Regionals are complete, Super Regionals in progress.
New readers should consult a separate page that gives some general background information on the records, polls, RPI, ISR, etc information included in the table below. (An "N" indicates a "national" seed.) As usual, the polls and data are from from Monday, 29 May 2006, when the regional pairings and seedings were announced. Again, many thanks to Boyd Nation for the pseudo-RPI and ISR information generated from his database.
The average (mean) ISR for the field is 111.5,
plus or minus a standard deviation of 8.9.
The median ISR is 114.25.
The highest pseudo-RPI ranking without a bid was Wake Forest (25). The lowest pseudo-RPI with an at-large bid was San Diego (57), although it seems clear that Missouri (48) was lowest in the NCAA's official RPI (or the committee's interpretation of it) because it is the only at-large team with a #4 seed. The highest ISR without a bid was Long Beach State (114.9). The lowest ISR with an at-large bid was Missouri (109.5), just behind Jacksonville (110.2) and South Alabama (110.2).
Note: The NCAA identified the regions only by location, so the region numbering scheme is my own creation, reflecting the seeding of the associated super regional and identifying which of the two paired regionals has a top-8 nationally seeded team.
Super Regional Summary:
I order these results to reflect the pairings in the CWS brackets. Note that the host team is the home team in game 1 of the best-of-3 series (home team for game 3 is from a flip of a coin), and that the 1-8 and 4-5 series started first because those pairs will play first in the CWS. An asterisk (*) indicates a National seed.
Super Regional 1: Oral Roberts 8 5
at Clemson* 11 6 ==> meets 8
Super Regional 8: C.of Charlstn 0 3
at Georgia Tech* 5 12 ==> meets 1
Super Regional 4: N. Carolina 11 8 ==> meets 5
at Alabama* 5 7
Super Regional 5: Missouri 1 1
at CSU,Fullrtn* 7 9 ==> meets 4
==========================
Super Regional 2: Oklahoma 4 11 5
at Rice* 10 5 9 ==> meets 7
Super Regional 7: S. Carolina 15 5 6
at Georgia* 6 11 11 ==> meets 2
Super Regional 3: Stanford 3 0
at Oregon St 4 15 ==> meets 6
Super Regional 6: Miami (FL) 9 7 14 ==> meets 3
at Mississippi 11 0 9
==========================
Complete Results:
Note: The regional names in square brackets are currently my own invention, they have not yet been "officially" determined by Craig Gowens, now and forever the "Commissioner of the SWC". All series started on Friday, 2 June. The order here is by national seed, not by future CWS pairing (which is the 1-8, 5-4, 2-7, 6-3 order used in NCAA brackets) or the seemingly random order used this year.
NCAA Record Polls Boyd Nation
Seed Team Result W L T CB BA RPI ISR etc....
==== =============== ====== ======= == == === === ===============
Region 1 [East I] - Clemson, SC
----------------- -----------
N1 * Clemson WW W 47-14 3 3 1 122 ACC champ (Atl #1)
3 Miss. State LWWL 35-21 . . 34 113 SEC (West #5)
2 Elon WLL 44-16 . . 24 114 Southern #1
4 UNC-Asheville LL 28-33 . . 152 99 Big South champ (#6)
Region 1a [Midwest II] - Fayetteville, AR
---------------------- ----------------
3 * Oral Roberts WW W 39-14 . . 49 112 Mid Cont. champ (#1)
1 Oklahoma St. WLWL 39-18 14 20 17 117 Big 12 #2
2 Arkansas LWL 38-19 15 21 15 118 SEC (West #2)
4 Princeton LL 19-24-1 . . 223 90 Ivy champ (Gehrig #1)
===> Super Regional 1: Oral Roberts 8 5
at Clemson 11 6 ==> meets 8
==========================
Region 2 [Bayou] - Houston, TX
---------------- -----------
N1 * Rice WW W 50-10 1 1 2 124 Conf USA champ (#1)
3 Baylor WLWL 35-24 . . 32 114 Big 12 #6
2 Arizona St LWL 36-19 17 16 28 119 Pac-10 #2
4 Prairie View LL 33-20 . . 229 90 SWAC champ (West #1)
Region 2a [Central II] - Norman, OK
---------------------- ----------
1 * Oklahoma LWWWW 40-19 13 17 9 119 Big 12 #4
3 Wichita St WW LL 44-20 . . 45 111 MoValley #3
4 Texas Christian WLL 38-21 . . 71 112 Mtn West champ (#1)
2 Houston LL 39-20 11 14 20 116 Conf USA #2
===> Super Regional 2: Oklahoma 4 11 5
at Rice 10 5 9 ==> meets 7
==========================
Region 3 [Central I] - Austin, TX
-------------------- ----------
