>1. These games are important for all teams when it comes to the end of >season and the Tournament. Placement in the Round of 16, being "on the >bubble" on selection, and even the seeding at a regional site, all are in >the balance in EVERY game. > >The loss to Niagra for NH, ND for the Eagles or if Maine had lost to the >Saints, the U-18 or the other little sisters of the poor they have had so >far can come back to bite them in their RPI numbers or more arbitrarily when >the selection committee is faced with a non-numbers driven seeding decision >for March. The U-18 game was an Exhibition and has no effect on NCAA ranking ... maybe some effect in the polls :-) All NCAA games count, of course, but games against NCAA tournament contenders count more! Certainly, once the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee gets past its published ratings (RPI & PWR-ish thing), what goes on would/will probably make us all wince and shake our heads! ;-) >... >Personally, I don't want Maine as #1 either. While you wonder sometimes how >the voters in the poll are thinking, you surely must be relieved that their >majority vote isn't the seeding decision for the Round of 16 -- the ONLY >poll that really counts.. I think that this is a good enough and young enough team that being ranked too high might be good for them in that other teams might play more conservatively/better ... and better prepare our team for the playoffs. Maybe we won't make the playoffs, but maybe we'll be playing in Boston in April. cheers, wayne