Northwestern’s postseason run starts tomorrow.
On Friday, the No. 1 ranked Northwestern field hockey team will begin its postseason run, starting with the Big Ten Field Hockey Tournament in College Park, Maryland. The Wildcats are already regular season conference champions and look to win their second consecutive (and third overall) tournament title.
Here’s everything you need to know about Northwestern’s run to go back-to-back.
Projected Schedule:
As the top overall seed, Northwestern will have a quarterfinal bye and play its first match of the tournament in the semi-finals. With a win, the ‘Cats would advance to the finals.
Semifinals: Friday, Nov. 8 at 12 p.m. CST vs. No. 5 Ohio State or No. 4 Rutgers
Finals: Sunday, Nov. 10 at 10 a.m. CST
What’s At Stake?
This tournament is a must-win for Northwestern to claim the No. 1 overall seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. As the only two undefeated teams in the nation, the battle for the No. 1 seed likely falls between NU and North Carolina. Although Northwestern has been ranked No. 1 in the NFHCA polls for most of the season, UNC is ranked higher in the RPI rankings (for strength of schedule). In addition, UNC has a greater margin of victory (3.69) than NU (3.11), which could also play a factor.
If Northwestern loses the Big Ten Tournament and UNC wins the ACC Tournament (which it is heavily favored to do), the Wildcats will most definitely lose the No. 1 ranking and top seed at the tournament. With the Tar Heels already having a leg up on many key metrics, NU needs to do everything in its power to make sure that the selection committee cannot make any arguments against putting it at the top.
Last year, UNC got the No. 1 seed over Northwestern despite the ‘Cats winning the Big Ten Tournament and having a better regular season record. So NU winning the tournament wouldn’t make it a lock for the top seed, but losing it likely eliminates its chances of getting it.
How Will Northwestern Fare?
Based on the seeding and head-to-head matchup, Rutgers is favored over Ohio State to win the right to face Northwestern. The Scarlet Knights defeated the Buckeyes 1-0 earlier during the season, but Ohio State team may be a worse matchup for the Wildcats. OSU gave NU one of its biggest challenges of the regular season when the two squads played last week, holding the ‘Cats to zero second-half goals and a low penalty corner conversion rate. Meanwhile, the Wildcats took down the Scarlet Knights 4-0 in a landslide victory.
While things can change in a month, NU would rather not face an opponent it played just a week ago in a gritty game. But it still defeated OSU 2-1 and should be favored in the semi-finals regardless of which team it plays.
If Northwestern advances to the finals, it could face the winner of No. 6 Indiana vs. No. 3 Michigan or the winner of No. 2 Maryland vs. No. 7 Iowa. The Hawkeyes are 2-6 in Big Ten play and previously lost 5-0 to the Terrapins, so they likely face elimination. But Maryland, Indiana and Michigan are three schools that the Wildcats could struggle against — the ‘Cats got 1-0 victories against the Terrapins and Hoosiers, and were forced to play overtime against the Wolverines .
Maryland, the No. 5 team in the nation, will benefit from having home field advantage. The Wildcats had an overtime win against the Terrapins in the championship game last year, and the home crowd could be enough to push the Terps to the top. However, NU has already beaten Maryland on the road this season.
That being said, all of those concerns are just “what-ifs,” and making sure that Northwestern doesn’t get too cocky. The Wildcats will still be heavy favorites to win the tournament regardless of who they face, but they should be prepared for whatever their opponents throw at them.