NCAA Tourney Team Selection Options

[Numbers]

Getting back to relevant issues:
In what order do you think the #1 seeds belong:
NoDak is first, I suppose. What about Minn, Mankato and BC? Does BC take a hit for losing the other night? In Mankato 4th among these if they don't win their conf tourney?

[FredsDeadFriend]

Yes, let's go back and talk about college hockey back in the 50s as if it has any relevance on today's game. This East vs. West obsession is strange.

It may seem strange and irrelevant, until you realize how much it has continued to affect the decisions of the powers that be. It's probably more prominent on the women's side of the game these days, so if you aren't a fan of women's college hockey, it may not be as obvious to you? But it's always been there, to some degree, and probably always will be.

[Numbers]

I've stated many times, if you want NHL Arenas that can fit large crowds, there are many of those in Southern Cal, Arizona, Texas, Vegas and Florida, all NEUTRAL sites, that college hockey fans would enjoy visiting in April. Being neutral sites is good as it's fair to all, and those being non saturated locations is good for promoting college hockey.

And, when it was said on the prior page that Vegas is hosting in 2026, you dismissed that because it's not close enough to Western schools. Are you trying to have cake and eat it, too?

[FredsDeadFriend]

I picture FredsDeadFriend about two cases deep, sitting in a tiny ice fishing barn on the frozen tundra of Minnesota right now typing away about the glory days of Minnesota North Stars hockey.

Never owned a fishhouse. I prefer hanging out in Vegas playing Poker and betting on college basketball during the winter months. When I stay in Minnesota I watch my favorite college sports and catch up on all the TV shows I missed the other 8 months of the year when I rarely watch any TV.

And when did the North Stars have "glory days"? They never won a single title?! lol I'm far more of a college and olympic level hockey fan.

[brassbonanza]

Can you refute what I wrote? No, you can't.

Sure. Can you produce evidence that sites in Minnesota submitted bids for regionals that were rejected?

[FredsDeadFriend]

Just exactly what do you expect when the NCAA prefers NHL arenas for the Frozen Four, for the size of the attendance? Just where do you propose to put the Frozen Four where multiple western fan bases can drive there? The only places are St Paul and Detroit, right?

I've stated many times, if you want NHL Arenas that can fit large crowds, there are many of those in Southern Cal, Arizona, Texas, Vegas and Florida, all NEUTRAL sites, that college hockey fans would enjoy visiting in April. Being neutral sites is good as it's fair to all, and those being non saturated locations is good for promoting college hockey.

[FredsDeadFriend]

Massachusetts has 11 titles from 3 teams
Minnesota has 8 titles from 2 teams

Massachusetts wins.

In the last 50 years? Seems you are talking All-Time, and then Minnesota has every right to claim titles won before the NCAA tourney.

And how many native Minnesotans were on those Mass teams? lol And UMn produced TWICE as many US Olympic hockey players than any Mass based team.

[Bonin21]

Plus, you just said UND gets home ice in Fargo. Now you want them to have home ice in Grand Forks?

If they earn a one seed, yes...

Honestly, I would like 12 teams (16 is probably fine, though) with two rounds of best of three at the higher seed then the Frozen Four much more than the current setup.

[Lemonade]

Seems like someone is favoring Minnesota...

https://www.startribune.com/three-mo...bed/572737731/

If you’re looking to watch NCAA hockey champions crowned, Minnesota will be the place to be from 2023 through 2025, with three Frozen Fours — two for the women and one for the men — coming to the State of Hockey.

If you were looking for a quick return to the NCAA Wrestling Championships after the 2020 event slated for U.S. Bank Stadium was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, your wait continues.

The NCAA on Wednesday announced sites of more than 450 preliminary rounds and championship events from 2022 to 2026, and Minnesota received four championships, including three in hockey. They are:

• The 2024 Men’s Frozen Four at Xcel Energy Center.

• The 2023 Women’s Frozen Four at Duluth’s Amsoil Arena.

• The 2025 Women’s Frozen Four at Ridder Arena.

• The 2023 Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center.

[J.D.]

Do you? If neither of us has proof, then simple common sense and historical precedence and logic favors my argument.

No, no, no that's not how this works. A Gopher fan already chimed in and said the Gophers haven't been bidding. You can't ask someone for proof and then when you are asked for proof fall back on "well it's a reasonable assumption". Please do us all a favor and go back to the women's forum.

[Numbers]

Coaches don't want that. Until the time comes where the NCAA says this format isn't working and is costing us money, it ain't happening. Plus, you just said UND gets home ice in Fargo. Now you want them to have home ice in Grand Forks?

This is an argument for another place, but since UND gets advantage in both Fargo and Sioux Falls (even though Omaha is the official host in SF), it would be more fair if it were also possible for Duluth, for UMinn, for Wisc to have the same. All these schools have bid on campus before. Even St Cloud could bid then. It would definitely spread out the hosting responsibilities.

However, it won't happen until NCAA runs into a situation with no bids.

[Numbers]

I picture FredsDeadFriend about two cases deep, sitting in a tiny ice fishing barn on the frozen tundra of Minnesota right now typing away about the glory days of Minnesota North Stars hockey.

Hey!! Watch it. I still think the North Stars name is better than "Wild" and they had better uniforms, too.

[J.D.]

It's time to go back to campus locations.

Coaches don't want that. Until the time comes where the NCAA says this format isn't working and is costing us money, it ain't happening. Plus, you just said UND gets home ice in Fargo. Now you want them to have home ice in Grand Forks?

[FredsDeadFriend]

I don't know who this crazy guy is but the Gophers have not been putting in bids all the time anymore because the X is too big. It's bad because UND is ending up with essentially home ice advantage to the FF every two years.

It's time to go back to campus locations.

Well, if the Gophers aren't putting in bids all the time anymore, it's only because the NCAA changed the rules in a way that favors eastern teams, and prevents the Gophers from being able to make a bid that in any way favors them, thus backing up my whole theory!!!

And YES, it IS time to go back to campus locations.

But that won't ever happen, probably, because the Powers that be that favor Eastern teams, love that going away from campus locations helps even the playing field for eastern teams.

[Numbers]

Watching College hockey for decades now, and being a stats geek, it's been obvious to me that the PWR is basically nothing more than the RPI. They don't start out matching top to bottom, and even later in the season sometimes vary slightly, but for the most part, by the end of the season, the PWR almost exactly matches the RPI, because SO much of how it's calculated, depends on the same or far too similar of mathematical equations.

The NCAA Colllege Basketball Selection Committee gave up on the RPI a long time ago, after years of criticism for their depending on it, as it is a ******** rating system, probably the WORST math based rating system in the history of college sports. Yet College hockey is STILL married to it.


It's basically a system that far too much rewards wins even against creampuffs and punishes teams for losing to even the best of competition.


So... the bias comes from teams playing in weak conferences being rewarded with being rated highly and teams competing in very tough conferences struggling to get any respect from the PWR.

Your complaint about the RPI doesn't hold water when:
1- NCAA still uses it in Basketball
2- Even if they didn't, the definition of RPI in hockey and basketball is mathematically different
3- Hockey RPI very closely mirrors the more mathematically robust and correct KRACH calculation. Look at the last 3 or 4 years of data, exclude this year, and compare between RPI and KRACH for hockey. If you really are a stats geek, you would know this.