More anti-WCHA bias

[Goober McTuber]

Yeah, I know. It’s WOMEN’S hockey, but nonetheless, putting all three WCHA teams in the same half of the bracket is just pathetic.

I’ve been covering college hockey for USCHO since 2006. Since I live in Colorado and cover Denver and Colorado College, I’ve become very familiar with both the WCHA and its rabid fanbase. Since the all-WCHA Frozen Four in 2005, fans of the league have enjoyed pumping out conspiracy theories about how the NCAA is determined, at all costs, to avoid having too-heavy a WCHA representation in the men’s tournament.

Boys, let me tell you, you ain’t got nothing on the girls.

How else to view today’s selection and placement of teams for the final eight in the NCAA tournament. No. 1 Wisconsin, riding a 24-game unbeaten streak and winner of a dramatic overtime game with No. 3 Minnesota, one of the hottest teams in the country, draws defending national champion Minnesota-Duluth in the first round. Should they win that, they will most likely face Minnesota in the semis, barring an unlikely not-by-seed-but-by-paper upset of the Gophers by Boston College.

On the other side, No. 2 Cornell draws No. 8 Dartmouth in the first round. No disrespect to the Big Green, who were the only ECAC team to beat Cornell this season, but Dartmouth is not in the same league as Minnesota-Duluth, and has an RPI that is .300 lower than the Bulldogs.

The last bracket features Mercyhurst and Boston University, two teams that have struggled of late. The Terriers lost in the Hockey East tournament to Northeastern and have gone a pedestrian 4–4–1 since the beginning of February. Mercyhurst has only lost two games since January, but they were to Cornell and Wisconsin, and they didn’t look good in winning the CHA tournament.

Several things are at work in this tournament field that probably makes all the WCHA coaches upset. First of all, the NCAA only seeds the top four squads. The rest of the teams are placed by geography, so that the NCAA doesn’t have to pony up funds to fly teams all over the country for what they view as a money-losing tournament, and to hell with bracket integrity.

More important however, is the flawed nature of the PairWise when it comes to women’s hockey.
For all the griping about the PairWise when it comes to men’s hockey, there are usually some out-of-conference games between top teams that can form a basis for comparison. For instance, Boston College played two against Denver and one against Notre Dame this year, North Dakota played two against Notre Dame, Boston University played Notre Dame and Wisconsin, Michigan played Nebraska-Omaha, Colorado College, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, and Miami played New Hampshire and St. Cloud.

Contrast that to the women’s game. Cornell played two games against Mercyhurst and none against WCHA or Hockey East squads. Boston University played North Dakota, and Mercyhurst, to its credit, played Wisconsin (and lost 7–4). Boston College played no WCHA squads, picking off ECAC teams for its out-of-conference schedule.

To get a better PairWise, top eastern squads need to start playing games against the WCHA. It would create a far more accurate base of comparison than what is currently in place.

I don’t think you can watch the intensity of the Wisconsin-Minnesota WCHA final and doubt that when it comes to the top squads in the conference, the WCHA is stronger in the women’s game. It is also deeper. In addition to the big three of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Minnesota-Duluth (the only teams ever to win an NCAA championship), there are teams like North Dakota and Bemidji State who can threaten the top squads, and would probably have a shot at a championship in any other division. Ohio State won only eight WCHA games, but went 6–0 against the CHA.

Looking at the tournament, I see several things at play. Mercyhurst is the host. They finished fourth in the PairWise, but were not seeded, and instead get to play BU, a team they likely can beat and advance to the Frozen Four, with a likely shot at the final. If they had been seeded fourth, they would have had to go through Wisconsin to get to the final, a far more daunting proposition than Cornell, whom they have beaten this year.

If the committee had simply gone by the PairWise, Wisconsin would play Dartmouth, Cornell would play Minnesota-Duluth, Boston University would play Minnesota, and Mercyhurst would play Boston College, with, if seedings held, semis of Wisconsin-Mercyhurst and BU-Cornell. That tournament seems a far more accurate representation of the women’s game as it is now than what the tournament actually is.

[Screw_Michigan]

Nobody fucking cares.

[Goober McTuber]

Well, they should. It’s yet another example of NCAA asshattery. Asshattedness. Whatever.

[Shoalzie]

Nobody fucking cares.

A whole lot of this...


And another thing with the WCHA...what's with 6 teams advancing this weekend and calling it the Final Five? Very Big Ten-ish of you...

[Goober McTuber]

Once tOSU and the Michigan teams bolt for the Big 10 hockey conference, CCHA will go from Division II to Division III.

[Shoalzie]

If you throw in Penn State...you've Michigan, Ohio State, Michigan State, Minnesota and Wisconsin...Big Ten schools with D-I hockey programs. It's going to be a while before we see that. I'd love to see it happen some day but I doubt those other schools get into the mix.

D-I is such a mixed bag of schools (big and small)...the other programs in the CCHA are definite D-I hockey programs. Notre Dame and Miami are rising powers out of the CCHA...the Irish have a lot of young talent so their best years are ahead of them and the Redhawks have solid group of seniors. I'm bias towards Michigan but I think the CCHA have three solid national title contenders.

[Goober McTuber]

If you throw in Penn State...you've Michigan, Ohio State, Michigan State, Minnesota and Wisconsin...Big Ten schools with D-I hockey programs. It's going to be a while before we see that. I'd love to see it happen some day but I doubt those other schools get into the mix.
.

Right. Six teams. The minimum required to have a league. It's coming, and sooner than you think. I'm totally opposed, BTW. I like the status quo, where the WCHA rules.

