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📕 Today in the D3Playbook. Baker: Congress Must Secure the Future of College Sports. Expanded Basketball Tournaments Will Yield NCAA $50M a Year. What Do the DIII Baseball/Softball Tournament Fields Look Like Today?

🗓 What’s Happening This Weekend. Baseball and softball conference championship tournaments. DIII men’s and women’s lacrosse and tennis opening weekend.

🎶 Your Morning Pick Me Up. A Hard Day’s Night. Ramsey Lewis Trio

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“There is a tremendous amount of change reshaping college sports — and much of it for good reason. For too long, college sports were too slow to modernize. But in recent years, we have worked to transform our system with tremendous speed.

Schools are now directing approximately $1 billion a year in new financial benefits to student-athletes. Division I schools must now provide student-athletes with healthcare, enhanced resources in areas like mental health, and guaranteed scholarships. And on top of all of this, we are focused on continuing to increase the current record-breaking levels of student-athlete participation, scholarship support, and fan interest.

But as college sports continue to transform from the inside, other changes risk undermining opportunities for the more than 554,000 student-athletes who together receive more than $4 billion in scholarships annually. The most acute risks facing college sports broadly can be grouped into two categories: the destruction of common-sense eligibility limits, and the threat that student-athletes are broadly forced to become university employees.”

» The Big Picture. “At its core, college sports represent a way for talented high school athletes to reach a new level of athletic competition, while also pursuing a degree. For decades the NCAA’s eligibility rules helped ensure college sports fulfill that basic promise by guaranteeing that rosters consist of student-athletes making sufficient academic progress, and by limiting student-athletes’ eligibility to compete to four seasons over five years or less.”

» Reality Check. “Less than 1 percent of college sports programs nationwide generate meaningful revenue, so the additional cost of an employment mandate would create enormous financial pressure, likely resulting in widespread program cuts — with women’s sports, Olympic sports, historically Black college and university programs, and Division II and III bearing the brunt.”

» Why It Matters. “We are at a critical juncture where the rapid modernization we have achieved internally requires a stable, nationwide foundation to truly endure for all student-athletes. By locking in the progress we’ve made, Congress can ensure that the best days of college sports remain ahead for the millions of young athletes yet to come.”

“The NCAA finalized a decision Thursday to expand both the Division I men’s and women’s basketball tournaments to 76 teams. The new bracket will start this upcoming season.

As part of the agreement, the NCAA will receive additional revenue through its corporate sponsorship deal with CBS and TNT, which sells all sponsorships for NCAA championships in addition to the men’s tournament (for which it also has the media rights). Through this program, CBS and TNT have committed to paying the NCAA $50 million annually between now and 2032. The NCAA has agreed to open up previously restricted categories of sponsorship revenue: beer, wine, spirits, and hard seltzer.”

» Why It Matters. “The deal guarantees the NCAA will be able to cover additional operating expenses. It will also help the NCAA continue its “units,” or prize payouts system, which will distribute about $130 million worth of additional revenue over the next six years thanks to the additional revenue from CBS and TNT.”

» Worth Noting. “The additional bids mean 21% of teams have a spot in the NCAA's basketball postseason. Before expansion, championship access for basketball teams was at 18%, the lowest among major team sports.” With 408 DIII schools sponsoring men’s basketball, 15.68% of sponsoring programs have a spot in the NCAA’s postseason. With around 419 women’s programs, that percentage drops to 15.27%.

» Be Smart. At 3.18%, does Division III get $1.59M per year through 2032?

It’s conference championship weekend on the diamond as titles are celebrated and automatic berths to the NCAA Division III tournament are earned.

If the season ended today … who would qualify for the NCAA tournament? This assumes the 41 top-ranked teams in each conference are the AQ and the next 23 teams would be at-large. The projected NPI at-large cut line is 54.

