Number of the Day
7 - We now know the 7 automatic qualifiers for the NCAA Tournament.
Ball State (MIVA)
Belmont Abbey (Conference Carolinas)
Fort Valley State (SIAC)
Long Beach State (Big West)
Penn State (EIVA)
Saint Francis (NEC)
UCLA (MPSF)
Today at 4pm ET / 1pm PT / 10am HT, the NCAA will air their selection show on NCAA.com to announce the bracket, including the 5 at-large bids, the top four seeds who get regional byes, and the much anticipated location of these regionals.
Give the show a watch and tell a friend or two to get ready for some great volleyball.
Quick Bracketology
As I write this (about 12 hours for the Selection Show), I think we know a great deal about the teams who will be appearing in the largest National Collegiate Men’s Volleyball tournament with 12 teams. Let’s start with the at-larges.
At-Large Bids
Hawaii - This is about as no-brainer as it gets. They excel at every metric. The Rainbow Warriors are in.
Pepperdine - I’m not sure what one step behind no-brainer is, but that is where Pepperdine is. Even though they didn’t reach the MPSF finals, their incredible resume speaks for itself. Not to mention they are the only team in the country to defeat UCLA in the regular season.
Loyola - They look good with the metrics. They are a top 6 team in both RPI and KPI with a solid resume of wins. The question mark for them was the health of their personnel, but with Sosa back in the mix, this question is gone and the Ramblers will be dancing.
UC Irvine - This is where it starts to get interesting. The Anteaters have a lot going in their favor. They have top 10 RPI, KPI, and strength of schedule.
USC - The final spot comes down to two programs: USC and Lindenwood. Lindenwood has the edge with RPI, KPI, and strength of schedule. USC has the edge when it comes to their record when facing teams in consideration for the NCAA tournament and RPI top 10 teams. Ultimately, I think the strength of the MPSF will help carry them to a 3rd team in the tournament.
The Regions
Now the fun part. This is where we get heavily into speculation. In spite of the geographical limitations and finances I think the committee will end up having the top four teams host regions. I think it will set a nice precedent that earning a top seed gets an extra reward. That being said, I will completely believe it if this is not the case. I am sure the committee knows that they will set the tone for future regional decisions and will not take that lightly.
Technically, only the top teams are seeded. Instead of trying to figure out how the committee will shape the regions, I wanted to put them into a standard 12-team format to see what it could look like. Big emphasis on could. So here we go!
This split keeps all of the conference matchups from happening until the final site. It does not take travel into consideration, which may end up playing a role. Honestly, if the bracket turned out like this, I would be okay with it. For the first year with 12 teams, this sure looks fun!
With this bracket being new, I am excited to see what we learn. What do you think the bracket will look like?
Yesterday’s Scores
🏆🎟️Big West🎟️🏆
#2 Long Beach (63%) def. #1 Hawai’i (37%)
3-2 (20-25, 27-25, 22-25, 30-28, 15-11)
I had the pleasure of being at the Big West Tournament this week. Here is the Long Beach Championship press conference as well as a link to all of the press conferences, in case you want to hear from the players and coaches themselves.
🏆ECC Championship🏆
#1 Roberts Wesleyan (75%) def. #2 St. Thomas Aquinas (25%)
3-1 (24-26, 25-18, 25-14, 25-21)
🏆🎟️EIVA🎟️🏆
#1 Penn State (93%) def. #6 Princeton (7%)
3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-18)
🏆🎟️MIVA🎟️🏆
#1 Ball State (76%) def. #2 Loyola Chicago (24%)
3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 25-20)
🏆🎟️MPSF🎟️🏆
#1 UCLA (85%) def. #3 Southern California (15%)
3-1 (25-23, 22-25, 28-26, 26-24)
🏆🎟️NEC🎟️🏆
#1 Saint Francis (83%) def. #2 Fairleigh Dickinson (17%)
3-1 (25-17, 20-25, 25-23, 25-20)
GLVC Semifinals
#1 Maryville (88%) def. #4 Roosevelt (12%)
3-0 (25-20, 25-23, 25-21)
#3 Missouri S&T (51%) def. #2 Rockhurst (49%)
3-2 (25-21, 20-25, 25-21, 17-25, 15-13)
Today’s Match Projections
🏆GLVC Championship🏆
#3 Missouri S&T (33%) vs #1 Maryville (67%)