[Screw_Michigan]

Although I think the Big 11 hockey conference will happen, I don't think it will happen as soon as tards like Gobbles think it will.

#1 The creation of the Big 11 league basically means the dissolution CCHA and the weakening of the WCHA. Much like how the Texas state legislature got involved with the move of the SWC teams to the Big 8, I envision the Minnesota state legislature being a major impediment to the new Big 11 league. For the non-Big 11 state institutions in Minnesota, the matchups with the Gophers are big both for TV appearances and butts in seats. They also take their amateur hockey, both high school, juniors and collegiate, much, much more seriously in Minnesota (than, say, Michigan). I can see lawmakers tied to these other state schools in Minnesota standing up for those schools.

I see the opposite happening in Michigan. Mostly because state lawmakers in Michigan are ball-less fucking cocksuckers who bend over for U-M and MSU at each and every opportunity. Not one single lawmaker will step up for the Lake States, Westerns and Northerns of the league. U-M and MSU will feed them lines about how it is better for the state and all of the state schools for the creation of the Big 11 league and lawmakers won't even bat an eye.

#2 in the Big 11 league, someone's got to be the bitch, a position in college hockey that only OSU is familiar with and MSU is becoming accustomed to. Penn State will also be a challenger for this.

I do think it will eventually happen as the Big 11 Network will want the league to fill programming and tv revenue, but I think it will happen later than everyone thinks.

[Screw_Michigan]

It's coming, and sooner than you think.

No, it's not. Glad to see you are opposed though, we can agree on that.

[Screw_Michigan]

Notre Dame and Miami are rising powers out of the CCHA...the Irish have a lot of young talent so their best years are ahead of them and the Redhawks have solid group of seniors. I'm bias towards Michigan but I think the CCHA have three solid national title contenders.

I don't know about rising powers. ND and Miami are established powers, don't see how they can rise any further other than bringing home national titles.

I disagree with you on the latter. I think the CCHA will be lucky to get one team into the Frozen Four. Just a down year for the league.

[Goober McTuber]

It's coming, and sooner than you think.

No, it's not.

What drives these types of decisions? Money. Big 10 will put whatever pressure it has to on Minnesota. It'll happen, and soon.

[Screw_Michigan]

No, it won't. Did you even read my post? I didn't say it won't happen, I just don't think it will happen as soon as you think it will.

[Goober McTuber]

Did you even read my post? I think it will happen sooner.

This is fun, eh?

[Screw_Michigan]

Did you even read my post? I think it will happen sooner.

This is fun, eh?

Yeah, but I at least explained myself. You didn't other than "Minnesota will lean on them."

Go fuck yourself, loser.

[Goober McTuber]

Did you even read my post? I think it will happen sooner.

This is fun, eh?

Yeah, but I at least explained myself. You didn't other than "Minnesota will lean on them."

"Minnesota will lean on them"? I said the exact opposite, you flaming tard. The Big 10 will lean on Minnesota. Did you even read my post?

[Screw_Michigan]

So what? The Big 11 will lean on the University of Minnesota? Or the State of Minnesota? How does this counter my claim of Minnesota lawmakers holding this up? Take your time...jerkoff.

[Shoalzie]

Notre Dame and Miami are rising powers out of the CCHA...the Irish have a lot of young talent so their best years are ahead of them and the Redhawks have solid group of seniors. I'm bias towards Michigan but I think the CCHA have three solid national title contenders.

I don't know about rising powers. ND and Miami are established powers, don't see how they can rise any further other than bringing home national titles.

I disagree with you on the latter. I think the CCHA will be lucky to get one team into the Frozen Four. Just a down year for the league.

Yeah, I was getting at that they've been good for several years are entering that "perennal contender" status like a Michigan would usually be.

I wouldn't look past those three to win this...out of conference, Miami is 2-1 against teams in the top 20, Michigan is 1-1-2...Notre Dame not as good at 0-2-2. Even Western has a couple wins against #4 in the USCHO poll, Union.

[Goober McTuber]

So what? The Big 11 will lean on the University of Minnesota? Or the State of Minnesota? How does this counter my claim of Minnesota lawmakers holding this up?

The State of Minnesota lawmakers will hold this up? After the Big 10 waves their Big 10 Network money in their faces? You are truly naive.

[Screw_Michigan]

So what? The Big 11 will lean on the University of Minnesota? Or the State of Minnesota? How does this counter my claim of Minnesota lawmakers holding this up?

The State of Minnesota lawmakers will hold this up? After the Big 10 waves their Big 10 Network money in their faces? You are truly naive.

How will lawmakers from and the communities of Bemidji, St. Cloud, Duluth, and Mankato benefit from the Big 11 Network waving Big 11 money at the University of Minnesota? Take your time, then go find yourself a clue, dumbfuck.

[Goober McTuber]

So what? The Big 11 will lean on the University of Minnesota? Or the State of Minnesota? How does this counter my claim of Minnesota lawmakers holding this up?

The State of Minnesota lawmakers will hold this up? After the Big 10 waves their Big 10 Network money in their faces? You are truly naive.

How will lawmakers from and the communities of Bemidji, St. Cloud, Duluth, and Mankato benefit from the Big 11 Network waving Big 11 money at the University of Minnesota?

And exactly how will these small town legislators prevent the University of Minnesota from making the move? Do they sit on the UM board of regents? Do they hold administrative positions at UM? Do you really think Bemidji, St. Cloud, Duluth, and Mankato are getting serious TV money now? You really aren't this stupid, are you?