skip to: Top 20 teams

MEET WEEK 9
Friday, February 27
6:00pm ET 3:00pm PT	Illinois St W. Michigan Wilberforce @ E. Michigan	SCORES	ESPN+
6:00pm ET 3:00pm PT	Georgia @ Kentucky	SCORES	SECN
7:00pm ET 4:00pm PT	GWU UNH Yale @ NC State	SCORES	ACC+
7:00pm ET 4:00pm PT	BYU @ W. Virginia	SCORES	ESPN+
7:00pm ET 4:00pm PT	Towson Temple Ball St @ Pitt	SCORES	ACC+
7:00pm ET 4:00pm PT	C. Michigan @ N. Illinois	SCORES	ESPN+
7:00pm ET 4:00pm PT	Winona St Eau Claire @ La Crosse	SCORES	FREE
7:00pm ET 4:00pm PT	Stout @ Oshkosh	SCORES	FREE
7:00pm ET 4:00pm PT	Simpson @ Gustavus	SCORES	FREE
7:30pm ET 4:30pm PT	LIU @ SEMO	SCORES
7:45pm ET 4:45pm PT	Auburn @ Oklahoma	SCORES	SECN
8:00pm ET 5:00pm PT	Florida Arizona St Fisk @ TWU	SCORES	($)
8:30pm ET 5:30pm PT	UC Davis @ S. Utah	SCORES	($)
8:30pm ET 5:30pm PT	Air Force @ Utah St	SCORES	FREE
9:30pm ET 6:30pm PT	Alabama @ LSU	SCORES	SECN
9:30pm ET 6:30pm PT	Cal San Jose St @ Sac State	SCORES	($)
10:00pm ET 7:00pm PT	Maryland Ohio St Iowa @ UCLA	SCORES	FS1
10:00pm ET 7:00pm PT	Stanford @ Oregon St	SCORES	FREE
Saturday, February 28
12:00pm ET 9:00am PT	Greenville @ Brockport	SCORES
1:00pm ET 10:00am PT	Bridgeport @ West Chester	SCORES
5:00pm ET 2:00pm PT	Hamline @ Whitewater	SCORES	FREE
6:00pm ET 3:00pm PT	Michigan Nebraska Washington @ Penn St	SCORES	BTN
Sunday, March 1
1:00pm ET 10:00am PT	SCSU @ Cornell	SCORES	ESPN+
1:00pm ET 10:00am PT	Bowling Green @ Kent St	SCORES	FREE
1:00pm ET 10:00am PT	Ithaca Rhode Island Springfield @ Utica	SCORES	FREE
2:00pm ET 11:00am PT	NC State W. Virginia Ursinus @ Towson	SCORES	FREE
2:00pm ET 11:00am PT	Cortland @ Brown	SCORES	ESPN+
2:00pm ET 11:00am PT	Arkansas @ Missouri	SCORES	SEC+
4:00pm ET 1:00pm PT	LSU Alabama Arizona N. Carolina
4:00pm ET 1:00pm PT	Utah @ Denver	SCORES	($)
4:00pm ET 1:00pm PT	Michigan St Illinois Rutgers @ Minnesota	SCORES	BTN
5:00pm ET 2:00pm PT	Arizona St Boise St Sac State @ San Jose St	SCORES	FREE
Monday, March 2
8:30pm ET 5:30pm PT	Utah St @ S. Utah	SCORES	($)

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TOP 20 SCHEDULE
Friday, February 27
6:00 ET 3:00 PT	[6] Georgia @ Kentucky	SCORES	SECN
7:45 ET 4:45 PT	[15] Auburn @ [1] Oklahoma	SCORES	SECN
8:00 ET 5:00 PT	[4] Florida Arizona St Fisk @ TWU	SCORES	($)
9:30 ET 6:30 PT	[3] Alabama @ [2] LSU	SCORES	SECN
9:30 ET 6:30 PT	[16] Cal San Jose St @ Sac State	SCORES	($)
10:00 ET 7:00 PT	[18] Iowa [19] Ohio St Maryland @ [5] UCLA	SCORES	FS1
10:00 ET 7:00 PT	[10] Stanford @ Oregon St	SCORES	FREE
Saturday, February 28
6:00 ET 3:00 PT	[9] Michigan Nebraska Washington @ [20] Penn St	SCORES	BTN
Sunday, March 1
2:00 ET 11:00 PT	[8] Arkansas @ [7] Missouri	SCORES	SEC+
4:00 ET 1:00 PT	[2] LSU [3] Alabama [17] N. Carolina Arizona
4:00 ET 1:00 PT	[12] Utah @ Denver	SCORES	($)
4:00 ET 1:00 PT	[11] Michigan St Illinois Rutgers @ [13] Minnesota	SCORES	BTN

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That’s Our History

As we begin to creep tentatively toward the postseason, focus turns to those teams that may advance to regionals, particularly in a surprising or historic fashion. (Sorry Utah, no one cares if you advance to regionals, you’ve never not done that. Now, about nationals…)

Currently sitting right on the top-36 bubble, we have #35 Air Force, which has not advanced to regionals since all the way back in the historic 2002 season when Air Force finished a program-best 25th. Wow, did Air Force have a particularly amazing season that year? No. Which brings us to this week’s edition of At Least Things Used to be Even Dumber.

In 2002, Air Force finished the regular season ranked #42, comfortably outside the top 36 regional places, but by virtue of being one of the three best unseeded teams located in the North Central Region, was awarded a spot at regionals. By contrast, poor NC State finished that same 2002 regular season ranked #28 (with an NQS over a point better than Air Force’s) but did not advance to regionals because of being in the stacked Southeast Region.

It was very bad. When stupid things happen now—like teams getting put into the regional play-ins instead of the semifinals where they belong—I remind myself how much worse it used to be. It doesn’t help.

Then, because Air Force’s 193.775 regionals score ended up being one of the better national results, Air Force suddenly finished the season ranked #25.

On both occasions when Air Force advanced to regionals (2001 and 2002), the team finished the regional season ranked in the 40s and got through to the postseason solely because of regional location. All of which is to say that if Air Force actually earns a spot at regionals this year, it should be considered the team’s best season ever, regardless of final ranking.

Also right on the bubble at #36 is Pennsylvania. Penn, meanwhile, has never advanced to regionals before and has never been close to making it, geographically or otherwise. Last season’s team finish at #45, and Skyelar Kerico’s AA qualification and 5th-place finish, were historic in their own right as Penn’s best-ever results. Making regionals as a full team would be an additional massive step.

But for every [whatever] there’s [something that’s the opposite of that]. #writingskills. If some team is going to make regionals surprisingly, some other team is probably going to miss regionals surprisingly. Illinois, currently ranked #41, has the longest regionals streak that’s realistically in danger this year, which started in the 2004 season. In that span, Illinois has never finished lower than #31 (last season).

Boise State is another perennial regionals qualifier that’s in danger, girl. Currently ranked down at #46, Boise State hasn’t missed regionals since the 2007 season, the one blemish on the team’s run of postseason appearances in 36 of 37 full seasons starting in 1988.

Miles still to go, though. And by miles, I mean 4-5 meets.