It started yesterday at 10 a.m. in Winston-Salem, N.C. with a whistle and a smack of a plastic ball on wet turf. It’s the season of conference tournaments in NCAA Division I field hockey, as the 51 teams which qualified for their respective postseasons are now playing down to 10 automatic qualifiers.
There will also be eight at-large bids, which will be shared in large part by the ACC and Big Ten, but I’m pretty sure the Ivy League, Big East, and the MAC will be fighting over the rest of the at-large bids. I know the selection committee for field hockey doesn’t go through the same kind of ritual the men’s basketball selectors do, but if they did have a smoky ballroom in Indianapolis at their disposal, it would be interesting to see who would receive the designation of “Last In” and “First Out.”
Here’s our annual look at the Division I field hockey conference tournaments:
AMERICA EAST CONFERENCE
Top seed: Albany
Number of teams likely to make the NCAA Tournament: 1
Number of teams that should make the Tournament: 1
The skinny: There have been some classic games played in the America East over the last five years, some of the best in the college game. However, it will take a lot to get a second team in the postseason from this circuit
ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE
Top seed: North Carolina
Number of teams likely to make the NCAA Tournament: 5
Number of teams that should make the Tournament: 4 1/2
The skinny: I think North Carolina, Virginia, and Boston College are in no matter what they do. But what about Syracuse and Duke? These teams have double-digit wins, but how will they compare to the rest of the potential teams in the at-large field? Sure, they won yesterday, but will that be enough for the committee?
ATLANTIC 10 CONFERENCE
Top seed: St. Joseph’s
Number of teams likely to make the NCAA Tournament: 1
Number of teams that should make the Tournament: 1
The skinny: I think St. Joseph’s makes the tournament no matter what it does; any other team in this conference is a bonus
BIG EAST CONFERENCE
Top seed: Connecticut
Number of teams likely to make the NCAA Tournament: 1
Number of teams that should make the Tournament: 2
The skinny: I think Connecticut makes the tournament no matter what it does; there are some quality sides in this conference which are not going to hear their names on Selection Sunday. Spare a thought for Villanova, which didn’t even qualify for this tournament despite a dead-on tie for fifth in the league with Liberty; both were 10-7 overall and 4-3 in the league
BIG TEN CONFERENCE
Top seed: Northwestern
Number of teams likely to make the NCAA Tournament: 4
Number of teams that should make the Tournament: 4
The skinny: Northwestern, Maryland, Michigan, and Ohio State are complete locks to make the Division I bracket. Indiana, Rutgers, and Iowa will have to win the tournament to get in
IVY LEAGUE
Top seed: Princeton
Number of teams likely to make the NCAA Tournament: 1 1/2
Number of teams that should make the Tournament: 2
The skinny: I think Princeton and Harvard are going to make the NCAA Tournament unless both teams lose Friday afternoon in the tournament semis
COASTAL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
Top seed: Drexel
Number of teams likely to make the NCAA Tournament: 1
Number of teams that should make the Tournament: 1
The skinny: Drexel and Northeastern are fine sides with good out-of-conference performances, but only the winner of the CAA final will make the NCAAs
MID-ATLANTIC CONFERENCE
Top seed: James Madison
Number of teams likely to make the NCAA Tournament: 1
Number of teams that should make the Tournament: 2
The skinny: This is going to be a one-bid conference, but it would be a great story if Appalachian State were to win this conference tournament. The area around Boone, N.C. was one of the most adversely impacted towns affected by the remnants of Hurricane Irene, forcing the Mountaineers to temporarily relocate to Charlotte
NORTHEAST CONFERENCE
Top seed: Wagner
Number of teams likely to make the NCAA Tournament: 1
Number of teams that should make the Tournament: 1
The skinny: The NEC has four teams with more than 10 wins this season, but the NEC will still only get one bid this season to the NCAA Tournament
PATRIOT LEAGUE
Top seed: American
Number of teams likely to make the NCAA Tournament: 1
Number of teams that should make the Tournament: 1
The skinny: American and Lafayette are the two teams we fancy to make the tournament final next weekend, and only the winner of the final will make the NCAA bracket
