Plattsburgh's Devona Paul posted one of 2015's most impressive perfomances. Photo by Gabe Dickens

December is a great month, isn't it? You've got two family-oriented, gift-giving holidays in Hanukkah and Christmas. You've got the countdown toward a new year and the promise of the fresh start it can bring. And if you happen to be a sports fan, then you also have no shortage of viewing options.

You get to choose between a plethora of college football bowl games, including the Division III national championship next Friday night, basketball at the college and NBA levels and, if you're pining for warmer embraces, the simmering hot stove of the MLB offseason.

We've now hit the point in the season where the majority of Division III teams are idle until after the holidays, but that simply gives us a chance to look forward to some of the top matchups to come after the calendar turns over to 2016. And, given that it is now almost 16 years into the 21st century, there are more ways than ever to consume Division III sports online.

Since most teams take a break leading up to the holidays, the regional D3hoops.com columns will do the same. This is the last one until early January, but for now I offer up a simple post-holiday viewing guide, East-region style.

Five men's games to watch

Hobart at Skidmore, 4 p.m., Jan. 3: Skidmore, the Liberty League preseason favorite, hasn't disappointed in the early part of the season, winning its last five games after a season-opening loss to Ithaca. Hobart, one of the annual contenders in the conference, again looks primed for another run. The Statesmen swept the season series last season.

Lancaster Bible at Morrisville State, 1 p.m., Jan. 16: The Chargers went 28-3 last season, and are actually off to a better start (7-0) this season. They led the South Division, while the Mustangs sit atop the North Division. This will certainly be a key mid-January matchup. Lancaster Bible won last season's meeting 79-67.

Rochester at NYU, noon, Jan. 17: It's always a fun matchup when two UAA and perennial East region contenders square off. The Violets' potent three-headed attack of senior forward Evan Kupferberg (20.2 ppg), senior center Costis Gontikas (17.8 ppg) and sophomore guard Ross Udine (17 ppg) is accounting for nearly 62 percent of the offense. Rochester is coming off consecutive 10-15 seasons, a poor stretch after reaching the NCAA in 2011 and 2013. But with six wins in its first nine games, this season is off to strong start. Rochester swept the season series last season.

Oswego State at Geneseo State, 7:30 p.m., Feb. 2: Like last season, the SUNYAC race again figures to be as competitive as can be. Right now, Oswego (7-1) and Geneseo (6-1) look like two prime contenders, but defending champ Plattsburgh State is already 2-0 in conference games. Oswego won two of the three meetings between these two teams last season, but one of them was decided by just four points.

St. John Fisher at Ithaca, 6 p.m., Feb. 4: It's always a grudge match when these two schools meet. Fisher won the Empire 8 last season and, in the process, routed Ithaca twice. Junior forward Keegan Ryan (16.3 ppg, 9.2 rpg) is in the midst of another stellar season. The Bombers are off to a solid 5-2 start, but their matchups with the Cardinals will indicate just how far along they are.

Five women's games to watch

Middlebury at NYU, 5 p.m., Jan. 3: The Violets were projected to be great this season, so the fact that they have started the season 7-0 comes as little surprise. Junior guard Kaitlyn Read (19 ppg, 6.8 rpg) and senior forward Megan Dawe (16 ppg, 6.8 rpg) are a formidable one-two punch. Middlebury is coming off back-to-back losing seasons, but has started this year 3-1. The Panthers play in the NESCAC, a conference loaded with deep teams. This will be a solid test for NYU, regardless of Middlebury's record.

New Paltz State at Geneseo State, 2 p.m., Jan. 9: The defending SUNYAC champion Blue Knights were again favored this season, and a 4-2 start has done nothing to change that expectation. New Paltz, led by junior forward Kit Small (14.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg), is off to a 7-2 start and is already 2-0 in the conference. The Hawks went 18-9 and finished third in the conference last season, so this shouldn't be unexpected. These two teams split the two-game series last season.

Ithaca at St. John Fisher, 4 p.m., Jan. 16: The Bombers have been the class of the Empire 8 for a long time, but the Cardinals have served notice that they can hang at the top, too. Both teams advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament last season, but it was St. John Fisher that emerged victorious in the head-to-head meeting in the conference title game. Expect close games in both of their regular-season meetings.