3 * Stanford WW W 30-25 . . 44 116 Pac-10 #6
2 NC State LWWL 38-21 26 -- 14 114 ACC runner-up (Atl#3)
N1 Texas WLL 40-19 5 4 5 121 Big 12 #1
4 Texas-Arlington LL 29-34 . . 111 104 Southland champ (#5)
Region 3a [West II] - Corvallis, OR
------------------- -------------
1 * Oregon St WW W 39-14 4 5 30 121 Pac-10 champ (#1)
3 Hawaii LWWL 43-15 . . 36 118 WAC #2
2 Kansas WLL 42-23 28 22 33 115 Big 12 champ (#5)
4 Wright St LL 32-25 . . 156 99 Horizon champ (#3)
===> Super Regional 3: Stanford 3 0
at Oregon St 4 15 ==> meets 6
==========================
Region 4 [DeepSouth I] - Tuscaloosa, AL
---------------------- --------------
N1 * Alabama WW W 41-19 7 6 6 118 SEC (West #1)
2 Troy St WLWL 45-14 27 -- 22 115 Sun Belt champ (#1)
3 Southern Miss LWL 38-21 . . 40 112 Conf USA #4
4 Jacksonville St LL 35-22 . . 140 100 OhioValley champ (#2)
Region 4a [East II] - Chapel Hill, NC
------------------- ---------------
1 * N. Carolina WW W 45-13 6 11 11 117 ACC (Coastal #1)
2 Winthrop WLWL 44-16 . . 19 113 Big South #2
3 UNC-Wilmington LWL 41-20 . . 46 107 Colonial champ (#5)
4 Maine LL 35-20-1 . . 165 95 Amer.East champ (#3)
===> Super Regional 4: N. Carolina 11 8 ==> meets 5
at Alabama 5 7
==========================
Region 5 [West I] - Fullerton, CA
----------------- -------------
N1 * CSU,Fullerton WW W 43-13 2 2 3 127 Big West champ (#1)
2 Fresno St WLWL 43-16 22 19 31 118 WAC champ (#1)
3 San Diego LWL 32-23 . . 57 115 West Coast #3
4 St. Louis LL 32-27 . . 129 98 Atl.10 champ (#5)
Region 5a [Pacific] - Malibu, CA
------------------- ----------
4 * Missouri LWWWW 31-25 . . 48 110 Big 12 #7
1 Pepperdine WW LL 40-19 25 18 18 120 West Coast champ (#1)
2 UCLA WLL 32-23 . . 23 119 Pac-10 #3
3 UC Irvine LL 36-22 . . 38 119 Big West #3
===> Super Regional 5: Missouri 1 1
at CSU,Fullrtn 7 9 ==> meets 4
==========================
Region 6 [Midwest I] - Lincoln, NE
-------------------- -----------
2 * Miami (FL) WW W 36-21 21 -- 13 114 ACC (Coastal #4)
4 Manhattan WLWL 32-21 . . 142 96 Metro Atl champ (#2)
3 San Francisco LWL 38-21 -- 25 51 116 West Coast #2
N1 Nebraska LL 42-15 12 9 7 121 Big 12 runner-up (#3)
Region 6a [DeepSouth II] - Oxford, MS
------------------------ ----------
1 * Mississippi WW W 40-20 18 7 16 116 SEC champ (W #3)
2 Tulane LWWL 41-19 19 23 26 114 Conf USA #3
3 South Alabama WLL 38-19 . . 39 110 Sun Belt #3
4 Bethune-Cookman LL 30-25 . . 134 99 MEAC champ (#1)
===> Super Regional 6: Miami (FL) 9 7 14 ==> meets 3
at Mississippi 11 0 9
==========================
Region 7 [SouthEast I] - Athens, GA
---------------------- ----------
N1 * Georgia WLWWW 41-19 10 8 8 119 SEC (East #2)
2 Florida St WW LL 42-19 24 -- 10 116 ACC (Atlantic #2)
3 Jacksonville LWL 42-17 . . 43 110 Atl.Sun (#1)
4 Sacred Heart LL 26-28 . . 236 87 Northeast champ (#5)
Region 7a [NorthEast] - Charlottesville, VA
--------------------- -------------------
2 * S. Carolina WW LW 37-22 . . 29 112 SEC (East #4)
3 Evansville LWWWL 40-20 29 -- 60 107 MoValley champ (#1)
1 Virginia WLL 46-13 9 12 12 116 ACC (Coastal #2)
4 Lehigh LL 28-26 . . 198 91 Patriot champ (#1)
===> Super Regional 7: S. Carolina 15 5 6
at Georgia 6 11 11 ==> meets 2
==========================
Region 8 [SouthEast II] - Atlanta, GA
----------------------- -----------
N1 * Georgia Tech WW W 45-16 16 10 4 118 ACC (Coastal #3)
2 Vanderbilt WLWL 36-25 30 -- 35 112 SEC runner-up (E #3)
3 Michigan LWL 42-19 23 -- 50 110 Big 10 champ (#1)
4 Stetson LL 38-22 . . 65 106 Atl.Sun champ (#4)
Region 8a [MidEast] - Lexington, KY
------------------- -------------
2 * C.of Charleston WW W 43-15 -- 24 21 114 Southern champ (#2)
1 Kentucky LWWL 42-15 8 13 27 116 SEC (East #1)
4 Ball State WLL 37-20 . . 72 107 MAC champ (West #2)
3 Notre Dame LL 45-15 20 15 42 110 Big East champ (#1)
===> Super Regional 8: C.of Charlstn 0 3
at Georgia Tech 5 12 ==> meets 1
==========================
Related information:
In addition, I include the usual list of "bridesmaid" teams. Several of these were obvious and proposed by many newsgroup readers, others stood out in Boyd's rankings, and some were picked just to placate or annoy regular newsgroup readers. There are none missing with an ISR of 114 or above.
