Missing NCAA Baseball Regionals? How About These Projections?
CARROLLTON, Texas – This should be the weekend when NCAA Division I is weeding down the 64 teams selected for the 2020 championship down to the 16 Super Regional squads.
Though the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball committees did not reveal their projected 68- or 64-team brackets in mid-March when COVID-19 shut down the sports world, it might be a fun exercise to look at the possible, 16-team Super Regional baseball matchups if regular regional activity ended May 31 at 16 sites.
This grouping is compiled using both the NCBWA Division I Top 30 survey and the popular WarrenNolan.com website Nos. 1-16 in the Ratings Percentage Index.
So, here are those Super Regional possibilities and “maybe” matchup for the 2020 NCAA Baseball World Series, which will not be played in Omaha, Neb., sadly in June after 70 consecutive CWS tourneys (NCAA record for most championships played in same city) from 1950-2019.
NCBWA projections for the supers:
1. Florida vs. 16. Duke; 2. UCLA vs. 15. Arkansas; 3. Miami (Fla.) vs. 14. UCF; 4. Ole Miss vs. 13. Florida State; 5. Texas Tech vs. 12. Mississippi State; 6. Louisville vs. 11. NC State; 7. Georgia vs. 10. Oklahoma; 8. Vanderbilt vs. 9. Arizona State.
Breakdown by conferences: SEC 5, ACC 5, Pac-12 3, Big 12 2, American 1.
2020 NCAA World Series teams if highest seeds win in Super Regionals:
Florida, UCLA, Miami (Fla.), Ole Miss, Texas Tech, Louisville, Georgia, Vanderbilt.
WarrenNolan.com projections:
1. UCLA vs. 16. Wichita State; 2. Florida vs. 15. TCU; 3. Alabama vs. 14 UT Arlington; 4. Ole Miss vs. 13. Texas A&M; 5. East Carolina vs. 12. NC State; 6. Oklahoma vs. 11. Northeastern; 7. Miami (Fla.) vs. 10. Cal State Northridge; 8. Clemson vs. 9. Oklahoma State.
Breakdown by conferences: SEC 4, ACC 3, Big 12 3, Pac-12 1, Big East 1, Sun Belt 1, American 1, Colonial 1, Big West 1.
NOTE: Content Courtesy Bo Carter, a correspondent for National Football Foundation press release.
Follow Greg on Twitter @GregAriasSports and @SIVanderbilt or Facebook at Vanderbilt Commodores-Maven.
A 29 year veteran of radio in the Middle Tennessee area and 16 years in digital and internet media having covered the Tennessee Titans for Scout Media and TitanInsider.com before joining the Sports Illustrated family of networks.