As the NCAA Division III men’s basketball tournament winds down, it’s been one of those periods where I felt like this week’s tournament was a bit of a letdown after having such an incredible week. I don’t know what it is, but it’s not just the weather, there’s just something about the conference that makes it less than enjoyable.
It’s probably a combination of the fact that the conference has been down to the lowest level of basketball since the demise of the NAIA in 1993, plus the fact that the conference is no longer as competitive as the NAIA. Basically, the bottom of the barrel of college basketball is at the top of the barrel at the NCAA level and that’s not an appealing prospect for anyone who wants to play Division III basketball.
No one said it was going to be easy. And yes, the NCAA is a joke right now, but a division III basketball tournament is far from easy. A handful of teams can make the tournament. And it’ll be one of the toughest conferences in the country. And in that way, it’s much easier than the Big East.
In Division III basketball, the Big East and the Atlantic Coast Conference each have 12 teams. The ACC has 16 teams. And while the ACC is a top-heavy conference, the Big East is the top conference in Division III basketball. There are plenty of games between teams near the top of the conference, and plenty of teams near the bottom. The conference is loaded with great teams. But there’s only so much you can do with only 12 teams.
The Big East is also a conference where the conference schedule is more predictable. It’s a good thing too, because the ACC schedule is an annual roller coaster that almost never stays on schedule. Most of the conference’s teams play each other in January, and a few teams play each other in February. There are also some teams that play each other in June and September, and others that play in January. But theres more in the game than that.
ncaa division 3 basketball is played in the spring, so when the basketball season is in full swing, it’s usually a good thing for the conference. With 12 teams, teams can only play each other twice, and then play another conference foe in the post-season. Division 3 is more of a four-team bracket tournament. That means that the final four teams only play each other once.
To quote a college basketball official who’s the tournament’s head coach, “I don’t believe in rest periods, or teams that play each other twice. I don’t believe in teams that play the same team more than once. I believe in teams that play each other in the NCAA tournament.
I have a tough time picturing Division 3 men’s basketball as an actual tournament, but I can see it working as a good tournament format. Because the first three rounds of the tournament are played in a single round robin format, teams play each other just once and then play a team from the other conference in the third round. The final four teams play each other twice and then play one of the other two conference foe in the post-season tournament.
The tournament format can work for men’s basketball because it is played in a single round robin format. But the NCAA tournament is not a real tournament, and while it’s good for men’s basketball, it’s not very good for women’s basketball as well. As a result, the NCAA tournament is not a good tournament format for women’s hoops either.
ncaa division 3 men’s basketball is a women’s division at the NCAA’s Division III level. This is the level at which the university is recognized as a Division I institution. The university’s athletic teams play each other in a regular season tournament, and the winner is eligible for the NCAA’s Division I championship tournament.
