Simple question, how will this work? Will only the top Pod teams be in the running at the end of the regular season or can a lower pod team win the regular season AND NIT BID if they have the best conference record?

Unless there’s a major tie up in conference records I don’t think it would be possible for anyone outside that group to win the regular season title?

I say yes, only Pod 1 teams can win the regular season title because the seeds for the tournament are pod "locked" meaning that #5 team in the top pod can finish no lower than 5th, even if team #6 which would be pod 2 wins all their pod games and then has a better conference record than team #5.

The only way a pod 2 team would win the regular season is if the conference somehow had 6 teams tie for 1st place and somehow that 6th team then won all the tiebreakers which almost seems impossible but I guess there is a situation out there that it could happen.

But my guess as long as we do this in pods then there is a 99.99999999999999998% chance Pod 1 candidates win the conference.

(01-18-2019 01:00 PM)HerdZoned Wrote:  The only way a pod 2 team would win the regular season is if the conference somehow had 6 teams tie for 1st place and somehow that 6th team then won all the tiebreakers which almost seems impossible but I guess there is a situation out there that it could happen.

But my guess as long as we do this in pods then there is a 99.99999999999999998% chance Pod 1 candidates win the conference.

Well, you could have a two way tie for first and a four way tie for third one game down coming into the pod race. One of those teams gets pushed to the second pod and run through it while pod one beats each other up. It’s improbable but not as unlikely as you state it I think.

As far as the original question, we know they would have the #6 seed in the tourney but would they get the regular season title and the NIT bid? IDK.

(01-18-2019 01:00 PM)HerdZoned Wrote:  The only way a pod 2 team would win the regular season is if the conference somehow had 6 teams tie for 1st place and somehow that 6th team then won all the tiebreakers which almost seems impossible but I guess there is a situation out there that it could happen.

But my guess as long as we do this in pods then there is a 99.99999999999999998% chance Pod 1 candidates win the conference.

No there isn't. The 6th place team can not finish higher than 6th. Part of the reason is the top pod obviously is playing a much tougher schedule and the 2nd pod much easier. The 5th place pod 1 team could lose them all down the stretch and will still finish 5th.

(01-18-2019 11:59 PM)goherd24herdfans Wrote:  

(01-18-2019 01:00 PM)HerdZoned Wrote:  The only way a pod 2 team would win the regular season is if the conference somehow had 6 teams tie for 1st place and somehow that 6th team then won all the tiebreakers which almost seems impossible but I guess there is a situation out there that it could happen.

But my guess as long as we do this in pods then there is a 99.99999999999999998% chance Pod 1 candidates win the conference.

No there isn't. The 6th place team can not finish higher than 6th. Part of the reason is the top pod obviously is playing a much tougher schedule and the 2nd pod much easier. The 5th place pod 1 team could lose them all down the stretch and will still finish 5th.

The automatic NIT bid goes to the conference tournament #1 seed. Only the top group (teams #1-5) in Bonus Play can get that #1 seed.

If my understanding is correct (and from what I’ve been told, it is), the pods are finalized after the fifth to last conference game of the regular season. From then on, it is as though conference play begins anew WITHIN EACH POD, so the winner of Pod 1 will get the #1 seed, the winner of Pod 2 will get the 6 seed the winner of Pod 3 will get the 10 seed.