D2SS NEWS AND NOTES--12/14/2005

With Christmas just around the corner, here's one final recap of the fall sports season, as well as some early thoughts on the basketball season. So, without further ado, let's get started.

NCAA TOURNAMENT REVIEW: D-II South Nation was well represented in the NCAA Division II tournaments in men's and women's soccer, as well as volleyball. The main problem was most of those teams didn't even make it past the first two rounds, let alone the Final Four.

Case in point, the University of North Alabama Lions volleyball team, which had just one loss heading into the South Central Regional. The top seeded Lions reached the second round of the regionals before being upset by Central Missouri State. The loss ended UNA's season at 36-2. Other teams in D-II South Nation didn't fare well, either, as the Gulf South Conference's other NCAA tournament representatives, Harding and Alabama-Huntsville, were eliminated in the first round by Washburn and Truman, respectively. Also, five-time SIAC tournament champion Albany State also fell in round one to UNA, as the Lions swept the Lady Rams in three game. Finally, Peach Belt Conference tournament champion Francis Marion was sent packing by eventual Final Four participant Tampa after the first round of the South regional, as the Patriots found themselves on the wrong end of a season-ending three-game sweep against the Spartans.

In women's soccer action, the University of West Florida Argonauts advanced the farthest in the NCAA tournament, defeating fellow GSC foe Lincoln Memorial 3-1 in the first round, shutting out Tampa 1-0 in the second round, before being blanked themselves by Carson-Newman 2-0 in the national quarterfinals. The loss gave UWF a season ending record of 19-2-2 overall. As for the Peach Belt Conference, that league's only representative, Clayton State, saw its season end in abrupt fashion, as the Lakers fell to Carson-Newman 2-0, ending their season at 15-3-2.

Finally, in men's soccer, Lander was one of three PBC squads to advance to the NCAA tournament in 2005, as the Bearcats knocked off league rivals UNC Pembroke and Clayton State to earn a quartefinal appearance. However, Lynn proved to be too much for Lander in that cotnest, as the Knights cruised to an easy 8-0 win. By the way, Lynn fell in the national semifinals to eventual national champion Fort Lewis (Colo.) 6-4 on Dec. 2.

EARLY THOUGHTS ON HOOPS: Yes, it's the middle of December, and most schools are either in the midst of finals, or in the middle of a long holiday break. Still, it's never too early to talk about basketball in D-II South Nation. Starting things off with Gulf South Conference women's basketball, it seems that the balance of power just might reside in the West Division, with Ouachita Baptist off to an 8-0 start, while Delta State is 7-0 as of Dec. 13. If that's not enough, at least three teams have at least one loss thus far, with Arkansas Tech (6-1), Henderson State (6-1), and Christian Brothers (5-1) all sporting a combined 17-3 record. But don't count out Harding, whose Lady Bisons are off to a 7-2 start. In the East Division, Valdosta State and West Florida might the teams to beat when conference play starts after New Year's Day, with the Lady Blazers starting at 7-1, while West Florida is 6-2.

On the men's side, Montevallo currently holds the nation's top ranking at the NCAA Division II level, as the Falcons are off to their one of their best starts in school history at 8-0. But UM could find it tough to stay on top as the season progresses, as the Falcons compete in the always tough GSC. In fact, of the eight teams in the GSC East, only Lincoln Memorial (1-7) currently has an overall losing record. One team that has sent an early message to the rest of the division and league that it will be a squad to contend with is Valdosta State. First-year head coach Mike Helfer got his first GSC East win on Dec. 10 when the Blazers downed West Florida 74-69. That victory gave the VSU men an early leg up on their other division rivals, as they improved to 1-0 in GSC East action. The Blazers are also riding a current five-game winning streak, the latest win coming in a 105-82 win over Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras on Dec. 14 Also, Alabama-Huntsville has gotten off to a hot start, as the Chargers are 8-1, and currently ranked 22nd in the nation. The West Division has three teams with identical 6-1 records, with Arkansas Tech, Central Arkansas, and Delta State flexing their muscles. That's not to mention Harding has been hot starting out of the gate, as the Bisons are sporting a 7-2 mark, while Arkansas-Monticello is 4-1. So, no matter how you look at things, the Gulf South Conference once again will be one of the nation's hot spots for competitive NCAA Division II basketball.

That's all for now. But keep visiting this blog for more holiday hoops thoughts for the rest of this month, and then some. In the meantime, have a very happy holiday.