D1 vs D2

[Gronknation]

Being a D2 dad I would say I am bias towards D2 but I honestly believe that D2 is not as far behind D1 as it would seem to some. I will just give you a couple of comparisons from our perspective. We are a borderline top 25 D2 team (in and out last year and in the others preseason this year). Before the season starts we always scrimmage a D1 team from our area indoors(New England) and an honest eye test would tell you they are very evenly matched. This D1 team has played 2 top 25 D1s in the country and beaten one and lost 1-0 to the other. Also a team from our league went D1 two years ago. They were about a .600 winning % team in our league and now they are about a .500 team in D1. And we whipped up on them last fall. Not saying the talent is the same or even close but there are cases to say they are not so far apart.

 

[SoCal_Dad]

There is more overlap between the NCAA divisions than people realize. It's similar to the overlap between age divisions.

 

[CoogansBluff]

I've posted this before, and I believe it provides a pretty fair gauge of how the different divisions match up.

Massey Ratings - CSOFT

Massey ranks five D-II teams in the top 100 overall last year. They ranked #34, #82, #85, #88 and #100.

By comparison, North Carolina was #809. Rutgers was #91.

The #1 D-III team ranked #188 overall.

Based on these rankings, the best D-II teams would finish last or nearly last in the five major conferences, but mid to perhaps even high in the mid-major conferences. And they'd win some of the really crummy D-I conferences.

 

[slingnit]

The one thing that is not pointed out at the D2 wins over (semi)major D1 programs is consistency. Yeah these schools can get a game now and then but if the two teams played 10 times the #75 D1 school would probably win 8 or 9 of ten against the #1 D2 team. Jmo

 

[CoogansBluff]

The one thing that is not pointed out at the D2 wins over (semi)major D1 programs is consistency. Yeah these schools can get a game now and then but if the two teams played 10 times the #75 D1 school would probably win 8 or 9 of ten against the #1 D2 team. Jmo

If I had to guess, I'd say that Massey probably does overrate the D-II teams in the overall ratings. But it's not an issue of consistency, per se. In fact, there aren't a lot of games played between D-I and D-II, and when they do play, those D-II teams on paper are performing they way they are ranked. If they don't,the computer will push them down.

But, what I suspect happens is that when Georgia, for example, plays North Georgia, Georgia is not going to throw its best pitcher, and might platoon its lineup, especially early in the year, when the starting 9 is not in stone yet. So they might beat North Georgia 5-2 and beat North Carolina 6-0. One game isn't going to matter much, but if there are only 100 games between D-I and D-II, and the D-I teams take them less seriously, while the D-II is taking them as ''our big chance,'' then it could skew the results.

 

[slingnit]

And that's the consistency I'm talking about. You can get up for a game against a Georgia or Florida and play out of your league so to speak. But being able to play at that level day in and day out is not realistic.

 

[Cannonball]

BB's team is currently ranked #4 in D-II. (13-1 playing some of the top teams in the nation) Last year's Massy Ranking was 119. How would they fare against D-I schools? IMO, they would beat most of the lower 1/3rd of D-1 a majority of the time. Where then is the line for determining their success against all D-Is? I really don't know. Probably lower 1/2 with some battles at that. The problem here with these scenarios is that you are having a North Georgia versus Georgia comparison. Ok, so Georgia wins a vast majority. (Upper 1/3rd of D-I) If you are talking about lower D-I versus lower D-II then lower D-I wins all the time. Lower D-II can be ugly.

Have any of you been to a D-I versus D-II game? I didn't perceptive the D-I schools as having a nonchalant approach when BB's school played a few. Wouldn't a loss to a D-II team hurt that school's RPI rankings? Don't D-I schools have RPI for softball? I'll wrap this up by saying that every girl on BB's team had more than a few D-I offers. Would those girls have played at those schools? I don't know.

 

[CoogansBluff]

Have any of you been to a D-I versus D-II game? I didn't perceptive the D-I schools as having a nonchalant approach when BB's school played a few. Wouldn't a loss to a D-II team hurt that school's RPI rankings? Don't D-I schools have RPI for softball? I'll wrap this up by saying that every girl on BB's team had more than a few D-I offers. Would those girls have played at those schools? I don't know.

I'm just talking 'in theory'. Might be totally off base. I don't think D-I's would lack effort in those games, just might not pitch the ace. But, I don't have research to back that up. I've not watched enough D-II or D-III to really know. I'm kinda speaking out of both sides of my mouth when I say that I think the Massey Ratings provide a very good indication, but also wonder if the D-I v D-II meetings can be deceiving.

 

[Cannonball]

I think that the Massey Ratings are very fair. BB's team has only played lower D-I and so, that is my only comparison.