Decision Day
3/10/2012 1:00:00 PM | Women's Bowling
Wednesday, March 28 is decision day for the Sam Houston women's bowling team as the Bearkats hope to be among the eight teams selected to play in the 2012 NCAA championship tournament again.
The NCAA Division I women's bowling national committee will announce their selections Wednesday at 3 p.m.
Last year, Sam Houston State became the first inaugural women's bowling program to be selected to the NCAA Elite Eight. The Bearkats finished seventh at the NCAA Championships in Detroit.
This season, the NCAA Championships will be held in Cleveland at the Freeway Lanes April 12-14.
"We feel like we've done everything we can to put ourselves in a position to be selected," Sam Houston head coach Brad Hagen said. "It's up to the committee now."
Win-loss record, results against the top 10 teams in the NCAA RPI standings, strength of schedule and head-to-head scores as among the key factors the committee will use to determine the field.
During the 2011-12 season Sam Houston has compiled an overall record of 79 victories and 35 losses. That includes a 46-31 record against teams in the top 20.
Strength of schedule certainly will be a factor that favors the Kats. Sam Houston participated in eight tournaments across the country between October and March. In seven of those events, more than half the field consisted of squads listed in the national top 20.
Sam Houston won one tournament, placed in the top three in three others and finished no lower than eighth in any of their appearances.
Another statistic in favor of Sam Houston is their eight victories over teams ranked in the top five nationally (Arkansas State, Nebraska, Vanderbilt and Maryland-Eastern Shore). No. 1 ranked Fairleigh Dickinson is the only team in the top 10 over whom Sam Houston does not own a victory.
All eight berths in the national tournament are at-large selections. The selection criteria are overall won-lost record, head-to-head competition, results versus common opponents, overall strength of schedule and overall RPI.
Sam Houston stands No. 9 in the March National Tenpins Coaches Association (NTCA) women's bowling rankings. The NTCA conducts monthly polls that rank and list the top 20 NCAA women's bowling during the regular season.
"Whatever happens, I'm proud to the job our girls have done this year," Hagen said.
