Inside The 2018 NCAA Tournament Field: Seeds, Newcomers, History & RPI

Here’s a snapshot look at the 2018 NCAA Tournament field, starting with the overall top four seeds, followed by the remaining teams by 16-team region.

Stanford (28-1, 20-0 Pac-12) was a lock as the No. 1 overall seed, especially after a loss by both BYU and Minnesota on Week 14. The Cardinal went 20-0 en route to the Pac-12 title, in a league which got eight teams into the field. Stanford, which filled the No. 2 position in the national polls behind BYU for much of the season, brings a 26-match win streak into NCAAs.

Minnesota and Illinois were also pretty much givens due to their respective records and RPI. Minnesota (25-3, 19-1 Big Ten), which won the Big Ten title at 19-1 and suffered its first league loss on Friday against Penn State, was ranked No. 2 in RPI.

Illinois (28-3, 17-3 Big Ten) finished second behind the Golden Gophers and ranked fourth in the most recent RPI.

The fourth team was up for debate for many between BYU, which lost to unranked Loyola Marymount on Tuesday, and Texas, which won the Big 12 title.

Despite BYU’s loss and the loss of junior outside hitter McKenna Miller to an ACL injury on Week 13, the West Coast Conference champion Cougars (27-1, 17-1 West Coast Conference) were awarded the fourth overall seed.

The top four seeds will host through the regional rounds as long as they continue to win. And in the case of No. 2 Minnesota, which is playing host to the national finals in Minneapolis, potentially all the way to the title match.

The Top 16 Seeds

1. Stanford
2. Minnesota
3. Illinois
4. BYU
5. Texas
6. Wisconsin
7. Nebraska
8. Penn State
9. Creighton
10. Kentucky
11. USC
12. Pittsburgh
13. UCF
14. Marquette
15. Oregon
16. Washington State

RPI Breakdown

• 16 of the automatic berths came from outside the 11/18 RPI Top 50.
  • Six came from RPI 51-100
  • Five came from RPI 101-15
  • Three came from RPI 151-200
  • Two came from RPI 201+
• Alabama State, winner of the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament, is the highest RPI team at 237
• The highest RPI team to earn an at-large berth was 76 Loyola Marymount. The Lions’ RPI will rise in the next listing after beating RPI No. 5 BYU on Tuesday.

Wow. Dancing. Congrats to @lmulionsWVB #JoinThePride #RTWG pic.twitter.com/IMDVLHpULS

— Craig Pintens (@LMUPintens) November 26, 2018

History

Stanford and Penn State continued their reign as the only two schools who have made all 38 NCAA fields. Stanford was selected as the No. 1 overall seed, while Penn State was tabbed as the No. 8 seed.

Each is seeking its record eighth national title. Seven other previous champions are among the field.

• Hawaii (1982, 1983, 1987)
• Nebraska (1995, 2000, 2006, 2015, 2017)
• Penn State (1999, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014)
• Stanford (1992, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2004, 2016)
• Texas (1988, 2012)
• USC (1981, 2002, 2003)
• Washington (2005)

NCAA Newcomers

• Bryant* – Northeast Conference champs
  The Bulldogs made 11 NCAA appearances as a Division II member with the last coming in 2007. The team became postseason eligible at the Division I level in 2012.
• Eastern Michigan – Mid-American Conference Tournament champs
• FGCU – Atlantic Sun Tournament champs
• Navy – Patriot League Tournament champs
• South Dakota – Summit League champs
• Syracuse – at large out of the ACC

THE ORANGE ARE IN 🍊🏐 #NCAAVB pic.twitter.com/48nnBQJ7fP

— Syracuse Volleyball (@CuseVB) November 26, 2018

Conference Breakdown

• Pac-12: 8
• Big Ten: 7
• ACC 5
• SEC: 5
• WCC: 5
• American: 2
• Big East: 2
• Big West: 2
• Big 12: 2
• Missouri Valley: 2
• Southern Conference: 2
• Summit League: 2

Last Teams Out

According to the NCAA selection committee, the final four teams out were Kansas, Kansas State, Princeton and Maryland.

Kansas was No. 36 in RPI and finished fifth in the Big 12, but dropped each of its last five matches. The Jayhawks also lost to Loyola Marymount earlier in the year.

Princeton was 49 in RPI, while Kansas State and Maryland checked in at 52 and 53 respectively.

At A Glance