By Gordon Mann
D3sports.com

Around this time last year we highlighted 10 story lines to follow during the second semester of the 2009-2010 basketball season. It’s premature to call this a holiday tradition, but let’s give it another go for 2011. Here are nine burning questions – one for each region and a bonus – to ponder.

West: How far will UW-River Falls go?

At 10-1 the Falcons are one of the biggest surprises of the season so far. UW-River Falls was picked eighth of nine teams in the WIAC preseason poll. That placement was understandable since the Falcons went 3-13 in conference last season. But UW-River Falls has won its first four conference games this season, including a 73-60 victory over defending national champions UW-Stevens Point. The Falcons’ lone loss came at No. 7 St. Thomas which beat UW-Stevens Point by a similar margin. Could the Falcons win the WIAC regular season title? That’s only happened twice in the last 60 years (1950 and 2004). Could they win the WIAC tournament? The Falcons have never reached the tournament final, let alone won it. There’s still a long road to go with “road” being the operative word. UW-River Falls plays four of its last five games away from home. But, if the Falcons maintain their torrid pace leading up to that stretch, it’s conceivable that they may have locked up an NCAA tournament berth by that point.

Midwest: What will Carthage senior Steve Djurickovic do for an encore?

As a junior Djurickovic won every Player of the Year award possible – national, regional and conference. Carthage won the CCIW regular season and tournament titles. Djurickovic’s father, Bosko, won the Conference Coach of the Year. The Red Men advanced to the Sweet 16. And Steve saved a litter of kittens from a towering inferno. Okay, I made that last part up. So what can Carthage and the Djurickovics do for an encore? Steve already became the school’s all-time scoring leader in the Red Men’s win against Hope on Dec. 3. Now he’s zeroing in on the conference’s all-time scoring mark of 2,635 held by Millikin’s Leon Gobczynski. As a team, Carthage has been in and out of the Top 25 poll. The Red Men currently sit at No. 24 with a 7-3 record. A national ranking with three loses this early in the season is likely a testament to how much the pollsters respect what the Djurickovics can do. They’ll have their hands full once CCIW play starts. Carthage opens at Wheaton (Ill.) and then hosts No. 18 Illinois Wesleyan.

Great Lakes: Who will get the most Ws in the NCAC – Wooster, Wabash or Wittenberg?

All three are undefeated in conference play. Wooster and Wabash finished 2010 undefeated in non-conference play, too. The top-ranked Scots have the advantage in terms of national rankings, experience as the conference’s top dog and reigning Great Lakes Region Player of the Year Ian Franks. No. 8 Wabash has the most impressive win (60-45 over No. 11 Randolph-Macon) and the conference’s leading scorer in Wes Smith (22.6 points per game). Wittenberg has, um, the most letters in its name. Seriously, the Tigers are 5-4 entering Thursday and are certainly the dark horse in this race. But Clayton Black and Chris Sullivan give Wittenberg a good one-two punch and a puncher’s chance in this battle.

South: Will Greensboro upend Christopher Newport for the USA South Athletic Conference title?

In 2008 Greensboro defeated Christopher Newport 83-80 in the conference tournament final behind 28 points from freshman Danielle Duncan. Chelsie Schweers, who won the D3hoops Rookie of the Year award that season, scored 18 points in the loss. Since then Schweers has been become one of the elite guards in Division III basketball. She’s led the Captains to the NCAA tournament twice and, through Wednesday, she leads the team in points, minutes, assists, steals and free throw attempts. Duncan had a great 2010 for different reasons. She gave birth to her son Micah on January 3, 2010 and has since returned to the court with a vengeance. “"I don't think Danielle has missed a beat since she returned, and maybe is better," said Pride coach Randy Tuggle in a school feature. Duncan is averaging 21.5 points per game and the Pride are quietly undefeated at 8-0. Circle Jan. 23 on your calendar for Christopher Newport at Greensboro. The teams meet again in the regular season finale on Feb. 19.

Mid-Atlantic: Is this the end of Messiah’s streak of NCAA tournament appearances?

