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2026 Bracketology: The Road to the Aud

Stout is, if everything goes the way we think it will go, the biggest loser in all of this.

Congrats, you get the #5 seed, here's the #8 seed in Round 1 and then a potential trip to NY for the quarters. Brutal draw
2019 was an even worse example of this. Keep in mind it was a 12 team tournament back then, so the top four seeds should get byes.

St Norbert was the #4 seed. They hosted #8 Augsburg in the first round. Their reward for winning was a trip to KB Willet to play undefeated Stevens Point in the quarterfinals.
 
Wouldn't bracket integrity have SNC at Aurora for round 1? I am under the impression that they try to avoid same conference members playing in Round 1? Even though it has happened throughout the years...
Bracket integrity would have SNC hosting the #9 seed (UNE?)
 
I've seen the West get screwed too many times and I don't think they will like the Salve tier so I think it will look like this:

Quarterfinals:
Norwich/UNE @ Hobart
Anna Maria/Salve Regina @ Endicott
Williams/Utica @ Neumann/Hamilton
Saint Johns/Aurora @ St. Norbert/UW-Stout
Would LOVE this for Endicott
 
I've seen the West get screwed too many times and I don't think they will like the Salve tier so I think it will look like this:

Quarterfinals:
Norwich/UNE @ Hobart
Anna Maria/Salve Regina @ Endicott
Williams/Utica @ Neumann/Hamilton
Saint Johns/Aurora @ St. Norbert/UW-Stout
You're assuming that the committee has leeway like that, which I don't think they would just because they didn't like where someone ended up in the NPI. It happened and now we all have to live with it

The only way this bracket exists is if the NCAA wants to tell them that they aren't allowed flights until the Frozen Four at all, which to my knowledge wouldn't be the case
 
Lots of flights in the women's bracket.

Three in the first round (I'm assuming Adrian can drive to Wilkes, otherwise it's four)
Potentially three in the second round.

I think we're getting a pure bracket on the men's side. Only caveat is the women is not a predetermined site, so like the men last year, they can afford a little more leeway.
 
So the women's bracket is out, and it's 100% straight seeding.

If the men's bracket did the exact same thing, we would have:

FIRST ROUND:

#14 Neumann @ #3 Hamilton
#13 Williams @ #4 Utica
#12 Anna Maria @ #5 UW-Stout
#11 Saint John's @ #6 Salve Regina
#10 Norwich @ #7 Aurora
#9 UNE @ #8 St. Norbert

QUARTERFINALS:

#9 UNE/#8 St. Norbert @ #1 Hobart
#10 Norwich/#7 Aurora @ #2 Endicott
#11 Saint John's/#6 Salve Regina @ #14 Neumann/#3 Hamilton (highest seed hosts)
#12 Anna Maria/#5 UW-Stout @ #13 Williams/#4 Utica (highest seed hosts)
 
So the women's bracket is out, and it's 100% straight seeding.

If the men's bracket did the exact same thing, we would have:

FIRST ROUND:

#14 Neumann @ #3 Hamilton
#13 Williams @ #4 Utica
#12 Anna Maria @ #5 UW-Stout
#11 Saint John's @ #6 Salve Regina
#10 Norwich @ #7 Aurora
#9 UNE @ #8 St. Norbert

QUARTERFINALS:

#9 UNE/#8 St. Norbert @ #1 Hobart
#10 Norwich/#7 Aurora @ #2 Endicott
#11 Saint John's/#6 Salve Regina @ #14 Neumann/#3 Hamilton (highest seed hosts)
#12 Anna Maria/#5 UW-Stout @ #13 Williams/#4 Utica (highest seed hosts)
Love it.
 
So the women's bracket is out, and it's 100% straight seeding.

If the men's bracket did the exact same thing, we would have:

FIRST ROUND:

#14 Neumann @ #3 Hamilton
#13 Williams @ #4 Utica
#12 Anna Maria @ #5 UW-Stout
#11 Saint John's @ #6 Salve Regina
#10 Norwich @ #7 Aurora
#9 UNE @ #8 St. Norbert

QUARTERFINALS:

#9 UNE/#8 St. Norbert @ #1 Hobart
#10 Norwich/#7 Aurora @ #2 Endicott
#11 Saint John's/#6 Salve Regina @ #14 Neumann/#3 Hamilton (highest seed hosts)
#12 Anna Maria/#5 UW-Stout @ #13 Williams/#4 Utica (highest seed hosts)
This will be your bracket, straight seeding, great work by the committee getting us this far
 
They save one flight by flipping Saint John's and Norwich

FIRST ROUND:

#14 Neumann @ #3 Hamilton
#13 Williams @ #4 Utica
#12 Anna Maria @ #5 UW-Stout
#10 Norwich @ #6 Salve Regina
#11 Saint John's @ #7 Aurora
#9 UNE @ #8 St. Norbert

QUARTERFINALS:

#9 UNE/#8 St. Norbert @ #1 Hobart
#11 Saint John's/#7 Aurora @ #2 Endicott
#10 Norwich/#6 Salve Regina @ #14 Neumann/#3 Hamilton (highest seed hosts)
#12 Anna Maria/#5 UW-Stout @ #13 Williams/#4 Utica (highest seed hosts)
 
Norwich could be the big winner in all this. Getting a Salve team that hasn't played in a month, and then potentially a Hamilton team who has not looked great the last few weeks? That's one hell of a draw
Norwich licking their lips at that draw! Obviously have to play the games and they will both be on the road unless Neumann upsets Hamilton, but wow.
 
Norwich licking their lips at that draw! Obviously have to play the games and they will both be on the road unless Neumann upsets Hamilton, but wow.
I would not sleep on Salve. Their schedule was bad (Norwich's wasn't much better), but they are very capable of stringing together a couple of wins especially with what seems like all of D3 questioning them being there in the first place.
 
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