This past week was championship week, when conference tournaments are held, and as they say, tickets are punched to the Big Dance or, for some others, to the ECAC tournament. Some favorites prevailed (Amherst women, Williams men, Albertus Magnus men, Babson ladies) while others came up short (MIT men, Bridgewater St. women).

Here is a sample of some of the upsets across New England you may have missed:

GNAC men quarterfinals: No. 6 Lasell 85, No. 3 St. Joseph’s 78
   
NECC women semifinals: No. 4 Elms 56, No. 1 Daniel Webster  52 (Daniel Webster had only one conference loss prior to the upset)
   
NESCAC women quarterfinals: No. 6 Bates 70, No. 3 Williams 63

NEWMAC men’s semifinals: No. 5 Clark 71, No. 1  MIT 59

NEWMAC women quarterfinals: No. 6 Wellesley 58, No. 3 Springfield 57

MASCAC women semifinals: No. 4 MCLA 61,  No. 1 Bridgewater St.  53

What does this mean? Pretty much the same thing when the Division I brackets come out. The amount of upsets causes teams to sit and wait to see if they will be competing. The brackets were released Monday morning sans Billy Packer complaining, and here is where the New England schools will play beginning March 4:

Men’s Division III
Williams earned a bye into the second round on the strength of their 26-1 record and No. 2 national ranking.

Maine Farmington (14-11) at Bridgewater St. (19-7)

Gordon (24-4) at Middlebury (24-3)

Rhode Island College (20-7) vs. Rutgers-Newark (20-7) at Middlebury

Brandeis (19-6) vs St. Lawrence (16-11) at St. John’s Fisher, Rochester, N.Y.

Clark (16-12) at Albright (21-5) Reading, Pa.

Albertus Magnus (22-6) at William Patterson (25-2)

MIT (22-4) vs DeSales (Pa.) (22-5) at William Patterson, Wayne, N.J.

Women’s Division III
The women’s field is a full 64-team tournament, so Amherst, as the No. 1 overall seed, still will play an opening-round game. The women’s tournament begins on March 5:

MCLA (18-9) at Amherst (27-0)

RPI (17-10) vs. Southern Maine (20-8) at Amherst

Mount St. Mary’s (22-5) vs. Williams (18-7) at Ithaca

Husson (19-8) at Colby (23-4)

Emmanuel (22-5) vs Babson (25-3) at Colby

Tufts (20-5) vs Muhlenberg (21-5) at Kean, N.J.

Baruch (NY) (23-5) @ Bowdoin (20-6)

University of New England (23-5) vs. Western Connecticut (22-5) at Bowdoin

For those who can’t travel all around and make it to these games, the ECAC tournament may be an option.  The ECAC is a bit like the NIT. It gives eight teams a chance at postseason play. Here is the lineup of games, which begin Wednesday and end this coming weekend:

ECAC Men’s
Wentworth at Eastern Connecticut
Framingham St. at Becker
Husson at Plymouth St.
Curry at Elms

ECAC Women’s
Suffolk at Keene St.
Norwich at WPI
Endicott at Plymouth St.
Worcester St. at Regis

So do yourself a favor and go out to support these athletes as they conclude exciting seasons. Who knows? You may run into another Clark or MCLA and watch as they make a run deep into the tournament.

Once again, senior leadership proved invaluable for the Cougars, who were led by Mark Alexander's 21 points and Jack Minister's 18.

The well-supported Cougars built a 33-27 halftime lead. But the WPI faithful traveled well too, and they were just as vocal as the Engineers clawed and fought their way and stayed close in the first half. Jeffrey Robinson had nine points to lead the way for WPI at the break. WPI struggled at the charity stripe, however, missing five from the line in the first half.

The second half was a championship-level, back-and-forth half of basketball. Both teams would hold the lead and the up-and-down action would go on throughout most of the stanza. However, as the tension grew, Clark's seniors responded and reacted. In fact, Clark head coach Paul Phillips' crew made just eight turnovers in the entire game, and none in the second half.

