Welcome back, sports fans as we tackle the 31 women’s conferences’ race for the regular season title. We have never tried to do something like this before, so please let us know what you think. Let’s jump right in because there is a lot of data. We will start with the conference calculated as worst in our early February ranking of such things and move through to the top conference. Records and ranking are accurate through Friday’s games – for the purpose of this post, we are ignoring games played on Saturday if they finish prior to publishing.
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The tables in each conference section have 4 columns. The first two have overall record/GCR Rank and conference record for those teams that can still mathematically win their conference. Conference games played vary widely so we will let you know how many games are scheduled. The Head-to-Head column is the overall record against any teams still in the race. The Magic Number column is the number of combined wins (by the best opponent not “yourself”) and losses (by “yourself”) for elimination. The lower the number, the closer to elimination. For example, in the Northeast Conference, if Fair Dickins wins 3 more games, Long Island is out. If both teams lose 3 games, Long Island is out. If FDU wins 2 and LIU loses 1, Long Island is out. For LIU to win, 7 of the remaining 8 games (4 games each) must be in favor of Long Island (a win for them or a loss for Fair Dickins).
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The Northeast Conference. Fair Dickins is undefeated in the conference, but their closest game was edging Long Island 59-58. These two will play again next week. The NEC plays 18 conference games. This an example of why it is so important to get the top spot. There are ~68 teams in the NCAA tournament. The conference champion will get an automatic bid, but neither team looks to be invited to the Show as a runner-up. Here is the snapshot:
| Team (Record) | Conference Record | Head-to-Head | Magic Number |
| Fair Dickins (23-4/106) | 14-0 | 1-0 | 7 |
| Long Island (17-8/225) | 12-2 | 0-1 | 3 |
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The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). Fully half of the conference is still in the mix with just a few games remaining – the conference plays 14. The lowest ranked team that still has a chance to hoist the banner for their conference is Coppin St, who is currently 286th out of 363 – and they play the other three teams before the season is over. You just have to love college sports. In addition to playing Coppin St, Howard plays at Norfolk St before the season is over. Like the NEC, winning the conference tourney is the only way any of these teams will make the NCAAs – getting that top seed is critical. Here’s the chart:
| Team (Record) | Conference Record | Head-to-Head | Magic Number |
| Howard (19-7/116) | 9-1 (tie breaker over NFST) | 4-0 | 7 |
| Norfolk St (13-12/191) | 8-2 | 2-2 | 3 |
| MD Eastern (14-13/188) | 7-3 (loses tie with Howard) | 2-3 | 2 |
| Coppin St (9-18/286) | 6-4 | 0-3 | 2 |
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The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). This conference has the lowest-ranked conference leader of any of the 31. There will only be one team in the NCAAs. They play 18 conference games and key matchups between contenders remaining are Alabama A&M and Alabama St both host Southern. Alcorn St could sneak in not facing any of the other teams on the list.
| Team (Record) | Conference Record | Head-to-Head | Magic Number |
| Alabama A&M (17-9/141) | 13-1 (owns tie break over Alcorn St) | 3-0 | 7 |
| Alcorn St (14-10/175) | 11-2 | 2-1 | 3 |
| Alabama St (13-12/206) | 10-4 | 1-2 | 2 |
| Southern (13-11/194) | 9-4 | 0-3 | 2 |
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The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). Only two remain in this conference that plays 20 games against each other during the season. Fairfield and Quinnipiac split their regular season games and swept the rest of the conference – so far. Both teams will probably have 23 or 24 regular season wins. If they meet in the tourney finals and it is a close game, both could get invitations to the NCAAs.
| Team (Record) | Conference Record | Head-to-Head | Magic Number |
| 23-4/60 | 17-1 | 1-1 | 4 |
| 21-5/100 | 16-1 | 1-1 | 3 |
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The Missouri Valley Conference. Five teams are still alive although that could drop to 2 this weekend. Murray St looks to be in control, but you can never count Belmont until the final bell sounds. If the tourney final is Belmont over Murray St, both could get into the NCAAs. Murray St still plays Illinois St, Belmont still plays Bradley, Bradley still plays Illinois St. N Iowa misses all of them.
