Wesleyan is 14-0 for the first time in the program's 122-year history, but has a tougher NESCAC schedule ahead. Bridgewater State athletics photo

By Ryan Scott
D3hoops.com

I’m sure all the D3hoops diehards know every storyline and happening from the 2024-25 season thus far, but most of our fans, the ones who largely follow one team, really lock in around now, when conference play kicks off in earnest. For those of you out of the loop or those who’ve struggled to keep up with nearly 900 teams, and men’s and women’s races in 40-plus conferences, here’s your new year’s primer.

Women’s basketball

The voters largely got things right here. Teams popping into the Top 10, like Gustavus and Whitman, were just outside of it to start the year. Oshkosh has looked dominant, but Whitewater’s only loss was 84-78 to Illinois Wesleyan, so it’s still not clear who’s the best in the WIAC until they play next weekend.

The Titans have been the revelation of the season, not that they’re good, but that they’ve been pretty dominant against one of the toughest schedules in the country. They don’t have many obvious weaknesses and a ton of depth. Division III women’s basketball tends to have a pretty small top tier of teams each season and IWU has firmly placed themselves within it this year.

Washington & Lee still has Mary Schleusner down low, continuing to set records and provide the kind of mismatch you almost never see at this level, but Hanna Malik, the outside half of their outside-inside combo that proved nearly unbeatable in the NCAA Tournament last year is working on a grad degree at Emory and W&L hasn’t been able to recapture the magic.

Likewise, Johns Hopkins has been feeling the early season pressure. They lost close games to their two best opponents, CNU and Randolph-Macon. They’ve looked otherwise pretty solid, but maybe not national contender level, the way we assumed. They play Gettysburg at the end of this week, which should tell us a lot about both teams.

Wartburg lost two games in Texas over the break, to UMHB and ETBU, which precipitated their drop from the Top 10 (currently 11th), but there isn’t much cause for alarm just yet.

Smith is the big surprise, although not really. Lynn Hersey had them in the national title game last year, despite significant losses, so most voters understand the program is strong and able to replenish itself; results have borne it out thus far.

On the other side of the coin is Christopher Newport. No movement in the poll position, but they’ve certainly not performed to the level we’ve come to expect. They lost to a pretty good Southern Virginia team and haven’t faced the toughest schedule. They remain high because of past results, but a C2C schedule without conference games won’t see them tested much until March.

Men’s basketball

Platteville barely snuck by Calvin in the opener and then was outclassed at IWU the next night, but since has established themselves as the team to beat, with a dominant performance against previously unbeaten UW-Stevens Point last week.

Emory lived up to preseason billing as the best team to miss the 2024 NCAA Tournament. They rocketed out of the gate behind command performances from Jair Knight, before dropping a close one on the road to Christopher Newport (which remains just off the list above).

Many of the other changes are the result of teams struggling with losses. Calvin scheduled for a team with 6-10 All-American Jalen Overway in the paint. They opened 1-6 against top level competition while they tried to figure out a new style. The Knights can’t be written off just yet, but they’re going to have a long, hard road if they want to return to relevancy.

John Carroll lost its All-American, Luke Chicone, to injury in November. They also dropped games trying to adjust, but are now showing signs that they’ve done just that. Randolph-Macon and Keene State remain ranked, but lower down the list as they’re missing graduated stars a bit more than voters expected coming into the season.

The most tragic loss is the death of Trine’s Fred Garland, who was lost in a car accident in December. His absence reverberates through the team, the school, and everywhere else he’s mourned, although Trine has yet to lose on the court since Garland’s death.

NYU and Wesleyan make the list due to undefeated records and strong returning talent. Both teams have strong wins, but their schedules are not among the most difficult, and they’ll have to prove their rankings in very, very strong conferences, both of which start play this weekend.

Speaking of power conferences, I want to rundown a few of those races:

The WIAC men have Platteville as the favorite, but Stevens Point, La Crosse, and Oshkosh are all receiving votes in the poll, while Stout and Eau Claire have significant wins and, of course, none of the teams can be counted out. Platteville, La Crosse, and Oshkosh all play each other in the next three conference games, while Stevens Point has more of a back-loaded schedule.

