JANUARY 22, 2026
composed by STEVE ULRICH
No publication covers NCAA Division III better. #whyD3
📖 In Today’s Playbook. How NYU Women’s Basketball Quietly Became DIII’s No.1 Team. Oberlin: One of the Worst Teams in College Football ... and Also, Maybe, the Happiest? Springfield Retains Volleyball Top Spot. Massive Winter Storm Will Hit Large Parts of the U.S. Through the Weekend
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Top Story
1. How NYU Women’s Basketball Quietly Became DIII’s No.1 Team. No NIL, Little Attention, Just Winning
NYU’s 2025 national championship team had a special visitor: Spike Lee.
“Something sinister happened to the NYU women’s basketball team on March 11, 2023. At least, that’s the rumor.
The Violets played Transylvania in the Elite Eight of the DIII tournament, and legend has it that NYU lost.
Among current players, only senior Caroline Peper knows for sure. Everyone else has only experienced winning. This mythical, terrifying beast they call “losing” isn’t something that happens to them. It happens to their opponents.”
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