greenie wrote: > >Simply put: If the NCAA designated the MAAC as a D1 conference, they should >be able to participate in the championship. Given that not every team in >the MAAC has full D1 status, it makes me wonder why the heck the NCAA made >it D1 in the first place The MAAC may be technically D-I now, but they obviously have a long way to go to catch up to the other four conferences. Just looking at their 3-10-1 record against the *Independents* shows that. The NCAA knew that it would be difficult to evaluate the MAAC by the criteria the first couple years since much of the selection criteria doesn't apply. Record against Teams Under Consideration and Common Opponents and Head-to-Head are either nonexistent or extremely skewed. So the NCAA, in a rare case of sensible foresight, put in the rule saying that they would also consider a conference's overall strength. An NCAA berth would admittedly mean more to a MAAC team than an established team, but it would also mean more to Mankato State or Nebraska-Omaha. But those teams haven't earned it yet and neither has the MAAC. The MAAC just has to pay some dues for a couple years just like UMass-Amherst and Merrimack have had to since joining Division I. While instant gratification would dictate an immediate berth, it just isn't justified. And no one should blame the D-I schools for being reluctant to schedule the MAAC when it can't yet post a winning record against the Independents. The MAAC will get there over the course of a few years, but it isn't there yet. Duane Glass Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey; send information to [log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.