On the women’s side, Oshkosh travels to Whitewater on Jan. 15, which will likely decide the team to beat, but Stout is right there with them and every team is at .500 or above right now.

Stevens Point is 11-1, but they’ve not played the strongest non-conference schedule, so hosting Whitewater in their next game is super important.

The UAA men have three of the top five poll spots at the moment and have six in the Massey Top 50. Despite all that, the league may not be as deep as last season. Chicago, Carnegie Mellon, and Brandeis have all improved, while CWRU and Rochester are rebuilding. That being said, between familiarity and travel demands, we should not be surprised with any UAA result this year. I will be in attendance when WashU visits Emory on Jan. 26, which may just be for first place.

Somehow the NYU women look better than last year’s undefeated national champions. Two returning All-Americans and a number of key transfers have them rolling at unprecedented levels of dominance. It won't be a cakewalk, though. Chicago and WashU are both playing very well. CMU is 11-1 and Brandeis has been feisty under new coach, Julie Pritchett, and 5-5 CWRU was the closest to beating the Violets last season.

All 11 NESCAC men’s teams enter conference play with winning records. Wesleyan comes in undefeated, but they’ve got the dreaded six road game schedule in the infamous single round-robin schedule. Tufts has perhaps the most questions among the contenders, but gets only four conference games on the road. Colby, Bowdoin, Middlebury, and Hamilton all seem improved, while questions remain for traditional powers Amherst and Williams. And they may all still be chasing defending champs, Trinity, whose only loss was in double overtime on the road at Babson.

The women’s defending champ Bowdoin remains the favorite. Bates, Tufts, Trinity, and Amherst have each lost a game or two more than expected, but Williams, Middlebury, and Hamilton are performing above expectations. Every one of those teams mentioned is 9-4 or better and this remains among the deepest conferences in all of Division III.

The CCIW is a clear fourth for both men and women in the Massey ratings, but in both cases, Illinois Wesleyan is setting themselves clear of the competition. Yes, the men dropped a game to Carthage already and have a difficult North Park team on the horizon, but it would be very surprising to everyone if the Titans don’t top both conference standings at the end of the year.

The ODAC men remain deep and strong. Hampden-Sydney has seemingly reloaded, while Randolph-Macon has largely overcome growing pains to get wins, and Guilford is struggling to find rhythm. Virginia Wesleyan and Roanoke also appear to be contenders. For the women, Randolph-Macon and Washington & Lee lead the way with 11-1 Bridgewater ready to crash the party. It’s a bit unclear, though, how these teams stack up nationally.

A similar story for the OAC as well. Baldwin Wallace remains in the women’s poll and both John Carroll and Capital have secured big wins, but their national relevance may have to be proven in March. The men are likewise struggling. John Carroll is attempting to rebound from the loss of Chicone, but it’s unclear if this very tough, deep, and competitive conference has the national contender we’ve come to expect from them.

The NWC women are taking center stage this year, as the men have likely taken a step back. Whitman, Linfield, and George Fox are all playing well and will make for a competitive schedule. Likewise, the MIAC is no longer just Gustavus Adolphus; Bethel and St. Benedict are both showing some fight as well, perhaps bolstered by extra non-conference games to improve the resume.

The NJAC men are making a run at reclaiming their status, with Stockton, Rowan, and TCNJ all landing big wins early. Ramapo is rumbling under the radar and conference play has improved across the board. The same for the NCAC men, where Wooster is always strong, but Denison has moved not just into conference contention, but is ranked nationally. Finally, the SCIAC men have five legitimate national players in Redlands, Cal Lutheran, CMS, Pomona-Pitzer, and Chapman.

Obviously this rundown is incomplete. You’ll always miss a few teams, which is why it’s so difficult to stay on top of everything happening around Division III. The Scranton women are somehow both underrated and ranked No. 3 (their fans will definitely let me hear about it).

I do want to name one men’s and women’s team as a darkhorse before we go. The Wisconsin Lutheran men have put together one of the best squads we’ve seen from a non-traditional power in a very long time. They’re being recognized by voters, but might still be underrated. They are absolutely capable of winning it all.

For the women, my team is Coe. I’m not sure they’re good enough to win the national title, but they should definitely be getting more attention. It’s a very strong team with good results and I wouldn’t be surprised if they beat Wartburg on Jan. 22.