Proposed NCAA Tourney Format Could Favor DU

According to an article in the Grand Forks Herald, a revised NCAA Hockey Tournament format should favor the college hockey powers. It also should enable more DU fans to see NCAA Tournament action.

Under the most popular proposal, the tournament would stay as a 16-team field, but the first round would be a best-of-three series played at the venue of the higher seed.

The proposed changes would take place in the 2011-12 season.

16 comments:

Aluuum said...

I find this proposed change to be very interesting,with political implications.In the last two years quite a few four seeds have have beaten the one seeds. Need I mention R.I.T. over D.U. as one but there were more,particularly the year before.
Could it be that the big boys,D.U. included, are flexing their muscle? Just a thought.
If the rumor is true I don't agree with it. The teams in the lesser leagues deserve a fair shot.They play all year ,just as hard as W.C.H.A. teams. Two out of three on the home ice of no. 1 seed is not equitable. Plus, it would weaken the four site tournament plan that is now used
and works well.
.
I doubt the rumor has much legs. It isn't solid.

dggoddard said...

This plan is going to increase NCAA revenue significantly so you can bet its going to happen.

Aluuum said...

Ok D.G.! It'a bet!
Pizza and beer at the Bonnie Brea if it doesn't happen by next April.

Anonymous said...

I think Aluum is correct. Teams like DU are tired of getting embarrassed by RIT. Michigan doesn't want to loose to Air Force again either.

These teams don't want their lazy players to have to work every game like RIT and Air Force. With the current system talent is not enough. I guess that is a bad thing?

Anonymous said...

I love it

puck swami said...

This is good move for programs like DU, and makes the pre-Frozen Four NCAA game action much more spirted and profitable.

Had this been in place for the last 10 years alone, DU would not have had hosted a lot of NCAA instead of going to hostile or dead arenas all over the country, and we'd probably have another NCAA banner or two.

Aluuum said...

It's a bad move for the all the teams that belong to conferences other than W.C.H.A. the league that B.C. and B.U. and the one that Mich belongs to.
All of those other teams deserve better. This would not be a level playing field for them.I'm a Pioneer fan but also come down on the side of fairness.
If D.U. wants another banner or two ,let them go out and earn it on the ice. R.I.T. beat us because they wanted it more than we did.

Boone Dogg said...

For the sake of DU i think it sounds great!

However, it does take away the possibility of having some memorable runs from lesser known teams, which i feel can drive us crazy (this year) or keep the tournament exciting and unexpected.

Regardless, the Pios need to be a team that finishes the season strong and doesn't need a three-game series as cushion.

Anonymous said...

This makes a lot of sense, I'm surprised they haven't done this earlier. No more empty stadiums.

And on another note, let's not have the Frozen Four in any more football stadiums. Totally sucked the atmosphere out of the games this year.

lol said...

Aluuum is such a good hockey fan. That's why he knows all the conference names besides the WCHA.

NCAA should do it. Besides more money it gives it a slight NHL feel with a 'best of' series being part of the tournament.

Anonymous said...

"Embarrassed by rit"....too funny

Anonymous said...

Almost as funneh as

Obliterated by Yale

Anonymous said...

Okay; I can stomach "Embarassed by RIT" - so long as it's followed in the same sentence by "Swept the Gophers and the Sioux and better than any other team in the country for 5 months"

Anonymous said...

"better than any other team in the country for 5 months"

ehhhh I feel like the good folks down in Miami, OH would disagree with you on that one big guy.

Coach said...

This proposal would be an improvement. Teams that earn a high seed deserve two or three more home games. For the posters who say it would be unfair, how do you justify a 1-game series between a #4 and #1 seeds in the 4-seed`s home state, or even in the 4-seed`s own rink?
Many of the regionals just don`t have much atmosphere, and many fans can`t make the trip on such short notice. I say let`s have LESS neutral site playoffs.

Anonymous said...

I like this concept. Playoff series winners "earn" it.