The who, what, when and where of the Bemidji State NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament will be announced today.
The NCAA Selection Show will be broadcast at 10 a.m. on ESPN2 today with the 16 team field and the brackets unveiled.
The announcement will bring to an end a week of prognosticating and running likely scenarios concerning who the Beavers will play in the opening round of the tournament and where.
Ultimately, determining the participants and deciding where the teams will be placed comes down to the NCAA Selection Committee, comprised of coaches and hockey officials from across the country.
The Pairwise Ranking is a system which attempts to mimic the method used by the selection committee.
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Wisconsin took over the top spot in the PWR Saturday, after defeating Minnesota. Thus, it seems likely that Wisconsin will be the number one seed in the NCAA Tournament with Minnesota the second seed.
Bemidji State will more than likely be the 16th seed.
Two scenarios seem likely for the Beavers. As the number one team, Wisconsin would more than likely be placed as the top seed in the Midwest Regional, set for Green Bay, Wis., with Minnesota going to the Western Regional in Grand Forks as the second overall seed.
Now, for the guess work. Would the selection committee automatically send BSU to Green Bay to face the top seeded Wisconsin in order to follow the traditional 1 vs. 16 format? Or would the committee choose to keep BSU closer to home, save travel money and place the Beavers in the Western Regional in Grand Forks to face Minnesota?
As far as regional rivalries and travel goes, a BSU vs. Minnesota match up in Grand Forks would make most sense. But, will the selection committee agree?
We'll all know shortly after 10 a.m. this morning.
