Hey everyone! Selection Monday is almost here! I have complained about the seeding of teams and travel for teams as long as I can remember. Now I have a forum to see if anyone else feels the way I do. Why is travel so jumbled up? What I mean is, why us Tulane(only a 4 seed and not a 3 but that's another discussion) sent to Starkville along with Nicholls, but other teams like UConn, Duke, St. John's, etc are sent clear across the country? I understand that school budgets probably play a role in deciding where they can, can't travel. I just don't understand and am really annoyed at how scattered the travel is. A team like Oregon isn't sent to Corvallis in THE SAME STATE, but all the way to Oklahoma. I love that some kids get to travel to other parts of the country, but others only get sent within a bus ride away. Help explain please.
why is Tulane**
Oregon can't be sent to Corvallis this year. They are in the same conference.
I do believe the NCAA should do a 1 to 64 ranking so teams have a chance to play teams from other areas of the country.
I have major problems with the rpi and the NCAA selection committee. It's completely corrupt and that's how the SEC and ACC are able to recruit players from the West. Their NIL should be enough. They should not be able to rig the system.
@brett-nemeth Aaron Fitt has talked about how the committee "thing" is. People can say reps leave the room when the team is being discussed but come on...don't be naive. I believe Kendall has brought it up before too.
Even if it couldn't be Corvallis, Santa Barbara? No let's send them to Oklahoma? If it's truly "regional" make it regional or close as you can. UCI isn't in Corvallis or Santa Barbara either.
Again I like the fact that teams are traveling. It's just funny how certain teams get to travel seemingly every year cross country.
P.S, As of this writing, Tulane giving it back to Wichita State in AAC Title Game. Screaming to D1 Baseball "GIVE US A 3 SEED!" Nicholls is a 3 seed in the same regional as Tulane and Tulane has beaten Nicholls H2H this season. Come on people.
There's an official NCAA championships travel policy (linked below). It attempts to keep travel costs down by pairing teams within 400 miles, what we unofficially call "bus trips.". Once you're beyond 400 miles all bets are off. The teams from the NE don't have many, if any, regionals within 400 miles of their campus so they're likely to be sent just about anywhere.
It's important to remember that teams from the same conference CAN NOT be paired in a regional. They can be paired in any subsequent round of the playoffs.
https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/championships/resources/travel/2023-24D1Champs_TravelPolicies.pdf
@sean-miller I didn't know about the conference in the same regional rule. Wouldn't the NE teams be sent as close as possible though?
I think there was a year where Bryant was sent down here when there were atleast a couple regionals closer to the NE.
If Tulane wins there's a decent chance they get a #3. Also, in the projections they have Duke in Corvallis and with the Blue Devils whipping #7 FSU there probably a host now too.@brett-nemeth Aaron Fitt has talked about how the committee "thing" is. People can say reps leave the room when the team is being discussed but come on...don't be naive. I believe Kendall has brought it up before too.
Even if it couldn't be Corvallis, Santa Barbara? No let's send them to Oklahoma? If it's truly "regional" make it regional or close as you can. UCI isn't in Corvallis or Santa Barbara either.
Again I like the fact that teams are traveling. It's just funny how certain teams get to travel seemingly every year cross country.
P.S, As of this writing, Tulane giving it back to Wichita State in AAC Title Game. Screaming to D1 Baseball "GIVE US A 3 SEED!" Nicholls is a 3 seed in the same regional as Tulane and Tulane has beaten Nicholls H2H this season. Come on people.
As for UCI not being in Santa Barbara, again... SAME conference. Prohibited by the rules. And for Irvine that is almost 1000 miles from Corvallis. Once you're over 400 miles all bets are off
What I do see quite a bit is the committee pairing teams that were in competition for seeds together. Some argue that, as the PAC champ, Arizona should be a host. So the committee might pair them with UC-SB the only other West Coast (Non PAC) host. They might do the same with Duke/Mississippi State, etc
Nope. Once you are 400 miles it doesn't matter and theoretically isn't a consideration. 401 miles or 4000 miles is supposed to be considered the same@sean-miller I didn't know about the conference in the same regional rule. Wouldn't the NE teams be sent as close as possible though?
I think there was a year where Bryant was sent down here when there were atleast a couple regionals closer to the NE.
The other consideration to helpe in mind is that many of the NE teams are 4 seeds... So each region can only have one 4 seed. So that disperses them even more widely
@sean-miller so that's the NCAA being contradictory. Keep the travel costs down but yet don't send Bryant to North Carolina or NC State, let's send them to Baton Rouge like in years past or St. John's from NY to Santa Barbara CA.
2 quick things... First, WSU/Tulane is now tied at 10. If Tulane loses this they're not going to make the tournament. Their season will be over.@sean-miller so that's the NCAA being contradictory. Keep the travel costs down but yet don't send Bryant to North Carolina or NC State, let's send them to Baton Rouge like in years past or St. John's from NY to Santa Barbara CA.
Second, once you have to fly a whole team there really very little cost difference in flying Bryant into Raleigh or New Orleans or Oklahoma City. So that's why they say "beyond 400 miles all bets are off."
Keep in mind, since you're using Bryant as an example, it's jl not just about Bryant. It's also about all of the other teams within 400 miles of those Carolina regionals. High Point, Georgia Southern, Charleston, UNCW, UNCG, etc. The Carolinas, heck most of the South, has enough teams within bus range that they won't get too many teams from far away.
Congrats to the Green Wave. Excellent win. That game jumps them 5 spots in the RPI to #86. That's still very low. I'm in the road now and haven't been able to compare them to the rest of the AQ teams. #86 would be awful low for a 3 seed in a normal year but they'll be in the discussion.
Just had a quick glance at the D1 Baseball RPI
Kennesaw State is a 3 seed at #84 going to the Athens regional. VCU is a 3 seed with a #75 RPI going to UVA, and Evansville is a 4 seed with an RPI of #77.
Will be interesting to see if Tulane gets a #3
Kennesaw State just lost ASUN to Stetson and Stetson's RPI is in triple digits according to D1 Baseball.
@brenton-dufrene-iii agree it'll be interesting. With the #4 seeds you should almost start counting worst-to-first. Virtually any team with triple digits should be a #4 unless there's more than 16 AQs with triple digits (unlikely). Then I think the tournament will take into consideration RPI and how "fair" it would be to the host team to get "Team X" as a 4 seed. Kennesaw State for example won a series at Kentucky early this year. That's the kind of metric that might bump a team up to a #3 (in their projections from last night).
