbed up sevens spots.

Also considered: #12 Susquehanna jumped into the rankings by knocking Ramapo into the others receiving votes section 75-62, #15 Nebraska Wesleyan did the same thing on the road at Hendrix 96-88, #24 Millsaps continued the trend against Webster 86-76, #10 Capital won on the road over Calvin 56-45, and #20 Bridgewater made it a perfect night for featured road teams by downing Stillman 71-60.

Sim blowout watch: Both sims covered last night as Shenandoah fell to Johnson and Wales 48-68 and Mary Hardin-Baylor couldn't keep it close but good enough for a cover at #17 Occidental 56-101.

GotN
#17 Occidental (2-0)(dtm1500) at #4 Austin (2-0)(ricosuave21)
Another night with just one game between ranked foes and this time it's So-Cal conference at the American Southwest.  Both teams won their first two games and both made an appearance in the Sim blowout watch, how coincidental.  This is another first-time meeting and the home team is favored by 3.

Also considered: #1 Hamline at Emerson, #5 Buena Vista at Wisconsin Platteville, #10 Capital at Suffolk, and #15 Nebraska Wesleyan at Hiram

Sim blowout watch: The only biggish spread on the night is Mississippi College getting 32 points as they host #21 Wabash.

Wooster tried to give away the game to a sim last night but managed to pull out the OT win and I was really relieved about it when I checked scores this morning.  Not the greatest sign for our season to come.  (I thought about saying I was going to keep up this theme until Wooster gets a good sign for the season but I'm not sure that's going to happen.)

Last Night
Occidental 53   #2 Austin 89
Unlike last night's featured match, the road team looking for an upset did not feel good about their chances going into the break.  This one was close for a while but Austin built up a small lead in the last few minutes of the first half to make it 45-32 at the midway point.  After halftime, the home team kept building the lead and pulled away for a comfortable home victory.  Austin and rico move up to the second spot in the rankings while Occidental and dtm join the others receiving votes after suffering their first loss on the season.

Also considered: #17 Emerson scored the upset over the formerly top ranked #6 Hamline 85-79, #4 Buena Vista cruised past Wisconsin Plattville 94-64, #8 Capital got the close road win over Suffolk 59-54, and #12 Nebraska Wesleyan got past Hiram 88-77.

Sim blowout watch: Mississippi College got the cover against #22 Wabash 68-93.

GotN
#5 Transylvania (3-0)(gohall) at #20 Christopher Newport (3-0)(mroylanc)
Two games between ranked teams tonight but we'll go with the one featuring undefeated teams.  It's Heartland at the USA South in this one as both teams have won all three games and looked good doing it.  gohall won the only previous meeting between these two and his team is favored by 3 on the road.

Also considered: #12 Nebraska Wesleyan at #13 Susquehanna, Palm Beach Atlantic at #11 Bridgewater, #15 Ohio Wesleyan at Occidental, #16 Millsaps at Mount Union, #17 Emerson at Hartwick, and Hendrix at #22 Wabash

Sim blowout watch: Winless South Maine is an even 60 point road dog as they travel to #8 Capital.

Welcome to the first ever edition of the SoGTwMPP, otherwise known by it's christian name Sneaky and/or Good Teams which Might Pose Problems. This write-up is to highlight teams in Rupp DIII that might not catch your eye or be the flashiest in the barrel, but could cause problems if overlooked and might be one of those teams that wiggle their way into the big dance despite not being on the radar.

So, without further delay, the fist ever selection for the SaGTwMPP is: ILLINOIS WESLEYAN

(http://www.whatifsports.com/hd/TeamProfile/Schedule.aspx?tid=4711)

It's kshrekler's 5th year on the job and the team has never finished .500 or better despite coming close the last three, but that all changes this season. Coach finally has a roster full of his own players and a schedule that could play to the strengths of his developing squad. Despite being on the young side, only two upperclassmen, the programs use of redshirts has insured that it will have depth across the board.

So far they've proven to be a very balanced team that can distribute the ball and score from both the inside and out. Leading the way for them up to this point has been sophomore SG Dwight Crouse (12.3 ppg) and senior PF Sean Pendarvis (11.0 ppg). Stopping their leading scorers isn't going to guarantee a win against this budding team, they have five other players averaging at least 5 ppg and shoot a solid 71.7% from the free throw line.

