First off, we just want to reiterate how cool it is to be watching games and have announcers referring to the Bracketology Report like D1 games do with the ESPN Bracketology Reports. I think for us, we may never get used to hearing our name during games, or the recognition on broadcasts or banners in gyms that people have so graciously done for us. As for this edition of our NAIA Hoops Bracketology Report we take a bit of a deeper dive into the at-large pool, conference tournaments and more. The current men’s national championship field sits at 9 of 64 teams that have clinched a berth into the tourney. In this edition, you will see a lot more movement, as we, purposefully, waiting this long to tie more of the “primary criteria” points into our brackets. Without a live RPI sheet, it’s tough to constant adjust every 2 weeks, because the RPI numbers fluctuate so much. This is why you will see some teams now IN, who weren’t in prior and teams now OUT, who were previously IN. The Bubble is still going VERY strong as we enter the final few days of the Regular Season and then teams hold their breath if knocked out of their Conference Tourneys early! We will have one more FINAL BRACKETOLOGY REPORT after the Conference Tourney’s are finished and we have all of the 37 auto-bids locked in! Until then, hope you enjoy this edition leading up to conference tourneys next week!
The Bracket
Current Field: 9 of 64
Auto-Bids
Team Logo = Clinched Auto-Bid
Rest are projections
Tournament Champion: Columbia
CCC Regular Season Champs
Tourney Champ/2nd Seed: Eastern Oregon
Regular Season Champion: Grace
Tourney Champ/2nd Seed: Indiana Wesleyan
GSAC Regular Season Champions
Tourney Champ/Runner-Up: The Master’s
KCAC Regular Season Champions
Tourney Champ/2nd Seed: Kansas Wesleyan
Regular Season Champion: Tx A&M Texarkana
Tourney Champ/Highest ARC: LSU Shreveport
Regular Season Champion: Loyola
Tourney Champ/Runner Up: Faulkner
AAC Regular Season Champions
Tourney Champ/2nd Seed: Tennessee Wesleyan
Regular Season Champion: St. Xavier
Tourney Champ/2nd Seed: Olivet Nazarene
Tournament Champion: Montana Tech
Regular Season Champion: Jamestown
Tourney Champ/Runner-Up: Morningside
Regular Season Champion: Georgetown
Tourney Champ/Runner-Up Freed-Hardeman
RSC Overall No. 1 Seed
Tourney Runer-Up: IU Kokomo
Tourney Champ: St Thomas
CALPAC Regular Season Champions
Tourney Champ/2nd Seed: St Katherine
Tournament Champion: Florida College
Tourney Runner-Up: Iowa Wesleyan
Tournament Champion: Tougaloo
Heart Regular Season Champions
Tourney Champ/2nd Seed: Baker
Tourney Champ: Mayville State
SAC Regular Season Champions
Tourney Champ/Runner-Up: Wayland Baptist
WHAC Regular Season Champions
Tourney Champ/Runner-Up: Lourdes
At-Large Bids
Below you will see what the Selection Committee looks at when comparing At-Large teams.
Primary Criteria
Winning %
RPI
SOS
Net Effeciency
ARC Rating
vs Top 25 in Coaches Poll
Secondary Criteria
Coaches Poll
Conference Record
vs ALL Teams RV Final Coaches Poll
vs ALL teams RV
Common Opponents
Head To Head
At-Large Pool
Top 80 RPI or Listed in ARC Ratings
The Selection Committee will take into consideration anyone who is in the Top 80 in the RPI’s and/or anyone who is brought into consideration prior to the final selection committee meeting. Listed below are the teams who meet those criteria. Disregard Morningside, as we had this posted prior to the Dordt loss last night. We now have them as an auto-bid selection.
Firmly In
Crossroads: Huntington, Marian, Bethel (IN)
GPAC: Dordt, Northwestern
GSAC: Jessup, Hope International, OUAZ
Heart: Evangel, Peru State
KCAC: Southwestern KS
Mid-South: Thomas More, TN Southern, Shawnee State
Sun: Thomas
WHAC: Madonna
The Bubble
IN, but Getting Nervous
GPAC: Concordia (NE)
Cascade: Southern Oregon
Frontier: MSU Northern
GSAC: Menlo
Heart: MidAmerica Nazarene
Mid-South: Pikeville, Cumberlands
RRAC: Xavier, LSU Alexandria
SSAC: Life
WHAC: Rochester
Last Four In
LSU Alexandria
Rochester
Life (GA)
Southern Oregon
First Four Out
Point Park
IU South Bend
Cornerstone
Roosevelt
Next Four Out
Westmont
Philander Smith
Warner Pacific
Central Methodist
Conference Tournaments and Auto Qualifiers
American Midwest Conference
February 23-28, 2023 | Hosted by higher seed
Conference Website
Tournament Champion:
One Team (Tournament Champion) earn an automatic bid to the National Championship
Appalachian Athletic Conference
February 22-25, 2023 | Hosted by MeadowView Marriott | Kingsport, Tenn.
Conference Website
Regular Season Champion: Union (KY)
Tournament Champion:
Two teams (Regular Season and Tournament Champion, if same then second place team in Regular Season) earn an automatic bid to the National Championship
California Pacific Conference
February 25-28, 2023 | Hosted by Park Gilbert (Ariz.) at Legacy Sports Park | Gilbert, Ariz.
