VCU's Daane Berezo (right) and Matt Davis celebrate during the 2015 Dallas Regional (Aaron Fitt)
2015 Super Regional Field Analysis
After 10 teams wrapped up their regionals Monday, the field of 16 is set for super regionals. Let’s take a quick look at the matchups and then examine a few major storylines.
Super Regionals TV Schedules/Times
GAMES BEGIN FRIDAY, JUNE 5 – All times are Eastern
The following four best-of-three super regionals will be played Friday, June 5, Saturday, June 6, and Sunday, June 7 (if necessary).
Maryland (42-22) at Virginia (37-22)
4 p.m. (ESPNU), 3 p.m. (ESPNU), 3 p.m. (ESPN2 or ESPNU)
No. 8 Missouri State (48-10) at Arkansas (38-22)
4:30 p.m. (ESPN2), 2 p.m. (ESPN2), 3 p.m. (ESPN2 or ESPNU)
VCU (40-23) at No. 5 Miami (FL) (47-15)
Noon (ESPNU), Noon (ESPNU), Noon (ESPN2 or ESPNU)
Florida State (44-19) at No. 4 Florida (47-16)
7:30 p.m. (ESPN2), 5 p.m. (ESPN2), *6 p.m. (ESPNU) or *7 p.m. (ESPN2)
*to be determined at approximately 8 p.m. (ET), Saturday, June 6
GAMES BEGIN SATURDAY, JUNE 6 – All times are Eastern
The following four best-of-three super regionals will be played Saturday, June 6, Sunday, June 7, and Monday, June 8 (if necessary).
*Game time and ESPN Network subject to change
Louisiana-Lafayette (42-21) at No. 2 LSU (51-10)
8 p.m. (ESPN2), *6 p.m. (ESPNU) or *7 p.m. (ESPN2), **1 p.m./4 p.m./7 p.m. (ESPN2) or 8 p.m. (ESPN)
Texas A&M (49-12) at No. 7 TCU (47-12)
3 p.m. (ESPN), 2:15 p.m. (ESPN), **1 p.m./4 p.m./7 p.m. (ESPN2) or 8 p.m. (ESPN)
Vanderbilt (45-19) at No. 6 Illinois (50-8-1)
8 p.m. (ESPNU), 9 p.m. (ESPNU), **1 p.m./4 p.m./7 p.m. (ESPN2) or 8 p.m. (ESPN)
Cal St. Fullerton (37-22) at No. 3 Louisville (46-16)
11 a.m. (ESPN2), Noon (ESPN2 or ESPNU), **1 p.m./4 p.m./7 p.m. (ESPN2) or 8 p.m. (ESPN)
*to be determined at approximately 8 p.m. (ET), Saturday, June 6
**to be determined, Sunday, June 7
Breakdown
• For the first time in the 64-team era that began in 1999 the Pac-12 failed to send a team to super regionals. None of the six Pac teams that made the NCAA tournament made it out of the regional round; just three of them reached regional finals. Cal State Fullerton is left as the lone Western team still standing after winning its home regional. The other two regionals that were played in Southern California were won by East Coast No. 3 seeds (Virginia and Maryland) that traveled across country and fought their way through a pair of regionals stuffed that were each stuffed with three quality West Coast clubs.
• The wins by the Cavaliers and Terrapins set up an unlikely super regional rematch between the two mid-Atlantic foes in Charlottesville. The last time two teams faced off in back-to-back super regionals was 2009-10, when TCU and Texas tangled. The Longhorns won the first series, and the Frogs took the rematch.
• The SEC leads all conferences with five super regional teams, as five of the seven teams it sent to the postseason won their regionals. Four of those teams — the league’s Big Four (LSU, Vandy, Texas A&M and Florida) — were hosts, while Arkansas won the Stillwater Regional as a No. 2 seed.
• Four of the ACC’s seven NCAA tournament teams won their regionals, with Florida State, Miami and Louisville winning as hosts, and Virginia winning as a No. 3 seed in Lake Elsinore.
• Two of the Big Ten’s five regional teams advanced — Maryland as a No. 3 seed in Los Angeles, and Illinois as a host.
• No other conference produced more than one regional winner. The Big 12 and Missouri Valley each went 1-for-3, the Big West went 1-for-2, and the Sun Belt and Atlantic 10 both went 1-for-1. The American Athletic Conference went 0-for-4; Conference USA went 0-for-3; and the Big South and CAA each went 0-for-2.
• Seven of the eight national seeds won their regionals. The lone loser was UCLA, which became the second straight No. 1 national seed from the Pac-12 to be knocked out of its home regional, following Oregon State last year. In 2014, just three national seeds won their regionals, which was tied for the fewest ever. This marks the ninth time in the 17-year super regional era that seven or more national seeds won regionals.
• Eleven No. 1 seeds won regionals (68.8 percent), which is almost exactly in line with the 16-year average heading into this season (68.4 percent). Just one No. 2 seed won a regional (Arkansas), which is the fewest in the 64-team era. Three No. 3 seeds won regionals, a year after four No. 3 seeds won. And VCU became just the fifth No. 4 seed in 17 years to win a regional, following in the footsteps of Missouri in 2006, Fresno State in 2008, Stony Brook in 2012 and College of Charleston last year. Each of those four teams were loaded with talent and were very much on the national radar heading into the postseason. VCU is the unlikeliest No. 4 seed to win a regional in the 64-team era.
• Next weekend offers a number of very intriguing matchups. TCU-Texas A&M, LSU-Louisiana-Lafayette and Florida State-Florida are spicy matchups between in-state rivals. Virginia-Maryland is a neat Mid-Atlantic showdown, and Arkansas-Missouri State is a fun battle of the Ozarks. Cal State Fullerton and Louisville faced off during opening weekend in Clearwater, where the Titans won the only meeting between the two clubs on Sunday. And Vanderbilt-Illinois might be the best matchup of all, a showdown between two powerhouses loaded with talent and experience.
Regional Weekend was chock full of incredibly tense action. There were extra-inning marathons (Rice-Houston, Cal State Fullerton-Arizona State), shocking upsets (Maryland toppling UCLA, VCU emerging from a loaded Dallas Regional), dramatic comebacks (TCU overcoming a seven-run hole in the eighth inning against NC State, Louisiana-Lafayette storming back from four runs down in the ninth to beat Rice), and too many brilliant defensive plays to list.
This weekend won’t be easy to top, but the stage is set for another riveting weekend of super regionals.
