The 48 Team Field Will be announced On Monday, november 11. The Tournament Field Will Consist of Twenty-Three Conference Champions Who Receive An Automatic Berth And Twenty-Five At-Large Berths. The Ivy League, Pac-12 and West Conference Conferences Award Thier AutomatiC Berth To The The Regular Season Winner. The Remainder Of The Conferences Determine Their Champion By A Conference Tournament. There Are Almost Always A few Unexpected Conference Tournament Champions Which Impacts The Distribution Of At-Large Berths.
Atlantic Coast Conference
Last year eight ACC teams were awarded a berth. That could happen again this year. Syracuse, Duke, Virginia, Louisville, Clemson, Pittsburgh and Wake Forest look to be in. Wake Forest cemented their standing with a regular season ending win over Louisville. North Carolina looked to be on the bubble but a win over Notre Dame in the first round of the ACC Tournament on Wednesday likely ensured a berth for the Tar Heels.
Clemson dominated Notre Dame 3-1, Virginia Tech upset Louisville 2-1 and Pittsburgh topped NC State 4-1 in overtime in other first round contests Wednesday night. Virginia Tech advances to the semifinals on Sunday where they will face Wake Forest. The win over Louisville keeps the Hokies chance of a berth in the NCAA Tournament alive but their only path to an invite is the difficult task of winning the tournament and receiving the conference’s automatic berth.
America East Conference
Vermont and New Hampshire look to be in. The six team America East Conference Tournament gets underway on Saturday with NJIT at Albany and Binghamton at UMBC. The winners move forward to the semifinals to face New Hampshire and Vermont.
Chances are pretty good that New Hampshire and Vermont with face each other in the title match with the winner earning the automatic berth and the loser receiving an at-large berth.
UMBC has had an up and down season that includes a win over Vermont. Their only shot at a berth is to win the conference tournament. That could happen if the Retrievers powered on the offensive side of the ball by Ryan Becher (13g, 10a) get hot.
American Athletic Conference
The six team conference tournament begins on Sunday, November 6. Tulsa, FIU and SMU look to be in. Memphis looks to be on the bubble.
South Florida and Charlotte are on the outside of the bubble and will likely have to win the tournament to earn a berth. Charlotte plays at South Florida in a key first round matchup on Sunday. Memphis travels to face Tulsa in the other first round matchup. The winners will advance to face SMU and FIU.
Charlotte looked to be a lock a couple weeks ago after a 3-1 win over SMU but losses in three out of their last four contests have hurt their standing. South Florida on the other hand looks to be playing their best soccer of the year right now with regular season ending wins over Charlotte, Memphis, and UCF.
Atlantic Sun Conference
Lipscomb looks to be in. Lipscomb is the conference tournament frontrunner but a 1-0 loss to FGCU would indicate that they are vulnerable. Central Arkansas is barely in the bubble.
The six team conference tournament begins on Saturday. The only hope Stetson, FGCU, North Florida and Bellarmine and perhaps even Central Arkansas have to punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament is to win the conference tournament and the automatic berth that accompanies it.
Atlantic 10 Conference
Saint Louis rebounded from a slow start to win the A-10 regular season title. The Billikens look to be in and are the frontrunners to win the conference tournament and the automatic berth. They are 9-1-1 after beginning the season with a 1-3-0 record.
Winning the conference tournament looks to be the only chance for an A-10 team other than Saint Louis to earn a berth.
Number two seed Duquesne is having a banner season but is 0-2-1 in their last three matches including a 1-0 season ending loss to a LaSalle team who they will face in the first round of the A-10 Tournament on Saturday. Dayton is on the outside of the bubble. The Flyers started the season strong but have stumbled down the home stretch with a 3-1 loss to Saint Louis and a 2-1 loss to Massachusetts hampering their standing.
Loyola Chicago is unbeaten in their last six contests but winning the conference tournament looks to be their only chance at a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Big East Conference
Georgetown looks to be in and is the favorite to win the conference tournament and the automatic berth but is by no means a lock to do so. The Hoyas rebounded from a 1-4-2 start to go 9-0-1 in their last ten contests.
Xavier, Butler and Seton Hall are on the bubble. Butler faces a Providence team that they lost to 2-1 on the road on October 15 and Xavier faces a Creighton side that they topped 3-1 on October 12. The winner of the Butler and Providence match advances to face Georgetown. The the winner of the Xavier and Creighton match advances to face Seton Hall. Xavier tied Seton Hall 2-2 on September 17.
Butler and Xavier need a win in the first round to enhance their standing. A Seton Hall win in the semifinals would likely nail down a berth for the Pirates.
Big South Conference
The Big South Conference Tournament begins on Sunday with Presbyterian at number one seed Campbell and USC Upstate at number two seed High Point. Campbell topped Presbyterian 3-0 on the road on October 29. High Point and USC Upstate tied 1-1 when they faced each other in Spartanburg on October 29.
