D2 Regionalization

[KleShreen]

Re: D2 Regionalization

No disrespect to them. Really. It's just obvious that the model leaves some really good teams at home over some that probably shouldn't be there. It happens in football but not on the level it does in some other more seasonal sports. You're exactly right about their access, etc. I realize.

But, for example, in golf only about half of the 20 teams at the national tournament are ranked in the Top 25.

http://results.golfstat.com//public/...team&tid=14616

You also can't abandon half the country in some of the sports, though. If you leave the regional model, then baseball, softball, golf, swimming/diving would abandon half the nation. Lacrosse would be essentially in only one or two regions. About the only sports that would actually be played nationally would be football, volleyball and basketball because there aren't specific pockets of the country that are more proficient than others.

But then you would also not see things like Augustana just winning the Division II baseball title. They would have never been in the field.

[CALUPA69]

Re: D2 Regionalization

You also can't abandon half the country in some of the sports, though. If you leave the regional model, then baseball, softball, golf, swimming/diving would abandon half the nation. Lacrosse would be essentially in only one or two regions. About the only sports that would actually be played nationally would be football, volleyball and basketball because there aren't specific pockets of the country that are more proficient than others.

But then you would also not see things like Augustana just winning the Division II baseball title. They would have never been in the field.

Surprisingly, baseball and softball have adjusted to the weather differential. Looking at the history of these two sports you'll see a number of coldweather schools including WEST CHESTER UNIVERSITY in baseball twice in the last ten years.

[Stanger86]

Re: D2 Regionalization

Surprisingly, baseball and softball have adjusted to the weather differential. Looking at the history of these two sports you'll see a number of coldweather schools including WEST CHESTER UNIVERSITY in baseball twice in the last ten years.

Southern PA "cold weather" is a bit different than MN/SD cold weather.

[UNALions]

Re: D2 Regionalization

You also can't abandon half the country in some of the sports, though. If you leave the regional model, then baseball, softball, golf, swimming/diving would abandon half the nation. Lacrosse would be essentially in only one or two regions. About the only sports that would actually be played nationally would be football, volleyball and basketball because there aren't specific pockets of the country that are more proficient than others.

But then you would also not see things like Augustana just winning the Division II baseball title. They would have never been in the field.

It seems to work out fine in all other NCAA classifications. Correct me if I'm wrong, but to my knowledge, D2 is the only classification that has this type of regionalization model.

[IUPNation]

Re: D2 Regionalization

Southern PA "cold weather" is a bit different than MN/SD cold weather.

It didn't feel that way this year!!!!

[ctrabs74]

Re: D2 Regionalization

It seems to work out fine in all other NCAA classifications. Correct me if I'm wrong, but to my knowledge, D2 is the only classification that has this type of regionalization model.

In theory, there's a regionalization model in D3; in practice, that doesn't appear to be the case given how approximately half of the 400+ D3 schools are concentrated in the Northeast, particularly in New England, New York State and Pennsylvania.

This is how the regions break down in D3 men's basketball, for example:

Atlantic Region (New York, New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania): 49 schools
Central Region (Midwestern States; mainly Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri): 53 schools
East Region (Upstate New York, parts of Central and Eastern Pennsylvania): 47 schools
Great Lakes Region (Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan): 60 schools
Middle Atlantic Region (Maryland, Metro DC, parts of Eastern and Central Pennsylvania, parts of Virginia): 38 schools
Northeast Region (New England): 76 schools
South Region (from Texas eastward to Kentucky, Virginia to Georgia): 56 schools
West Region (Minnesota, Iowa, West Coast): 48 schools

With 43 conferences eligible for automatic qualification into the D3 tournament, that makes a true regional format very difficult. This is what the NCAA came up with:

Once automatic qualifiers are identified and the [at large] teams are selected, the following guidelines should be followed:

* Teams will be grouped in clusters according to natural geographic proximity. Teams will then be paired according to geographic proximity. A team may be moved to numerically balance the bracket if geographic proximity is maintained. Teams should be paired and eligible sites should be selected according to geographic proximity (within 500 miles).
* Teams may be seeded on a regional basis using the regional selection criteria. However, geographic proximity takes precedence over seeding.
* Teams from the same conference do not have to play one another in the first round as long as geographic proximity is maintained.

The highest-seeded team that meets all selection criteria (and after a review of the submitted host materials) will be selected as the host institution, provided geographic proximity is maintained. It is the intent of the committee to create competition brackets with a maximum of eight teams competing in each bracket. Flights will be kept to a minimum. The host institution will play the second game when applicable.

This is how the NCAA defines 'in-region' competition for D3:

Region 1: Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey,
Rhode Island, Vermont
Region 2: New York, Pennsylvania
Region 3: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia
Region 4: - Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming
4. All conference games.

[boatcapt]

Re: D2 Regionalization

It seems to work out fine in all other NCAA classifications. Correct me if I'm wrong, but to my knowledge, D2 is the only classification that has this type of regionalization model.

Depends on who you talk to about weather it works fine in other NCAA classifications. I also note that the other divisions have automatic qualifiers for conference champs.