DULUTH — Everything went the way it wanted in Duluth, Minnesota, inside Amsoil Arena and across NCAA Division I women's ice hockey over the weekend.
The Bulldogs spent two months outside the NCAA Tournament bubble with their faces pressed against surfaces, leaving a permanent stain. The Bulldogs are now inside that bubble, qualifying for his fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament. .
UMD's home sweep of St. Cloud State in the WCHA quarterfinals and Quinnipiac's sweep by Cornell University in the ECAC quarterfinals ultimately reversed the pairwise rankings for both teams. This system is used to select large teams and seed the 11 teams. Team NCAA tournament field.
The Bulldogs are currently ranked 8th in the pairwise rankings, while the Bobcats are 9th. If the season ends today and the NCAA Tournament berths are announced, UMD will be the last team in the tournament and Quinnipiac will be the last team to make it. Despite the Bobcats defeating and tying the Bulldogs in a close series on January 5th and 6th in Hamden, Conn.
Here's what we know ahead of this weekend's conference tournament championships and the NCAA Tournament selection show scheduled for Sunday, March 10 at 11 a.m. on ESPNews.
Will the Bulldogs qualify for the NCAA Tournament?
yes?
From what I've seen from USCHO.com's women's pairwise rankings and conversations with people in the college hockey world who are much smarter than me, it looks like the Bulldogs will be key to the NCAA Tournament.
The Bobcats don't have any games left, so not much can happen to move them up in the standings. And while UMD's reputation could drop if it loses this weekend in the WCHA Finals faceoff, it probably won't drop enough to overturn comparisons to Quinnipiac.
However, all results across NCAA divisions can affect the computer rankings, so nothing is decided until the last game is played. Bulldogs fans know that all too well from their 2018 Men's NCAA Championship run.
How far can the Bulldogs go in the NCAA Tournament?
Clint Austin / File / Duluth News Tribune
The first round of the NCAA Tournament will be played on March 14th, and the quarterfinals will be played on March 17th. The top five seeds will receive byes in the quarterfinals, with the fourth seed hosting the fifth seed. Up to the 11th seed, matches will be played at the home rinks of the top three seeds.
If the Bulldogs were actually in the NCAA Tournament, they would likely be the No. 8 overall seed. If the NCAA Championship Committee sticks to pure bracket integrity, the Bulldogs would travel to Columbus, Ohio, to play in a three-team region hosted by No. 1 ranked Ohio State.
Other possible alternate locations include Madison, Wisconsin and the Badgers' La Verne Arena. It's possible the NCAA could send the No. 8 Bulldogs to No. 2 Wisconsin, or UMD could win the WCHA Finals faceoff and earn the No. 7 overall seed with help from elsewhere. may be sent to Wisconsin.
Who could the Bulldogs play in the NCAA Tournament?
Clint Austin / File / Duluth News Tribune
UMD's first-round opponent is still up in the air, but there are some interesting options depending on who wins the Hockey East Tournament championship.
Hockey East will be a one-bid league this season, with only the tournament champions eligible to join the 11-team field. UConn won the regular season conference championship and advanced to the conference semifinals. Northeastern University, which finished the regular season in second place, advanced to the conference semifinals along with Boston College and the University of New Hampshire.
The Bulldogs and Northeastern met in the 2021 and 2022 NCAA Frozen Four semifinals, with both games going to overtime. The Huskies won at Erie, Pa., in 2021, and the Bulldogs won at Penn State in 2022.
Speaking of Penn State, the Nittany Lions also won the College Hockey America postseason tournament, earning them a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs tied with Penn State, where senior forward Olivia Wallin played for three seasons before transferring to UMD in the offseason.
Clint Austin / File / Duluth News Tribune
Based on what I wrote above, here are two possible pairings for the 2024 NCAA Women's Hockey Tournament based on USCHO.com's current pairwise rankings.automatic bidding
Awarded to the highest seed remaining in the conference tournament, excluding Penn State, which has already won the CHA title.
Scenario A: The NCAA Championship Committee values bracket integrity.
Columbus, Ohio area
1. Ohio*
8. Minnesota Duluth vs. 9. UConn*
Madison, Wisconsin area
2. Wisconsin
7. St. Lawrence vs. 10. Penn State*
Potsdam, New York area
3. Clarkson*
6. Cornell vs. 11. Long Island*
Hamilton, New York area
5. Minnesota at 4. Colgate
Scenario B: If the NCAA Championship Committee believes that having Penn State and UMD play closer to home does not threaten the integrity of the bracket.
Columbus, Ohio area
1. Ohio*
7. St. Lawrence vs. 10. Penn State*
Madison, Wisconsin area
2. Wisconsin
8. Minnesota Duluth vs. 9. UConn*
Potsdam, New York area
3. Clarkson*
6. Cornell University vs. 11. Long Island*
Hamilton, New York area
5. Minnesota at 4. Colgate
Once the final conference championship game is over, check back on Saturday, March 9th to see where UMD stands by Selection Sunday.
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