Oh yeah, this was the other big event of the day. The 64 teams (why can't Division I men's basketball be happy with 64? Everyone else is), seedings and pairings for the D-II championship tournament were unveiled in a webcast selection show just minutes ago.
Twenty teams qualify automatically, and I'm pleased to say that my Western Washington Vikings were one of them. No nail biting for us tonight. The other 44 bids are handed out on an at-large basis, but there are a few things to note. Division II tournaments aren't quite the same as Division I tournaments. In Division I tournaments, there are four regions of 16 teams. In Division II, it's eight regions of 8 teams. They play down to their winners, and then the 'Elite Eight' is held at a predetermined site (Pensacola, Florida this year), where in Division I that's the case with the Final Four. Furthermore, conferences and regionals are permanently aligned. For example, the West regional includes teams from the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (where my Vikings play), the California Collegiate Athletic Association, and the Pacific West Conference. It only draws from those three conferences, and those three conferences can only send teams to the West regional. It's done in the name of controlling travel costs. One side effect it has is regular-season rematches become almost the rule rather than the exception. The Division I tournaments have to try to avoid them, at least for the first two rounds. That is decidedly not the case in Division II.
So here's the brackets. In the Elite Eight in Pensacola, the winner of the Southeast regional faces the winner of the Central regional, the winner of the West regional faces the winner of the South Central regional, Midwest faces East, and Atlantic faces South. All matches prior to the Elite Eight are played on the home court of the #1 seeded team in each region.
Southeast regional
(1) Armstrong (32-5) vs. (8) Belmont Abbey (26-5)
(4) Tusculum (22-7) vs. (5) Lincoln Memorial (21-13)
(3) Flagler (22-10) vs. (6) Newberry (18-14)
(2) Wingate (29-2) vs. (7) Lenoir-Rhyne (19-11)
Armstrong are the automatic qualifiers, champions of the Peach Belt Conference. Their first-round opponents Belmont Abbey are in the NCAA tournament for the first time ever. Hope there's no butterflies. Right away we have our first rematch, as Tusculum and Lincoln Memorial are both members of the South Atlantic Conference, and Tusculum in fact eliminated Lincoln Memorial in that conference's tournament. The champions of the SAC were the #2 seed here, Wingate University, and they look like a really solid pick to advance to the Elite Eight.
Central regional
(1) Concordia-St. Paul (27-4) vs. (8) Wayne State (22-9)
(4) Central Missouri (26-6) vs. (5) Minnesota-Duluth (28-4)
(3) Nebraska-Kearney (33-2) vs. (6) Washburn (31-3)
(2) Southwest Minnesota State (29-2) vs. (7) Truman (27-6)
I mean what can be said about this regional except that whoever wins it is going to freaking earn it? Three different teams in this regional have been #1 in the nation this year, and Wasbhurn is the 6 seed? Man alive, this is a stacked regional. The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference champs are actually Southwest Minnesota State, having beaten Concordia-St. Paul to claim that crown. You'd think that might get them the top seed, but they won't have far to travel in any case. Nebraska-Kearney are the regular season and tournament champions out of the Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. It would be folly to pick against Concordia-St. Paul until they prove they remember how to lose in the NCAA tournament, but with this freaking regional, this year's as good a bet as any for their streak to end.
West regional
(1) BYU-Hawaii (21-3) vs. (8) UC San Diego (20-10)
(4) Western Washington (23-3) vs. (5) Sonoma State (22-8)
(3) Cal State San Bernardino (22-8) vs. (6) Central Washington (21-7)
(2) Grand Canyon (23-5) vs. (7) San Francisco State (21-8)
This one surprises me a little. I didn't expect BYU-Hawaii to be on the top line. They absolutely deserve it, as they're the only team to go undefeated against West region teams, but I did not expect the selection committee to send 7 teams to Hawaii rather than bringing 1 Hawaii team to the mainland. Regrettably, that is something they have to consider. I guess they just felt BYU-Hawaii's season merited it. I can't really argue. And, as always, the CCAA is ridiculously overvalued, even in one of their worst seasons as a conference ever, but I'm used to that by now. I'm glad we as a GNAC snuck in a second team. Even though Central is our big rival, I'll be pulling for them unless and until they face us. Our first round match with Sonoma State is a regular season rematch — our girls won it in four sets. Obviously my heart and my head won't agree on this one. BYU-Hawaii is without question the strongest team in this regional, but I think we're the second-strongest, and that likely second-round matchup should be a barnburner.
