who's up for the Div. B at large bids?

[lil lady lax fan]

So it's looking like Harding and Northern Colorado will be duking it out for the third golden ticket. A lot will ride on where each of those teams are placed in the final deciding poll.

[Andy Sharp]

Calvin put together a great game with their second upset in a row.

Calvin 8 1 2 4 - 14
Ferris 2 1 3 0 - 6

[lil lady lax fan]

Boy, Andy, you are on a roll. Look out Nationals, here comes Calvin!

Your win has been duly noted and the list has been updated. Props to you and the boys on your win.

[Jay Wisnieski]

So it's looking like Harding and Northern Colorado will be duking it out for the third golden ticket.

Here's another question:

What if Western Washington does the unthinkable and upsets Montana? Then we'll have Harding, No. Colorado, the loser of the UMLL game, the loser of the WCLL game, and Montana all trying to get those 3 spots. No. Colorado needs to be rooting for Montana to get the AQ, or they'll probably have no shot of getting an at-large.

[cjwilhelmi]

Harding's probably out.... If pollsters have them on the bubble now, a loss to a team ranked 10+ spots behind them is going to make it difficult to keep that spot. Big weekend, lots of upsets in lots of different divisions.

But that is only their second loss this year. Their first loss was by 4 to St. Thomas after playing Creighton earlier in the day.

UNC has multiple losses (although against top ranked competition).

Anybody can beat anybody. Look at Div A MSU beat Michigan, BYU is out, UCSB is out, lots of things can happen in conference tournaments. This is what happens when you feel like you have the game won.

[Kyle Berggren]

That last post from PLULax was actually from me, hence I deleted it (I forgot to log him out as we're at our championships on the same computer).

My issue isn't that Harding is a terrible or even a bad team, but we have to play the games, and this let down won't help them hold their spot. When the #7 loses to the #24, granted a close game & a playoff game, moves have to happen. I don't see most pollsters dropping Harding out of the race for an At-Large Bid, but holding onto #7 while #10 NC is playing is competing well against a team ranked above them (UVSC) will not be easy.

Not to be a homer, but it Montana loses to WWU, they should have a better shot at the At-Large than Harding, as WWU is ranked well above Augustana at #24. The #8 & #9 spots are helping Harding keep that spot, but it will be interesting to see how it breaks out. The #8 team lost, and number #9 has yet to play (or vice versa).

You're right upsets happen, all year long, but if that's the most recent game they've played, and they were fighting for a spot, it'll be tough to move up or stay in a spot.

[cjwilhelmi]

I completely agree that if Montana loses they will probably get the At Large. I'm not arguing that point and dont think your a homer for saying it. What I am saying is that you have Team A who plays great all year, takes care of business and plays tough with a top ranked team. Team A has a letdown and drops a close one to an underranked team. Team B plays good all year and loses several games to top level competition. Team B has a good tournament and plays tough with top level competition but still loses. Neither team deserves to move up in the polls, you do not move up for losing. But does Team A get dropped farther? I dont know, they have had the consistency all year but coughed up the ball at the end. That is why there are 21 poll voters. I just hope that this becomes what each team has done over the course of the season and not just Team A conference v Team B conference.

[USTLAX06]

UST 12
St. Johns 7

Looks like the UMLL will send 2. Awesome year for the UMLL. Can't wait to get down there!

[gibertjs]

looks like it's either #7harding or #10 northern colorado for the last at large. Does anyone know if seeding depends on at large verses conference champs or is it just by the polls.

[cjwilhelmi]

looks like it's either #7harding or #10 northern colorado for the last at large. Does anyone know if seeding depends on at large verses conference champs or is it just by the polls.

It is done by the final poll.

[gibertjs]

is the LSA putting up any live scores?

[ilax]

This definitely makes it for an interesting scenario for the final poll voting. Looks like the final At-Large spot will be left in the hands of the voters.
We are anxiously awaiting the final poll tomorrow night and hope that our hard work and tough schedule has prepared us for the trip to Dallas.
We started our season playing the top teams in the country (#1 San Diego and #2 Claremont) and in the end (latest poll) our RMLC Conference has 4 of the top 12 teams in the nation.
UNC finished up the regular season beating #11 Montana State in the Semis followed by a close loss to a talented #4 USVC in the RMLC Championship game.
It is great to see that Northern Colorado is being mentioned for consideration as one of the representatives in the National Tournament. Thank you to everyone who have supported us throughout the year and, hopefully, you can follow our progress on the trip to Dallas. This season has showcased a great amount of talent and dedication from so many B Teams across the nation. It would be great for the B Divison to offer more bids in the future given the high commitment level from schools all over the country. It will definitely be a highly competetive and exciting tournament this year.
Congratulations to all the teams that have won their conference championships.
This will be a close one... Best wishes and good luck to everyone

[CyLaxKeeper00]

southwestern 10, st edwards 5

[Dr. Jason Stockton]

Pretty interesting comparison for the complete seasons of Northern Colorado and Harding. . .


Harding (10-2) is 2-2 against ranked teams, with wins over # 19 Creighton and # 23 Dordt. . .and close losses vs. #5 St. Thomas and #24 Augustana. They were upset in their conference semi-final.

Northern Colorado's(9-6) schedule was brutal - playing in the toughest conference (RMLC) in the B division from top to bottom - they also played 9 games vs. ranked teams during the year (including CSU). They lost in their conference final game.

They went 2-0 vs. #11 Montana State, and also beat #25 Western State. . .but then lost to #1 USD, #2 Claremont, #4 UVSC twice and #12 Fort Lewis. Their other loss was to Colorado State.

I don't know how the poll is going to end up, but Harding's upset loss definitely shook things up and one of these very good teams is going to be staying home.

[lil lady lax fan]

I think Harding's loss in the semis is really going to hurt them, much worse than if they'd lost in the finals. True, Augustana is a team that has been riding under the radar and should drastically rise in the polls, but I still think Harding will be ranked lower in the next poll than Northern Colorado.

I guess we'll find out tomorrow who gets the final nod.