As far as the bracket, like everyone else says, it's a conundrum. I like FS23's bracket. What's hard is something like this:
1- What do you really do with Quinnipiac? If this were a normal year, the PWR wouldn't give them leeway for their leading scorer being injured - results would be results. But, this isn't a normal year.
2- Realistically, of the top 8 teams, only 2 are from the East - BC and UMass. That means right away, to fill the bracket, you have 2 flights to the eastern sites, and 2 flights to Loveland. That's not a nice start if you are trying to save on travel.
3- To make things worse, it's possible that the #8 team is actually Michigan, and they have to fly anywhere.
4- Finally, after you put in NoDak, Minn, BC, MSUM, Wisc, Mass, SCSU, Mich, UMD, BU and LSSU - all of whom are safe, and then put in AIC and StL at the bottom, you have 3 spots left. The last #3 and the top 2 #4s. And, you are looking at this collection of teams:
QU (probably in, but are the #12, or are they a #4 seed), BSU, Prov (or some other HEA#4), NCHC#4 (Den or Omaha). And, you only have room for 3 of them. Since you aren't going to take 5 from either HEA or NCHC, the committee first has to decide between Prov/Conn/Lowell and then decide between Den/Omaha. That's really hard.
Then they have to leave one of them out. That's hard, too.
In a normal year, I think it would be likely that WCHA would be looking at 2 bids, so BSU might be out. This year, where the conferences were insulated, and the committee wants to save flights, and there is a regional less than 100 miles from Bemidji......???
In a normal year, both Omaha and Denver would have good results in non conference games, and since Denver beat Omaha in the tournament, and has either 3-1 or 3-2 against the Mavs in H2H, Denver might be ahead. This year, there are really good arguments against both of them.
Even if Providence has a slightly better argument, there are few years in which the HEA doesn't get 4 teams, and probably fewer yet in which, combined, HEA and ECAC only get 6.
And, who you choose among those teams affects the bracket. A. Lot.
For example, if you choose NCHC#4, then you put them in Loveland, and you put Mankato there, because that's the 'bracket integrity' thing to do. And, the top2 seeds come out:
NoDak/UMD or Mich::::Minn/(Wisc or Mass or SCSU) and so on for the other 2 regions, in which separating those 3 #2 seeds is really hard.
The 3rd seeds SHOULD be that UMD and Mich play each other in Fargo. And, that would leave LSSU, BU and whoever comes out of the other discussion (QU maybe is right - as a #12 overall). This is not so bad, because someone has to fly to Loveland, and the other two sit in the Eastern Regions just fine.
The problem with this whole setup is that if the committee is either honest enough to admit that Mankato deserves a #1, or honest enough to admit that, if they are a #2, they are a high #2 and therefore shouldn't slot with NoDak, then there is no way to construct a Fargo region without flights. This is the big 'fudge factor' about which only the committee knows.
If the committee allows Mankato to Loveland, then the #4s fit easy as well. It's like FS23 said - either BSU drives west to McIntosh, turns south through the country and comes out on US 59 near Bejou, turns south again to US10 and crosses the Red River into Fargo.......or you get bracket integrity.
If the committee goes into 'saving flights' mode, then it's a mess. Here's a strange flight saving option:
Bridgeport: #3BC, #5Mass, #12QU, #15AIC
Albany: #2Minn, #8Mich, #11LSSU, #16StL
Fargo: #1NoDak, #6Wisc, #9UMD, #14BSU
Loveland: #4Mankato, #7SCSU, #10BU, #13DU
This is absolutely rotten for North Dakota, shouldn't happen, and most likely won't happen. But you could fudge a bus for Wisconsin, and then the only flights you have are Minn, Mich, and 3 teams to Loveland.
Yuck....
I won't even guess what the committee will do. Too many unknowns.
