D2 Elite
This is the group of teams that I think can win the national championship and I expect to see deep runs out of each of these teams.
South Dakota coached by Jmurphy8587. This is the GUESS ranked top team headed into the season and they have not disappointed. Tomorrow’s tilt versus Humboldt St is a good measuring stick for both teams. Currently WIS ranked #5, but could see a pop as they have a couple of humans on the back end of the schedule, with the game against HSU being one of them. So, a possible one seed for SD.
Henderson State coached by mojolad. HSU coach mojolad tends to get some of the most out of the talent that he has on his roster, so I am comfortable putting them into this group, though they may not have all the horses that some of the other teams possess. Came into the season at #7 GUESS, but the differential is not too great that I can’t be overcome by HSU or several others. The depth of competition helps Henderson St as they are the #1 WIS conference by a couple of points, with really no chance of slipping out of that ranking. I would expect mojolad to be seeded as a 1, but there could be some excellent teams sitting at the bottom half of the bracket.
West Virginia Wesleyan coached by slid64er. WVWU has appeared in 2 of the last 3 national championship games and coach slid64er has the offense humming to the pace of 104 ppg and 952 ypg. Lack of competition tends to hurt their seed, however, this season they are currently ranked at #3 WIS, so a 1 seed is possible.
Humboldt State coached by benzil. I think Humboldt State may have made the climb into this group for this season. They still have to deal with South Dakota in conference, but a loss is not a given and they are likely looking at a 2 seed, possibly 3, but a quarterfinal run is expected and depending upon the bracket, they could be the favorites of the region. This may be a temporary placement for HSU for this season, as we know Colorado-Mines is looming, so its up to benzil to rise to the occasion, but the talent is there.
St Joseph’s coached by gators06. The two-time defending National Champions certainly deserve to be included in this group. They have taken care of business as usual. They currently sit at #13 WIS, but I expect some teams to fall off and St. Joe’s to be able to secure a #2 seed. How would you like to be the #1 seed in that region?
