D1, D1AA NCR Brackets Set
D1, D1AA NCR Brackets Set
National Collegiate Rugby has finalized the Men's D1 and D1AA playoff brackets.
There is some controversy surrounding some of these seeds and GRR will address that tomorrow (Nov. 10). Here, though, are the brackets
D1
The top level within NCR will bring in the highest seed available from the Rugby East and the second-highest seed available. These two teams will be St. Bonaventure and Queens University Charlotte. St. Bonaventure plays Navy this coming weekend, and Queens plays Mount St. Mary's. If St. Bonaventure loses and fails to get a bonus point, then Queens can bypass them for the top seed.
(Note that Navy and Army are currently ahead of Bonnies and Queens in the standings but do not play in the NCR playoffs. It is possible that Queens and Bonnies could bypass Army, but Navy has too many points.)
The top two Liberty teams in Brown and AIC are in, as is the top-ranked Big 10 team affiliated with NCR, which is Indiana.
New conference Big Rivers gets its champion in the playoffs with Thomas More.
There are two play-in matches. With Belmont Abbey having secured the top spot in the Southern Conference D1AA conference, and being a school-supported team, they are able to not play their final match with Lander, and replace it with a play-in match with Wheeling, the Big Rivers runners-up.
The other play-in match is all-Liberty, with Liberty D1 #3 Fairfield playing Siena, the Liberty D1AA team that was moved up to the D1 level mid-season.
Siena Moved From NCR D1AA to D1 Playoffs; Here's Why
So it's interesting to see the Liberty Conference get four seeds, and a brand-new conference Big Rivers get two seeds, while the Rugby East, which had both finalists in 2021, got two.
More on that tomorrow.
D1AA
Only two teams are guaranteed a place in the quarterfinals, with last year's playoff winner, Virginia Tech, and Binghamton. Interestingly, Binghamton have not win the Liberty D1AA conference ... yet ... as they are still to face Boston College this coming weekend. But they are on to the playoffs nonetheless. Virginia Tech, meanwhile, won, as we said, the NCR D1AA playoffs in 2021, and pursued a season in the Rugby East this season. They remained a D1AA team in a NCR D1 and CRAA D1A conference, and finished 0-6.
All of the other spots depend on games this coming weekend.
SCRC's champion is decided between Tennessee and South Carolina. Both teams make the playoffs, just in different parts of the bracket.
James Madison and St. Joseph's play in the final round of the MARC and this game will decide who wins. Both make the Quarterfinals.
UMass plays Stony Brook for Liberty's 3rd place and also a place in the playoffs.
Louisville or Bowling Green take the final spot. These two teams may not even play this weekend ... their are in separate semifinals and while most observers are expecting Louisville and BGSU to meet in Sunday's final. However, if, say, Western Michigan beats Bowling Green, that just ensures Louisville (favored over IUPUI) would be in the NCR playoffs. WMU is not slated to be an NCR playoff team regardless.
