One of the great things about Iba is the great coaches spread out amongst many great conferences. Here's a conference overview, 8 games in. I'm also predicting my 64 teams in. Hope this adds life to this thread. Let me know what you think.
CCAA - (prediction - 3 in) This is Chico St. and twiddlebug's year. Quite a superclass over there. They are the national title favorites. bvb has Stanislaus in contention for the tourney despite a very young team. Grand Canyon looks pretty strong as well.
CVAC - (prediction - 7 in) Belmont Abbey is undefeated and a real contender for the national title. Traditional powers Longwood, Limestone, and Erksine have had solid yet unspectacular seasons. Pfieffer should be strong and might garner a 3 or 4 seed, though they lack depth. Barton and former conference doormat Lees-Mcrae are also looking like they find their way into the tourney.
Cen. Atlantic - (prediction - 4 in). Goldey-beacom, NJ Tech, and U of the Sciences are very strong teams in an otherwise weak conference. All 3 of them could make it into the sweet 16, possibly beyond. Felician will probably squeak in for a low seed.
Cen. Intercollegiate (prediction - 2 in) definitely a down year for Bowie St., but they should still find their way into the tourney. Winston Salem St. rarely makes waves once in the postseason, but they've been in the postseason 37 of the last 38 seasons. Expect those 2 to make the NT and fight for the division crown.
East Coast - (prediction - 2 in) - this isn't the Mercy team of 25 seasons ago winning 3 national titles in 5 seasons, but they still win this conference nearly every season. They should definitely end up the NT. However, New York Tech is the real story here - a true final four darkhorse. NYT has already beaten Mercy by 20 and also defeated U of I in non-conference - they will most probably be the top team from the east coast.
GLIAC - (prediction - 1 in) - Hillsdale , despite their youth, is the best team in the conference. Michigan Tech is the only real challenger.
GLV - (prediction - 6 in) - This conference is strong this season. Bellarmine is beasting this season, and the ever charismatic greenhawks could coach them to a national title. U of I is right there behind them, having a great season as well with a great three-guard lineup. S. Illinois Edwardsville is very strong, and always in the mix. Wisconsin Parkside and their NASTY defense and ugly brand of ball will get them in the tourney. Mercyhurst has a very solid squad, they are fighting for prominence. S. Indiana should find their way in as a double digit seed.
Great NW - (prediction - 3 in) - W. New Mexico and Seattle is the big rivalry here - and though Seattle seems more impressive on paper, W. New Mexico won the conference battle convincingly. Pesky Central Washington will get in as a low seed.
Gulf South - (prediction - 2 in) - Rough times for the once-proud gulf south. Formerly the CVAC's biggest challenge, the GSC has a great and potentially final-four bound Harding team and a W. Georgia team who has beaten up on a very soft schedule, and that's about it. Looks like they will have many PIT entries.
Heartland - (prediction - 8 in) - the Heartland has never been this good. All the water cooler talk has been about the Heartland's first win over the CVAC in their non-conference challenge (albeit a squeaker), as well as conversations such as "Damn, where did W. Alabama come from all of a sudden?" and "Who the hell is Montevallo? They're pretty good". Detfire could definitely take Lincoln to the tourney this season, proving the CVAC's loss is Heartland's gain. St. Mary's and Incarnate Word are strong as always, though St. Mary's tough schedule might hurt them as they struggle to find 14 wins. Drury, St. Edwards, and Valdosta St. could all get in at low seeds, making it a record setting year for the Heartland.
Lone Star - (3 in) - new upstarts Texas A+M Kingsville are leading the conference, with some very impressively close out of conference losses against some of DII's best teams. SE Oklahoma St. and Northeastern St. have seen better days, but are always well coached and always in the mix come tourney time. E. Central could squeak in as a 15 or 16 seed, but i'll place them just outside the bubble. .
Mid-America (1 in) - The Doormat conference of DII. Pittsburgh St. will win the conference, get a very low seed, and probably get pummeled by a top squad. They are a year away from being very dangerous, though. Nobody else worth discussing here.
North American (3 in)- the ridiculously geographically diverse conference with the endless plane flights. Slippery Rock could really make the final four - if they ever make it, this is probably their season with 9 upperclassmen. W. Virginia Wesleyan and Western Oregon should also find their way in, probably as mid-level seeds.
North Central (1 in) - Nebraska Omaha is pretty solid, but their seeding could be hurt by strength of schedule. S. Dakota St. might be sneaking in, but I think they will more likely end up in the PIT. The rest of this conference is very weak.
Northeast 10 - (3 in) St. Rose and Franklin Pierce will find their way in, and St. Rose's veteran team might be good enough to scare the hell out of someone in the first round. Lemoyne will make it despite their very robotic, emotionless coach.
Northern Sun - (1 in) Way to beat up on a bunch of patsies, SW Minnesota St.! They could be pretty good, but are one of the most untested undefeated teams that I've seen.
Peach Belt - (3 in) Lander gets to the tourney every season, but rarely does much once they get there. Armstrong Atlantic St. looks like the weaker team now, but is usually stronger come tourney time, and is often a spoiler for a top-notch squad. Augusta should get in as a 13 or 14 seed.
Penn St. - (3 in) E. Stroudsburg St. is for real, and will probably end up with a #2 or #3 seed, and a few tourney wins. Cal U PA will probably be a mid-level seed, and either Shippensburg and Kutztown might squeak into the tourney. (the other will be a top PIT seed)
Rocky Mountain (2 in) - as usual, a 2 horse race between Adams St. and Mesa St., one of the more underrated DII rivalries out there. Neither team usually raises a huge stink once they get in the tourney, and they should both end up mid-level seeds.
South Atlantic - (1 in) - I don't remember this conference ever looking this pitiful. Lenoir Rhyne will find their way in, as they always do. Nobody else has much of a team.
Southern Intercollegiate (1 in) - it's Clark and nobody else, and they play a fast-paced game that might annoy the heck out of whatever #1 or #2 seed they end up against. This is probably the worst conference in DII.
Sunshine St. Conference (1 in) - also known as the "Eckerd U. and a bunch of bums" conference. the bums in the Sunshine are slightly more competitive than the DIII-level teams in Clark's conference.
WVIAC - (3 in) - definitely a three-horse race here. Fairmont St. is new and pretty strong. Charleston is hoping to return to the Final Four, though I see a 2nd round or sweet exit for them. Concord's extremely fast paced offense makes for a tough matchup....they are the #1 scoring offense in DII and score more PPG than their nearest competitor. They usually do well until they run into a top squad that can match their relentless energy.