Quick Bracketology (March 4, 2020)

With the season winding down, I decided I wanted to use my bracketology degree to post a quick NCAA men's hockey bracket on the weeks I don't post a full version on NCAA.com.

Since it's a quick version, some of the details in the selection process might be overlooked. If you need a refresher for how the committee selects the 16 teams, this Bracketology 101 article should answer most of your basic questions.

Any others, I'm happy to answer in the comments.

The Teams (as of March 4, 2020):
1. North Dakota (NCHC)
2. Minnesota State (WCHA)
3. Cornell (ECAC)
T-4. Boston College (Hockey East)
T-4. Minnesota Duluth
T-4. Denver
7. Penn State (Big Ten)
8. Massachusetts
9. Clarkson
T-10. Bemidji State
T-10. Ohio State
12. Arizona State
13. UMass Lowell
14. Quinnipiac
15. Maine
27. American International (Atlantic Hockey)

In: UMass Lowell, Quinnipiac, Maine
Out: Northeastern, Minnesota, Western Michigan

First Four Out: Michigan, Minnesota, Northeastern, Western Michigan

Teams By Conference:
Hockey East: 4
NCHC: 3
ECAC: 3
Big Ten: 2
WCHA: 2
Atlantic Hockey: 1
Independent: 1

Notes:
-AIC bumps out Michigan this week, who moved up 4 spots after taking 5 of 6 points from Minnesota.
-Northeastern being swept by Vermont dropped the Huskies from a 3 seed to out of the bracket. It was good news for Arizona State, who sits waiting at home.
-The number of teams who can still earn at-large bids has dwindled down as postseason gets underway in four of the six conferences. Besides the first four out, Notre Dame, Providence and St. Cloud State are the only ones who technically can still make the NCAA Tournament without winning the automatic bid.

The Bracket:

Albany Region (Albany, NY - Host ECAC)
1. North Dakota vs. 16. AIC
8. Massachusetts vs. 9. Clarkson

Loveland Region (Loveland, CO - Host Denver)
2. Minnesota State vs. 15. Maine
6. Denver vs. 11. Ohio State

Allentown Region (Allentown, PA - Host Penn State)
3. Cornell vs. 13. UMass Lowell
7. Penn State vs. 10. Bemidji State

Worcester Region (Worcester, MA - Host Holy Cross)
4. Boston College vs. 14. Quinnipiac
5. Minnesota Duluth vs. 12. Arizona State

The only moves I made from the straight 1-16, 2-15, etc. bracket were to switch Quinnipiac and UMass Lowell in order to get rid of inter-conference matchups. I also essentially swapped the Penn State and Denver matchups for one another. Both hosts need to be in Allentown and Loveland, respectively. Switching the teams themselves creates an all-Big Ten matchup, which we need to avoid.

It makes more sense to have Cornell, who can drive to the PPL Center, in Allentown instead of Minnesota State. Same with Boston College in Worcester as much as I'd rather not reward the lowest No. 1 seed. It is a conversation for the committee to have, though.

Another issue popping up is attendance. This isn't the easiest bracket to move and fix attendance. The only two eastern teams in the No. 2 and No. 3 seeding bands are the 8th and 9th overall seeds. There might be some empty seats in Worcester for that UMD-Arizona State game, but there's not much we can do.

There are some fantastic matchups between another Denver-Ohio State rematch, Penn State's offense versus Bemidji State's defense, BC facing the last team it played in the NCAA Tournament, and the UMass-Clarkson matchup I wanted to see last year come to fruition.

Thoughts?
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