Yesterday's Hockey-D digest included a comment (in response to the idea
of a fifth Division I hockey conference) that in basketball the NCAA
proivides automatic bids to all conferences, regardless of how "rinky
dinky" they are.  That used to be true, but recently rules were put in
which deny automatic bids to the conference (or playoff) champion if the
previous years' success of that league's representative in the
tournament has been too dismal.  So, it is no longer true that ALL
conference winners are automatically assured a place in the competition.
 
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 *  Steve Christopher, NMU  [log in to unmask]   GO 'CATS!!!!         *
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