High Point defeated Campbell on the road when the two conference frontrunners met back on October 12.
Chances are pretty good that High Point and Campbell will face each other in the conference tournament final. The winner of the conference tournament will represent the Big South in the NCAA Tournament. No at-large berth will be awarded.
Big Ten Conference
Maryland, Ohio State and Indiana look to be in. Rutgers and Penn State are on the outside of the bubble and need a good showing in the conference tournament to have a chance at an at-large berth.
Maryland is the frontrunner to win the Big Ten conference tournament but the tournament which gets underway on Friday looks to be wide open with any of the eight teams involved capable of claiming the automatic berth.
Penn State has a tough road to reach the championship contest with matches against Indiana and likely Maryland. Rutgers has a little smoother road with games against Wisconsin and probably Ohio State to advance to the conference championship.
Big West Conference
Number four seed CSUN will face regular season winner and number one seed UC Riverside while number three seeded UC Irvine will face number two seeded UC Santa Barbara in the Big West Conference semifinals on Saturday.
If things go according to the seeding UC Riverside and UC Santa Barbara will meet in the conference final the following Saturday but things don’t normally go according to seeding in the Big West Conference.
UC Riverside lost to CSUN 1-0 when the two played back on September 28. UCSB and UC Irvine tied 2-2 on October 26.
The bottom line is that whoever wins the conference tournament will be the lone representative of the Big West Conference in the 2022 NCAA Tournament. UC Riverside thumped UCSB 4-1 in the final game of the regular season. The conference title is up for grabs.
Colonial Athletic Association
Hofstra (11-3-3) takes on William and Mary (5-6-6) and Northeastern (6-8-3) tangles with Drexel (6-4-6) on Thursday in the first round of the 2022 CAA Tournament. The winner of Hofstra and William and Mary faces UNCW (6-3-7) and the winner of Northeastern and Drexel squares off with Elon (10-3-3) in the semifinals on Sunday.
Elon and Hofstra are on the bubble. If both advance to the title game then both will likely earn an invite. UNCW, William and Mary, Northeastern and Drexel will have to win the tournament to secure a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Horizon League
Cleveland State (9-3-5) claimed the program’s first-ever Horizon League Regular Season Title and will host the semifinals and final of the conference tournament which begin on Thursday, November 10. Number two seeded Wright State and Cleveland State tied 2-2 when they played on October 29.
IUPUI and Detroit Mercy and Oakland and Robert Morris play on Sunday with the winners advancing to face Cleveland State or Wright State in the semifinals. The conference tournament winner will be the only team representing the Horizon League in the NCAA Tournament.
Cleveland State is in the drivers seat to win the conference tourney title and the automatic berth but any of the six participants could get hot and win it.
Ivy League
Penn (10-2-2) and Cornell (12-3-0) have identical 4-1-0 records in Ivy League play. Since Penn topped Cornell 3-2 when the two teams faced each other the Quakers are on track to win the regular season title and the automatic berth that goes with it but both teams have two games remaining so things could change.
Penn plays Columbia at home and Princeton on the road. Cornell plays Yale on the road and Columbia at home.
Both Penn and Cornell look to be in with one winning the automatic berth and the other an at-large berth.
Harvard (8-4-3) with a 2-1-2 mark in Ivy League play and RPI of 36 is on the bubble. The Crimson is unbeaten in their last six games including a 3-2 win over Penn. Harvard will likely have to close out regular season play will a win over Princeton on the road and Dartmouth at home to secure an at-large berth.
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
The MAAC Tourney begins on Sunday with Niagara playing Siena and Manhattan playing Fairfield. The winners advance to the semifinals against number two seed Iona and number one seed Quinnipiac (11-4-3).
Quinnipiac is the favorite to secure the conference tourney title and the automatic berth but a season ending 1-0 loss to MAAC foe Niagara, an early season 2-1 loss to Siena and a 1-1 tie with Iona make it clear that the Bobcats will have to bring their A game to prevail.
The tournament winner will represent the MAAC in the NCAA Tournament. No at-large berths will likely be forthcoming.
Mid-American Conference
The two top seeds in the five member MAC will face each other on Saturday, November 12 to determine the conference champion and the automatic berth. Akron and Western Michigan look to be the top two teams.
Akron topped Western Michigan 1-0 when they played in Kalamazoo on October 13. Akron and Western Michigan close out regular season play with a return match on Saturday in Akron. Akron (11-2-4) will be in the NCAA Tourney with a current RPI of 11. Western Michigan (13-2-1) with an RPI of 46 is on the bubble.
Missouri Valley Conference
Missouri State (10-1-4) with a 26 RPI looks to be in. The seven team MVC Conference Tournament begins on Sunday with quarterfinal matches between Bradley and Drake, Belmont and UIC and SIU and Evansville. The semifinals are slated for Thursday, November 10.
