Overall Conference record, at the conclusion of the regular season, is used to seed teams 1 through 12. There are also several tie-breakers that may be necessary.
The following procedures are set up to establish seeding for the championship and to break ties. Follow the appropriate steps in order.
Two-way Tie (2 teams in the same division conclude the regular season with the same conference record)
- Regular season head-to-head results (one game or two). If the tied teams split their two games, then proceed to Step #2 below.
- Overall record. If the tied teams had identical overall winning percentages, then proceed to Step #3 below.
- RPI ranking
Multiple-Team Tie (3 or more teams in the same division conclude the regular season with the same conference record)
- Teams are viewed as a “mini-conference” when comparing head-to-head results. The team with the best record (as determined by winning percentage, even if unequal games) vs. the other teams in the mini-conference gains the advantage. If two or more teams, but not all, have the same best winning percentage in the mini-conference (likely implies same number of games played in mini-conference), only those specific teams advance to the next tie-breaker Step 2 below. After the top team in a mini-conference is determined, the next team is ranked by its record in the original mini-conference. If there are any remaining teams tied by their record in the mini-conference, then they will proceed to Step #2 below to determine the higher seed.
- Overall record. If the tied teams had identical overall winning percentages, then proceed to Step #3 below.
- RPI ranking