Bracketology 2016-17 Style

[scoop85]

Cornell will crush Harvard if and when Harvard wins enough games to face the Big Red. That's how I figure it, and how Cornell skaters figure it. Damn the fee-splitters! Full speed ahead!

::screwy::

[BearLover]

All things considered, Cornell got screwed by the committee's prioritizing attendance over "bracket integrity."  WMich would have been a far easier matchup than Lowell, and the arena would have been entirely Cornell fans rather than majority Lowell fans.  I also don't buy that Harvard is a significantly tougher matchup than Minnesota, given that Cornell played Harvard tough three times this year.  Plus, Harvard could easily lose round 1.  But that's beside the point, because the committee could have just swapped Lowell and WMich while keeping us in the Northeast, no?  At least we didn't get screwed as much as Harvard.

[adamw]

First off, Rich is right - I'd forgotten about how the Wisconsin game affected Lowell moving up to 1 seed - so yeah, the bracket would've been different.

Two - the idea that Cornell got screwed is somewhat comical.  Also, the idea that Providence would be "filled" with Cornell fans if Cornell were there, is also comical.

[BearLover]

Two - the idea that Cornell got screwed is somewhat comical.  Also, the idea that Providence would be "filled" with Cornell fans if Cornell were there, is also comical.

I didn't say anything about it being "filled," so I don't understand the quotes--I just meant that, relative to the other team's fans, Cornell would have had a far greater representation (whereas now it'll be closer to even).  And sure, "screwed" is too strong a word--it just feels somewhat unfair, given that every matchup except ours (and ofc WMich-AF) is perfectly in line with the PWR.  Taking into account things like injuries, fan turnout, and style of play, Cornell would have had an easier matchup if the committee chose entirely based on "bracket integrity" (since that phrase gets thrown around a lot on the college hockey sites).  

But you're right that it's not worth moping about.  The stats suggest Lowell's offense is mostly the result of one top line.  Cornell's generally been successful this season at shutting down a few top players (Union, UNH).  And maybe facing a more skilled team on Saturday will leave Cornell less banged up for Sunday than would facing a more physical team.

[Trotsky]

And maybe facing a more skilled team on Saturday will leave Cornell less banged up for Sunday than would facing a more physical team.

Dear Hockey Gods: we neither know nor endeavor to know the number of poultry.  Sincerely, the Lynah Faithful.

[CU2007]

I would have thought Cornell would be a slight favorite against a banged-up WMU squad coming east, while probably a slight underdog against Lowell 20 minutes (or whatever) from their campus. That said, I'd rather (potentially) get Minnesota than Harvard, so I'll call it a wash. Just win, baby.

[Al DeFlorio]

To me the issue is not whether UML or WMU is a better match-up, it's that after calculating RPI out to four decimal places in order to choose the field and determine seedings, they rather arbitrarily rearrange the match-ups as they see fit.  

I understand the avoiding of first-round intra-conference games.  That's a stated, known rule.  If they wanted UML in Manchester, they could have had a UML-AF pairing there with Cornell-WMU in Providence, and left the seedings pure.

[Trotsky]

To me the issue is not whether UML or WMU is a better match-up, it's that after calculating RPI out to four decimal places in order to choose the field and determine seedings, they rather arbitrarily rearrange the match-ups as they see fit.

$$ers gonna $$

[Beeeej]

I also don't buy that Harvard is a significantly tougher matchup than Minnesota, given that Cornell played Harvard tough three times this year.

Sorry to hear you weren't able to get the night off to watch Saturday's title game.

[upprdeck]

lowell can score..  

they also lost to omaha/northestern/clarkson/maine/uconn/new hampshire and several others

cornell lost to merrimack/harvard/quin/clarkson/dartmouth and the CC

its a very winnable game thats about all you can ask this time of year.

it wont be 90% lowell fans either  they didnt travel to albany last year which is only 2.5 hrs compared to 45 min this year to manchester.

the place will have 5-7K cornell will bring its 500-1000 i suspect, minn/nd will have about the same between them, so lowell may have half the tickets in a place that will be half full.

[Iceberg]

lowell can score..  

they also lost to omaha/northestern/clarkson/maine/uconn/new hampshire and several others

cornell lost to merrimack/harvard/quin/clarkson/dartmouth and the CC

its a very winnable game thats about all you can ask this time of year.

it wont be 90% lowell fans either  they didnt travel to albany last year which is only 2.5 hrs compared to 45 min this year to manchester.

the place will have 5-7K cornell will bring its 500-1000 i suspect, minn/nd will have about the same between them, so lowell may have half the tickets in a place that will be half full.

To be fair, last year's East regional was during the Easter weekend. And the Lowell fans that did turn out were very vocal and made themselves known. Their (very good) band even made the trip.

[Trotsky]

I wouldn't be surprised if Minny has a large group.  They and Wisco both travel well, and they're not bothered by long trips.

[BearLover]

To me the issue is not whether UML or WMU is a better match-up, it's that after calculating RPI out to four decimal places in order to choose the field and determine seedings, they rather arbitrarily rearrange the match-ups as they see fit.  

I understand the avoiding of first-round intra-conference games.  That's a stated, known rule.  If they wanted UML in Manchester, they could have had a UML-AF pairing there with Cornell-WMU in Providence, and left the seedings pure.

Right.  It really doesn't matter how screwed Cornell got--the fact remains that the committee gave them a draw based on maximizing profits instead of pure merit--and that's unfair.  

I also don't buy that Harvard is a significantly tougher matchup than Minnesota, given that Cornell played Harvard tough three times this year.

Sorry to hear you weren't able to get the night off to watch Saturday's title game.

Sorry you were busy checking your cell phone for much of the game?  Maybe we should ask Schafer how they played:

"Our guys are positive...I told them after that I have no regrets for how they played in the game. Zero. They came, they didn't play poorly, they went after it they played with poise. ... It was just one of those nights where we weren't good enough."

"The way hockey is sometimes and the course of the game and they have great players that capitalized on their opportunities. We have great players and instead we didn't capitalize on our opportunities."

"The game can be cruel sometimes. You get a great opportunity, hit a post the back door that we fanned on, [goalie Merrick Madsen] made a couple of great saves and they come down and they fire one in and it hits a stanchion and pops right out to one of their guys and it's 3-0, game over."

"But I told our guys I was very proud of the way our guys competed in the third period. I thought they did an excellent job as far as continuing to go after it and stay disciplined, kept getting after it and got a goal at the very end as a coach, when the game's out of reach, you can have a lot of pride in the team for the way they played and stayed the course and that's what made this group of guys special."

"I thought we played well yesterday but I don't think we played our best game of the year.  I think we still have something left in our tank a little bit. ... It's tough because you haven't played your best hockey I think as a game yet and you're always searching for that. And to move onto the Frozen Four, you're going to have to do that.

[Beeeej]

I also don't buy that Harvard is a significantly tougher matchup than Minnesota, given that Cornell played Harvard tough three times this year.

Sorry to hear you weren't able to get the night off to watch Saturday's title game.

Sorry you were busy checking your cell phone for much of the game?  Maybe we should ask Schafer how they played:

Endless commentary

Wow, even I think that was way more effort than my snark was worth.

[BearLover]

I also don't buy that Harvard is a significantly tougher matchup than Minnesota, given that Cornell played Harvard tough three times this year.

Sorry to hear you weren't able to get the night off to watch Saturday's title game.

Sorry you were busy checking your cell phone for much of the game?  Maybe we should ask Schafer how they played:

Endless commentary

Wow, even I think that was way more effort than my snark was worth.

It all came from the same article