Quote from: Flying Weasel on November 09, 2016, 03:25:51 PM

Quote from: NESCAC_United on November 09, 2016, 02:31:27 PMNew England has the most ranked teams for a reason and there is a reason that the NESCAC always has at least 3 or 4 teams ranked in the region.

And that reason is that the New England region has more eligible men's teams than any other region.  The number of teams ranked has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with strength and/or depth of a region; they rank the top 15% of  each region's eligible teams.  More teams in a region = more teams ranked.

From the 2016 NCAA Division III Soccer Pre-Championships Manual:

QuoteThe committee will rank the top 15 percent of eligible teams in each region (or a minimum of four teams, whichever is
greater) by applying the championships selection criteria. Based on 2016 sponsorship reports, the following number of
teams will be ranked in each region:

Central Region – 6
East Region – 8
Great Lakes Region – 8
Mid-Atlantic Region – 9
New England Region – 12
North Region – 6
South Atlantic Region – 8
West Region – 5

So, for the New England region that has 77 eligible teams, 15% of 77 is 11.55 or 12 teams to be ranked.  There are more chances for mid-table NESCAC teams to be ranked thanks to the NAC, NECC, GNAC, MASCAC that make up about half of the region's teams but whose teams individually and collectively are typically irrelevant to the whole NCAA tournament and the rankings and at-large berths.

Thanks for the clarification. Regardless, New England is probably considered the best region holistically. I understand that there are travel and regional limitations. It just seems ridiculous that the percentage of New England teams that make it is so much less than the percentage from other regions.

Quote from: Mr.Right on November 07, 2016, 11:57:05 PM
My opinion:

This whole process has been dictated by geography and saving money..


I am New England biased but I say New England and Nescac really got the shaft. Whoever led the New England Committee did not put up much of an argument or did and was completely overruled and "soft". Either way you have teams with 2-3-4 ranked wins and SOS's of at or close to .600 not get in and teams out West and Central / Great Lakes / South Atlantic take New England bids. The most represented region with the most teams gets ONLY 3 POOL C's. I think 4 and even 5 would be more appropriate.

Nescac teams have won the last 2 NCAA Championships and been represented in almost every NCAA Final 4 since 2007. Yet Nescac gets 1 Pool C and the UAA gets 4 Pool C's and year after year they get NOWHERE. UAA teams have FAILED miserably on THE BIG STAGE. Personally, after watching the NJAC a lot this season I do not mind the 3 Pool C's. They deserve it. RUN, MSU and Rowan are damn good teams and while I have not seen Kean this year they did well enough in their conference to deserve to get in. No problems with the NJAC and 3 Pool C's. However, for Nescac, 1 out of Bowdoin / Williams / Midd should have gotten a Pool C. They each beat each other up and that hurt but the league deserves at least 2 Pool C's.

I saw it coming a week ago when BOTH SLU and Rochester limped to the end of their respective seasons and DID NOT DROP in their Rankings. The fix was IN. SLU and UR should not be dancing. Frankly, if this was not such a down year normally a resume like Oneonta's would be considered a bubble resume. I am quite confident had Vassar drew with Skidmore and lost in PK's they would be OUT. I am not a Vassar fan but they would have been left out in favor of a team in their own conference that barely beat them and did not even make their own conference tournament and also left out for a team they slammed in UR 3-0. Oh Well...

So Nescac has Amherst and Tufts. Amherst has a VERY EASY draw until the Elite 8 and THEY WILL NEED IT. Serpone knows this is his worst Amherst side in years with a leaky defense compared to their best teams and horrific GK'ing. BUT who is going to beat them? Babson? Babson looked down right awful against Wheaton(MA) in the Newmac Semi's and are absolutely anemic up front. They cannot beat good teams. They have 3 very solid midfielders and that is it. I wouldn't be surprised to see them lose in the 1st round. Brandeis has played VERY WELL at the end of the year and deserved their bid. However ironically this might be Brandeis weakest side since 2012 and this will be their best chance to beat Amherst. Amherst has weaknesses that can be exploited but can this Brandeis side exploit them. Not sure. RUN at Amherst would be a great Elite 8 match-up and I would favor RUN BUT they will not be playing on their coveted carpet. They would be playing on Amherst grass field. I think a Tufts/ Rowan matchup in the 2nd round would be fantastic but Springfield(A Poor man's Amherst) will make it tough for Tufts to score as they WHACK everything in sight and are downright UGLY to watch.

I will be rooting for UMASS Boston and they will be a tough out with their beast of a striker in Williamson. Ommadawn stated this and i fully agree that you need a stud or 2 in the NCAA's to put their teams on their back and get a goal when needed or a stop when needed. That is why I loved Skidmore this season. UMASS Boston has that and if they get by Kean I think they could beat Haverford. It would be a challenge but doable. Frankly, for a team ranked 2nd in New England they got screwed not only for not hosting but their pod is very difficult. They should of had a much easier 1st round / 2nd Round game then they got.

Cortland State who I saw once this season against Oneonta and was not impressed at all. Maybe it was a one off but Oneonta dominated then in the regular season game I saw. Cortland got the easiest 1st / 2nd Round games besides the 2 "bye" teams in Amherst and Chicago. SLU got off easy as well as I think F&M and W&L are overrated and Durocher stuck his team in a draw they could get out of if they play to their potential.

Well said, Mr. Right. I have been following the boards for a few years now and finally decided that I have to make an account to get some things out there. Sorry as this post may come off as aggressive for a first time poster. As you mentioned, I also agree that it is ridiculous that the NESCAC only got 2 teams into the tournament this year. The past two national champions have been from the NESCAC and teams from the league continue to dominate their non-conference opponents. New England has the most ranked teams for a reason and there is a reason that the NESCAC always has at least 3 or 4 teams ranked in the region.

From what I have heard, Serpone (head coach of Amherst) is the New England committee head. Quite frankly, I agree with your statement that he was "soft." On behalf of the NESCAC and especially Williams, Midd and Bowdoin, Serpone is an insult to the league. Don't get me wrong... he is obviously a successful coach and knows how to recruit and win. However, he should not represent the NESCAC. He is a pushover and honestly, I think it's for selfish reasons. I think that Serpone is a coward and is scared to play other NESCAC teams in the tournament. In the past, Amherst has been eliminated from the NCAA tournament by NESCAC teams and I think that he was scared to play Williams, Midd or Bowdoin. He ended the careers of 3 unbelievable senior classes and did not give them a chance on the big stage. And obviously for Midd, this is not the first time that he has screwed them over...

I have always enjoyed reading your posts, Mr. Right and just wanted to add my own thoughts.

Do you know how they elect regional committee members?