Kevin wrote:
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 "Good point.  Compared to other collegiate sports (basketball and football),
hockey is alredy overloading.  Hockey sends 12 of 44 or 27.3% of all elidgable
teams to the national tournement.  Basketball sends 64 of 309 or 20.7% to the
national tournement.  Finally, football has approximately 15 or 16 Bowl games
which means 30 of 168 teams or 17.6% (I may be a bit light on this one) go to
the post season."
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Well, I understand the percentage argument.  Anybody know the baseball %
playoff, BTW?  How about LaCrosse or Soccer or Golf or ...?  But what is
missing here is an acknowledgement that not all team sports are equivalent.
 
The unique aspect of hockey is that a goalie who is in the zone can stonewall
a far better team and even the best of teams can have a terrible night
(anybody remember last year's final?).  Look how few teams manage to avoid the
upset.  Every year, a couple of Div I football teams go undefeated and another
handfull have only one loss.  Now look at the records of the best hockey
teams.  Basketball often has its Cinderella team (which virtually never wins
the big one) but they allow teams in with barely winning records.  The nature
of hockey is such that it is even more difficult to go undefeated or a couple
of losses than other sports.  Hence, there is more reason to believe that some
lower ranked team could be competitive to the point of being able to win the
whole thing.
 
The percentage argument is a good one, and I seriously doubt the NCAA is going
to change its mind regardless of what arguments are put forth, but I don't
find the percentage argument compelling.  OTOH, what I *don't* want to see is
the situation in the NHL or pro basketball where the season is only for
position in the playoffs with virtually everyone making it in.  I would vote
for 16 because its a nicer format (and, IMV, fairer) than 12 and makes a lot
more sense than 8.
 
The someone else wrote:"Do you Div. III supporters think the top teams in that
div. could becompetitive against Div. I in the tournament ?"
 
Not a chance.  There is just too big a gap.  A hot Div III might be able to
take on the bottom quarter or so of Div I and be competitive, but they just
don't have the speed and skills necessary to damage a top team.  And that's
from a BIG supporter of Div III.
 
Tom Rowe                                 Internet:  [log in to unmask]
   Department of Psychology
*********************************** U. of Wisconsin - Stevens Point
Home of Division III National
     Go Point!                           Champions '89, '90, '91, & '93
 
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