I am absolutely livid.  I can not begin to describe just how much of a fraud I
think the selection committee is.  They can not seem to remember from year to
the next what their priorities are; now matter how often Adam Wodon tells me
otherwise, they pull these things out of thin air.
 
To quote Keith Instone,
            "Obviously, the committee does not like to mess with the seeds
            unless they have too. Two possible second round intra-conference
games are
            not serious problems, not serious enough to start jumbling seeds
(and
            compromising the data).
 
Second round intra-conference matchups certainly seemed like they were an awful
problem last year; Minnesota vs. North Dakota wasn't a first round matchup they
were trying to avoid.  So we ended up with the #1 and #4 ranked teams matched
up in the quarterfinals.  That's quite a bit of seed jumbling and data
compromising to do to avoid a second round matchup.  If "they had to" make the
switch last year, why didn't "they have to" in order  to keep Ohio State from
playing Michigan State in the second round this year?
 
And, of course, this produces a more poorly seeded tournament (measured 1-12)
than if you switched the OSU/Yale bracket for the Wisconsin/UNH one.  The
Buckeyes are higher rated than any of the 3-6 teams in Albany, yet will have to
beat a higher ranked bye team than either of the ones in the east.
 
So, could someone please tell me why it was important that Minnesota and North
Dakota not meet last year, but the same consideration does not apply this year?
 
J. Michael Neal
 
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