Editor’s note: This post will be updated as conference tournament championship games are completed.
Likely Regional Hosts
The top 16 teams in the RPI are almost always selected to host a four-team regional in the NCAA Tournament. As of Sunday, May 24’s RPI update, which includes the games played on Saturday, the top 16 teams in the RPI are: UCLA (Big Ten), Georgia Tech (ACC), Auburn (SEC), North Carolina (ACC), Texas (SEC), Alabama (SEC), Florida State (ACC), Georgia (SEC), USC (Big Ten), Nebraska (Big Ten) Florida (SEC), Mississippi State (SEC), Texas A&M (SEC), Southern Mississippi (Sun Belt), Oregon (Big Ten), and Ole Miss (SEC).
Regional hosts will be announced on Sunday evening, though not in order of seeding. The top eight national seeds in the NCAA Tournament would also host a best-of-three super regional if they advance out of their regional.
Likely No. 2 Regional Seeds
Teams 17-32 in the RPI are likely to be the No. 2 seeds in each region. As of Sunday morning, those teams are: West Virginia (Big 12), Kansas (Big 12), Oregon State (Independent), Wake Forest (ACC), Arkansas (SEC), Missouri State (C-USA), Cincinnati (Big 12), Oklahoma (SEC), Virginia (ACC), Jacksonville State (C-USA), Coastal Carolina (Sun Belt), Mercer (SoCon), Oklahoma State (Big 12), Miami (Fla.) (ACC), Tennessee (ACC), and Louisiana (Sun Belt).
On the Bubble
Eleven teams below No. 64 in the RPI are already in with an automatic bid, which means that teams 54 through 64 will have to sweat out whether they get into the NCAA Tournament unless they should win their conference’s tournament and gain an automatic bid, as 56th-ranked Tarleton State did by winning the Western Athletic Conference tournament.
Ranked from Nos. 54-64 are Kansas State (Big 12), Purdue (Big Ten), Tarleton State (WAC), Gonzaga (West Coast), Campbell (CAA), Arkansas State (Sun Belt), California (ACC), Baylor (Big 12), South Alabama (Sun Belt), LSU (SEC), and California Baptist (WAC).
The bubble will grow as the day goes on, as none of the teams between Nos. 54 and 64 in the RPI can win their conference tournaments, while at least 12 and as many as 14 teams outside the top 64 could clinch automatic bids by winning their conference tournament today.
Teams That Are In With An Automatic Bid
Binghamton (RPI – 118) – Won the America East tournament with a 7-3 win over Maine.
The Citadel (RPI – 40) – Won the SoCon tournament with a 3-1 win over Samford.
Rider (RPI – 119) – Won the MAAC tournament with a 6-1 win over Fairfield.
Kansas (RPI – 18) – Won the Big 12 tournament with a 9-0 win over West Virginia.
Lipscomb (RPI – 155) – Won the Atlantic Sun tournament with a 5-4 win over North Alabama in 10 innings.
Little Rock (RPI – 92) – Won the Ohio Valley Conference tournament with a 4-3 win over Eastern Illinois.
Milwaukee (RPI – 238) – Won the Horizon League tournament with a 5-4 win over Wright State.
Northern Illinois (RPI – 78) – Won the Mid-American Conference tournament with a 5-1 win over Toledo.
Oral Roberts (RPI – 168) – The Golden Eagles won the Summit League tournament, beating South Dakota State 4-1.
San Francisco (RPI – 219) – The Dons won the West Coast conference tournament with a 9-8 win over St. Mary’s.
Tarleton State (RPI – 56) – Won the Western Athletic Conference title with a 21-11 win over Sacramento State.
UC San Diego (RPI – 91) – Won the Big West tournament with a 12-2 win over Cal Poly.
Virginia Commonwealth (RPI – 84) – Won the Atlantic10 title with an 18-16 win against Rhode Island.
Yale (RPI – 144) – Won the Ivy League tournament with a 7-5 win over Brown.
Photo: Reaching the College World Series at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska, is the ultimate goal. (Photo by Chris Gjevre/Blakeway World Panoramas/Getty Images)
