Women lose 2-0 at Brandeis. Region update

Let’s take a look at the official NCAA rankings—the only ones that mean something—from last Wednesday. All records are in-region only.

Central Region
1. Wash U (9-1-1): W vs. Brandeis, W vs. NYU
2. Augustana (14-1-1): W vs. North Central, W vs. Elmhurst
3. Ill. Wesleyan (14-1-0): L vs. Wheaton, TBD vs. Carthage
4. Chicago (9-2-1): W vs. NYU, L vs. Brandeis
5. Wheaton (13-4-0): W vs. Ill. Wesleyan
6. Calvin (10-4-0): W vs. Hope

• The Maroons are going to be in this mix no matter what because they have the strongest schedule (according to NCAA metrics) in the Central. They’re also 3-2-1 against ranked regional opponents.

• As it stands, I don’t see much movement happening unless Wash U and Ill. Wesleyan are upset this afternoon. Augustana will jump Wash U if the former were to happen. (Note: Wash U came back to defeat NYU in OT.)

• At the 3-4-5 spots, we have a difficult triangle of head-to-head results. Chicago beat Wheaton, Wheaton beat Ill. Wesleyan, and Ill. Wesleyan beat Chicago. Wheaton also has four losses, so I don’t imagine them being able to leap Chicago just yet.

• This next week might really shake up the region, however. On Wednesday and Saturday, the CCIW (including Augustana, Ill. Wesleyan and Wheaton) plays its four-team conference tournament. Two of those three teams will have to take losses.

• It’s never a good thing to have just two conferences represented in the top five teams of the region. At this point, it’s probably in the Maroons’ best interest for Augustana to win it all and be taken out of the discussion as an automatic bid. If Ill. Wesleyan loses to Wheaton a second time, Ill. Wesleyan will have to fall below Wheaton. Where does Chicago fit in that scenario? I’ll bet on being above the both of them, but who knows?

• And keep in mind that Chicago can’t rely on Wash U to get an automatic berth this year. If the Maroons beat Wash U next week—and they obviously will want to—Rochester will have a clean look at taking the UAA.

Your head hurting yet?