The Sicatoka

No, no. To your time zone point, why not ... Northeast: Chicago (host: Wisconsin) East: Minneapolis (host: SCSU) Midwest: Denver (host: USAFA) West: San Jose (host: UAA/UAF)

Never thought I'd accuse anything associated with USCHO of this, but I think they are overthinking the brackets. I'll bet right now their "not adjusted for attendance" brackets are closer to actuality than their adjusted versions.

What I find interesting right now is that Jim's "after Thursday" simulations have UND looking at: #5 2.8% #6 9.9% #7 27.2% #8 22.1% #9 21.7% #10 13.3% #11 3.0% #12 0.0% Tournament invites: 100.0% But the actual PWR on Friday morning has UND at T-10 (#11). That says more than likely UND will move up in PWR over the next two days by going home, staying healthy, and getting rested. Here's hoping the rest of the games at the Final Five go at least as long as the UND/UM womens game last weekend.

This squad needs to figure out that it is acceptable to come out and kick the opponent in the "cup" and then step on their throat in the first 10 minutes in the game. There is no shame beating everyone 6-0 or worse. Quit trying to play close games. Put them down. Hard.

Duluth, two years ago, lost their opener in St. Paul, was written off for dead, and three weeks later was back in St. Paul and beating Michigan on a Saturday night.

Williams is out of the game (took boot to head). It's 5-2 Wisconsin to start the last period.

We have an early leader for most annoying commercial during the Final Five: the Great Clips ad (guy in Venus fly trap) is old already.

And now the purple cows take a dumb penalty.

Has anyone scored four in fifty minutes against Wisconsin this year?

Looking at the Massey Ratings, MSU-Mankato (Massey #4) v. Wisconsin (Massey #6) should be a good battle. For reference, Massey's Top Ten: 1 Minnesota 2 Quinnipiac 3 UM-Lowell 4 MSU-Mankato 5 North Dakota 6 Wisconsin 7 St. Cloud 8 Miami of Ohio 9 Notre Dame 10 Denver

Didn't Fox Sports Network North (FSN North) run live stream of all WCHA games on their site in the past. You'd see the "Director's Cut" sort of thing with all the camera angles on one screen.

+1 People deal with money every day, but very few have any formal training on how.

He's assuming WMU, Union, and Wisconsin in. Per Jim Dahl's analyses, the best of those has a 56% chance to be in. Put in three different teams, or even just one different and reshuffle the order of 14-16, and those brackets change significantly.

Vanilla ... If it were a real wager it'd be rocky road.

Here's the MVC this morning: Take Creighton out of that picture and I see Wichita State feeling lonely. Adding Oral Bob's School of Basketball and Baseball (Tulsa, OK) would give them a nice travel partner. Alternatively, adding Belmont (Nashville, TN) would allow for reasonable travel partners as well (Mizzou St/Wichita St; SUI/Belmont). Either way, I don't think the MVC will look north; I don't think they'll look to a public school; and I don't think they'll go above ten, ... for now.

I guess I'm in the court that says, at this point, when you can define and run all 300-plus-thousand scenarios and then look at the statistical outcomes, why not do it that way. And right now, things like KRACH may be undervaluing Michigan's current play and overvaluing Quinnipiac's recent play. I was never a fan of the "Last 16 Games" criteria when the Committee used that in selections, but I'd argue it makes some sense in doing analysis like Jim is doing here. As Tommy Lasorda used to say, "You're only as good as your last at bat." Michigan's last at bats are pretty good but KRACH really doesn't show that. Knowing all the scenarios (inputs) and outcomes (outputs) makes it pretty clear who needs what to happen. I like that when it's a defined possible set.

Ah yes, outdoor practices ... the joys of your hair freezing to the back of your helmet. Nothing better.

I've heard of delirium tremens from coke withdrawal, but never from Diet coke withdrawal.

... unless you're jonesing for a Diet Coke in a building where all the machines are out of Diet Coke.

While in full acknowledgement of your medical training and credentials, I still feel obliged to point out that if the same injury happens to two people a decade apart in age, the younger one should statistically heal more quickly. It's that terrible part of life: youth is wasted on the young.

Ames may have something to say about that.

The "skunks" are from Madison, not Ann Arbor. Here's one dressed in a popcorn box.

I'd say Niagara fans are UND and Mankato fans on Thursday. If those two win, Niagara goes to 96%+ chance of being in even if they don't win in their conference tourney. So, the Purple Eagles are fans of the Purple Cows on Thursday afternoon.

Ah, but your since-deleted post inferred that SCSU does not represent "Minnesota". As a member of MnSCU, the minute SCSU steps outside of the Minnesota borders, yes, they represent Minnesota. I have less problem with a Minnesota outline on SCSU's jersey than I do with a partial outline of Michigan on MTU's jersey. Michigan Tech is MICHIGAN Tech, not just Upper Michigan Tech.

I'd put Parks with the MacMacs before that. MarkMac needs someone with speed to keep up with him. MitchMac seems the trailer/garbage collector/shooter that trails. Remember my theory: Getter - Setter - Shooter O'D - Knight - Kristo Parks - MarkMac - MitchMac Rowney - Rocco - Caggiula and a grind-line.