As the game wound under two minutes, the crowd was every bit as loud as you would find in a big arena and the tension was thick. WPI was down by three and playing intense defense. The shot clock was winding down when Clark's Mitch Renshaw calmly knocked down a 3-pointer to give Clark a six-point edge that turned out to be the final difference. WPI was forced to foul and stop the clock, but it was to no avail. Clark's fans were geared up for an explosive celebration, so much so that security had to guard the bleachers for fear the fans storming the court.

As the final seconds ticked off the clock, the ball was launched high in the air and the Cougar players rushed to the edge of the bleachers toward their fans. Players hugged fellow students as Clark's five seniors gladly accepted the conference trophy, each one raising it high into the air for all to see.

Clark will find out its NCAA dance partner Monday morning, while WPI joins MIT on the sideline waiting to see if its name will be called. A 20-7 record may be enough to garner an at-large bid for WPI, but an ECAC bid is also possible as inviting three teams from the NEWMAC may be too many for the committee to allow.

In the NEWMAC women's championship game, Babson earned its second straight title with a win over WPI. Kathleen King led the way with 17 points and 15 rebounds. Babson concludes a perfect season in NEWMAC play and improves to 25-3 overall.

The setting at “the Cage” was exactly what the college had envisioned as the team has built a strong program the past two years. Enjoying a 22-3 regular season, MIT's reward was to host the conference semifinals with a chance to earn its second straight NCAA tournament appearance.

Hundreds of family members, fellow students and student athletes from many of the other athletic programs, administration and band were dressed in cardinal red and silver gray to cheer on the Engineers. Early on, the results were to their liking. The crowd was loud and on its feet and the band was up and playing as MIT opened a commanding 17-5 lead, forcing Clark coach Paul Phillips to call a timeout.

If you ask most coaches about playing on the road, they all tend to say the same thing: Withstand the initial tidal wave, knock down shots and hang around as long as you can and make a move late in the game. Clark did just that.

The Cougars got back into the game when MIT guard Mitchell Kates went down with what appeared to be a turned ankle. Unfortunately for MIT, that wasn’t the only thing that turned. Using solid pressure defense and denying the ball inside where MIT enjoyed a significant height advantage, Clark went on a 14-1 run to take a three-point lead. When Kates returned, his effectiveness had diminished. Clark closed the half outscoring MIT 29-14 to take a 34-31 lead.

Talking to some of the students at halftime, there was a sense of nervousness. Many had not seen MIT look this bad at home all season except for the Wheaton game. Fans have been used to easy wins at the Cage. 

As the second half began, the energy of the crowd was noticeably different. It had changed from being loud and confident to one of concern and desperation. Clark continued to knock down big shot after big shot.  MIT fought and battled to stay close, led by Noel Hollingsworth. The 6-foot-9 post led the Engineers with 30 points. But it was not enough.

The Cougars had one thing MIT could not combat: senior leadership. Mark Alexander’s brilliant floor leadership and Jack Minister’s shot-making sent the Tech faithful away disappointed. As the final seconds ticked away, Alexander jumped up and down screaming, looking as if he had won the national championship. Clark is now one step closer to getting a chance to play for that elusive title.

The second semifinal between 2-seed Springfield College and No. 3 seed WPI was very much like a boxing match. The early action was slow as both teams were getting a good feel for each other. WPI was able to catch some momentum late in the half led by Kyle Nadeau’s hot shooting from 3-point land. WPI led 31-20.

Then, the action took off — and sadly, in a bad way.

Two minutes in and with WPI leading big, Springfield’s Ryan Coburn and WPI’s Fernando Perez got into a tussle and punches were thrown. This led to their ejections and caused a delay of several minutes. The delay was to discuss fouls and ejections but it took the steam out of the Springfield crowd.

The momentum Springfield had hoped to get was fading as WPI kept making 3-pointer after 3-pointer, led by Nadeau, who finished 6-of-9 from behind the arc. Springfield’s Matt Cavalieri kept the Pride in it by himself, but they could not contain Nadeau and Jeff Robinson, who combined for 42 points as WPI advanced with a 73-50 win.

The upset always looms large come conference tournament time, and this holds true in the NEWMAC. The championship on Sunday will feature the No. 3 and No. 5 seeds playing for the right to go to the big dance. MIT, the host, is now sitting off to the side hoping that on Monday someone will come ask them to dance.

