Andy wrote, in part..
>Secondly, I'm STILL confused as to who gets an automatic bid. Is it the regular
>season champ? The tourney AND reg. season champ? Or do you have to win BOTH to
>get an automatic bid? PLEEEEASE, someone clear this up!
 
   The tourney champ gets automatic entry;  the regular season champ
   gets a "courtesy" automatic entry.  If a teams wins both, then it
   gets a 1st round bye (1st or 2nd seed in a regional).
 
   The latter rule is new this year, I've heard someone say that Rick
   Comely of the selection committee said it was used 4 years ago.
 
   *** Can anyone guess at any arguments showing this to be a *good*
       rule?
 
>Onto the tournament...Regarding Eastern seeds, if we're to go on the basis of
>the National Polls and rankings seen throughout the year, then the Top 4 Easter
 
   Nothing matters except the RPI ranking.  For "ties", other things
   come into play.  There are a few other things that go on during
   seeding such as placing "home" teams at home and avoiding conference
   match-ups whenever possible.
 
   All this has been covered on HOCKEY-L in the past couple or weeks,
   but maybe it's difficult to ignore the misinformation some people
   spread.
 
>1. MAINE
>2. BOSTON UNIV  (Both will get byes; the team that wins the Tourney will be #1)
 
   Neither assumption is correct, although each is close and maybe
   probable.
 
>3. CLARKSON
>4. NEW HAMPSHIRE
 
   Clarkson might have a chance to catch UNH, but not a good one (I haven't run
   the RPI for Clarkson winning ECAC, but they are so far behind UNH,
   3rd is improbable).  On the other hand, if Clarkson wins the ECAC
   tourney, then they will be given an NCAA bye, meaning either 1st or
   2nd place.
 
>FOR HOCKEY EAST...Let's say that Lowell upsets BU and makes the tournament
>final. Even if they play Maine--and lose--in the Tourney final, there's a stron
>chance they'll be NCAA bound. If, however, they lose against BU, and are beaten
 
   Neither UML nor PC have a chance at the NCAAs except for winning the
   HE tournament.  Look at the RPI (RPICH, courtesy of Erik Biever).
 
>            ...I hate to say it, but there's a strong chance in my mind that
>there may be only one ECAC participant this year. ...
 
   No.  Every league will have at least 2 participants in the NCAAs.
 
(lots of stuff meaningless to the selection process omitted)..
 
>Finally, regarding the idea that Clarkson could be sent out West as one of the
>Top 4 Western Seeds: Honestly, folks, this is a ludicrous idea. ...
 
   I agree.  But given all the "automatic" crap the committee will
   follow this year, I'll believe anything.  In fact, the selection
   committee has been asked this exact question.  I don't think they
   have answered yet.
 
 
>At any rate, it's great to get this MARCH (HOCKEY) MADNESS talk going, even IF
>some of the discussion has been filed with Oliver Stone-like "NCAA conspiracy"
>paranoia!
 
It would be great if HOCKEY-L writers all were experts, but most of us
do as well as we can.
 
Maybe one year we'll have the NCAA tournament director and selection
committee on HOCKEY-L and they'll have the time and inclination to
respond candidly to our questions.  At least we have past criteria and
the selection show.
 
I'm not sure that the ice hockey selection committee is any worse than
other NCAA sports selection committees.  They might even be better in
that I think we can figure out what they will (mostly) do.  Old fogies
like me don't like their yearly meddling to solve last years' problem,
with little apparent regard for the ramifications.
 
... Soap Box on ...
 
I about barfed my lunch during the Women's basketball selection program
earlier this week when the tournament selection committee chair proudly
said ..  we'll tell you why we included and seeded the teams sometime
after the tournament (paraphrase).  Tell everyone a year or more before
the tournament, make the selection data available before the tournament,
and then report the results.  Keep the politics in DC and out of the
selection process.  Make it possible for people to calculate the value
of games and to verify the selection committee has done its job.
 
Maine high schools (the principals run sports tournaments) have done
this for decades using HEAL.  Maybe its time for the NCAA to ignore
league politics and treat the member schools individually, consistently
and evenly, year after year.
 
Well, I can dream, can't I?  :)
 
... Soap Box off ...
 
See you in Providence,
 
Wayne Smith
The College Hockey Discussion List administrator
Systems Group - CAPS              BITNET/CREN:  wts@maine
University of Maine System        internet:     [log in to unmask]