City of Basketball Love

By Jeff Griffith (@hooplove215)
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For the first time since 2014-15, a CoBL area Division III men’s ranking doesn’t feature Swarthmore, the recent national powerhouse that made last year’s NCAA Tournament Final Four, but has opened the 2023-24 season at 8-7.

Featuring that and other surprises, here’s the latest edition of our men’s rankings:

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Previous Rankings: Preseason (Nov. 6) | Nov. 28 | Dec. 19

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1. Widener Pride (LR: 1)

Record: 13-2 (3-1 MAC Commonwealth)

Last Two Weeks: at Hood (L, 95-70), vs. Stevenson (W, 85-75), vs. Eastern (W, 100-83), at Alvernia (W, 86-65)

Widener, which has enjoyed the spoils of a breakout season so far, took a surprising blowout loss to open up the new calendar year in its conference opener at Hood. Since then, the Pride have been back to normal, winning a trio of league games by double digits, including a 100-point outing against Eastern. Graduate forward Dominic Dunn, who led the way with 22 points and 12 boards in that scoring onslaught, leads all Widener scorers this year with 14.9 ppg.

Next Up: vs. Messiah (Jan. 17), vs. Albright (Jan. 20), at York (Jan. 24), at Stevenson (Jan. 27), at Eastern (Jan. 31)

2. DeSales Bulldogs (LR: 3)

Record: 13-2 (4-0 MAC Freedom)

Last Two Weeks: vs. Arcadia (W, 69-50), at FDU-Florham (W, 81-71), at King’s (W, 71-65), vs. Lebanon Valley (W, 98-60)

After Widener’s loss to Hood, DeSales is now neck-and-neck with the Pride for the top spot; the Bulldogs, though, took a 15-point loss to Widener, making the small difference. DeSales’ other loss, an early defeat at Swarthmore, has also diminished in value over the season; the Garnet, which were ranked nationally in the preseason, now stand at 8-7. Even so, DeSales is just about the area’s hottest team with 10 consecutive wins, and will have every opportunity to bolster its résumé, with three of its next four games on the road, including a trip to area No. 10 Arcadia. 

Next Up: vs. Stevens (Jan. 17), at Delaware Valley (Jan. 20), at Misericordia (Jan. 24), at Arcadia (Jan. 27)

3. Franklin & Marshall Diplomats (LR: 4)

Record: 12-3 (7-1 Centennial)

Last Two Weeks: at Mary Washington (L, 63-46), vs. McDaniel (W, 57-53), at Muhlenberg (W, 88-67), at Washington (W, 82-71), vs. Swarthmore (W, 70-55)

Aside from a 3-3 stretch in December and early January, Franklin & Marshall has had a fantastic first half of its 2023-24 season, and has won seven of eight in conference play, including four in a row. The Diplomats now own a win over area No. 8 Susquehanna, and recently knocked off Swarthmore, an always-touted side that has had its struggle this season. For Franklin & Marshall, four scorers currently average double digits, with sophomore guard Vakaris Grauslys leading the way at 15.9 ppg. 

Next Up: at Dickinson (Jan. 17), vs. Haverford (Jan. 20), vs. Gettysburg (Jan. 25), at McDaniel (Jan. 27), at Ursinus (Jan. 31)

4. Gettysburg Bullets (LR: 5)

Record: 11-4 (7-1 Centennial)

Last Two Weeks: at Swarthmore (W, 74-51), vs. Haverford (W, 80-50), at Muhlenberg (W, 81-77), vs. Ursinus (W, 59-50)

Gettysburg’s lone conference loss this season came against area No. 3 Franklin & Marshall; the Bullets have otherwise gone unscathed in conference play, have won their last six Centennial Conference games, and picked up a win over nationally-ranked WPI in late December. Leading scorer Jordan Stafford — a junior guard currently shooting 51.5 percent from three-point range on the season while averaging 14.6 points — led the way in that win with 20 points and four assists. 

Next Up: at McDaniel (Jan. 17), vs. Washington (Jan. 20), at Franklin and Marshall (Jan. 25), vs. Swarthmore (Jan. 27)

5. Penn State Harrisburg Lions (LR: 6)

Record: 14-3 (4-0 United East)

Last Two Weeks: vs. Muhlenberg (W, 80-74), vs. Penn State Berks (W, 99-56), at Penn State Abington (W, 78-53)

The Lions’ 14-3 is a difficult record to ignore, particularly when two of the losses game to national No. 3 John Carroll and national No. 11 Randolph-Macon; Penn State Harrisburg has won five of its last six, including a road victory over area No. 6 Alvernia. Senior guard Donyae Baylor-Carroll — the Lions’ top scorer with a season average of 17.9 points — led the way in that contest with 18 points, six assists, four boards and two steals, while junior forward Isaiah Eggleston (4.9 ppg) had a breakout game off the bench with 18 points of his own.  

