SBZipfan

Using RPI numbers, Pitt's strength-of-schedule was #1, Akron's was #85. Pitt's best win was over #15, Akron's over #24. Pitt's worst loss was to #27, Akron's to #99. https://rpiupdatemenssoccer.blogspot.com/2023/07/akron.html https://rpiupdatemenssoccer.blogspot.com/2023/07/pittsburgh.html

UWV tops Tulsa 1-0 in 2OT to reach the Elite Eight.

Kentucky up 2-0 on Santa Clara at the half, goals at 5' and 10'.

Now 7-0! Reminds me of the 2014 World Cup semifinal between Germany and Brazil ... Now 8-0! Is PSU still on the field? Hofstra goals at 55:30 61:23 61:44 67:59

Hofstra now up 4-0 on PSU. Seems like the Pride is pretty pissed at being RPI #10 and not getting a seed, while #21 PSU did.

Pitt takes it, 5-2 So WVU is the only MAC team to reach the Sweet 16.

WVU wins the shoot-out over VT, 4-3. Providence over Marshall 2-1 2OT IU over BUGS 2-0 NIU scores in the 5th minute, Pitt answers a minute later.

WVU - VT 1-1 after 2OT, going to PKs. UCLA scored early and led #7 Duke 1-0, but in the 87th minute Duke scored two goals 30 sec apart. Blue Devils win 2-1. Indiana leads BUGS 2-0 in the 70th minute.

Nonsense. Akron outshot SC 17-3, 4-3 OG, 9-0 corner kicks, all while fouling less, 6-14.

Ouch. 4 MAC teams in the final 32, and Akron not one of them.

Starting OT ...

MAC winning the night: BUGS over Louisville 1-0 Ga.St. over Charlotte 1-0 NIU over Oakland 2-1

Oops! Of course you're right.

Neither is happening. NCAA aims for around 20% of teams to make the tournament in each sport. 20% of 208 is 41.6, so 48 already exceeds the baseline number. (For comparison, in basketball, 20% of 350 is 70, and there is a 68 team tournament.) On the other hand, NCAA rules mandate at least as many at-large teams as conference champs. There are currently 23 confereneces in DI mens soccer, so 46 is the minimum number of teams in the tournament.

And Santa Clara has to start play at what will feel like 10 PM to their players. EDIT: Wrong! As pointed out below by bigzipguy (whose brain is clearly bigger than mine), it will feel like 4 PM. I believe there have been studies in basketball that have shown that the most important aspect of home advantage is how far the opponent has to travel. As for why a 12-1-4 team has to travel, it's because most of those wins were against weak teams. Still, their biggest win was over Portland, which put a 4-0 beat-down on NIU three days before losing to Santa Clara. Of course, NIU traveled to the west coast to play that game ... tl;dr: Zips should win, but every team in the tournament has had enough success to be dangerous, including Santa Clara.

Eh, I don't agree. Best win was over #26 Creighton. Massey (whose system tends to reward wins over weak opponents more than does RPI) has them at #11.

Somebody should tell the Beacon that it's a 48 team tourmament (not 64 ...)

Santa Clara has a gaudy record, but most of it was accomplished against bottom-100 competition: http://rpiupdatemenssoccer.blogspot.com/2021/07/santa-clara.html I happened to watch part of their game against Loyola Marymount on Saturday; LMU was much better. LMU outshot Santa Clara 42-3, 11-1 on goal. Game ended 0-0. (No shoot-out, the West Coast Conf has no tournament, this was the last reg.season game.) IMO, their poll ranking is bogus. Most poll voters do not do anything more than glance over a list of teams and their records. Massey ratings has Akron at #30 and Santa Clara at #37. Their match-up tool gives Akron a 59% chance of winning a home game, 26% Santa Clara, 15% tie. https://masseyratings.com/game.php?s0=359036&oid0=66&h=1&s1=359036&oid1=7034 https://masseyratings.com/csoc/ncaa-d1/ratings Go Zips!!!

I think you guys are over-estimating the importance of conference. IMO, it has more to do with individual team results against higher ranked (by RPI) opponents. Against the RPI top 50, BUGS was 3-4-1. Michigan was 1-6-2. Stanford was 0-3-3. Which team would you pick based on those stats alone?

NIU has the MAC auto bid. RPI #19 WVU and #26 Akron are almost certainly in. #36 GaSt is much less certain, they are the next-to-last team in by pure RPI. Their best wins are over WVU and Akron. A team like #39 Michigan, which played a much tougher schedule but lost to most of those tough teams (but beat #13 Indiana) could get in ahead of GaSt. It's pretty random for the last handful of teams in or out.

That is all outweighed by Akron's much stronger overall schedule (#25 vs #80) and much better results against the top 25 (2-2-2 vs 1-3-0). The committee wants teams that have shown they can compete at a high level. Akron's case for that is much stronger than GA State's. That said, I expect GA State to get in along with Akron.

It's based on facts, my friend! Unless the committee decides to invent entirely new criteria (like must finish in top 4 in conference), the Zips are in.

Sure, but check out the records of the teams I listed who are out by RPI. On what basis would one of those teams get in over Akron? Akron has the best win, over #7 Pitt, of any them, a better strength-of-schedule than any except Michigan, which is 1-6-0 against the top 25 while Akron is 2-2-2. Etc etc.

Final RPIs are up. Akron is #27. Last team in (if going strictly by RPI) is #37 Loyola Marymount. Out are Michigan, Rhode Island, Cornell, Elon, Northeastern, Stanford, VCU, Central Arkansas, BUGS. The Zips are a lock for a slot. Might even get a home game.

Vermont wins, 1-0 Missouri St wins, 3-0 Notre Dame over Duke in the ACC final, 2-0. (No impact on Zips, both getting in regardless.) Grand Canyon up 1-0 at halftime.