Polls 1/12

kaelistus · January 13, 2009, 04:29:18 PM

Flashbacks to 2001.. This is WAY early but that bracketology column screws Cornell in every way possible. They get seeded in the west AND are forced to play the hardest 4th seed. Followed by a possible Michigan matchup on their ice. Really, this is pretty much the worst selection I can think of.

Josh '99 · January 13, 2009, 04:30:20 PM

[quote nyc94][quote KeithK]Here's my favorite PWR/tournament nightmare. Cornell finishes strong, returns to the tournament and captures a #1 regional seed. But only being ranked #3 or #4 in the PWR behind a couple of other eastern teams they get shipped to Marriucci against a regional field that includes big ice teams UNH and home team Minnesota.[/quote]

The first bracketology column is up and Cornell ends up in Grand Rapids even as the number two in PWR. Cornell v. Maine and BC v. Michigan.[/quote]I think this is the first time I've ever wanted to go to Bridgeport.

KeithK · January 13, 2009, 04:30:29 PM

[quote Beeeej]Really? We'd be so hell-bent on playing the presumably "weaker" #14 instead of #13 that we'd rather go the 533 miles to Grand Rapids, Michigan instead of 380 miles to the far more Cornell-northeast-alumni-and-student-base-friendly Manchester, NH?!

Anybody else have any idea why we'd supposedly be happier with this?[/quote]
While I agree that playing UNH "at home" isn't an ideal first round matchup there's no reason to think Cornell would be happier out west in his scenario. Now if the rink in Machester were Olympic size he might have a point but it's not.

Robb · January 13, 2009, 04:31:16 PM

[quote Beeeej]Really? We'd be so hell-bent on playing the presumably "weaker" #14 instead of #13 that we'd rather go the 533 miles to Grand Rapids, Michigan instead of 380 miles to the far more Cornell-northeast-alumni-and-student-base-friendly Manchester, NH?!? Even with Manchester as a de facto home game for UNH?[/quote]
Not to mention following up that game with the possibility of playing the Wolverines in Michigan in the regional championship. No thank you!

Besides, we gotta beat UHN in the NCAAs one of these years...::cry::

Josh '99 · January 13, 2009, 04:35:58 PM

[quote Robb][quote Beeeej]Really? We'd be so hell-bent on playing the presumably "weaker" #14 instead of #13 that we'd rather go the 533 miles to Grand Rapids, Michigan instead of 380 miles to the far more Cornell-northeast-alumni-and-student-base-friendly Manchester, NH?!? Even with Manchester as a de facto home game for UNH?[/quote]
Not to mention following up that game with the possibility of playing the Wolverines in Michigan in the regional championship. No thank you!

Besides, we gotta beat UHN in the NCAAs one of these years...::cry::[/quote]I think Jayson applied reasonable rationale (Cornell is a higher #1 seed than Northeastern so let's try to put them where they'd prefer to be) but then came to an incorrect conclusion on its basis (they'd rather travel a longer distance to play a non-host team in the first round and potentially a host team in the second round than travel a shorter distance to play a host team in the first round).

I.e., he wasn't trying to screw us, he just made a glaring error.

Robb · January 13, 2009, 04:44:00 PM

Technically, Western Michigan is the host team in Grand Rapids. Practically, that's irrelevant - Jason is definitely wrong about what I'd rather see.

Edit: and there's nothing in the seeding procedure that says the committee should try to elucidate what the host teams would "prefer." It says to put them closest to home, in order from 1-4. I'm not sure why he somehow feels that the inevitability of an intra-conference matchup in the first round gives him license to violate that part of the procedure.

Beeeej · January 13, 2009, 04:59:43 PM

The real shame here is that there's no "immunity," so to speak, from getting shipped far away from home one year when it also happened the previous year (or at least the last couple of times a team made the tourney, if it's somewhat recent). They do really have to base their decisions entirely on the current season - but it's remarkable how often that seems to screw Cornell.

ugarte · January 13, 2009, 05:06:55 PM

If the arena qualifies, Cornell should work with the Syracuse War Memorial to bid for a regional.

Trotsky · January 13, 2009, 05:08:39 PM

[quote Beeeej]They do really have to base their decisions entirely on the current season - but it's remarkable how often that seems to screw Cornell.[/quote]Host Albany. It's the only way to be sure.

jtwcornell91 · January 13, 2009, 05:12:15 PM

[quote ugarte]If the arena qualifies, Cornell should work with the Syracuse War Memorial to bid for a regional.[/quote]

[quote Trotsky]~~Host Albany.~~Nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.[/quote]

FYP

KeithK · January 13, 2009, 05:15:10 PM

[quote Beeeej]They do really have to base their decisions entirely on the current season - but it's remarkable how often that seems to screw Cornell.[/quote]Bahloney. The committee can pretty much do whatever the heck it wants as long as they can plausibly fit it within the few rules they have to work with. it's not like there's an appeals process.

I think Jayson has just internalized the extra committee rule - "always find a way to screw Cornell somehow" - and adjusts his bracketology accordingly. :-D

Rita · January 13, 2009, 06:11:14 PM

[quote nyc94][quote KeithK]Here's my favorite PWR/tournament nightmare. Cornell finishes strong, returns to the tournament and captures a #1 regional seed. But only being ranked #3 or #4 in the PWR behind a couple of other eastern teams they get shipped to Marriucci against a regional field that includes big ice teams UNH and home team Minnesota.[/quote]

The first bracketology column is up and Cornell ends up in Grand Rapids even as the number two in PWR. Cornell v. Maine and BC v. Michigan.[/quote]

Grand Rapids, MI isn't that far from the hockey hell hole known as IN. I'm probably the only on ELF that would be okay with Cornell ending up in that regional. ;-)

But it is still early yet and many games to be played on the ice. As mentioned above by KeithK and others, the committee will find a way to send Cornell to the Twin Cities ::cry::.

kfish · January 13, 2009, 07:38:47 PM

I'm in the same hockey Hell hole (lovely Lafayette), so for selfish reasons I wouldn't mind seeing them in Grand Rapids (and I know of a few Big Red fans in Wisconsin who wouldn't mind either). ;-)

scoop85 · January 13, 2009, 08:09:16 PM

I'm just glad we are even having a discussion about Bracketology this year. Let's hope we remain part of the controversy!

Al DeFlorio · January 13, 2009, 08:29:12 PM

[quote scoop85]I'm just glad we are even having a discussion about Bracketology this year. Let's hope we remain part of the controversy![/quote]
I'm jes' hopin' we win Friday night.