What does the NC$$ have against a 16 team hockey tournament? Does anyone
have a clue? Does the NC$$ have a clue?
 
It seems that a 16 team tournament could be only beneficial. It would bring
more ticket revenue by having four extra first-round games. It would also
mean four more teams and their fans would be staying at (this year) local
Detroit and Providence hotels and spending their money and so on and so forth.
 
The only benefit it would have to the Div III members with Div I programs would
be a better chance of making the tournament. The monetary benefits would go
mostly to Div I schools without D-I hockey teams whereas the competitive
benefits would go to the hockey schools. I fail to see why this would be bad
for college hockey.
 
All I know (a figure of speech :-) ), is that the 12th (or a 16TH) seeded
team in the hockey tourn. has a hell of a lot better chance of winning the
whole thing than the 64th seeded team in basketball.
 
Some argue that 12 tournament teams out of 45 total Div. I schools is a higher
percentage than 64 hoops teams out of over 300 programs. True, but consider
that each of the conferences sends at least one team that is legitimately
capable of winning the whole thing. Whereas, many of the smaller hoops
conferences only send the tournament champ who will be fortunate to escape
the first round.
 
In conclusion, I think that a 16 team tournament would increase the
competitiveness of college hockey for the D-III schools with D-I hockey as
well as increasing the revenue of D-I schools with no hockey. It seems
like a mutually beneficial arrangement, n'est-ce pas?
 
 
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Bri Farenell 	Clarkson '95	[log in to unmask]
"It's a great day for hockey."	---Bob Johnson, 1931-1991
 
Ray LeBlanc for God!
 
MISSING/REWARD: Offensive unit, United States Olympic hockey team. Last
seen 2/18/92 in Meribel, France. If found, please call USA Hockey in
Colorado or Ray LeBlanc in Indianapolis. Or send to Lilehammer, Norway for
training. Reward: shiny medal to be presented in 1994.