The Clock is Ticking

The last few games before conference tournaments kickoff.

Apr 09, 2024

We have just a few non-conference matches today. It may seem like a strange time to be playing non-conference, but these are largely to fill out schedules. We already know two conference tournament seedings (MIVA &IVA) and the rest are going to be solidified in a few days. It is crunch time and every team is trying to get their last few wins in before the conference tournament.

Let’s Talk About Rankings

I’m going to ignore the AVCA Coaches Poll. Sure, it’s not my favorite ranking, but I am ignoring it because it will not play a role in the selection for the National Tournament.

VBelo

So let’s start with VBelo. It also doesn’t impact the tournament selection committee but it is the basis for this whole project so I should probably talk about it.

It is hard to imagine UCLA entering the National Tournament as an underdog, but Long Beach’s home-court advantage very well may create that situation. These two teams are in a tier above the rest and that seems clear by most metrics.

I am particularly interested in the MIVA. Both Ohio State and Loyola are ahead of Ball State, and yet Ball State has the one seed in the tournament. With the new format, having the one seed is ultimately important. I will come out with round-by-round projections for tournaments, but I will say that Ball State is in a good position.

KPI

KPI is the newest metric to be added to the selection committee criteria. I don’t have the time to go into it here, but BYU stands out a lot here. VBelo has them at 10, but KPI has them all the way up at five.

Looking at the top 6 teams, it is clear that the at-large bids will come from the MPSF and the Big West. I would be surprised (but not a lot) if both at-large bids came from the same conference.

RPI

I won’t waste time talking about RPI (a metric I am ready to never talk about again). I will just point out that there are some small differences that may end up impacting the selection. Drama!