> If I remember right, wasn't there speculation last year that Maine was upset
 in
> the quarter finals in the East regionals because they had received a first
> round bye, while their opponent (Mich. State?) was already rolling when they
> stepped on the ice due to their win the previous night?  You can't have it
 both
> ways.
 
> The fact that the games the first night took their toll may be a legitimate
> one, but as was stated last year, all teams know what their possible opponents
> are going to be and have a week to put together game plans.
 
Yes, but last year the regionals were Thursday-Saturday and Friday-Sunday,
with a day off. This year they were all Friday-Saturday.  I think the bye
makes more of a difference this way.
 
When was the last time all 4 top seeds advanced to the finals? It
doesn't prove anything, of course. There is simply no way to know what
might have been if <insert-your-favorite-change-here> had been different.
I would argue that this format makes the actual seeding much more important
overall than it has been in the past. In the past, one team or another
might have had an advantage based on the seeding (like perhaps Wisconsin
last year), but not across the board...
 
        --david
 
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david parter                            university of wisconsin -- madison
[log in to unmask]                           computer sciences department