| Team (Record) | Conference Record | Head-to-Head | Magic Number |
| Murray St (23-3/38) | 14-1 (tie break over Belmont) | 6-1 | 5 |
| Belmont (16-10/108) | 12-3 | 4-3 | 3 |
| Bradley (18-9/149) | 11-5 (loses tie with Murray St) | 1-5 | 1 |
| Illinois St (16-10/172) | 10-5 | 3-3 | 2 |
| N Iowa (12-12/174) | 9-6 | 3-5 | 1 |
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The Big South Conference. If Longwood continues winning AND they go deep in the tourney culminating in a final against High Point, the Big South could get two teams in the tournament, but that is a lot of ifs. They play 16 conference games during the season and none of the remaining contenders play each other again.
| Team (Record) | Conference Record | Head-to-Head | Magic Number |
| High Point (23-4/57) | 12-2 | 2-2 | 5 |
| Longwood (18-8/94) | 9-4 | 2-2 | 1 |
| Radford (17-11/152) | 9-4 | 2-2 | 1 |
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The Southland Conference. When we first started putting this together 4 days ago, there were 4 teams still eligible in this conference that plays the most games against each other during the regular season – 22. Now it is down to 2 and they play each other at McNeese before the season is over – decision game? Could be, but probably not.
| Team (Record) | Conference Record | Head-to-Head | Magic Number |
| McNeese (23-4/43) | 17-1 | 1-0 | 8 |
| Steph F Austin (19-8/124) | 13-5 | 0-1 | 1 |
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The Patriot League. This group that plays 18 games against each other is down to just 4 contenders. Army and Navy rule this conference, and we suspect that game on the last day of the season may choose the winner. No other games between these teams are left. We find it interesting that Lehigh, hanging on by a thread, has the best record in this bunch against each other.
| Team (Record) | Conference Record | Head-to-Head | Magic Number |
| Navy (18-7/111) | 13-2 | 2-1 | 5 |
| Army (21-5/84) | 12-3 | 2-2 | 3 |
| Holy Cross (17-9/119) | 11-4 | 1-3 | 2 |
| Lehigh (14-11/160) | 9-5 | 3-1 | 1 |
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The Big West Conference. Six teams are still active in this 20-game schedule conference. It really is fairly wide open for this late in the season. UC San Diego still plays UC Irvine, Fullerton, and Santa Barbara. UC Irvine also plays Santa Barbara and UC Davis. UC Davis also plays Hawaii as does Fullerton and Santa Barbara. Prepare for a dogfight to the title and the top seed. We suspect only one of these teams (winner of the conference tourney) will be invited to the NCAAs, although UC Irvine could make it as the runner up.
| Team (Record) | Conference Record | Head-to-Head | Magic Number |
| UC San Diego (18-7/113) | 13-2 | 4-2 | 6 |
| UC Irvine (22-4/88) | 13-2 | 5-2 | 6 |
| UC Davis (20-7/75) | 13-3 (holds tie break over UC San Diego) | 4-3 | 6 |
| Fullerton (15-11/167) | 11-5 | 3-4 | 3 |
| Santa Barbara (18-7/128) | 10-6 | 2-5 | 2 |
| Hawaii (15-10/129) | 9-6 | 2-4 | 2 |
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The Horizon League. Congratulation to Green Bay (20-7/76) who have clinched the regular season title.
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The Mid-American Conference (MAC). Another 6-team race although there are really just 2 horses left. Ball St still plays Miami OH (the big game!) as well as Ohio and Toledo. Miami OH also plays Ohio. UMASS plays C Michigan, who also plays Toledo. Both Ball St and Miami OH, barring a late-season collapse look strong to receive invitations to the NCAAs. The MAC plays 18 conference games.
