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With Ohio State and Penn State winning its conference championships earlier today, Off Block is releasing its most updated projections of the NCAA Tournament bracket heading into the MPSF title match between USC and UC Santa Barbara.
The men’s volleyball NCAA Tournament is comprised of four teams. Automatic bids are awarded to the winners of the EIVA, MIVA and MPSF conference tournaments, and the NCAA Men’s Volleyball National Committee chooses one team for an at-large bid.
The three-person men’s volleyball committee typically meets following all of the conference tournaments to select the at-large team and the tournament seeding. For an in-depth look at the criteria used by the selection committee, check out this breakdown.
The men’s volleyball championship tournament has remained a four-team field since the sport became NCAA sanctioned in 1970.
In recent years, though, there has been a growing possibility of the NCAA Tournament expanding to eight teams. This also might become more likely with the Conference Carolinas qualifying for an automatic bid to the tournament starting in 2014.
As a result of this potential tournament format change, Off the Block will also project this year’s NCAA Tournament if it expanded to eight teams with four automatic conference bids and four at-large bids.
The men’s volleyball NCAA Tournament will take place Thursday and Saturday in University Park, Pa.
Projected Final Four
No. 1 seed USC (23-2) vs. No. 4 seed Stanford (19-9)*
No. 2 seed Ohio State (24-6) vs. No. 3 seed Penn State (24-6)
Last four out
BYU (20-8)
UC Irvine (19-12)
Hawai’i (15-13)
UC Santa Barbara (16-14)
Comments
Nothing changes with the projected conference winners Ohio State and Penn State winning their conference championships. Stanford and BYU need to start waving their USC pom poms for the rest of the night. If USC loses in the MPSF Tournament championship match, it will get the at-large bid and end all the debate on whether Stanford or BYU should get the at-large bid. Nothing changed following the conference tournament semifinals and Stanford still holds an extremely slim lead over BYU for the at-large bid based on the criteria used by the selection committee.
If the NCAA Tournament expanded to 8 teams
No. 1 seed USC (23-2) vs. No. 8 seed Mount Olive (20-7)
No. 2 seed Ohio State (24-6) vs. No. 7 Hawai’i (15-13)*
No. 3 seed Penn State (24-6) vs. No. 6 UC Irvine (19-11)*
No. 4 seed Stanford (19-9)* vs. No. 5 seed BYU (20-8)*
Last four out
UC Santa Barbara (16-14)
Loyola (21-7)
Long Beach State (15-14)
Lewis (20-11)
Comments
No changes in the hypothetical eight-team tournament. Even in this format, UC Santa would still have to beat the USC to get into the NCAA Tournament with Hawai’i being ahead of it for the final at-large spot. However, a Gauchos victory in the MPSF Tournament would bounce Hawai’i out of the eight-team tournament field.
*Indicates at-large bid