Next Up: at St. Mary’s (Jan. 16), vs. Lancaster Bible (Jan. 20), vs. Penn College (Jan. 24), at Penn State Berks (Jan. 27), at Gallaudet (Jan. 30)

6. Alvernia Wolves (LR: 7)

Record: 11-4 (3-1 MAC Commonwealth) 

Last Two Weeks: at York (W, 82-76), vs. Albright (W, 88-83), at Messiah (W, 89-85), vs. Widener (L, 86-65)

Alvernia was riding high until a date with conference leader and area leader Widener; prior to their loss to the Pride, the Wolves had won five in a row, including three in MAC Commonwealth play with two on the road to boot. Alvernia is still among the class of its league, and will look to build upon its 3-1 start with three of its next four games on the road, including a trip to rival Albright. The Wolves have been paced by a productive trio of top scorers, enjoying double-digit averages from senior guard Robert Mullan (14.9 ppg), senior forward Jakob Kelly (13.9 ppg) and senior guard Nigel Cooke (13.3 ppg).

Next Up: vs. Eastern (Jan. 17), at Stevenson (Jan. 20), at Hood (Jan. 24), at Albright (Jan. 27), vs. Messiah (Jan. 31)

7. Bryn Athyn Lions (LR: 8)

Record: 13-5 (8-1 United East)

Last Two Weeks: vs. Rosemont (W, 82-62), at Wilson (L, 78-65), at Keystone (W, 72-63), vs. Clarks Summit (W, 82-78), at Valley Forge (W, 58-53), vs. Notre Dame of Maryland (W, 61-56)

After closing out 2023 with back-to-back losses, Bryn Athyn has turned things around considerably in the new year, winning five of six, all in conference. The Lions have been making their living on close victories, winning their last four in a row by an average of less than six points. Bryn Athyn has had help from all around, though, with different leading scorers in each of its last three games, including a 28-point outing from junior guard Jakir Hampton — who is third in scoring with 11.9 ppg behind sophomore guard Will Little (15.1 ppg) and junior forward Jalen Parker (12.9 ppg) — in a recent win over Clarks Summit.

Next Up: at Notre Dame of Maryland (Jan. 20), at Rosemont (Jan. 24), vs. Valley Forge (Jan. 27), vs. Keystone (Jan. 31)

8. Susquehanna River Hawks (LR: NR)

Record: 10-5 (7-1 Landmark)

Last Two Weeks: at Scranton (W, 87-73), vs. Lycoming (W, 70-65), vs. Wilkes (L, 87-71), vs. Drew (W, 83-78)

Susquehanna has continued to steadily gain traction since logging a 2-2 start; the River Hawks picked up back-to-back losses at the end of December, but have won three of four in conference play to start the month of January. Both of Susquehanna’s two most recent wins have come by just five points; in the most recent of the two, junior guard Marcus Mitchell (10.3 ppg) — one of three scorers averaging double-digit points, alongside redshirt sophomore guard Cooper Haberern (11.7 ppg) and sophomore forward Brandon Lavitt (10.4 ppg) — logged an impressive 21 points and four assists. 

Next Up: at Juniata (Jan. 17), at Moravian (Jan. 20), at Catholic (Jan. 24), vs. Elizabethtown (Jan. 27), vs. Goucher (Jan. 31)

9. Eastern Eagles (LR: 9)

Record: 10-5 (2-2 MAC Commonwealth)

Last Two Weeks: at Stevenson (W, 80-74), vs. York (W, 85-69), at Widener (L, 100-83), at Hood (L, 71-68)

Eastern put together a very strong non-conference, ripping off six wins in a row after a 1-2 start, but has split its six most recent games. The Eagles’ two MAC Commonwealth losses, though, are certainly understandable; Eastern fell at area No. 1 Widener, and lost by three to a Hood squad that beat Widener. An upcoming date with area No. 6 Alvernia will provide an interesting barometer for the Eagles, who have been paced by their season’s second-leading scorer, senior guard Kaeshawn Ward (14.9 ppg) in the last two contests. Sophomore forward Zubair Lee (17.2 ppg) and graduate guard Jaron Fairweather (14.8 ppg) have also provided key contributions. 

Next Up: at Alvernia (Jan. 17), vs. Messiah (Jan. 20), vs. Albright (Jan. 24), at York (Jan. 27), vs. Widener (Jan. 31)

10. Arcadia Knights (LR: 10)

Record: 9-6 (2-2 MAC Freedom)

Last Two Weeks: at DeSales (L, 69-50), vs. King’s (W, 81-72), at Stevens (L, 85-63), vs. Delaware Valley (W, 71-62)

Arcadia’s been in a relatively similar boat to Eastern; the Knights were hot out of the gate, winning their first five, but have since been right around .500, and opened MAC Freedom play taking two out of four. Ultimately, the Knights have shown flashes, but will be looking for further consistency as they head deeper into conference play. They’ll also look for continued contributions from graduate forward Jalen Watkins, who averages team-highs in scoring (17.8 ppg and 11.2 rpg). Second-leading scorer Nas Johnson (13.8 ppg), a junior guard, has dropped 19 points in both of the Knights’ last two games.

Next Up: vs. Misericordia (Jan. 17), at Lebanon Valley (Jan. 20), at FDU-Florham (Jan. 24), vs. DeSales (Jan. 27), vs. Stevens (Jan. 31)