The Unofficial, Ridiculously Early Bracketology Thread

[pro1disp]

As we head into tournament week, here are the PWR and the bracketology for games played through today.

First, the PWR:

1 Minnesota
2 New Hampshire
3 Notre Dame
4 St Cloud
5 Maine
6 Miami
7 Vermont
8 Colorado College
9 Denver
10 Clarkson
11 Boston College
12 Cornell
13 Michigan
15 Quinnipiac
21 Niagara
NR Sacred Heart

That gives us the following bands:

1 Minn UNH Notre Dame St Cloud
2 CC Vermont Miami Maine
3 Clarkson Denver BC Cornell
4 Sacred Heart Niagara QU Michigan

We have to seed the hosts, so New Hampshire is the #1 seed in the Northeast (Manchester) and Denver is the #3 seed in Denver. Western Michigan did not qualify and no team is designated as the host in Rochester.

Next we must seed the other #1 teams. Minnesota is the overall #1 and goes to Denver. Notre Dame is #3 and goes to Grand Rapids while #4 St Cloud State goes to Rochester.

Seeding their opponents is easy enough. Minnesota gets #16 Sacred Heart, UNH gets #15 Niagara, Notre Dame plays #14 Quinnipiac and St Cloud plays #13 Michigan.

Now we place the #2 seeds. Vermont goes to Manchester, Maine to Rochester, Miami to Grand Rapids and Colorado College to Denver. We have our first problem, as Denver and CC cannot play in the first round. Let's seed the #3 teams and see how best to resolve the problem.

Denver is already seeded in Denver, Clarkson goes to Manchester, Cornell to Rochester and Boston College to Grand Rapids. The easiest and fairest way to resolve our problem is to switch #7 Vermont and #8 Colorado College.

This gives us:

Manchester
New Hampshire
Colorado College
Clarkson
Niagara

#2 New Hampshire vs. #15 Niagara
#8 Colorado College vs. #10 Clarkson

Rochester
St Cloud
Maine
Cornell
Michigan

#4 St Cloud vs. #13 Michigan
#5 Maine vs. #12 Cornell

Grand Rapids
Notre Dame
Miami
Boston College
Quinnipiac

#3 Notre Dame vs. #14 Quinnipiac
#6 Miami vs. #11 Boston College

Denver
Minnesota
Vermont
Denver
Sacred Heart

#1 Minnesota vs. #16 Sacred Heart
#7 Vermont vs. #9 Denver

The winners of the Denver and Rochester regionals will play in one semifinal while the winners of the Manchester and Grand Rapids regionals play in the other.

Let the debating/complaining/*****ing begin.

I'll update this thread again after the tournaments.

[Red Cloud]

As the top overall seed, doesn't Minnesota necessarily go to a closer regional if it's available, say... Grand Rapids?

Basically, this is what I came up with too, except I switched SCSU/Michigan with Minnesota/Sacred Heart.

[ZYanksRule]

Looks pretty interesting... fun to be mentioned as a TUC. QU deserves it, but it's still pretty surprising to see.

Long way to go, though, we have to continue to play at this level all season long, and with our defensive problems, I do think QU's going to come back down to earth a little bit, and finish around the 4 or 5 spot in the ECAC

[GrinCDXX]

Easy first rounder for MN, no pansy church school could possibly take down the mighty Gophers...

[Red Cloud]

Originally Posted by ZYanksRule

Looks pretty interesting... fun to be mentioned as a TUC.

Well, that's what you get when your RPI is over .5000. QU isn't just a TUC, they're on the bubble for an at-large bid right now. In this scenario they are considered as ECACHL champs because Bracketology usually slots conference leaders as conference champs. In this scenario, Quinnipiac knocks Lake Superior State out of the NCAA tournament by claiming the ECACHL auto-bid.

QU deserves it, but it's still pretty surprising to see.

Hardly surprising.

[pro1disp]

Originally Posted by Red Cloud

As the top overall seed, doesn't Minnesota necessarily go to a closer regional if it's available, say... Grand Rapids?

Basically, this is what I came up with too, except I switched SCSU/Michigan with Minnesota/Sacred Heart.

If we put Minnesota in Grand Rapids, the Manchester bracket remains unchanged, but the other brackets have to change. The brackets then need major tweaking to avoid intra-conference games and penalizing Minnesota by making the overall #1 play the top #2 seed (Maine) - a team that has already beaten them once.

Rochester
Notre Dame
Miami
Boston College
Quinnipiac

Grand Rapids
Minnesota
Vermont
Cornell
Sacred Heart

Denver
St Cloud
Maine
Denver
Michigan

Now we have #5 playing #9 and #7 playing #12, in addition to #8 playing #10. The NCAA doesn't like tweaking those too much. They also like selling tickets...Hello Rochester!

[Nifty16]

Anyone but Niagara for UNH!!!

[pro1disp]

Originally Posted by ZYanksRule

Looks pretty interesting... fun to be mentioned as a TUC. QU deserves it, but it's still pretty surprising to see.

Long way to go, though, we have to continue to play at this level all season long, and with our defensive problems, I do think QU's going to come back down to earth a little bit, and finish around the 4 or 5 spot in the ECAC

Lake State is the "last team out" because QU takes an extra at-large berth. Without the autobid, QU would be the last team out behind LSSU...

[gounhwildcats]

Originally Posted by Nifty16

Anyone but Niagara for UNH!!!