| Team (Record) | Conference Record | Head-to-Head | Magic Number |
| Ball St (22-5/52) | 13-1 | 3-1 | 6 |
| Miami OH (21-5/64) | 12-1 | 5-1 | 5 |
| UMASS (18-6/77) | 10-3 | 3-2 | 2 |
| C Michigan (16-9/153) | 10-4 | 0-4 | 1 |
| Ohio (15-10/157) | 9-5 | 2-3 | 1 |
| Toledo (14-10/159) | 8-5 | 1-3 | 1 |
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The Coastal Athletic Association. A few days ago, there were 8 teams still alive in the fight for the best record after 18 conference games. That number is now 5. Charleston plays Campbell and Stony Brook. Campbell also plays Stony Brook. Neither Monmouth nor Drexel have any games left against contenders. Charleston may have done enough to get an invitation even if they fail to win the tourney, but every game counts.
| Team (Record) | Conference Record | Head-to-Head | Magic Number |
| Charleston (21-5/45) | 13-1 | 2-1 | 7 |
| Campbell (17-10/134) | 10-4 | 1-2 | 2 |
| Stony Brook (15-11/169) | 10-3 | 3-1 | 3 |
| Monmouth (17-8/87) | 10-4 | 3-3 | 2 |
| Drexel (16-8/114) | 9-4 | 3-3 | 1 |
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The Southern Conference (SoCon). Playing only 14 conference games (tied for fewest), we still have a 4-team race. The only matchup pitting any of the 4 teams together left is the uber-rivalry of Furman and Wofford. Only one team will make the NCAAs from this conference – no one has won even 18 yet. Chattanooga looks to be the favorite.
| Team (Record) | Conference Record | Head-to-Head | Magic Number |
| Chattanooga (17-7/118) | 9-2 (owns tie over Furman) | 4-2 | 4 |
| Wofford (15-11/131) | 9-3 | 2-3 | 3 |
| Furman (16-11/131) | 8-4 | 2-3 | 1 |
| E Tenn St (14-12/177) | 7-4 | 3-3 | 2 |
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The Mountain West Conference. Only 3 teams remain in a conference that schedules 20 games against each other during the regular season. San Diego St has not lost to either of the other two contenders but still play at Boise St. BOST also plays at UNLV. A good showing by the Broncos and both teams can make it to the NCAAs.
| Team (Record) | Conference Record | Head-to-Head | Magic Number |
| San Diego St (21-4/47) | 15-1 (owns tie over UNLV) | 3-0 | 8 |
| Boise St (21-6/78) | 12-4 | 0-1 | 2 |
| UNLV (17-9/127) | 12-4 | 0-2 | 1 |
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The Big Sky Conference. Four teams remain as they approach the allotted 18-game conference schedule, but it is really a two-horse race. Idaho still plays N Colorado and Montana St still plays Idaho St. There could be multiple invitees to the NCAAs.
| Team (Record) | Conference Record | Head-to-Head | Magic Number |
| Idaho (22-5/82) | 13-1 | 4-1 | 6 |
| Montana St (19-6/40) | 12-2 | 3-2 | 4 |
| Idaho St (18-8/105) | 11-4 (loses tie with Idaho) | 2-3 | 1 |
| N Colorado (19-8/96) | 10-4 | 1-4 | 2 |
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The Summit League. North Dakota St is undefeated in-conference so far this season with just 3 games to go to complete the 16-game schedule. They have 2 contenders to deal with, and each team plays both other teams in a slugfest to the death for the title. All three teams are good enough to be considered for the NCAAs – the Summit tourney will determine who goes.
| Team (Record) | Conference Record | Head-to-Head | Magic Number |
| North Dakota St (22-5/82) | 13-0 | 2-0 | 5 |
| South Dakota (21-6/89) | 12-2 | 1-1 | 2 |
| South Dakota St (21-6/49) | 11-2 | 0-2 | 2 |
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The Ohio Valley Conference. 20 games against conference opponents over the course of the season to determine a winner and 4 teams are still breathing. W Illinois plays both Morehead St and Lindenwood. Lindenwood plays W Illinois and S Indiana plays Morehead St. Plenty of intrigue left in the OVC.
