D2 College Previews and Picks
D2 College Previews and Picks
Friday and Sunday produces our first two rounds of the NCR Men’s D2 playoffs and we do have some big question-mark games on the slate.
Defending champs IUP are back with what is largely the same lineup that won it all last year. Last year’s runners-up Memphis are back and they have a very talented side in which the biggest question is, have they been challenged.
The upstart Towson Tigers are on a roll and you just wonder if they can just keep going.
And don’t forget Northern Iowa.
1st Bracket
Towson vs Loyola
GVSU vs Memphis
This is a pretty close group, and Grand Valley State might well get by Memphis—this is a very strong GVSU team and they’ve been tested a bit more than Memphis. Loyola is perfectly capable of getting to the final eight, but we’re not sure if they can get by whoever wins the other game. Towson? Don’t bet against Towson.
2nd Bracket
Northern Iowa vs SLU
Montana State vs Chicago
As anyone that reads these pages on the regular, when a team wins big all the time we’re often not sure if that’s because the rest of the league isn’t strong, or is the team in question really, really good. In Northern Iowa’s case, we’re pretty sure it’s the latter. We have a really hard time thinking UNI doesn’t get to the semis. But if someone is going to surprise them, it will be Montana State.
3rd Bracket
Norwich vs Villanova
RPI vs Georgetown
This looks to be a very even group of four. Villanova and Georgetown are pretty close to start with. Norwich is very good and seems to have found their sea legs. RPI, meanwhile, might have their best team in several years. But they will have to play their very best to get to the final eight.
4th Bracket
UNC-Wilmington vs Vermont
IUP vs Salisbury
Vermont is probably favored over Wilmington, but that doesn’t mean UNC-W isn’t a good team, it’s just that Vermont has been more tested this season. Meanwhile, IUP is probably still nicely-placed to win this quartet. They have, as we said, many of the players that won it all last year. Of the gameday 23 that beat Memphis in the 2023 final, 12 played in that seeding game against Grand Valley State. And that includes their captain, RJ Beach, and the MVP of the final, Trent Stalling.
This is the one team that gets a pass on getting a less-than-challenging schedule. The Crimson Hawks understand what it takes to get to the final and they’ve been playing a ton of rugby overall through the last three years. We think they won’t be surprised.
Where Does That Leave Us?
Who makes the semifinals? Well we have said two of the brackets are very, very close, but let's take a stab at it anyway:
Towson—yes, we're on the bandwagon.
Nothern Iowa—hard to see them losing.
Norwich—this bracket is also quite close so we won't be surprised if we're wrong.
IUP—winning becomes a habit.