The path for a berth in the NCAA Tournament for anyone other than Missouri State is to win the conference tournament. Number two seed Drake (7-3-4) which tied Missouri State 1-1 in Springfield on October 28 is capable of beating Missouri State.
Northeast Conference
FDU (8-5-3) with a 6-0-2 mark in NEC play won the regular season title. The six team conference tournament begins on Sunday.
Number three seed St. Francis Brooklyn faces number six seed LIU and number four seed Sacred Heart faces number five seed Saint Francis University in the first round on Sunday.
The lowest remaining seed advances to face number one seed FDU and the highest remaining seed advances to face number two seeded Merrimack in the semifinals on Thursday, November 10.
FDU topped number two seed Merrimack 2-0 during regular season play, had scoreless ties with both number five seed Saint Francis University and number three seed St. Francis Brooklyn and topped number six seed LIU 1-0. The bottom line is that any of the six teams in the tournament are capable of winning it.
The winner of the conference tournament will be the only team from the NEC in the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
Patriot League
The six team Patriot League Tournament gets underway on Saturday with #6 seed American at #3 seed Colgate and #5 seed Lafayette at #4 seed Navy. The lowest remaining seed faces number one seed Army in one semifinal on Tuesday and the highest remaining seed tangles with number two seed Boston University. The key in the Patriot League is making it to the six team tournament. History shows that any of the six participants are capable of wining it all and securing the automatic berth in the NCAA Tourney.
Army which won the regular season title for the first time in 26 seasons looks to be the team to beat but make no mistake the Patriot League Tourney is up for grabs. Keep an eye on the winner of the American and Colgate contest. The tournament champion will be the only representative of the Patriot League in the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
Pac-12
Washington looks to be on track to secure the Pac-12 regular season title and the automatic berth that goes with it if they finish strong. The Huskies have regular season games remaining with UCLA, San Diego State and Oregon State at home. Washington, Stanford and Oregon State look to be in.
UCLA looks to be on the bubble with difficult games remaining on the road against Washington, Oregon State, and San Diego State.
Southern Conference
The Southern Conference Tournament begins on Friday with Furman at Wofford and VMI at Mercer. The winner of the Furman and Wofford contest faces number one seed UNCG and the winner of the VMI at Mercer match faces ETSU on Sunday in the semifinals.
UNCG with a 11-1-4 overall record and 15 RPI ranking looks to be in but the Spartans have likely learned from past experience that winning the conference tournament is the only sure way of claiming a berth. Everyone else has no option but to win the tournament to earn an invite to the NCAA Tournament.
Summit League
The Summit League Tournament will take place between November 10 and 12 at the University of Denver Stadium. Denver with a 10-2-5 overall record and 5-0-2 mark in Summit League play looks to be in with signature wins over Maryland and Virginia and ties with Georgetown and Pittsburgh all on the road.
Oral Roberts with a 10-3-2 overall record and 6-1-0 mark in conference play that includes a 1-0 loss on the road at Denver is on the bubble with a 43 RPI.
Sun Belt Conference
West Virginia plays Coastal Carolina, South Carolina faces number one seed Kentucky, James Madison faces #2 seed Marshall, and Georgia State faces Old Dominion in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament on Sunday, November 6.
The semifinals are on Wednesday, November 9 and the final on Sunday, November 13.
Kentucky and Marshal are in. Georgia State with an RPI of 45 and Coastal Carolina with an RPI of 41 are on the bubble. Both need at least one win in the conference tournament to enhance their standing.
West Virginia with an RPI of 63 has not had the season that was anticipated. The Mountaineers only chance at a berth in the NCAA Tournament is to win the conference tournament and the automatic berth that goes with it.
West Coast Conference
San Diego State (6-4-6) which upset Portland 4-1 is at the top of the table and in the drivers seat for the WCC regular season title and the automatic berth that goes with it but they need wins over Pacific and San Francisco on the road to put the regular season title on ice.
Portland is 10-2-3 overall with a 4-1-0 in WCC play. The Pilots have a contest at home with Santa Clara and a match on the road with Pacific remaining on their dance card.
Portland looks to be in with an RPI of 31 but could strengthen their case with two more wins. San Diego with a current RPI of 96 must win the regular season title and automatic berth to go dancing.
Western Athletic Conference
The six team WAC Tournament begins on Wednesday, November 9. Air Force won the regular season title with a 7-5-3 overall record and a 6-1-1 mark in conference play. Seattle who beat Air Force 4-3 is in the second spot followed closely by California Baptist, Grand Canyon and San Jose State. The sixth spot will be filled by either Utah Valley or UTRGV.
The WAC Tournament is to close to call. Air Force has a chance for an at-large berth if they don’t win the conference tournament but more likely than not the WAC tournament winner will be the only member of the WAC in the 2022 NCAA Tournament field.
