I have copied this post from the Midwest Regional Board...
I think it will be an eight-team regional this year.
Gonna go out onto the limb here...
Let's look at the concentration of teams which the NCAA needs to send to regionals by bus and not fly, I think that the NCAA puts the 6-team regionals at:
West -- McMinnville -- with room for two (non-West Region) teams from the Central Time Zone to be flown to Oregon, especially if the West only has one Pool C bid.
Central -- Memphis -- BSC moves into this region and Pool B Wash U. plus SLIAC, CCIW and IIAC and a Pool C.
South -- CNU -- Southernmost of the regionals in the Eastern time zone (CAC, ODAC, USASouth).
Midwest -- Prucha -- I have trouble finding 8, especially with 2 apparent vacancies in the West, even moving the Midwest Conference into Prucha.
All IIAC teams and most CCIW teams would require a flight to Millington.
Thanks.
1) BSC
2) SLIAC
3) Wash U as a Pool B/C.
Who are #4- #6 in that bracket?
CCIW -- IWU is 453 miles from Rhodes. Augustana is 549 miles.
HCAC -- Rose-Hulman is 402 miles. Anderson is 514 (508 by google maps to Millington). Franklin is 471 miles.
Pres AC -- Thomas More, currently 2nd on the Pres AC is 469 miles.
IIAC -- Central is 579 miles from Rhodes. Coe is 557 miles. Luther is 666 miles.
NCAC -- DePauw, currently 2nd in the NCAC, is 437 miles.
There may be a plane flight to Millington, regardless! I think that Millington may get filled first if there are only 6 bus rides.
I am using NCAA Travel Distance to Rhodes as the proxy.