NEWMAC field hockey playoff scenarios

Wellesley has played all eight of its conference games, but the other eight each have one game left this Saturday:

Wheaton at Mount Holyoke, noon
Babson at MIT, 1
Springfield at WPI, 1
Smith at Clark, 1

Recall, top six make the conference tournament (and these teams are already locked in), a top four seeding guarantees that if you must play in the first round, it's at home, a top two seeding grants a first round bye, and the top seed hosts the semifinals and final of the conference tournament.

Wheaton, WPI, and Clark have been eliminated, and the other six teams have clinched a spot in the tournament. Beyond that,

WELLESLEY
has clinched: a first round bye
can clinch: hosting the tournament
Wellesley can clinch hosting the tournament with: Babson loss

BABSON
has clinched: a top four seeding
can clinch:
a) a first round bye
b) hosting the tournament
Babson can clinch a first round bye and hosting the tournament with: a win

MIT
has clinched: a top four seeding
can clinch: a first round bye
MIT can clinch a first round bye with: a win

SMITH
has clinched: a spot in the tournament
can clinch: a top four seeding
Smith can clinch a top four seeding with:
1) a win
2) Mount Holyoke loss + MIT win*
3) Mount Holyoke loss + Springfield loss*

MOUNT HOLYOKE
has clinched: a spot in the tournament
can clinch: a top four seeding
Mount Holyoke can clinch a top four seeding with:
1) Mount Holyoke win + Smith loss
2) Smith loss + Springfield win + Babson win*

SPRINGFIELD
has clinched: a spot in the tournament
can clinch: nothing more






*The only way Mount Holyoke can beat Smith in a tiebreaker is if they end up in a three-way tiebreaker with Springfield. This is why if Mount Holyoke loses, not only do they need Smith to lose (to tie with them), but they also need Springfield to win to enter this three-way tiebreak. Now, since the three teams are 1-1 against each other, it goes to the next step, which is to compare the three teams to the first seed. If the first seed is Babson, Mount Holyoke wins since they beat Babson. This is why Mount Holyoke also needs Babson to win, to become the first seed. Even if they are in the three-way tiebreak, they'd lose to Smith if Wellesley is the first seed. Since none of the three beat Wellesley, the tiebreak would consider second-seed MIT, which only Smith beat out of Smith, Mount Holyoke, and Springfield.