South Central regional
(1) Regis (CO) (25-8) vs. (8) Metro State (18-10)
(4) Angelo State (27-5) vs. (5) Adams State (24-5)
(3) Colorado School of Mines (25-6) vs. (6) Colorado Christian (23-9)
(2) West Texas A&M (30-4) vs. (7) Arkansas-Fort Smith (28-2)
Don't know a ton about any of these teams. Time was this regional was West Texas A&M's cakewalk to the Elite Eight, but they've shown some major chinks in the armor this season, as evidenced by the fact that Angelo State were actually the Lone Star Conference regular season champions (WTAMU did win the conference tournament). The fifth seed Adams State are making their first NCAA tournament appearance ever. In what seems a major devaluing of a conference, Arkansas-Fort Smith at 28-2 and champions of the Heartland Conference, are just the 7 seed here. Regis are the champions of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, and the 3/6 match is an RMAC regular season rematch. I think the top two seeds have a pretty clear road to the regional finals, but don't be too shocked if WTAMU stumbles, or even if they lose.
Midwest regional
(1) Indianapolis (27-7) vs. (8) Rockhurst (28-6)
(4) Lewis (26-10) vs. (5) Ferris State (23-7)
(3) Grand Valley State (25-7) vs. (6) Hillsdale (15-15)
(2) Northwood (26-5) vs. (7) Ashland (23-8)
This, in my mind, is the weakest regional of the eight. For a top-seeded team, Indianapolis has sure not been getting good results the last several weeks. They were the Great Lakes Valley Conference regular season champions, but lost the Great Lakes Valley tournament final on their home court….to their first-round NCAA tournament opponents Rockhurst. Second-seeded Northwood, champions of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate conference, were only briefly ranked this season. Hillsdale did play a brutally difficult schedule, but come on — 15-15?? That's either a team getting in on name value, or the sign of a brutally weak regional. U-Indy probably has the best shot to make the Elite Eight (providing they can get past Rockhurst), but I don't see any of these teams making any noise in Pensacola. It's a bit of a shame some NSIC teams couldn't come here. Imagine if Stanford, Oregon, Washington, and UCLA all had to play each other in the first round of the NCAA tournament, while Jackson State, Fairfield, Colgate, and Liberty got to do the same. Nobody would stand for it.
East regional
(1) New Haven (27-1) vs. (8) Dominican (NY) (23-7)
(4) NYIT (21-9) vs. (5) Franklin Pierce (19-14)
(3) Adelphi (24-11) vs. (6) LIU-Post (23-14)
(2) Bridgeport (25-4) vs. (7) Dowling (20-14)
This is the region where I am most comfortable sticking with chalk. New Haven are the champions of the Northeast 10 conference, and since joining that conference five years ago they have never lost a conference match. Remember what I said in the beginning about regionals being populated with teams from the same conferences? Yeah. Their opponents Dominican are the champions of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference, which apparently gets them no love from the committee as they're on just the 8-line. Bridgeport are the champions of the East Coast Conference.
Atlantic regional
(1) Wheeling Jesuit (35-2) vs. (8) Fayetteville State (28-5)
(4) Clarion (23-11) vs. (5) Lock Haven (26-10)
(3) California (PA) (28-7) vs. (6) Shippensburg (27-11)
(2) Gannon (28-5) vs. (7) Mercyhurst (25-10)
Another group of teams with which I'm not especially familiar. The 1/8 matchup is a pairing of two conference champions, as Wheeling Jesuit enter as the champions of the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, and Fayetteville State of the rather plainly-named Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association. They boast the statistically best server in the entire tournament, as Jamisha Jordan's .74 aces per set are third-best in the nation behind two players whose teams didn't make it. Gannon are the champions of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (which has a member in New York). The team with the historically best volleyball program is definitely California (PA). They've been fixtures in the tournament and have made the Elite Eight before.
South regional
(1) Tampa (27-3) vs. (8) Clark Atlanta (23-17)
(4) Eckerd (21-9) vs. (5) Florida Southern (21-11)
(3) Palm Beach Atlantic (33-3) vs. (6) Rollins (18-14)
(2) West Florida (26-7) vs. (7) Christian Brothers (20-12)
No surprise at who gets the top seed and hosting duties here, as Sunshine State Conference champions Tampa have been pretty highly-ranked all season. Check out the win/loss record for their first-round opponents, Southern Intercollegiate champions (and NCAA tournament debutants) Clark Atlanta — 23-17. 40 matches played this season! That is a lot. Gulf South Champions West Florida get a conference opponent in the first round, but it might be a favorable one as they were able to sweep aside Christian Brothers in the conference tournament. Tampa are the clear favorites to advance here.
So I've gone with a lot of chalk in my picks, but hopefully somebody unexpected will crash the party in Pensacola. The tournament begins at campus sites next Thursday the 29th. The Elite Eight in Pensacola will be held on Thursday December 6, with the national semifinals the next night and the national championship match on Saturday the 8th.
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