| LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL FOR CHANGE IN NSAA RULES AND REGULATIONS | ||||
| Title: | Postseason Qualifying - Volleyball and Basketball | |||
| Author: | Jason Weber | |||
| School: | Milford | |||
| NSAA District: | 1 | |||
| Proposal for: | Activities Manual | |||
| Classes Affected: | Class C | |||
| Activities Affected: | Boys Basketball Girls Basketball Volleyball | |||
| This proposal: | WILL NOT increase costs to the school WILL NOT increase costs to the NSAA WILL NOT increase travel for participating schools WILL NOT decrease a student's or coach's instruction time | |||
| Implementation date: | 2027-08-01 | |||
| Sections affected in Activities Manual: | Page 15 13 | Article Volleyball Manual Basketball Manual | Section Classes C1 & C2 Classes C1 & C2 | |
| Summary: | Classes C1 & C2 – The top 40 teams in the wildcard standings on the seeding date will qualify for sub-districts. Any ties will be broken by the current tie breaker rules set by NSAA. On the seeding date, the 40 qualifying schools will be divided into four regions based on geography. The westernmost region will consist of one, four-team sub-district. The other three regions will each consist of three, four-team sub-districts. Sub-districts in each region will be serpentined based on wildcard points on the seeding date, which is the current process.
For Volleyball, regions and sub-districts will be released during Week 16 of the NSAA calendar. For Girls Basketball, they will be released during Week 32, and for Boys Basketball, during Week 33 - which is the current process. The #1 seed in each sub-district will host the sub-district semifinals and final. If the #1 seed is unable to host, the #2 seed in that sub-district will serve as the host. 1) The winning team in each sub-district will qualify for district finals. 2) The six non-sub-district winners with the highest wildcard point averages will qualify for district finals. 3) The 16 teams qualifying for district finals will be placed in a 16-team bracket based on wildcard point averages through sub-districts. The higher seeded team will host the district final match. The winner of the district final match will advance to the state championship. | |||
| Rationale: | Under the current format, Class C1 and C2 teams with losing records often travel great distances to play postseason games that are lopsided. Qualifying the top 40 teams in the wildcard standings for the postseason would reduce the number of lopsided matchups and reduce travel, eliminating a 2nd trip for the winner of a bunny bracket game.
During the 2025 volleyball season, 15 sets were won in 28 matches by teams ranked from #41 thru #54 in wildcard points during sub-district play.. During the 2025-26 basketball season, the average margin of loss in sub-district games played of teams #41 -# 54 was: C1 Boys: 18.7; C1 Girls: 25.2; C2- Boys: 21.1; C2- Girls: 24.0 | |||
| Pros: | Reduce the amount of lost instructional time.
Reduce cost for schools. Decreases travel for participating teams. Sub-districts would require only 2 nights of games Easier rescheduling if inclement weather is an issue. | |||
| Cons: | Not every team will qualify for the postseason.
Younger players lose a game of playoff experience. | |||