This list of possible teams is of particular interest with the expansion of the tournament to 64 teams. One can compare the thresholds used in past years (where we also have RPI and ISR data) to those used with the expanded field. Teams that exceed the objective thresholds in the pseudo-RPI and ISR which lead me to think they deserve consideration are flagged in the table below. However, it is important to note that these numeric scores from computer rating formulae are not the only criteria used by the selection committee, nor should they be the only criteria used.
Decisive criteria listed by the NCAA selection committee in the past have included strength of non-conference schedule and performance in the conference tournament in addition to the overall season performance numbers we tabulate here.
Examination of the 2001 seeds showed that conference finish was undoubtedly the reason every team with a pseudo-RPI high enough to make the field strictly by the numbers (those marked with an "*") was left out of the tournament. This is clearly the case for two of the teams in this group, which were well down in the standings of two heavily represented conferences, the ACC and SEC. Wake Forest went 0-2 in the ACC tournament, and Florida finished last in its division of the SEC. A third team, LSU, finished just ahead of tournament-bound Mississippi State in the SEC, but lost 2 of 3 (at home!) to Mississippi State. That alone might have been used to break the near-tie and put Mississippi State into the tourney, but LSU was also behind in the RPI (37 to 34) and ISR (111 to 113). The fourth, Long Beach State (skipped over to get to UC Irvine), is a far more interesting case:
Long Beach State has a significantly worse RPI (47 vs 38) and lower ISR (115 vs 119) rating than UC Irvine. Its RPI puts it right on the bubble with Missouri (48 RPI), which would seem to be the last at-large team added to the field given that it is the only one with a #4 seed, although it did not have the lowest RPI of an at-large team. (That honor went to #51 San Francisco and #57 San Diego, both from the West Coast conference. This could suggest that the committee decided to put in three teams from the West Coast conference before it chose Missouri over LBSU, but it could also be that Missouri is in that region simply to satisfy the rule on distribution of conferences between regions.) Assuming the choice was between LBSU and Missouri, the ISR favors Long Beach (Missouri only has a 110 rating) while the RPI gives a very slight edge to Missouri. Could Long Beach have been a victim of the bias against western teams in the way the RPI is structured, as Boyd Nation has often argued? However, if the comparison is between LBSU (115 ISR) and either San Francisco (116 ISR and nationally ranked in one poll) or San Diego (115 ISR), it could be that the decision was to pick San Diego over Long Beach State. Otherwise, it would seem that being #7 in the Big 12 (after 3rd seeded Baylor, in front of ...) is more significant to the NCAA than being #2 in the Big West ahead of 3rd seeded UC Irvine. Like I said, interesting case. Must be tough to be on the NCAA selection committee.
... RPI analysis NOT YET COMPLETE ...
Overlooked ? (ordered by ISR, records may not be accurate)
----------
Record Polls Boyd Nation
Seed Team W L T CB BA RPI ISR etc....
==== =============== ...... ======= == == === === ===============
X Long Beach St 29-27 . . 47 115 Big West #2
X Washington 33-24 . . 75 115 Pac-10 #5
X UC Riverside 29-25 . . 67 115 Big West #6
Pacific 30-25 . . 85 114 Big West #5
* Wake Forest 33-22 . . 25 112 ACC (Atlantic #4)
* Louisiana St 35-24 . . 37 111 SEC (West #4)
Arizona 27-28 . . 78 111 Pac-10 #4
So. Calif. 25-33 . . 66 111 Pac-10 #7
U.LA-La 39-20 . . 56 110 Sun Belt #2
Dallas Baptist 33-23 . . 76 109 Independent (#2)
* Florida 28-28 . . 41 108 SEC (East #6)
Texas A & M 25-30 . . 63 107 Big 12 #10
NY Tech 30-22 . . 168 95 Independent (#3)
Savannah St 30-19 . . 205 94 Independent (#1)
UMES 17-34 . . 270 82 MEAC #4
FAMU 13-34 . . 281 79 MEAC #7
Alabama St 6-30 . . 292 66 SWAC (East #4)
Alabama A & M 3-25 . . 293 61 SWAC (East #5)
---------------
X - denotes team with Boyd's computer ranking above the 114.25
median for regional tournament teams. The lowest ISR of an
at-large team was 1xx.
* - denotes team with a higher pseudo-RPI than the natural cutoff
for a 64-team tournament after automatic bids are used up [46].
==== =============== ====== ======= == == === === == ===============