Women's Basketball Tournament Field Announced
LA GRANDE, Ore. – The qualifiers for the 2016-17 Cascade Collegiate Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament, presented by U.S. Bank, have been announced by the conference office. The tournament will feature the top eight teams from the regular season standings. Seeding was based on the regular season finish and the top four teams will host the quarterfinal round which begins this Tuesday at campus sites. Each round the tournament is re-seeded with the highest remaining seeds hosting the lowest remaining seeds.
A coin flip was needed to determine the seeding for regular season Co-Champions Southern Oregon University and Eastern Oregon University. Finishing with identical 18-2 CCC records, the two teams remained tied through every tiebreaker up to the coin flip. Because the coin flip would also determine the league’s first automatic qualifier for the NAIA National Tournament specific criteria was in place.
EOU won the coin flip and as a result earned the AQ to the National Tournament but are seeded No. 2 in the CCC tournament. SOU is seeded No. 1 in the tournament.
The 2nd AQ will be awarded to the tournament champion. Based on CCC women's basketball guidelines in the event there is a two-way tie for regular season title and tournament seeding is based on a coin flip tiebreaker, the winner of the coin flip earns the first AQ but becomes the No. 2 seed based. If the No. 2 seed (i.e., coin flip winner which earned the first AQ) also wins the tournament, then the No. 1 seed (coin flip loser) will be awarded the second AQ.
Quarter Finals – Tuesday, Feb. 21
#8 Multnomah @ #1 Southern Oregon
#7 Corban@ #2 Eastern Oregon
#6 Northwest @ #3 Oregon Tech
#5 College of Idaho @ #4 Northwest Christian
Semifinals – Friday, Feb. 24
Highest remaining seeds host lowest remaining seeds
Championship – Monday, Feb. 27
Highest remaining seed host lowest remaining seed
A full tournament preview will be published Tuesday morning on the CCC website.