Midwest Conference Tiebreaking Procedures
Baseball
1) Ties are resolved by (1) head-to-head competition or (2) one 9-inning playoff game on the Saturday before the conference championship tournament or the next available date. The only reason to postpone such a game is a rain out. The tiebreaker game shall be played on or before the Wednesday before the Conference tournament is to begin. The site for the single playoff game shall be determined by the flip of a coin by the Conference Executive Director.
2) In the event of a three-way tie, two 9-inning playoff games (at one site) shall determine the final standing. The games would be played on the Saturday before the conference championship tournament or the next available date. The only reason to postpone such a game is a rainout. The 1st draw shall determine which team has the bye. The 2nd draw shall determine the host and site. In the event that the playoff games shall not be played due to weather, the 1st tiebreaker shall be head-to-head competition between the dead locked teams. The 2nd tiebreaker shall be team records vs. the 3rd place team to determine the 1st and 2nd place finishers. (If 1st and 2nd place shall not be determined using the 3rd place team, we shall move down the standings, looking at teams' records against the 4th place team, and if necessary, records against the 5th place team. Head-to-head competition between these two teams shall determine the 1st and 2nd seeds. In the event that this method does not determine 1st and 2nd place, the Executive Director shall draw to determine 1st and 2nd.
3) In the event of a four-way tie, a single elimination, four-team tournament would determine the seeds. A draw will determine host and site. The games would be played on the Saturday before the conference championship tournament or the next available date. The only reason to postpone such a game is a rainout. All four teams draw for opponent, home team status and order of games. The final game would use a coin flip to determine home team. This tournament will be played on the Saturday before the conference championship tournament or the next available date.
4) In the event of a 5-team tie, a draw will determine the host (and site) and one play-in team. A draw will determine a second play-in team. The games would be played on the Saturday before the conference championship tournament or the next available date. The only reason to postpone such a game is a rainout. The winner of the play-in game will join the other three teams in a four-team tournament described above. This tournament would take place at the same site as the play-in game and on the same day as the play-in game. This tournament will be played on the Saturday before the conference championship tournament or the next available date.
Men’s Basketball
If teams have the same win-loss record, the following criteria shall be applied in order. A given criterion should be used to determine the order of all the teams in the tie if possible. Following the application of one of the criteria if a portion of the tie is still unresolved return to the top of the order to break any remaining ties. These criteria will always be applied starting at the top of the standings.
1) Head to Head Competition. (Head to head winning percentage amongst all tied teams should be used to break the tie.)
a. Example 1. (Record amongst tied teams) Team A 3-1, Team B 3-2, Team C 2-3, Team D 1-3 are tied for third. The teams would be slotted in the following order Team A – 3rd place, Team B – 4th place, Team C – 5th place, Team D – 6th place. No other tie breaking criteria would be necessary for this example
b. Example 2. Team A is 3-2, Team B 3-2, Team C 2-3, Team D 2-3 are tied for 1st place. Team A and Team B will be tied for first place, Team C and Team D will be tied for third place. Then return to the top of criteria and break the tie between Team A and Team B, then subsequently break the tie between Team C and Team D
c. Example 3. Team A is 2-0, Team B is 1-0, Team C is 0-3. Since the tie breaker is based on winning percentage Team A and Team B will remained tied with Team C eliminated from the tie. The tie between Team A and Team B will be broken starting at the top of the criteria.
2) The record against the highest ranked common opponent. This will continue through the conference rankings until the tie is broken. Common opponent is defined as a team that the tied teams have played twice.
a. Exception is if Team A has beaten a common opponent twice while Team B lost the common opponent once (2-0 vs 0-1) or Team A has lost to a common opponent twice while Team B beat the common opponent (0-2 vs 1-0)
b. Exception would also occur when continuing thru the rankings if two or more teams being considered for common opponents have identical records (regardless if the tie between the common opponents has been broken using a different criterion). The record vs the common opponents will be defined as the collective record against the entire group of teams with identical records. In this case winning percentage will be used to break the tie regardless of the number of games played by each team.
Example 1. Team A and Team B have identical records for first place at 14-4, Team C and Team D are tied for fifth place. Team C was a collective 2-2 vs Team A and B, Team D was a collective 1-3 vs Team A and B. Team C wins the tie breaker.
Example 2. Team A and Team B have identical records for first place, while Team C, Team D, and Team E are tied for 5 th place. Team C was a collective 2-2, Team D was a collective 1-2, Team E was 1-3. In this case Team C would be 5 th place, Team D would be 6 th place and Team E 7 th place.
3) Overall winning percentage against the remaining top half of the teams not involved in the tie breaker. If there are an odd number of teams not involved in the tie include the extra team in the top half of the teams. Also include all teams with identical records at the bottom of the top half regardless if their tie has been broken.
a. Example 1. Two teams are tied at third place – Winning percentage against the first, second, fifth, sixth and seventh teams
b. Example 2. Three teams are tied for first place – Winning percentage against the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh teams.
4) The team that has played the tougher conference schedule (Overall conference opponent, conference winning percentage.
5) Coin flip by Executive Director
Women’s Basketball
If teams have the same win-loss record, the following criteria shall be applied in order. A given criterion should be used to determine the order of all the teams in the tie if possible. Following the application of one of the criteria if a portion of the tie is still unresolved return to the top of the order to break any remaining ties. These criteria will always be applied starting at the top of the standings.
