Re: The definitive tournament speculation thread
I think, as with most NCAA rules that don't make sense, these are not rules built for hockey, but more likely built for Basketball and Football, and since you only need one set of rules, apply these rules to all DIII sports whether it makes sense or not.
I wonder if the NCAA will wiggle at all (if say Elmira isn't in) on the 500 mile rule when it comes to Adrian. The geography of a team in southeastern Michigan is something that didn't exist when that guideline was written. As it was there were two distinctive regions but Adrian's location starts to blur the East-West line and could conceivably render that guideline as obsolete and archaic.
Of course, it's the type of situation a little foresight and common sense can easily deal with, which is precisely why I'm sure the beancounters aren't even aware of the hangups inconveniences (relative to their paleozoic era rules) expansion into a state like Michigan might cause.
All that said, keep an eye on Marian...
I think, as with most NCAA rules that don't make sense, these are not rules built for hockey, but more likely built for Basketball and Football, and since you only need one set of rules, apply these rules to all DIII sports whether it makes sense or not.