Sunday, we will report on the NEWMAC championship and review a wild week in conference tournament play as the upsets continue to pile on. NCAA and ECAC brackets will also be announced early next week, so, as always, stay tuned.

This landmark upset got me thinking about how this is a stressful time for teams that have postseason aspirations. 

On the night of Feb. 11, 1990, in Tokyo, Mike Tyson was knocked out by a virtual unknown, a 42-1 long shot named James "Buster" Douglas. No one in his right mind imagined the great Iron Mike would ever kiss the canvas, much less lose the title. However, it does remind us that on any given night, anything can happen. Just ask the 2007 Patriots, the 1985 Georgetown Hoyas or the 1980 Soviet Union hockey team.

Am I going to pick an upset here? No, because the coach in me doesn't want to be accused of providing bulletin-board material for anyone. But as the D-III conference tournaments draw near, I am sure you will see an upset or two that could deflate a team’s chance of playing in the NCAA Tournament.

Kicking it for cancer
Onto a serious note, one game a year, the men's coaches wear sneakers for Coaches for Cancer. In a related note, in the last few years, women’s teams occasionally wear pink uniforms. The women, as I am sure you all know, wear the pink to raise awareness for breast cancer. 

The matriarch of this is Kay Yow, the late coach at North Carolina State. Yow battled this disease hard until the end. Sadly, she had to battle many times as she suffered relapses. Yow, many feel, is the "female Jim Valvano."  What you may not know is that she had a Hall of Fame coaching career in which she notched 737 wins and an Olympic gold medal.

Speaking of the Olympics, I have decided to award gold, silver and bronze to the latest games of the week.

Men’s Bronze
Wheelock 66, Daniel Webster 65
Wheelock’s Sherard Robbins was fouled with 0.3 left on the clock and hit the second free throw to give the Wildcats the win.

Men’s Silver
Tufts 69, Amherst 68
The Jumbos rallied from 10 points down in the second half and went on to snap an eight-game losing streak as they defeat Amherst for the first time since the 2003-04 season. 

Men’s Gold
Norwich 60, Suffolk 59
Cori Boston caught a full-court pass and laid it up and in at the buzzer to give Norwich the victory.

Women’s Bronze
Bates 71, Tufts 55 
A huge upset by the Bobcats. Junior Jessie Igoe had a career-high 22 points and 11 rebounds in the upset.

Women’s Silver 
Colby 74, Williams 68 (OT)
Williams’ Chessie Jackson had 20 points, but the balanced attack of Colby, which had four players in double-figures, proved to be the difference. Rachel Mack had 15 for Colby.

Women’s Gold
No. 1 Amherst 65, No. 10 Tufts 56
Rarely do you see a battle of top-10 teams, and this one was everything as advertised. Tufts actually led 28-22 at the half, but Amherst flexed its muscles and outscored Tufts 43-28 to stay unbeaten and remain No. 1 in the nation. 

Milestones
Special congrats to Iman Davis of Emmanuel, who became the school’s all-time leading scorer and the GNAC’s all-time leading scorer as well. And check this out: Davis has more than 700 rebounds and more than 350 assists and steals. 

Also making the all-time list for her school is Coast Guard’s Melissa Martinelli, who has become the all-time leading rebounder in addition to her ownership of the all-time scoring title.

Connecticut College’s Shavar Bernier broke the 3-point record as he knocked down his 202nd career basket from behind the arc.

Colleen Hart of Tufts became the second-fastest to reach 1,000 points in Tufts women’s history.

Monica White of Rivier notched her 1,000th point against Albertus Magnus.

Clark’s Jillian Camilleri also hit a grand in a 79-59 loss to Wheaton.

Llaria Schiano of St. Joseph’s (Conn.) became the fourth-leading Blue Jay scorer of all time when she reached the same 1,000-point plateau against CCNY.

Simmons' Stephanie Fox joined the club during an 81-73 win over Mt. Ida.

Smith’s Berit Schelde became the ninth member of the Smith 1,000-point club during a thrilling 61-60 win over Clark.

Bridgewater State’s Judah Jackson became the 25th member of  the men’s program to hit the four-digit point mark in a 74-70 win over Worcester State.