1) Head to Head Competition. (Head to head winning percentage amongst all tied teams should be used to break the tie.)
a. Example 1. (Record amongst tied teams) Team A 3-1, Team B 3-2, Team C 2-3, Team D 1-3 are tied for third. The teams would be slotted in the following order Team A – 3rd place, Team B – 4th place, Team C – 5th place, Team D – 6th place. No other tie breaking criteria would be necessary for this example
b. Example 2. Team A is 3-2, Team B 3-2, Team C 2-3, Team D 2-3 are tied for 1 st place. Team A and Team B will be tied for first place, Team C and Team D will be tied for third place. Then return to the top of criteria and break the tie between Team A and Team B, then subsequently break the tie between Team C and Team D
c. Example 3. Team A is 2-0, Team B is 1-0, Team C is 0-3. Since the tie breaker is based on winning percentage Team A and Team B will remained tied with Team C eliminated from the tie. The tie between Team A and Team B will be broken starting at the top of the criteria.
2. The record against the highest ranked common opponent. This will continue through the conference rankings until the tie is broken. Common opponent is defined as a team that the tied teams have played twice.
a. Exception is if Team A has beaten a common opponent twice while Team B lost the common opponent once (2-0 vs 0-1) or Team A has lost to a common opponent twice while Team B beat the common opponent (0-2 vs 1-0)
b. Exception would also occur when continuing thru the rankings if two or more teams being considered for common opponents have identical records (regardless if the tie between the common opponents has been broken using a different criterion). The record vs the common opponents will be defined as the collective record against the entire group of teams with identical records. In this case winning percentage will be used to break the tie regardless of the number of games played by each team.
Example 1. Team A and Team B have identical records for first place at 14-4, Team C and Team D are tied for fifth place. Team C was a collective 2-2 vs Team A and B, Team D was a collective 1-3 vs Team A and B. Team C wins the tie breaker.
Example 2. Team A and Team B have identical records for first place, while Team C, Team D, and Team E are tied for 5 th place. Team C was a collective 2-2, Team D was a collective 1-2, Team E was 1-3. In this case Team C would be 5 th place, Team D would be 6 th place and Team E 7 th place.
3. Overall winning percentage against the remaining top half of the teams not involved in the tie breaker. If there are an odd number of teams not involved in the tie include the extra team in the top half of the teams. Also include all teams with identical records at the bottom of the top half regardless if their tie has been broken.
a. Example 1. Two teams are tied at third place – Winning percentage against the first, second, fifth, sixth and seventh teams
b. Example 2. Three teams are tied for first place – Winning percentage against the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh teams.
4. The team that has played the tougher conference schedule (Overall conference opponent, conference winning percentage.
5. Coin flip by Executive Director
Football
Conference tiebreaker for the NCAA berth: a. Head to head competition b. If more than two teams are tied and head to head competition does not break the tie, the team that has been ahead in the most quarters of Conference play will be our representative. c. If two of those teams are still tied, head to head competition will once again break the tie. d. If three or more teams are still tied on the basis of quarters led, a coin flip will occur.
Men’s Soccer
If teams are tied within conference play, the following criteria are used to break the tie:
1) Head to head competition.
2) Goal differential between tied teams with a max of 4 goals for any one game.
3) Goal differential within conference play with a max of 4 goals for any one game.
4) Least goals allowed within conference play.
5) Flip of the coin by the Executive Director. Women’s Soccer
Ties in Conference standings shall be resolved by:
1) Head to head competition
2) Goal differential based on tied teams (up to 3 goals)
3) Goal differential based on all conference games (up to 3 goals)
4) Least goals allowed based on all conference games
5) Least goals allowed based on tied teams.
In the event that three or more teams are tied: Once a tie is broken between three or more teams and two or more remain, the tie- breaking process shall return to the first tie-breaker being head-to-head competition. If a tie remains after all is processed, co- champions shall be named and then a coin toss shall be used to determine seeding.
Softball
Ties within divisions (based on total points) shall be broken by:
1) Head to head competition.
2) Winning percentage within the division.
3) Record against common cross-division opponents at Classic, regardless of Classic completion.
4) Fewest runs allowed in head-to-head competition or the sum of runs allowed versus teams in a three-way or more tie.
5) Any time more than two teams are tied, once a team has been eliminated by the procedures listed above, the tiebreaker for the remaining teams goes back to a.
6) Coin flip by Executive Director.
Men’s Tennis
Tiebreakers: In case of three or more tied teams the criteria is used to advance teams, not eliminate them. If a tie still exists between two teams after team(s) advances from a criterion, the tied teams will revert back to #1.
1) Head to head competition
2) Team points earned in all divisional play
3) Sets won in all divisional matches
4) Games won in all divisional matches
5) Coin flip by Executive Director
Women’s Tennis
The following tie-breaking criteria shall be used (in the event of a tie among three or more teams, once a criteria advances or eliminates a team(s), remaining tied teams shall return to the beginning of the criteria):
1) Head-to-head competition among tied teams.
2) Team points earned among tied teams (one individual singles or doubles match won = one point)
3) Sets won among tied teams
4) Games won among tied teams
5) Coin flip by the Executive Director
Volleyball
If necessary, the following tiebreakers will be used. After the first sets of ties are broken always start back at the top and move through the process again to break the next set of ties. Continue through the process until all ties are broken.
1) Head-to-head competition between all tied teams.
2) Win/loss set record (winning percentage) between all tied teams.
3) Point differential between all tied teams.
4) Win/loss set record (winning percentage) between all conference opponents.
5) Point differential between all conference opponents.
6) Coin flip by Executive Director.
In the event three or more teams are tied – Once a tie is broken between three or more teams and two or more remain, the tie-breaking process shall return to the first tie-breaker being head-to-head competition, and go back through the process to determine the ranking.