| Team (Record) | Conference Record | Head-to-Head | Magic Number |
| W Illinois (21-4/69) | 14-3 | 3-1 | 5 |
| Lindenwood (21-7/67) | 13-4 | 2-2 | 3 |
| S Indiana (18-8/81) | 12-5 (loses tie with W Illinois) | 1-4 | 1 |
| Morehead St (17-11/139) | 12-5 | 3-2 | 2 |
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The Atlantic Sun Conference. The conference plays an 18-game schedule, and 4 teams remain although E Kentucky could clinch the title this weekend. They and Jacksonville still have games at Stetson remaining. C Arkansas does not play any other contenders until the tourney.
| Team (Record) | Conference Record | Head-to-Head | Magic Number |
| E Kentucky (22-6/68) | 13-2 | 2-1 | 6 |
| Jacksonville (19-7/79) | 11-4 | 2-1 | 2 |
| C Arkansas (17-10/121) | 10-5 | 2-3 | 1 |
| Stetson (17-9/133) | 10-5 | 1-2 | 1 |
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The American Athletic Conference (AAC). Three teams remain in an 18-game conference fight. Each team plays the other two before the end of the season – grudge match type stuff here.
| Team (Record) | Conference Record | Head-to-Head | Magic Number |
| Rice (23-3/48) | 13-0 | 1-0 | 6 |
| East Carolina (20-7/123) | 12-2 | 1-0 | 4 |
| Tulsa (17-9/180) | 9-5 | 0-2 | 1 |
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The Western Athletic Conference (WAC). It will take 18 conference games to select the regular season champion, but there are three contenders willing to fight for the title. CA Baptist plays Abilene Chr who also plays S Utah.
| Team (Record) | Conference Record | Head-to-Head | Magic Number |
| CA Baptist (17-10/140) | 11-3 | 2-1 | 6 |
| Abilene Chr (19-7/73) | 10-3 | 0-2 | 5 |
| S Utah (18-8/98) | 10-4 | 2-1 | 4 |
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Conference USA. There are 3 teams still alive in the 18-game conference schedule. LA Tech plays Sam Houston but Mid Tenn does not play another contender. LA Tech may be good enough to get an at-large bid if they lose the tourney, but they need to go deep to be sure.
| Team (Record) | Conference Record | Head-to-Head | Magic Number |
| LA Tech (20-5/32) | 13-1 | 1-1 | 7 |
| Mid Tenn (14-11/171) | 9-4 | 1-1 | 2 |
| Sam Houston (16-8/85) | 9-4 | 1-1 | 2 |
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The West Coast Conference. It is not uncommon in the last few years for Gonzaga to be on top. But with just a few games left to finish the 18-game slate, they are tied with LMU – and don’t overlook Santa Clara or Oregon St. The only game between any of the four remaining is LMU @ Oregon St. This one could come down to the last day.
| Team (Record) | Conference Record | Head-to-Head | Magic Number |
| Gonzaga (20-8/65) | 12-3 | 2-3 | 4 |
| LMU (18-8/117) | 12-3 | 3-1 | 4 |
| Santa Clara (21-7/66) | 11-4 | 2-1 | 3 |
| Oregon St (19-9/71) | 11-4 | 1-3 | 3 |
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The American East Conference. With a 16-game schedule, there are 4 contenders. Only Binghamton and Maine play each other, however. Vermont looks to be the favorite.
| Team (Record) | Conference Record | Head-to-Head | Magic Number |
| Vermont (22-7/50) | 11-3 | 3-3 | 5 |
| Binghamton (17-9/90) | 9-4 | 3-2 | 2 |
| Maine (14-12/154) | 9-4 | 3-2 | 2 |
| Balt County (13-12/176) | 8-5 | 2-4 | 1 |
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The Sun Belt Conference. Five teams still have hope for the title in the grueling 18-game marathon. Even with so many contenders, only one remains between any of the teams: Troy @ Arkansas St. We see at least two teams from this conference in the NCAAs.
| Team (Record) | Conference Record | Head-to-Head | Magic Number |
| Ga Southern (20-6/35) | 13-2 (owns tie over Troy) | 4-1 | 4 |
| Troy (22-5/33) | 13-2 | 2-1 | 3 |
| Arkansas St (21-7/72) | 12-3 | 1-3 | 3 |
| Marshall (22-7/53) | 12-4 | 2-3 | 2 |
| James Madison (20-8/62) | 11-4 | 2-3 | 2 |
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The Atlantic 10 Conference. Only three contenders remain as we approach the 18-conference game mark. A big game between Rhode Island and Richmond could help determine the winner. George Mason skirts the other two. We see at least two from this conference in the NCAAs.
