Postseason Access in NCAA Division I Sports

Baseball and Softball

Baseball and Softball use a full double-elimination format and best-of-three series. Here is a breakdown how many games an NCAA tournament in baseball and softball would contain:

Each regional has a minimum of six games. With 16 regionals, that would be a minimum of 96 regional games. If both regional finalists have not lost twice after six games, a necessary Game 7 would then happen. The maximum with 16 regionals would then go up to 112 regional games. The Super Regionals is a best-of-three, where the first team to win two games would advance to the College World Series (CWS). Since there would be 8 matches of best-of-three, there would a minimum of 16 games. If all three super regional matches play three games, there would be a maximum of 24 games. Each half of the college world series has a minimum of six games. By combining two halves together, that would be a minimum of 12 CWS games. If both semifinalists in one match have not lost twice after six games, a necessary Game 7 would then happen. By combining two halves together, that would be a maximum of 14 CWS games. The National Championship is the final best-of-three. A third game would be needed if both teams are still tied after two games. The first team to win two games would be crowned the National Champion. In total, the minimum number of postseason games would be 126 games, while the maximum would be up to 153 postseason games.

Performance-Based Postseasons

Wrestling, track and field, cross-country, fencing, rowing, swimming, and diving, skiing, and rifling utilizes team performances from individuals using either a combination of selecting individuals in corresponding brackets and point systems or just a point system from individual performances.

Bowling

Bowling use a single-elimination format for the play-in games, a double-elimination format for the regionals and semifinals, and a best-of-seven series for the finals to determine a National Champion. Here is a breakdown how the bowling tournament would work:

Men's Golf

Men's Golf Tournament works as follows:

In Men’s Golf, the top 81 teams in Men’s Golf qualify for stroke play. Three regionals will have 14 teams in each regional, while the other three will have 13 teams in each regional. The top five teams in each regional advance to the regional finals. Out of the 30 teams, the top eight teams with the lowest scores from stroke play will then advance to the match play tournament. The 8-team match-play tournament would determine the National Champion in men’s golf.

Women's Golf

Women's Golf Tournament works as follows:

In women’s golf, the top 72 teams will qualify for stroke play, pitting 12 teams in each of the six regionals. The top five teams in each regional advance to the regional finals. Out of the 30 teams, the top eight teams with the lowest scores from stroke play will advance to the match play tournament. The 8-team match-play tournament would determine the National Champion in women’s golf.