Buffalo State looks to keep its undefeated record intact this weekend. /// Buffalo State Rugby Pictures •
Several DII college conferences have doled out their seeds to the fall Round of 32, and this weekend will name many more that will feature at the regional playoffs. The allotment of seeds and match-ups are based on brackets released in the summer (see here) but shouldn’t be regarded as official. The official brackets will come from USA Rugby and include teams that acquired the at-large seeds.
Eligible teams for Round of 32 seeds:
Great Lakes: #1 Davenport, #2 Grand Valley State University
Allegheny: #1 West Virginia
Northern Lights: #1 Winona, #2 St. Cloud State
GREAT WATERS is interesting this year. The north division has four 4-1 teams, and they play each other this weekend: Steven’s Point vs. Eau Claire, and Northern Michigan vs. La Crosse. The victors head to the conference championship next weekend, and head-to-head will decide which team heads directly to the title match against south #1, and which plays for third against south #2. The south division is sending Marquette (5-0) and UIC (4-1), and they play each other this weekend. The outcome, too, will determine which team plays for the title and third place.
The interesting part is that the conference runner-up won’t necessarily take the second seed to the fall Round of 32. Per conference commissioner Gray Zischke:
An independent panel of selectors will watch both the championship and runner-up match and choose the strongest team as our #2 seed. This will prevent the problem over the last two years where the northern division teams were significantly stronger than the south division teams, and we were sending a weaker team as our #2.
Northern Illinois moved to the DI Midwest this season, and thus the ILLINOIS hybrid conference condensed to three DII teams and one DI team. DII Illinois State went undefeated during regular season, while DII Western Illinois finished 2-1. DI Illinois finished 1-2 and Southern Illinois winless. The conference post-season is confusing, and we’ll report after-the-fact. The top-two DII teams receive Round of 32 berths.
MARC’s Pennsylvania division knows its semifinal reps – York and Bloomsburg – and one of those teams will snap its undefeated record this weekend, as the pair plays each other in the final week of league. The Tri-State is sending Kutztown, which has one more game against Drexel (3-2, 14 pts.) but enough standings points (20) to secure a semifinal berth. St. Joseph’s (4-1, 16 pts.) plays The College of New Jersey and is in a battle with Drexel for that final berth.
NEW ENG SMALL COLLEGES is a mystery. The league site hasn’t been updated with scores or standings, but the conference championship will be held Nov. 5. All we do know is that Bowdoin won’t be taking the top seed to Round of 32, as the Polar Bears now compete in NIRA.
NEW ENGLAND WIDE will decide its two R32 reps on standings, and there are still two more weeks of play in the nine-round season. Coast Guard is out in front at 6-0 (the men’s team is 6-0, too) and played a close 17-7 contest against New Hampshire last weekend. Vermont’s looking good at 5-1 and has final games against Smith (2-4) and Westfield (1-5).
The OHIO VALLEY semifinals pit University of Cincinnati vs. Ball State and Kentucky vs. Eastern Kentucky. The two victors will play the title match on Nov. 5 and both will advance to the Round of 32.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN hosts its crossover semifinals and championship this weekend in Greeley, Colo. North #1 Montana State (6-0) vs. South #2 Colorado Mines (6-2), and South #1 Colorado Mesa (8-0) vs. North #2 Utah State (3-3). Conference receives two seeds to Round of 32.
RUGBY NORTHEAST reps are standings-based and two weeks remain in league. St. Michael’s and Roger Williams are both 3-0 (they play Nov. 5) and are the favorites for advancing. The St. Michael’s vs. Stonehill match, which occurs this weekend, has been the highlight in the past, but 0-2 Stonehill is rebuilding this year.
TRI-STATE semifinals see Siena vs. Vassar and RPI vs. Albany; championship and 3rd place games occur following weekend. Conference receives three Round of 32 spots.
UPSTATE NEW YORK holds a final four Nov. 5-6, and this weekend’s league-ending games will provide insight into how those top-four teams look eight games into the fall. Undefeated Buffalo State (7-0, 34 pts.) plays Ithaca (5-2, 25 pts.), and Buffalo and Geneseo play. The latter match features two teams with 6-1 records and 31 standings pts.
ALSO … The CAPITAL conference hosts its quarterfinals this weekend, but remember: These teams advance to the spring championships.
#1 Towson v American University#2 George Washington v UMBC#3 Mary Washington v Salisbury University#4 Old Dominion University v George Mason University
Winners of matches #1 and #4 will play in the semifinals next Saturday, while #2 and #3 victors face off for the finals’ berth on Nov. 6.