Patriot League expands tourneys
The Patriot League announced Thursday that it has expanded the upcoming men’s and women’s league championship tournament to include all member institutions, axing the previous eligibility requirement of playing at least 12 conference games.
“From the time the League first modeled the basketball season last fall, we have been committed to a process of continual evaluation and adaptation,” Patriot League Commissioner Jennifer Heppel wrote in a news release. “The decision to modify the championships is in line with that commitment, and it is exciting to be in a position to offer increased access and opportunity.
“As the season progressed, it was clear that due to the disparity in the number of games played across the League, determining access to a reduced championship field would result in outcomes that only compounded the pressures and challenges of the season. Expanding the championships to include all available teams and adjusting the seeding criteria accordingly is both logical and thoughtful.”
Navy’s women have had 12 Patriot League games affected by COVID-19. The Mids were among a handful of teams that would not have met the criteria to qualify for the Patriot League Tournament as they played their eighth conference game Wednesday night, short of the 16 scheduled and 12 required. League games No. 9 and 10 are scheduled for this weekend against Loyola Maryland.
Seeding the tiebreaking processes have also been adjusted. The three mini-conference winners will still be the top three seeds while the remaining teams will be seeded based on their Patriot League winning percentage. Previously, seeds No. 4 through 6 were to be awarded to the teams that finished second in their mini conferences.
Navy men’s basketball (13-2, 10-1) has clinched the South Division and will be seeded either first or second among the 10 Patriot League teams. Colgate currently sits atop the league with an 11-1 conference mark.
The Navy women’s (5-7, 5-3) loss to American on Wednesday allowed the Eagles to win the South Division. The Mids, who currently sit second in the mini conference and fourth among nine teams overall in the league, would not have qualified for the tournament under the previous plan because they will only play 10 games.
“I am glad that the Patriot League is allowing all of the teams to play instead of just eight,” Navy first-year coach Tim Taylor said. “Every athlete who played this season deserves that opportunity to compete in the postseason tournament considering all of the sacrifices that they have made throughout the past year.”
It also bodes well for the Loyola Maryland men’s (4-8) and women’s (0-10) teams.
The start of the tournament has also been moved up, as the first-round of the men’s tournament will begin March 3 with the women’s tournament starting March 4. Quarterfinals will be played March 6 and 7, respectively, with the semifinals on March 10 and 11 and the championship games on March 14.