Ryan Wilcox became Nichols' 23rd member of the 1,000-point club during a 77-67 win over Eastern Nazarene.

Coach Cherise Galasso won her 150th at WPI.

Worcester State’s Karen Tessmer won No. 200 with a 46-43 win over Westfield State.

Local schools in the D-III Top 25

Women
Amherst (No. 1)
Tufts (No. 20)

Men
Williams (No. 2)
Middlebury, (No. 6)
MIT (No. 11)

First off, the men’s basketball team got a much-needed 58-53 win over Bowdoin. Wins have been hard to come by, but any time you can win in the conference, it always helps.

The women also had a strong week. They won both of their games over Colby and Bowdoin, both of which were ranked heading into their games. Tufts pulled away in the second half to beat No. 25 Colby 72-57. Then on Saturday, it held No. 13 Bowdoin to 19 second-half points to improve to 15-2 with a 52-40 win.

However, those wins were slightly overshadowed by the big victory on Tuesday night by a former member of the men’s basketball team: Scott Brown. I think he won some special election to become the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' new Senator … or something like that.

Brown, class of 1981, defeated Martha Coakley, pulling off a come-from-behind victory the 1992 Buffalo Bills could appreciate. Sorry, Houston Oilers fans! Anyway, a few quick stats on the Senator-elect: "Downtown" Scotty Brown (somewhere in Seattle, Fred Brown is mulling copyright infringement) played all four seasons from 1977-81. Brown was known for his long-range "J" before the birth of the 3-point arc, and he amassed a more-than-respectable 925 points for a 9.9 PPG average. His teams had a record of 59-37 for a .615 winning percentage.

If you go to the school Web site, they have a picture of Brown in his uniform — yes, old-school high socks and short shorts (got to love it). I wish the Senator-elect the best of luck in Washington, but be careful: You can challenge the President to a game all you want. Just don’t be shocked if he uses one of his Chicago connections … maybe a certain No. 23 who goes by the initials M.J.

Games of the Week

Men: Wheaton 60, No. 8 MIT 57
MIT was 16-1 heading into this game. Their only loss was against Harvard.  Yes, the same Harvard that beat BC and fell at UConn by only six points. Wheaton was 5-10. So how did they do it? Well, how about this: 10-19 from 3-point land and shooting 49 percent overall for the game. Who knows, maybe MIT was due to drop one, or maybe they were looking ahead. Whatever the case, Wheaton was hot, and that is all it takes — one day and all the shots fall for you. Just ask George Mason.

Women: Emmanuel 62, Norwich 61
The preeminent powers in the GNAC the past decade proved once again that their paths could meet up in the conference tournament come February. Playing without leading scorer Kristen LeBel, the Saints got some offensive spark from birthday girl Breanna Ockimey’s 17 points. Norwich hung in throughout, despite shooting below 20 percent in the first half. The second half featured runs by both teams, as Norwich led by five with fewer than four minutes left. An offensive putback by Iman Davis proved to be the difference as both teams are 4-1 in GNAC play.

Milestones

Colby Sawyer’s Jon Chaloux became the 13th member of the men’s 1,000-point club at the school in a 89-79 loss to Curry.

Endicott’s Ceciley Chisholm became the sixth woman in school history to eclipse 1,000 points during a 57-44 win over Anna Maria.

A pair of Plymouth State men reached the 1,000-point magic number in the same game. Jason O’Keefe and Mike Chergey achieved 1,000 in a 73-69 win over Southern Maine.

Sarah Brown of Wheelock rounds out the 1,000-point scorers as she reached the milestone last week against Becker.

Coaches also reaching milestones were Clark’s Paul Phillips, who won No. 350 in a 64-55 win over Babson, and Keene State’s Rob Colbert, who notched his 200th win with an 86-78 victory over UMass Boston.

Finally, a special mention and congratulations goes out to former Trinity (Conn.) men’s coach Stan Ogrodnik, who received a wonderful honor. Prior to Trinity’s game Saturday against No. 20 Amherst, the school dedicated the floor in his honor. Ogrodnik coached from 1981-2008 and retired with 469 wins, the most in school history. Congratulations to a coach who has the love and respect of not only his players but his school. 

