> Anthony Buffa wrote:

>> Logically, I would want to think the autobid would go to the REGULAR
>> season champ, having proved itself over many games, rather than a
>> end-of-season tourney champ who wins 4 or 5 games, but then again, what
>> has logic had to do with a lot of NCAA decisions?

Alton replied:

> The NCAA is an easy target, but blame the MAAC here.  The NCAA
> determines which conferences receive the bids, but the individual
> conferences determine how their bids are awarded.  In theory, they
> could have a random drawing...

Putting aside the thorny question of whether the RS or tourney winner
deserves to be called "League Champion", it's in the interest of a
conference with a single autobid to give it to the tournament
champion, since the RS champion is more likely to get an at-large bid
anyway, and so by sending the tournament champion the conference can,
on average, increase the number of teams it sends to the NCAAs.
(Of course if the MAAC's out-of-conference performance continues as it
has for the past two years, the RS champion is not going to get an
at-large bid anyway...)
                                          John Whelan, Cornell '91
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