Clearing the Bases
Friday, April 27th, 2007It is playoff time. This weekend there are six automatic bids (Pool A) up for grabs as teams look to join Ferrum in the 2007 Regional Playoffs. I have looked at the conferences with no tournament and those tournaments that are ongoing and ending this weekend.
The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association, Northwest Conference, and Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference are the only conferences with an automatic bid with no end of the season tournament and the regular season champion gets the automatic bid.
This is the final weekend for the SCIAC where Pomona-Pitzer is tied with La Verne at 13-5. Pomona-Pitzer plays Cal Tech (0-18) three times and La Verne has three games against Whittier (10-8). If La Verne wins out, they hold the tiebreaker (2-3 against Pomona-Pitzer) and get the automatic bid. Cal Lutheran (12-6 ) has an outside chance if Cal tech and Whittier can kock off the top teams in the conference. Pomona-Pitzer has an outside chance at a pool C bid but it looks like only one team in the SCIAC will get a playoff bid.
The MIAA has games as late as May 8th but the conference champions should be determined before that. Conference leaders Adrian (15-5) and Hope (15-5) have a three game advantage over the third place teams with four games left to play.
In the NWC, Pacific Lutheran (18-3) is in control and with one win at Puget Sound this weekend will get the automatic bid over George Fox who finished the season with a 19-5 conference record. Both Pacific Lutheran and George Fox are ranked near the top in the west region and it is expected that whoever finishes in second place to recieve a pool C bid.
Two conferences Championships have been held. Ferrum won the USA South Athletic Conference and Salisbury won the Capital Athletic Conference. Only the USA South has an automatic bid so Salisbury has to wait for the selection committee. It is expected that Salisbury will get a Pool B bid with the regular season conference champion York (Pa.) in the running for a pool C bid.
This weekend will see five conference tournaments. The Great Northeast Athletic Conference, New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference, Old Dominion Athletic Conference, Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, and Great South Athletic Conference
The GNAC tournament has started with Western New England posting a win againd Rivier and Johnson & Wales upsetting Suffolk in the double elimination tournament. The double elimination NEWMAC championship begins on Saturday morning with top-seeded Wheaton squaring off with Babson in the first game and MIT and Coast Guard meeting in the second game. The ODAC tournament features the top six teams in the conference. Virginia Wesleyan, Hampden-Sydney and Bridgewater both started the tournament off with wins. The SCAC tournament started last weekend with Rhodes, Millsaps, Austin and Southwestern (Texas) all advancing to the second round. The GSAC tournament does not get an automatic bid but the four team conference starts today at Maryville College.
Of all the teams playing only Wheaton and maybe Rhodes is expected to get a Pool C bid if they do not win their conference tournament. I wish all teams luck as it is essential if one wants to move on to win this weekend.
The rest of the tournament to be played (grouped by ending date) are:
May 5, 2007: CCC, NEAC, MACC, ASC.
May 6, 2007: NAC, MASCAC, SUNTAC, SKY, MAFC, CC, PnAC.
May 7, 2007: NJAC.
May 11, 2007: NCAC.
May 12, 2007: LEC, CUNYAC, OAC, HCAC, PrAC, IIAC, CCIW, WIAC, SLIAC, MWC, UMAC.
May 13, 2007: AMCC, NorAC, MIAC, NESCAC.