Conference Website
Regular Season Champion: Antelope Valley (CA)
Tournament Champion:
Two teams (Regular Season & Tournament Champion, if same then Tournament Runner-Up) earn an automatic bid to the National Championship
Cascade Collegiate Conference
February 21-27, 2023 | Hosted by higher seed
Conference Website
Regular Season Champion: College of Idaho
Tournament Champion:
Two teams (Regular Season and Tournament Champion, if same then Tournament No. 2 seed) earn an automatic bid to the National Championship
Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference
February 21-25, 2023 | Hosted by higher seed
Conference Website
Regular Season Champion:
Tournament Champion:
Two teams (Regular Season Champion and Tournament Champion, if same then Regular Season Second Place) earn an automatic bid to the National Championship
Continental Athletic Conference (Independents)
February 24-26, 2023 | Hosted by Haskell Indian Nations (Kan.) | Lawrence, Kan.
Conference Website
Tournament Champion:
Tournament Runner-Up:
Two teams (Tournament Champion and Tournament Runner-Up) earn an automatic bid to the National Championship
Crossroads League
February 22-28, 2023 | Hosted by Higher Seed
Conference Website
Tournament Champion:
Regular Season Champion:
Two teams (Regular Season and Tournament Champion, if same then Regular Season Runner-Up) earn an automatic bid to the National Championship
Frontier Conference
February 26-28, 2023 | Hosted by Providence (Mont.) at Four Seasons Arena | Great Falls, Mont.
Conference Website
Tournament Champion:
One team (Tournament Champion) earns an automatic bid to the National Championship
Golden State Athletic Conference
February 23-25, 2023 | Hosted by Hope International (Calif.) | Fullerton, Calif.
Conference Website
Tournament Champion: Arizona Christian
Regular Season Champion:
Two teams (Regular Season and Tournament Champion, if same then Tournament Runner-Up) earn an automatic bid to the National Championship
Great Plains Athletic Conference
February 23-28, 2023 | Hosted by higher seed
Conference Website
Tournament Champion:
Regular Season Champion:
Two teams (Regular Season and Tournament Champion, if same then Tournament Runner-Up) earn an automatic bid to the National Championship
Gulf Coast Athletic Conference
February 23-26, 2023 | Hosted by Tougaloo (Miss.) at Kroger Gymnasium | Jackson, Miss.
Conference Website
Tournament Champion:
One team (Tournament Champion) earns an automatic bid to the National Championship
Heart of America Athletic Conference
February 23-28, 2023 | Hosted by higher seed
Conference Website
Regular Season Champion: William Penn
Tournament Champion:
Two teams (Regular Season and Tournament Champion, if same then Regular Season Runner-Up) earn an automatic bid to the National Championship .
Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference
February 22-27, 2023 | Higher Seed Hosts Quarters and Semis | Championship Game Hosted by Hartman Arena | Park City, Kan.
Conference Website
Regular Season Champion: Oklahoma Wesleyan
Tournament Champion:
Two teams (Regular Season and Tournament Champion, if same then Tournament No. 2 seed) earn an automatic bid to the National Championship
Mid-South Conference
February 21-27, 2023 | Hosted at Bowling Green Arena | Bowling Green, Kentucky
Conference Website
Regular Season Champion:
Tournament Champion:
Two teams (Regular Season and Tournament Champion, if same then Tournament Runner-Up) earn an automatic bid to the National Championship
North Star Athletic Conference
February 21-26, 2023 | Hosted at Watertown Civic Arena | Watertown, S.D.
Conference Website
Tournament Champion:
One team (Tournament Champion) earns an automatic bid to the National Championship
Red River Athletic Conference
February 24-26, 2023 | Hosted by LSU-Alexandria (La.) at Rapides Coliseum | Alexandria, Louisiana
Conference Website
Regular Season Champion:
Tournament Champion:
Two teams (Regular Season and Tournament Champion, if same then highest RRAC Team in Southwest ARC Final Rating) earns an automatic bid to the National Championship
River States Athletic Conference
February 22-28, 2023 | Hosted by higher seed
Conference Website
Overall No. 1-seed: Rio Grande (OH)
Tournament Champion:
Two teams (Tournament Champion and overall No. 1-seed (most conference points), if the same then the Tournament Runner-Up) earn an automatic bid to the National Championship
Sooner Athletic Conference
February 23-28, 2023 | Higher Seed Hosts Quarterfinals | Semifinals and Championship hosted by Mid-America Christian | Oklahoma City, Okla.
Conference Website
Regular Season Champion: Langston (OK)
Tournament Champion:
Two teams (Regular Season and Tournament Champion, if same then Tournament Runner-Up) earn an automatic bid to the National Championship
Southern States Athletic Conference
February 22-25, 2023 | Hosted at Cramton Bowl Multiplex | Montgomery, Ala.
Conference Website
Regular Season Champion:
Tournament Champion:
Two teams (Regular Season and Tournament Champion, if same then Tournament Runner-Up) earn an automatic bid to the National Championship
The Sun Conference
February 21-25, 2023 | Higher Seed Hosts Quarterfinals | Semifinals and Championship hosted by regular season champions
Conference Website
Tournament Champion:
One team (Tournament Champion) earns an automatic bid to the National Championship
Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference
February 23-28, 2023 | Hosted by higher seed
Conference Website
Regular Season Champion: Indiana Tech
Tournament Champion:
Two teams (Regular Season and Tournament Champion, if same then Tournament Runner-Up) earn an automatic bid to the National Championship
