Difficult Schedule, .500 Rule Keep CLU From NAIA Playoffs

Cal Lutheran will miss the NAIA District III postseason party because of a rule that bars from the playoffs teams with overall winning percentages of less than .500.

The NAIA has shown flexibility with the rule, which was adopted by a 10-member national committee in July. After the .500 standard was set, the association allowed its 32 districts to vote regarding the rule. Some of the districts, including District III in Southern California, voted to lower their minimum standard for reaching the playoffs, requiring a record of .400 or higher. The motion was allowed by the NAIA.

Still, CLU will miss out by a few percentage points. If the Kingsmen (10-17) win their remaining game, the best they could finish is .393 overall.

In past years, criteria for making the District III playoffs hinged primarily on a team’s record against district opponents, not overall records. Cal Lutheran is among the district’s top eight teams in league competition this season with a 7-7 record and would have qualified under the old format.

“I think Cal Lutheran is better than a couple of teams that will be in the playoffs,” said Cliff Hamlow, coach at Azusa Pacific and District III chairman. “There’s no question about that. If I were in Cal Lutheran’s shoes, I’d be disappointed because on a given night they can beat anyone in the district. They’ve played a tough overall schedule.”

Two of the eight teams that have qualified for the district playoffs--West Coast Christian and Christ College--have better overall records than Cal Lutheran but worse district records. West Coast Christian is 14-13, 3-8 in the district; Christ College is 12-16, 1-7 in the district.

But the Kingsmen’s difficult overall schedule prevented them from advancing to the playoffs.

CLU played nine NCAA Division II teams, including four that were ranked in the Top 20. The only District III school that played at least half as many Division II teams was Azusa Pacific, which faced five and lost to four. Cal Lutheran’s record against Division II opponents was 2-7.

“We’re being penalized for playing a tougher schedule,” CLU Coach Larry Lopez said. “It’s really frustrating. We lost four games by two points, one by one point and one by three points. So we lost six games by a total of 12 points. It’s really frustrating.”

Part of Cal Lutheran’s problems stem from the fact that the Kingsmen are dual members of the NAIA and the NCAA’s Division II. Because of their dual membership, half of their nonconference games must be against mostly stronger Division II teams.

Wally Schwartz, associate executive director of the NAIA, said no one forced Cal Lutheran to have dual membership and, therefore, face tougher competition.

“We don’t want a 2-20 team to be in our national tournament,” he said. “We don’t want to be like the National Hockey League and have everybody make it. If schools want a tough schedule, it’s up to them. Basically, we’re saying, go ahead and schedule who you want, but you better look at your schedule or sit at home during the playoffs.”

Schwartz added that economics played a part in the rule. “Presidents were looking at their budgets and asking, ‘Why send a team with a losing record to the tournament and spend up to $6,000 so they can play in the tournament?’ There needs to be some basic lines drawn. We thought a school should have a winning record.”

Hamlow concurred. “I have mixed feelings about the rule,” he said. “But I do believe in some minimal standard. It’s unfortunate for Cal Lutheran, but it is best for the tournament. You’ve got to draw the line somewhere. I don’t think you’ll see many 11-17 teams in the national tournament.”

While some NAIA teams might adjust their schedules, CLU is stuck in the middle, searching for easier competition and a loftier overall record. The school is faced with playing a higher percentage of strong opponents and still building an overall record good enough to qualify for the NAIA playoffs.

“We get seven of our top eight players back next year,” Lopez said. “And we’re recruiting two players that will hopefully put us in the range of winning 18 or 20 games. So, eventually we’ll make it to the top.”