Some programs budget for trips away from New England, whether it be  to the West Coast or Florida or anywhere in between. Usually, the schools will make these trips every other year or so, depending on department and program budgets. Here are a few highlights of some programs that traveled over the holidays.

The Bowdoin men traveled to North Miami, Fla., and came away with a 64-61 win over Johnson and Wales. Williams split down in Virginia at Randolph Macon, losing to the host school. Plymouth State traveled to West Palm Beach, Fla., and played in the Chuck Daly Classic, which is named after the late Pistons head coach and the coach of the one and only Olympic Dream Team. UMass Dartmouth played in the ECAC Holiday Invitational in Orlando, Fla., and Rivier traveled out to Pasadena, Calif., to play Cal Tech. I have to admit, seeing the Rose Bowl would have been highlight enough for me.

The women also did some traveling of their own. Tufts went 2-0 down in Daytona Beach, Fla. Across town, Trinity (Conn.) played and also went 2-0. Emmanuel went to Cal Lutheran and went 2-0, highlighted by a win over No. 17 Messiah. The Emerson men and women went to California to play two games each. The trip was also highlighted with meeting many alumni who are making their mark in Hollywood and a trip to a taping of The Price is Right. It'd be interesting to find out if any players were told to “come on down.”

The highlight of the holiday travel season goes to the Worcester State women’s team. The ladies went clear across the pond to play two games in Italy. They split the two games, but I am sure the memories on and off the court will last forever. Now that the trips are over, it is time to get back into the groove of classes and dorm life — and of course, conference schedules. 

Milestones
Some early second-semester milestones: Becker’s Trey Jacobs on Jan. 9 scored his 1,000th point against Southern Vermont. Also in that game, Southern Vermont’s Joe Karnik equaled Jacobs by joining the 1,000-point club. Becker won the game 83-79

Allison Cappelloni became the 13th member of the Colby Women’s 1,000-point club on Jan. 9 in a win over Husson .

Two coaches reached victory milestones. Springfield men’s coach Charlie Brock recorded his 400th win on Jan. 9 with a 69-61 win over Coast Guard Academy, while Worcester State’s Dave Lindberg won his 200th game with a 72-54 win over Salve Regina.

A special mention in the milestone section goes to Carolyn Freeman of St. Joseph’s (Maine). On Jan. 3 against Skidmore at Bowdoin,  Freeman joined the 1,000-point club. What is so special?  She joins her mother Linda — class of 1981 — on the Monks' list. They become the first mother-daughter 1,000-point scorers in St. Joseph’s history.

Games of the week
Men: Those who follow rivalries know that Williams vs. Amherst rates right up there in New England. The football game is a must-see if you ever get the chance. These top-notch academic institutions also have top-notch basketball programs. Add to the mix that both were ranked heading into the game (Amherst No. 9, Williams No. 11) and you have the makings of a classic. They did not disappoint.

Williams jumped out to a 43-30 lead at the half and held off Amherst’s rally, as the 11th-ranked Ephs knocked off Amherst 72-69. The sequel to this year’s battle royale will be in Amherst on Feb. 12.

Women: I had a couple of other games I was going to use here, but then I would be cheating Andrea Bailey of Wheaton. Bailey knocked down a shot in regulation with 10 seconds left to force OT against WPI. Then, as time was expiring in the extra frame, Bailey heaved a 40-footer that banked in, giving Wheaton a 64-63 win over WPI. How is that for a start to the NEWMAC conference schedule?

As always, please send any news, milestones or stories jmotroni@nesn.com. I have just two eyes and ears, and there are so many programs in New England. Help make New England basketball the exciting sport that it is.

Most of the students at this level and at this stage of their lives are bright, smart kids. They know the proper balance of books and basketballs, but there are those (and you know who you are) who think school is a place to play ball and nothing else. Please do your coach and yourself a favor: Study for your finals and pass. No sense ruining the holidays because you didn’t want to go to class.

Before we recognize players and coaches who have reached milestones during the first semester, I would like to take time to recognize a couple of programs that are off to surprising starts and exceeding expectations so far.

In 2007-08, the Anna Maria College women’s basketball team had a record of 1-24. Yes, I wrote it — one win, 24 losses. That is a record New Jersey Nets fans can sympathize with or envy.