Beat me to it

[gregg729]

Thanks, pro1!

Originally Posted by Nifty16

Anyone but Niagara for UNH!!!

Originally Posted by gounhwildcats

Beat me to it

No! I want Niagara!

I want purple blood and purple feathers all over the ice at the Verizon!

I want jars of purple pickled eagle feet to give to all the players on the 99/00 squad!!

[gounhwildcats]

Originally Posted by gregg729

Thanks, pro1!





No! I want Niagara!

I want purple blood and purple feathers all over the ice at the Verizon!

I want jars of purple pickled eagle feet to give to all the players on the 99/00 squad!!

You really set yourself up, as a school, for posts like that when you call yourselves the Purple Eagles don't you?

[gregg729]

Originally Posted by gounhwildcats

You really set yourself up, as a school, for posts like that when you call yourselves the Purple Eagles don't you?

Memories of that game tend to make me blow a fuse.

[con1977]

Originally Posted by Red Cloud

As the top overall seed, doesn't Minnesota necessarily go to a closer regional if it's available, say... Grand Rapids?

Basically, this is what I came up with too, except I switched SCSU/Michigan with Minnesota/Sacred Heart.

The only thing Im not sure how they would handle it (obviously there are considerations based on ticket sales for that and other regionals, who has to be in the regional, etc. etc.) is both GR and Denver are flights for the Goofs. So they may go with the West because either way people will be flying, and with the idea that a DU-Minny final would sell a lot of tickets if the regional doesnt sell out completely prior to that.

[Go4 Guy]

Originally Posted by con1977

The only thing Im not sure how they would handle it (obviously there are considerations based on ticket sales for that and other regionals, who has to be in the regional, etc. etc.) is both GR and Denver are flights for the Goofs. So they may go with the West because either way people will be flying, and with the idea that a DU-Minny final would sell a lot of tickets if the regional doesnt sell out completely prior to that.

Could DU sell out the Pepsi center? I would be very surprised if they sold 10,000 tickets, even with Denver in the regional final.

[con1977]

Originally Posted by Go4 Guy

Could DU sell out the Pepsi center? I would be very surprised if they sold 10,000 tickets, even with Denver in the regional final.

My bad, for some reason, I thought it was at Magness.

Then yes, probably not a sell out. But still, with the Goofs and DU in the West, they would have two teams that there may be at least a little interest in (I imagine if it was Goofs and whoever beat DU, that there would be some extra walk up sales, even if the arena is somewhat empty from the DU fans that dont bother with the final.

I think the bigger issue with attendance is they NEED a michigan team at GR. As long there is a Michigan team in a 1 seed, they would put them in GR. That building will not get even close to sold out with out a Michigan team. Id be surprised if there were 2-3k there without a Michigan team.

[pro1disp]

Originally Posted by con1977

My bad, for some reason, I thought it was at Magness.

Then yes, probably not a sell out. But still, with the Goofs and DU in the West, they would have two teams that there may be at least a little interest in (I imagine if it was Goofs and whoever beat DU, that there would be some extra walk up sales, even if the arena is somewhat empty from the DU fans that dont bother with the final.

I think the bigger issue with attendance is they NEED a michigan team at GR. As long there is a Michigan team in a 1 seed, they would put them in GR. That building will not get even close to sold out with out a Michigan team. Id be surprised if there were 2-3k there without a Michigan team.

I don't think the NCAA is worried about the Manchester or Denver regionals. I am fairly certain the NCAA is concerned with Grand Rapids and Rochester. If I am the committee, I am looking for any excuse to put Michigan in GR and Maine in Rochester. That's why I raised the question yesterday about the ECAC hosting in Rochester. The committee could come up with a lame "We want the ECAC champion to be in Rochester because they're hosting" excuse to switch Michigan to GR.

RC's scenario is the nightmare for the committee. Sending both Maine and Michigan to Denver, depending on Gopher fans to sell out Van Andel and absolutely no ticket draw in Rochester (sorry BC, you don't travel THAT well for hockey, even to NY). Scalpers in Denver love that scenario though!

[Go4 Guy]

Originally Posted by con1977

I think the bigger issue with attendance is they NEED a michigan team at GR. As long there is a Michigan team in a 1 seed, they would put them in GR. That building will not get even close to sold out with out a Michigan team. Id be surprised if there were 2-3k there without a Michigan team.

exactly.....In 2004 Michigan State / UMD game in the semi was half empty. Notre Dame / Minnesota was just as bad.... If they want that building sold out they will need to have an all Michigan final. The UMD / Minnesota was about what you said 3000 people.

Pro1disp.... Not a chance in the world Minnesota fans will sellout GR.

[hockeyplayer1015]

i would be looking for cornell to get a high enough seed to go to rochester

[pro1disp]

Originally Posted by hockeyplayer1015

i would be looking for cornell to get a high enough seed to go to rochester

It isn't a question of being high enough. Right now they are #12 overall, and still slotted in Rochester because they are paired with #5 Maine and #4 St Cloud. The only way for Cornell to guarantee they are in Rochester is to finish #1 or 2 overall. Otherwise, it will depend on what seed they pair up with to determine their placement.

[CollegeHockeyAddict]

I personally think it is unfair if the #1 Rank team in the country gets stucking playing a true road game such as getting send to Denver. But attendance is always an issue and the NCAA will want to sent a Michigan team or two if possible to Grand Rapids to help sell tickets.

It is fun to speculate.