Although the team might not have a signature win to hang their hats on yet, they only lost by 6 last night at home to perennial powerhouse Penn St. Altoona, even managing to outscore them in the second half. They got #5 ranked S. Vermont week 9, and you better believe that match-up has been circled on the schedule all summer. Given that there is only one human coach active in their conference, a couple good wins during the nonconference could put them in line for a at-large spot in the dance should they fall short of their conference tourney dreams.

This program is definitely heading in the right direction, so be sure not to take them for granted now...or in years to come.

Very cool feature, nacho, I like it.  And of course I'm a big fan of ridiculously long and unnecessary acronyms, those are always good.  I'll be looking forward to more SoGTwMPP's throughout the season, although I'm guessing Wooster won't be making an appearance since they're neither sneaky nor good.  But they're certainly posing problems for me so I've got that going for me, which is nice.

[Insert depressing comments about Wooster losing to another sim last night]

Last Night
#17 Transylvania 66   #13 Christopher Newport 77
The home team held just a 1 point lead at halftime in this one but they inched up that lead after the break and they kept scoring just enough to stay ahead of Transylvania the rest of the way.  They finished strong by sinking nine straight free throws in the last minute to really drive a stake in the visitors.  Get it?  Stake in them?  Oh the hilarity.  Anyway, C-New and mroylanc stayed perfect on the season and jumped up seven spots in the rankings while Transylvania and gohall fell out of the top five after their first loss.

Also considered: #6 Nebraska Wesleyan got the impressive road win over Susquehanna 83-74, #7 Bridgewater was victorious at home over Palm Beach Atlantic 67-57, Occidental justed edged Ohio Wesleyan at home 68-64, #9 Millsaps pulled away from Mount Union 78-52, #12 Emerson cruised past Hartwick 81-59, and Hendrix got past Wabash 74-64.

Sim blowout watch: South Maine is still without a win but they easily covered at #11 Capital 48-74.

GotN
#8 Earlham (3-1)(paul836) at #11 Capital (4-0)(xatomsmasher)
It's the North Coast visiting the Ohio conference in a nice nearly top ten battle.  Earlham will look to rebound from their first loss last night, a close 3 point defeat at home, while Capital looks to make it halfway through non-conference without a loss.  This is another first time meeting, the home team is favored by 1.

Also considered: #4 Lynchburg at Hendrix, #13 Christopher Newport at UMass Dartmouth, Wabash at #16 Baldwin-Wallace, Emmanuel at #23 Hamline, and #25 Whitworth at Greensboro

Sim blowout watch: No big spreads tonight in the top 25 so the blowout watch gets an off night.

Phi Slamma Jamma rolls into Cleveland tonight.....we're gonna Princeton their *****.......shame Princeton lost that game.....

Halfway through the non-conference season and we have thirty-eight undefeated teams and fifty-one teams still looking for their first win.  I should've scheduled more of the second group for Wooster this season.

Last Night
#23 Earlham 50   #5 Capital 61
Both teams played slowdown in this one so we were treated with a fairly low-scoring affair.  Capital started the second half with a 25-20 and in the early minutes of the half they were able to expand the lead to double digits.  The home team kept up the pressure and were able to maintain the lead in the 10-12 point range the rest of the way.  Capital and xatomsmasher jump up into the top five with the home upset while Earlham and paul drop to the lower levels of the rankings with their second loss.

Also considered: #3 Lynchburg won a close one on the road at Hendrix 74-68, #11 Christopher Newport got past UMass Dartmouth 78-67, #12 Baldwin-Wallace defended the home court against Wabash 67-52, #16 Hamline pulled away from Emmanuel 90-78, and #20 Whitworth downed Greensboro 81-72.

Sim blowout watch: The blowout watch had a quiet night alone, listening to smooth jazz and catching up on Reader's Digest.

GotN
#1 Hardin-Simmons (5-0)(sublightd) at #12 Baldwin-Wallace (5-0)(scaturo)
It took six games but we finally get to feature a top ranked team in the GotN, American Southwest visiting the Ohio conference in this one.  Both teams are undefeated and both have played a solid schedule so far.  It's yet another first time meeting, the odds-makers have the visitors by 4.

Also considered: #15 Transylvania at #8 Austin, #9 Millsaps at #23 Earlham, Ohio Wesleyan at #3 Lynchburg, Wabash at #14 Willamette, #20 Whitworth at Whittier, and Palm Beach Atlantic at #24 Dallas

Sim blowout watch: Haverford makes up for the off-night last night by receiving a fat 74 points at home against #21 Johnson and Wales and Staten Island is a 52 point road dog at #4 S. Vermont.

I am going to have to buy bigger britches....and not just because I will be trying to eat 7 bagels in 25 minutes today!