2015 Mid Atlantic Region

[Mr.Right]

How does the Centennial conference tournament work? Is it 6 or 8 teams? or is it Top 4 ?

I HATE the Top 4 that the Liberty League does, as it makes for some meaningless games at the end of the season and you are really not rewarding a team for winning the regular season.

I like the Nescac tournament. 11 team league and they play a 8 team tournament. They used to play a 7 team tournament and give the #1 seed a BYE into Semi's. Coaches complained and they moved it to 8.

I REALLY like the SUNYAC. They take 6 teams in a 10 team league I believe. Top 2 get a BYE. The others play in #3 v #6 and #4 v #5..This I really like because you reward the Top 2 teams in the Regular Season with bye's into the Semi's. Makes for intriguing games up to the end of the regular season because teams are jockeying to get into the Top 2 and also teams are jockeying to even make the playoffs

[Flying Weasel]

The Centennial has been doing a 5-team playoff with a mid-week #5 at #4 game in advance of the semis and final hosted by the #1 seed on the weekend.

[lastguyoffthebench]

Mr.Right,

NJAC does the same thing as SUNYAC.  Seed one plays the lowest of 3v6, 4v5 winner.

[Flying Weasel]

I HATE the Top 4 that the Liberty League does, as it makes for some meaningless games at the end of the season and you are really not rewarding a team for winning the regular season.

I like the Nescac tournament. 11 team league and they play a 8 team tournament. They used to play a 7 team tournament and give the #1 seed a BYE into Semi's. Coaches complained and they moved it to 8.

I REALLY like the SUNYAC. They take 6 teams in a 10 team league I believe. Top 2 get a BYE. The others play in #3 v #6 and #4 v #5..This I really like because you reward the Top 2 teams in the Regular Season with bye's into the Semi's. Makes for intriguing games up to the end of the regular season because teams are jockeying to get into the Top 2 and also teams are jockeying to even make the playoffs

Not sure I follow your logic.  You HATE a 4-team playoff because it doesn't reward a team for winning the regular season, but you like an 8-team playoff?   Isn't a 8-team playoff even less a reward for winning the regular season?  Now you're asking the winningest team to win three successive single-elimination games, the first and perhaps second against teams whose only hope for NCAA action rests on a conference tournament run.  At least with 4 teams, the #1 seed is only asked to confirm their superiority twice, not three times.  In general, doesn't fewer playoff spots = higher reward for regular season performance?  Or better stated, isn't fewer single-elimination games that a #1 seed has to survive to their advantage? The highest reward you could give a regular season champ is to give him the AQ and forego a tournament, i.e. one playoff spot.

Now the six-team playoff is interesting because it forces the #3 thru #6 seeds to play an extra game over the #1 and #2 seeds, but whether that  provides any additonal advantage for the #1 seed versus a 4-team playoff isn't clear.  I guess you could argue that come the end of the season, getting to rest while your next opponent needs to play a do-or-die game, is an advantage.  But how often have we seen the teams that get byes in the first round of the NCAA tournament then struggle and/or get upset in their opener in round two?  So having a bye isn't necessarily an advantage, going by that.

[Mr.Right]

Mr.Right,

NJAC does the same thing as SUNYAC.  Seed one plays the lowest of 3v6, 4v5 winner.

Yes I think this is the best way to do it. Otherwise these other leagues are only really rewarding the winner of the regular season with Home field advantage for the tournament. I am not minimizing the home field as that can be VERY important but I just feel somehow the regular season champ should get another somewhat small reward besides a trophy and home field. Just my take on it. 

[Flying Weasel]

NJAC does the same thing as SUNYAC.  Seed one plays the lowest of 3v6, 4v5 winner.

I'm pretty sure that in the NJAC, the #1 seed plays the winner of the 4v5 game and the #2 seed playes the winner of the 3v6 game, no matter the results.  That is, fixed brackets with no reseeding/rebracketing if the #6 and #4 seeds win.  So the #1 seed could pay the #4 seed, while the #2 seed gets the presumedly easier #6 seed.

