LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) has released the league's post-season possibilities regarding men's basketball and Saturday's regular-season finales.
PSAC Tie-breakers
1. Head-to-head (tied teams' record against each other)
2. Record vs. conference division teams above you and progressing down until tie is broken or reaches seventh place. NOTE: Higher ties MUST be broken first when determining seeding.
3. Number of Wins against NCAA Division II opponents at or over .500
4. Winning Percentage against NCAA Division II opponents under .500
5. Coin Toss
If Gannon defeats Lock Haven and Mercyhurst defeats California (Pa.)
… then Mercyhurst is 3rd and Gannon is 4th. Mercyhurst and Gannon tie for third place, but Mercyhurst wins 2nd tiebreaker based on its sweep of 5th-place California (Pa.).
If Gannon defeats Lock Haven and California (Pa.) defeats Mercyhurst
… then Gannon is 3rd and California (Pa.) is 4th. California (Pa.) and Mercyhurst would tie for fourth, but California (Pa.) wins 2nd tiebreaker based on its sweep of Slippery Rock regardless of whether Slippery Rock finishes alone in 6th or tied for 6th.
If Lock Haven defeats Gannon and Mercyhurst defeats California (Pa.)
… then Mercyhurst is 3rd and Gannon is 4th straight up. There are no ties.
If Lock Haven defeats Gannon and California (Pa.) defeats Mercyhurst
... there is a three-way tie for third place between Gannon, Mercyhurst and California (Pa.).
If this scenario happens, all three teams split with each other, were swept by Indiana (Pa.) and split with Clarion. Everyone's record versus the rest of the division would be ...
California (Pa.): 1-1 vs. Edinboro / 2-0 vs. Slippery Rock / 1-1 vs. Lock Haven
Gannon: 1-1 vs. Edinboro / 2-0 vs. Slippery Rock / 1-1 vs. Lock Haven
Mercyhurst: 1-1 vs. Edinboro / 1-1 vs. Slippery Rock / 2-0 vs. Lock Haven
(A) In scenario A, if Slippery Rock finishes alone in 6th or in a tie with Edinboro for 6th, Mercyhurst is eliminated because Gannon and California (Pa.) swept Slippery Rock while Mercyhurst split with the Rock. Then the process starts over for seeding (3rd / 4th). At this point, Gannon and California (Pa.) would have the exact same results against West opponents. It moves on to the next tiebreaker which is number of wins vs. DII opponents at or over .500 (through Saturday). In that tiebreaker, California (Pa.) has 7 and Gannon has 6. So, California (Pa.) is the 3rd seed and Gannon is the 4th seed.
(B) In scenario B, if Edinboro finishes alone in 6th and Slippery Rock / Lock Haven tie for 7th (meaning Edinboro wins and Slippery Rock loses), it would go to the next tiebreaker because all three teams were 1-1 vs. Edinboro and 3-1 vs. the seventh place “team” of Slippery Rock/Lock Haven. The next tiebreaker is number of wins vs. DII opponents at or over .500 (through Saturday). In the tiebreaker, California (Pa.) and Mercyhurst have 7. Gannon has 6. Gannon would be eliminated.
(C) In scenario C, if there is a three way tie for 6th place (meaning Slippery Rock and Edinboro lose) – results are the same as scenario B because all three teams in contention would be 4-2 vs. the 6th place “team” of Edinboro/Slippery Rock/Lock Haven. The next tiebreaker is number of wins vs. DII opponents at or over .500 (through Saturday). In the tiebreaker, California (Pa.) and Mercyhurst have 7. Gannon has 6. Gannon would be eliminated.