Messiah has qualified for the women’s tournament 11 consecutive years and it’s going to be an uphill battle to make it an even dozen. The Falcons lost three straight to dip under .500 at 4-5 and they’ve struggled to score in those losses. The nine-point second half against No. 7 Christopher Newport is the most obvious example, but not the only one. Messiah scored just 47 in a loss to DeSales and 50 in a win against Susquehanna. Through Wednesday Susquehanna has given up an average of 63 points per game. But here’s the silver lining for Falcons fans. The MAC Commonwealth season is just two games old so there’s plenty of time to make the four-team conference tournament. It’s probably automatic qualifier or bust for the Falcons, who beat Franklin and Marshall to enter 2011 at 5-5, but they have plenty of experience winning the conference tournament. That said, the Falcons have to get how when conference play resumes on Jan. 8.

Atlantic: Is this Kean’s year to make the women’s Final Four?

Kean has fallen one step short of the national semifinals three times since 2007. Last season the Cougars opened with a loss to Division I Rutgers and then pounded out 29 consecutive wins before Rochester edged them in the NCAA tournament. Kean also lost to Rochester in the 2009 NCAA tournament. As usual, coach Michelle Sharpe has put together a tough non-conference schedule this season to get the Cougars ready for March basketball. Kean has already beaten other elite programs in the region (Scranton, Messiah, DeSales). The Cougars also traveled to California where they beat Redlands and Cal Lutheran and they hoted Illinois Wesleyan on New Year’s Eve, losing 68-57. Kean has a great low post presence in preseason All-American Tiffany Patrick, a floor general in Naimah Clemons and a talented freshman in Emily Cristaldi. It’s way too early to make serious tournament projections, but wouldn’t it be fitting for the Cougars to have to beat Rochester to punch that elusive ticket to the Final Four?

East: Is a conference title repeat in the cards for Plattsburgh State?

The Cardinals have the pieces to win another SUNYAC title, which would be their fifth in six seasons. Chris Ruiz and Errol Daniyan are back for their senior year after being named All Conference and All Region as juniors. Plus Plattsburgh State has a chance to build momentum at home going into the meat of conference play. The Cardinals play their next four games at Memorial Hall, including a non-conference battle with Middlebury on Jan. 4. But the SUNYAC has had some wild races in recent years. Last season Oneonta State finished the regular season tied with Plattsburgh State at 13-5. This year Oswego State is off to a fast start at 6-1. As with the other conference races in this region, you should keep the conference tie-breaker rules handy for the end of the regular season.

New England: Which conference has the stronger top three – the NESCAC or the Little East?

On its face, this is no contest. The NESCAC has three teams ranked in the Top 25 (No. 2 Williams, No. 5 Middlebury and No. 17 Amherst) and the Little East has just one (No. 25 Western Connecticut State). And the NESCAC has the NCAA tournament pedigree. But take a closer look. Is Middlebury better than Rhode Island College? The Panthers weren’t last year when the Anchormen beat them by 16 in Vermont in the NCAA tournament. How about Amherst and Keene State? The Owls lost at home to Springfield, but neither team has a signature win yet. And speaking of trios, the Little East has three of the region’s most exciting players in juniors DaQuan Brooks (West Conn), Mason Choice (RIC) and Derek D’Amours (KSC). The only crossover game is on Feb. 1 when Rhode Island College hosts Amherst. Otherwise we’ll have to wait to settle this until the NCAA tournament.

National: Will we have a repeat champion in 2011?

Defending champion UW-Stevens Point was the preseason pick to win the men’s title, which would be their fourth in seven years. The Pointers return most of last year’s title-winning team so there’s no reason they can’t contend for another Walnut and Bronze. But there’s also no guarantee they’ll even make it out of their own conference. That’s the beauty of being the favorite in the WIAC. On the women’s side, Washington U. opened the preseason as No. 7 after graduating several key players from the national championship roster. However, the strength of that team was its depth and balance and that’s still the case now. The Bears have nine players averaging over 10 minutes per game entering Thursday’s tilt against Bluffton. And while Washington U. is just 1-2 against Top 25 teams, close losses at Illinois Wesleyan and against Hope this week show the Bears aren’t far off the pace.