The NESCAC rebrackets after the quarterfinals so the top remaining seed plays the lowest remaining seed.  I think the NESCAC, CSAC, and NACC are the only conferences to do rebracketing.

[Mr.Right]

The Centennial has been doing a 5-team playoff with a mid-week #5 at #4 game in advance of the semis and final hosted by the #1 seed on the weekend.

The Newmac does or used to do something similar to this but with the Centennial being so competitive almost like the Nescac, it is almost a bit unfair that #6 or even #7 does not get a chance to compete for the AQ

[Mr.Right]

I HATE the Top 4 that the Liberty League does, as it makes for some meaningless games at the end of the season and you are really not rewarding a team for winning the regular season.

I like the Nescac tournament. 11 team league and they play a 8 team tournament. They used to play a 7 team tournament and give the #1 seed a BYE into Semi's. Coaches complained and they moved it to 8.

I REALLY like the SUNYAC. They take 6 teams in a 10 team league I believe. Top 2 get a BYE. The others play in #3 v #6 and #4 v #5..This I really like because you reward the Top 2 teams in the Regular Season with bye's into the Semi's. Makes for intriguing games up to the end of the regular season because teams are jockeying to get into the Top 2 and also teams are jockeying to even make the playoffs

Not sure I follow your logic.  You HATE a 4-team playoff because it doesn't reward a team for winning the regular season, but you like an 8-team playoff?   Isn't a 8-team playoff even less a reward for winning the regular season?  Now you're asking the winningest team to win three successive single-elimination games, the first and perhaps second against teams whose only hope for NCAA action rests on a conference tournament run.  At least with 4 teams, the #1 seed is only asked to confirm their superiority twice, not three times.  In general, doesn't fewer playoff spots = higher reward for regular season performance?  Or better stated, isn't fewer single-elimination games that a #1 seed has to survive to their advantage? The highest reward you could give a regular season champ is to give him the AQ and forego a tournament, i.e. one playoff spot.

Now the six-team playoff is interesting because it forces the #3 thru #6 seeds to play an extra game over the #1 and #2 seeds, but whether that  provides any additonal advantage for the #1 seed versus a 4-team playoff isn't clear.  I guess you could argue that come the end of the season, getting to rest while your next opponent needs to play a do-or-die game, is an advantage.  But how often have we seen the teams that get byes in the first round of the NCAA tournament then struggle and/or get upset in their opener in round two?  So having a bye isn't necessarily an advantage, going by that.

Nescac and Centennial have more teams therefore an 8 team playoff is sufficient. The Liberty League I HATE because with the addition of RIT and Bard there are enough teams in the league to do a 6 team playoff or your 4v5 against the #1. My gripe is that the LL has enough teams now that the format should change

[Flying Weasel]

I HATE the Top 4 that the Liberty League does, as it makes for some meaningless games at the end of the season and
you are really not rewarding a team for winning the regular season.

these other leagues are only really rewarding the winner of the regular season with Home field advantage for the tournament.
I am not minimizing the home field as that can be VERY important but I just feel somehow the regular season champ should get
another somewhat small reward besides a trophy and home field.

. . . it is almost a bit unfair that #6 or even #7 does not get a chance to compete for the AQ

. . . there are enough teams in the league to do a 6 team playoff or your 4v5 against the #1

OK, let me take one stab at some clarification because you got me spun around and confused along the way . . .

• Your are concerned about giving more teams a shot at knocking off the regualr season champ and taking the AQ.
  


• Your are concerned about rewarding the regular season champ with something more than just homefield advantage (what/how exactly I didn't follow and don't want to venture a guess).

The two aren't mutually exclusive, but they are somewhat at odds, aren't they? What exactly is the additional reward you are desiring for the regular season champ?

[PaulNewman]

FW, I'll take a shot at this, and what Mr.Right is saying makes total sense to me.