Skidmore at St. Lawrence, 6 p.m., Feb. 2: The Saints finished atop the Liberty League last season, only to be defeated by the Thoroughbreds in the conference title game. Don't assume that result isn't lost on the St. Lawrence players. Both teams have started strong -- St. Lawrence at 5-1, Skidmore at 5-3 -- but the head-to-head matchups will be crucial. Skidmore won all three meetings between these two teams last season.

NYU at Rochester, 2 p.m., Feb. 14: We know NYU is the real deal, but what about Rochester? Sophomore Alexandra Leslie is building on her impressive freshman season, averaging team-highs in points (14.9) and rebounding (8.9). The Yellowjackets also already have impressive wins over Ohio Northern and St. John Fisher on their resume. Rochester split its two games with NYU last season.

Plattsburgh's Paul smashes scoring record

There's having a good night, and then there's having the game of your life. Plattsburgh State senior forward Devona Paul, simply put, had the most dominant performance in school history last Tuesday.

Paul exploded for 49 points in the Cardinals' 81-71 win against St. Lawrence, easily breaking the previous school record for points in a single game (36). No other player in Division III has scored more than 36 points in a single game so far this season.

Paul was 11-of-21 from the field, but she really made the Saints pay from the free-throw line, where she was a staggering 27-of-29 in the game. Just for good measure, Paul also tallied 11 rebounds and three assists in 36 minutes. Through six games, Paul is tied for sixth nationally with a 22.8 points per game average.

Plattsburgh opened the season with four straight wins to tie the best start in school history, before dropping a pair of conference road games to New Paltz State and Oneonta State.

Not much separation in Empire 8 ... yet

I know, I know, it's barely mid-December. But have you seen those Empire 8 standings lately?

The Ithaca men are off to a strong 5-2 start, but the next five teams in the standings -- Alfred, St. John Fisher, Houghton, Hartwick and Stevens -- all have four wins. The Bombers are coming off consecutive losing seasons, but a strong lineup anchored by sophomore guard and reigning conference Rookie of the Year Marc Chasin (20.9 ppg, 8.6 rpg) and senior guard Sam Bevan (16.4 ppg, 5.6 apg) has fueled the solid start. St. John Fisher still ranks as the favorite, but if the early season returns are any indication, it will be a fun race.

It's a similar story on the women's side, as St. John Fisher and Nazareth sit tied atop the standings at 5-2. Ithaca, a perennial contender, and Houghton are both 3-3. And then there's two-win Stevens and Elmira, the latter of which is led by sophomore guard Danielle Cleary. Cleary has scored at least 20 points in five straight games, including a 29-point, 10-rebound performance in a loss to Clarkson last Tuesday.

Laurence-El shining for Penn College

The Wildcats have already matched their win total in NEAC games from last season, and senior forward Kevin Laurence-El is a major reason why.

After dropping its first four games to open the season, Penn College has rebounded to defeat Wilson and Gallaudet. At 2-0, the Wildcats have tied last season's conference win total (2-16). In those two wins, Laurence-El finished with 25 points and 12 rebounds, and 27 points and four rebounds, respectively. Overall, he's scored at least 20 points in five straight games.

His 22.8 points per game average ranks second in the NEAC, trailing only Cazenovia senior forward Ryan Gavin (23.4 ppg).

Top 25 roundup: Both NYU squads move up

Five teams in the East region remain undefeated -- NYU (5-0), Lancaster Bible (6-0) and SUNY-Canton (7-0) on the men's side; NYU (7-0) and Penn State-Abington (4-0) on the women's side.

The NYU women's team ranked fourth in this week's D3hoops.com Top 25 poll, up from No. 5 last week. Fellow UAA member Rochester dropped from 18th to 21st. St. John Fisher and Plattsburgh State both received votes.

In the men's poll, NYU moved up from No. 19 to No. 14, while St. John Fisher dropped from No. 10 to No. 24. Lancaster Bible, Oswego State, Skidmore and Geneseo State all received votes.

Contact me

Have a story idea? A fun stat? Just want to talk some hoops? I'm always happy to hear from a fellow D-III fan. I can be reached via email at andrew.lovell@d3sports.com, or on Twitter at @Andrew_Lovell.