The next year was not much better at 3-22.

The start of this season has been a blessing and has offered reason for hope for the Amcats. As they head home for the break, they can enjoy their holidays quite a bit more with a record of 6-4. Head coach Charlie Noonan, in only his second year, has dramatically changed the environment at Anna Maria. The Amcats believe they can compete and win. Led by sophomore Samantha Ashton’s 14 points per game, they have posted a 5-0 record at home and are positioning themselves for a trip to the postseason. Amazing.

Next, we visit the men’s side. Wheelock College, for years, was an all-female college. During this decade, they allowed men to enroll. Men’s athletics were added, and basketball was a central program in the athletic department. 

Naturally, there were growing pains with a start-up program. However, coach John Preziosa has recruited well, and the Wheelock men’s team enters the break with a more than respectable 6-2 mark. What is more impressive is its quality of wins over teams like Springfield, University of New England and Wentworth. Wheelock also is poised for a deep run in the New England Collegiate Conference this season.

There were several players and coaches who reached milestones during the first semester, so I would like to take time to recognize them for their achievements:

Brandeis’ Jessica Chapin became the ninth player in school history to reach 1,000 points on Dec. 5 against Roger Williams.

Colby-Sawyer’s Terri Duffy scored 17 points against Suffolk on Nov. 24 to join the 1,000-point club.

On Dec. 7, Coast Guard’s Melissa Martinelli moved into second place on the school’s all-time scoring and rebounding lists with a 21-point, 7-rebound effort against Wesleyan.

Daniel Webster’s Chris Hanson also became the ninth player in school history to reach 1,000 points when he poured in 27 on Dec. 7.

Thomas College junior Andrew Duncanson joined the 1,000-point club in his fourth game of the season against Tufts. With another year and a half of eligibility, he no doubt will continue to climb the all-time scoring list.

Coaches love defense, so they all will appreciate Western Connecticut’s Melissa Teel, who became the school’s all-time blocks leader with 135 on Dec. 10.

As for coaches who reached milestones in the first semester, there is Eastern Connecticut’s Denise Bierly, who notched her 300th win on Dec. 5 with a 59-55 triumph over Rhode Island College.

Williams head coach Pat Manning won her 325th game on Dec. 5 against Worcester State. Manning became the Jeffs’ all-time wins leader. Ironically, the person she passed is her boss, current Williams athletic director Harry Sheehy.

Congratulations to all the athletes and coaches on their milestones, and as always, if there are any omissions, please do not hesitate to let me know. I am a team of one, so if I missed someone, it was not on purpose.

As we wrap up the first semester, thanks to all who have and read and responded. I look forward to meeting you all back here in 2010 as conference play heats up. I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable holiday season.

I will make a disclaimer here: As a former assistant coach at Emerson College for the women’s team, I have a firsthand knowledge and feelings on why these tournaments are positive for those involved. Coaches feel free to agree or disagree, but I wanted to at least provide my credentials before you thought, “Oh, what does he know?”  

Each school treats these weekend tournaments differently. Of course, they all want to win. But it just doesn’t always work out way. Sometimes, a team will travel to a tournament and play competition well above its skill level. The team might lose quite convincingly, but in the end, players learn what it takes to be a better program. 

Another school may host a tournament and will invite lesser competition to look good in front of the home crowd. Hey, that’s fine — the host school can do whatever it wants at its tourney. On the other hand, a host team can invite solid competition and have the home-court advantage to get over the top.

Aside from wins and losses, these tournaments are a good measuring stick for coaching staffs to gauge where their teams are and how they are going to shape up. Most non-conference games are played early in the season, so teams learn a lot about themselves before conference play begins in January. 

The tournaments also help build chemistry. We all saw what the preseason trip to Rome did for the Celtics when they won the title in 2008. D-III budgets don’t allow for trips to Rome, but a good weekend away is very beneficial.

That is the approach we took at Emerson. My first year there we played at Amherst. We learned very quickly why Amherst is always nationally ranked. However, the next day, we played a close game against Westfield State. Even though we fell short at the buzzer, the lessons we learned proved beneficial as we pulled out some close games that year and qualified for the conference tournament for the first time. 

