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The postseason is underway and nothing is settled in the bracketology with Selection Saturday looming near.
Off the Block each week during the rest of the regular season and throughout each round of the postseason will unveil its latest projections to the NCAA Tournament.
The men’s volleyball Division I-II NCAA Tournament is comprised of six teams. Automatic bids are awarded to the winners of the Conference Carolinas, EIVA, MIVA and MPSF conference tournaments, and the NCAA men’s volleyball committee selects two teams for at-large bids.
The three-person selection committee meets following all of the conference tournaments to decide the at-large teams and the tournament seeding. For an in-depth look at the criteria used by the selection committee and the Off the Block bracketology projections, check out this breakdown.
The field for the NCAA Tournament is scheduled to be released during Selection Saturday on May 2.
The NCAA Tournament will begin with the two play-in matches on May 5 in Palo Alto, California. In addition, the NCAA Tournament semifinals and finals will take place May 7-9 in Palo Alto.
PROJECTED NCAA TOURNAMENT FIELD
LAST FOUR OUT
Pepperdine (22-5)
USC (18-8)
Ohio State (21-8)
BYU (17-9)
Quick breakdown: Hawai’i had the biggest fall in the newest bracketology following its two road losses to BYU during the weekend. With these losses, the Rainbow Warriors dropped to from the No. 2 seed to the No. 4 seed and now will likely have to win the MPSF Tournament to earn a top-two seed and avoid being placed in one of the play-in matches. The gap between Pepperdine and Hawai’i for a possible at-large bid has closed significantly. However, the Rainbow Warriors still hold a clear advantage in the majority of criteria categories, including head-to-head. Even if Hawai’i lost to Pepperdine in the MPSF Tournament, the Rainbow Warriors are still projected to hold the advantage in the majority of criteria categories. Lewis based on the latest projections is a virtual lock to make the NCAA Tournament, even if it loses in the conference tournament quarterfinals. After Lewis, Loyola and UC Irvine are the next two likely teams to get an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament if either loses in the conference tournament.
Is there a scenario that could occur where if Ohio State wins the MIVA Tournament that both Lewis and Loyal are given at large bids?
Yes, Tim! That is very much a possibility, especially if UCI wins the MPSF. If you are a MPSF fans you are cheering for Lewis vs. Loyola in the MIVA finals.