» AQ (41). Penn State Behrend (AMCC), Luther (ARC), East Texas Baptist (ASC), Marymount (AEC), Johns Hopkins (CC), Millikin (CCIW), Belhaven (CCS), Endicott (CNE), Sage (E8), Saint Joseph’s ME (GNAC), Transylvania (HCAC), Susquehanna (LAND), Southern Maine (LEC), Hobart (LL), Bridgewater State (MASCAC), Adrian (MIAA), Messiah (MACC), DeSales (MACF), Illinois College (MWC), Bethel (MIAC), Tufts (NESCAC), Salve Regina (NEWMAC), Rowan (NJAC), Husson (NAC), Denison (NCAC), Aurora (NACC), Whitworth (NWC), Baldwin Wallace (OAC), Lynchburg (ODAC), Washington & Jefferson (PAC), Farmingdale State (SKY), Rhodes (SAA), Pomona-Pitzer (SCIAC), Concordia TX (SCAC), Webster (SLIAC), Cortland (SUNYAC), Penn State Harrisburg (UEC), Washington U. (UAA), Greensboro (USAS), Bethany Lutheran (UMAC), UW-Whitewater (WIAC)

» At-Large (23). 6-Shenandoah, 8-Salisbury, 9-Bridgewater, 15-Wittenberg, 16-Mount Union, 17-Montclair State, 19-Randolph-Macon, 21-Piedmont, 22-Chicago, 24-Mary Washington, 27-Maryville, 28-Kean, 32-Kalamazoo, 34-Trinity CT, 35-Claremont-M-S, 36-DePauw, 38-UW-La Crosse, 41-Christopher Newport, 45-Trinity TX, 47-Amherst, 48-Wheaton MA, 49-Ramapo, 50-Gettysburg

» First Four Out. 52-Ohio Northern, 53-St. John Fisher, 54-Stevens, 55-Misericordia

» D3baseball Playoff Central

editor’s note: Coast-to-Coast members were omitted from original post. Apologies

It’s conference championship weekend on the diamond as titles are celebrated and automatic berths to the NCAA Division III tournament are earned.

If the season ended today … who would qualify for the NCAA tournament? This assumes the 42 top-ranked teams in each conference are the AQ and the next 22 teams would be at-large. The projected NPI at-large cut line is 49.

» AQ (42). Penn State Behrend (AMCC), Simpson (ARC), East Texas Baptist (ASC), Marymount (AEC), Swarthmore (CC), Illinois Wesleyan (CCIW), Belhaven (CCS), Endicott (CNE), John Jay (CUNYAC), Geneseo (E8), Albertus Magnus (GNAC), Transylvania (HCAC), Moravian (LAND), UMass Dartmouth (LEC), Rochester (LL), Westfield State (MASCAC), Trine (MIAA), Eastern (MACC), Delaware Valley (MACF), Illinois College (MWC), Saint Mary’s MN (MIAC), Tufts (NESCAC), WPI (NEWMAC), Stockton (NJAC), Husson (NAC), DePauw (NCAC), Benedictine (NACC), Linfield (NWC), Mount Union (OAC), Virginia Wesleyan (ODAC), Westminster PA (PAC), Manhattanville (SKY), Trinity TX (SAA), Redlands (SCIAC), Texas Lutheran (SCAC), Greenville (SLIAC), New Paltz (SUNYAC), Penn College (UEC), Washington U. (UAA), Greensboro (USAS), Bethany Lutheran (UMAC), UW-Oshkosh (WIAC)

» At-Large (22). 14-Wartburg, 20-MIT, 21-Saint Benedict, 22-Pacific Lutheran, 23-Emory, 28-Case Western Reserve, 25-Rowan, 26-Huntingdon, 27-Muskingum, 30-Christopher Newport, 31-Middlebury, 32-Calvin, 34-Bowdoin, 35-Colby, 36-Central, 37-Muhlenberg, 41-St. Thomas, 43-Shenandoah, 44-UW-Eau Claire, 45-Hope, 47-Alma, 48-UW-Whitewater, 49-Berry

» First Four Out. 51-Salisbury, 52-Loras, 53-Catholic, 57-Lewis & Clark

editor’s note: Coast-to-Coast members were omitted from original post. Apologies

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