| Team (Record) | Conference Record | Head-to-Head | Magic Number |
| Rhode Island (23-3/23) | 14-1 (owns tie over George Mason) | 2-0 | 5 |
| George Mason (18-8/74) | 13-2 | 0-2 | 2 |
| Richmond (22-6/37) | 12-3 | 1-1 | 2 |
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The Ivy League. Last of the mid-majors, the 14-game schedule still has 5 of the 8 teams alive this late in the season. This is the only conference with a team that has a losing conference record still in the hunt. Columbia plays Brown and Harvard. Princeton also plays both of those teams. Brown and Harvard also play Penn. We see 2 coming from this conference as well.
| Team (Record) | Conference Record | Head-to-Head | Magic Number |
| Columbia (17-6/42) | 8-2 (owns tie over Princeton) | 5-1 | 5 |
| Princeton (20-3/15) | 8-2 | 4-2 | 4 |
| Brown (15-7/103) | 7-3 | 2-3 | 4 |
| Harvard (14-9/115) | 7-3 | 2-3 | 4 |
| Penn (14-9/112) | 4-6 | 1-5 | 1 |
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The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). 18 teams who play 18 games against each other makes a spread-out schedule. Only two teams remain and Duke already beat Louisville. They are a combined 29-1 in conference play. There will be many teams from the ACC in the NCAAs, but these two are the only ones left who can win the regular season.
| Team (Record) | Conference Record | Head-to-Head | Magic Number |
| Duke (20-6/10) | 15-0 (owns tie over Louisville) | 1-0 | 5 |
| Louisville (24-4/8) | 14-1 | 0-1 | 2 |
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The Big East Conference. Congratulations to UCONN (28-0/2) who have clinched the regular season title.
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The Big 12 Conference. The most wide-open conference with 7 contenders still in the mix with just 3 games to complete the 18-game schedule. TCU plays Iowa St and Baylor. Texas Tech plays Colorado. West Virginia plays Oklahoma St who also plays Iowa St. This mess will come down to the last games. All 7 teams should get invitations to the NCAAs unless they just crash and burn.
| Team (Record) | Conference Record | Head-to-Head | Magic Number |
| TCU (24-4/9) | 12-3 | 4-2 | 4 |
| Texas Tech (24-4/16) | 11-4 (wins tie with TCU) | 4-2 | 3 |
| West Virginia (24-6/14) | 11-4 (loses tie with TCU) | 3-3 | 2 |
| Baylor (22-6/11) | 11-4 | 3-4 | 3 |
| Oklahoma St (21-7/41) | 10-5 (loses tie with TCU) | 3-2 | 1 |
| Colorado (19-8/29) | 10-5 (wins tie with TCU) | 2-3 | 3 |
| Iowa St (21-6/34) | 9-6 | 1-4 | 1 |
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The Big Ten Conference. Congratulations to UCLA (26-1/1) who has clinched the regular season title.
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The Southeastern Conference (SEC). With just a 16-game schedule for 16 teams seems like there would be a mess at the top. There was just 4 days ago with 7 teams in mathematical contention. And then there were three. South Carolina has the tie-break over both teams (because the early-season loss to Texas was at a tournament and did not count as a conference game) and none of these teams meet again before the conference tourney. We suspect at least eleven SEC teams in the NCAAs.
| Team (Record) | Conference Record | Head-to-Head | Magic Number |
| South Carolina (26-2/3) | 12-1 (owns all ties) | 2-0 | 6 |
| Vanderbilt (24-3/5) | 10-3 | 1-1 | 1 |
| Texas (25-3/4) | 10-3 | 0-2 | 1 |
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That’s it for today. All 31 conferences and where they stand before games were played today. Thank you for reading and sharing with others. Thanks to Scott M. for the great questions today. See you next time, JoJo and G.