The next year, we traveled to Drew University in New Jersey to play Elmira and Manhattanville. We managed a split, but the unity and bonding was just as important. Since we had a few first-year and transfer students, it was good to get them acclimated to the program.

So whether a school plays in a tough tip-off tournament or a cupcake, what happens on the court extends beyond the win-loss columns. On the bus rides or practice floor, the experience can only help when March arrives.

Men’s and women’s games of the week

Women’s game: Emmanuel 78, No. 14 Brandeis 67
When I saw this, it totally reminded me of Duke vs. UNLV back in 1990 and 1991. UNLV crushed Duke 103-73 for the NCAA title in 1990. The following year, in the national semifinals, UNLV was there again, and undefeated, except Duke pulled out a 79-77 shocker this time. 

Like Duke and UNLV, Emmanuel and Brandeis have top-notch, Hall of Fame-caliber coaches in Andy Yosinoff and Carol Simon, respectively. Entering the season, they have 939 wins combined (Yosinoff has 618, and Simon has 321). On Dec. 2, 2008, Brandeis embarrassed Emmanuel 94-52. On Tuesday night, at Emmanuel (where, by the way, the Saints lose at home as often as CC Sabathia misses a meal), the Saints got their revenge, winning 78-67. The win should put Emmanuel in the top 25, but we shall see. I have learned over the years it is tough for a team to crack the top 25.

Men’s game: Husson 89, St. Joseph’s (Maine) 84
Was this the best men’s game? Maybe not. But I am biased because I am a graduate of St. Joe’s (class of ’96). Now I am disappointed my Monks lost, especially to Husson, but it gives me the chance to relive a once-great rivalry. In the 1980s and 1990s, Husson-St. Joe’s was like Duke-UNC to us. We hated them, they hated us. It was a fun rivalry to be a part of. Some of the things the old student sections would say made the nuns turn red, but it’s what made the games so intense. Which brings me to …

Free throws

I would love to see schools build rivalries and play for something like a trophy or a victory bell, much like they do in football. I think it would add to the experience if you knew every year you were playing a school for the so-and-so trophy. 
   
Finally, coaches, SIDs, ADs, I welcome any news and notes you wish to pass along to help make this column go. Any milestones and noteworthy stories should be recognized, and what better place than here? This is for New England schools, so c’mon, help out. This is all for you.

Have you ever seen the commercial during a college hoops game when the players are playing pickup basketball while wearing work clothes? Followed be the announcer saying that these players will go pro in something other than sports.

Well, that certainly rings true in Division III college basketball. These are great athletes who can shoot, rebound and defend just like the Division I folks. Granted, they are not going to get drafted by the NBA or WNBA, and only a handful may be lucky enough to secure a contract overseas. But that doesn’t bother them as they truly play for the love of the game. And someday, they will be able to tell their families that they once played college basketball.

It is always big news around New England when Boston College, BU, Providence, Holy Cross or UMass makes the big dance.

Did you know that a combined 25 local programs (men and women) reached the NCAA Division III tournament last season? Also, five schools reached the Sweet 16, and the Amherst women made the Final Four. 

How good are some of these programs? 

Check out the top 25 each week during the season, and the poll has its share of New England schools. By the way, there are four area schools in each of the preseason top 25 polls.

Many have wondered if there are great D-III programs similar to the North Carolinas, Dukes and Kentuckys of the world. Of course there are.

On the women’s side, you have Southern Maine, which has been the premiere program in New England for the better part of the last decade and a half. Also, Emmanuel College in Boston has owned the Great Northeast Athletic Conference since its inception. Add in Bowdoin, Brandeis and Norwich, and you have an impressive upper echelon. 

The men have some strong programs, too — Brandeis, Amherst, Williams and UMass-Dartmouth, to name a few.

As the season moves along, I will introduce you to an exciting brand of basketball and the students and coaches who make it go. There are many talented student-athletes who have had record-setting careers, whether it's 2,000 points or 1,500 rebounds. There are coaches at this level who have over 400 wins and have been to the Final Four.

These are some of the reasons you need to learn more and experience this exciting sport. These are the reasons you need to go to a game. Besides, it’s cheap, and parking is usually free. 

Good luck finding that at a professional or Division I game.