First of all, I would bet he is mainly talking about very competitive conferences and he thinks the regular season champ should be rewarded, with either an automatic bid or a real advantage in the conference tourney.  He also thinks in conferences where 5-6 teams are very even and arguably quite good that teams #5 and #6 should have a shot at winning an AQ and thus should be included in the conference tourney.  I would venture to guess he might vote for TWO AQs....one for the regular season champ and one for the tourney champ, and there are conferences like the NESCAC, NJAC, Centennial, etc where I would agree with that.  This year that might apply to the NCAC as well.  An issue would be for the conferences on the border who won't have 4-5 really strong teams every year and wouldn't necessarily deserve two bids every year, but there are probably 2-3 conferences where this might make sense.

[Mr.Right]

I HATE the Top 4 that the Liberty League does, as it makes for some meaningless games at the end of the season and
you are really not rewarding a team for winning the regular season.

these other leagues are only really rewarding the winner of the regular season with Home field advantage for the tournament.
I am not minimizing the home field as that can be VERY important but I just feel somehow the regular season champ should get
another somewhat small reward besides a trophy and home field.

. . . it is almost a bit unfair that #6 or even #7 does not get a chance to compete for the AQ

. . . there are enough teams in the league to do a 6 team playoff or your 4v5 against the #1

OK, let me take one stab at some clarification because you got me spun around and confused along the way . . .

• Your are concerned about giving more teams a shot at knocking off the regualr season champ and taking the AQ.
  


• Your are concerned about rewarding the regular season champ with something more than just homefield advantage (what/how exactly I didn't follow and don't want to venture a guess).

The two aren't mutually exclusive, but they are somewhat at odds, aren't they? What exactly is the additional reward you are desiring for the regular season champ?

NCAC and Weasel,

I didn't mean to that extreme...I do not want to change the format of NCAA requirements to get into the tournament. The current format is fine with the AQ's and the 19 or so Pool C's. Each conference getting the AQ and then worthy at-large teams. My whole point was conference tournaments that was all not NCAA tournament eligibility. I also was not making a point of the top 5-10 conferences getting both the regular season champion and tournament champion getting bids. That would be impossible legislation to pass and totally unrealistic because you cannot possibly determine which conferences would be worthy of that,

Anyway, my point was that all conferences with 6 or members should REWARD the Regular season champion with a free pass into the conference tournament semi's as a kind of incentive to win it. I also feel in leagues like the Liberty and Centennial that the #6 and even the #7 seeds should have a shot to get the AQ. In those two leagues like the Nescac,UAA,NJAC,NCAC,etc there is not much difference between the #5 and #7 seeds. Give most teams in each league a fighting chance while also rewarding the regular season champion

[Flying Weasel]

Got ya.  By expanding from a 4- to 6-team playoff, you both give more teams a chance at the AQ and create an advantage/reward for finishing top two in the regular season versus finishing 3rd thru 6th.

[PaulNewman]

Well, not that it means anything, but I'll go on record to say that the regular season winner of the NESCAC, NJAC, Centennial, SUNYAC, Liberty, ODAC, NCAC, etc should get an AQ.  A full season's body of work should outweigh a one and done conference tournament.  Either 2 AQs or give the AQ to the regular season winner.  The NWC (Pac NW) has it right.

[Nutmeg]

Well, not that it means anything, but I'll go on record to say that the regular season winner of the NESCAC, NJAC, Centennial, SUNYAC, Liberty, ODAC, NCAC, etc should get an AQ.  A full season's body of work should outweigh a one and done conference tournament.  Either 2 AQs or give the AQ to the regular season winner.  The NWC (Pac NW) has it right.

I definitely agree with this..on the premise of the whole body of work. For example, a team could win the regular season and suffer injuries at the end , then get beat in the playoffs....

[Mid-Atlantic Fan]

Regional Ranking Predictions:

1. F&M  10-0-0
2. Eastern 10-0-1
3. ETown  9-1-1
4. Lycoming  8-1-1
5. Drew  8-1-2
6. Gettysburg  7-2-1
7. Haverford  7-3-0
8. Dickinson  6-2-2
9. Cabrini  7-1-2
10. John Hopkins  6-3-2

Dropping Out: Merchant Marine 8-3, Messiah 6-3-1
RV: Susquehanna 6-3-2, Kings 9-2, Alvernia 5-2-4