The Sicatoka

I'm pretty sure Kohl Center puts down a layer of thermal padding then a layer of "hard floor" and then the court on top of that. I thought that's what REA does too. The "24 hours to switch from ice to no-ice or vice-versa" sounds more like "NO ice" (as in rip it out or pour a total new surface) not covered/uncovered ice. But it's been more than a day since I drove a Zamboni. Where's the man with the answers, Denny Gunderson, when we need him.

It'll cost about $10 MM to run UND Athletics this year. About $3 MM of that is hockey. Those were "off the cuff" numbers I heard a man in a position to know give one day. I doubt UND's total athletic budget was $3 MM even just 10 years ago.

What he said.

When you consider students have about 2500 seats in the new arena, and consider the "contribution" the general public has to make for a seat, it seems to me like the non-students have more in that deal to be unhappy about.

Can I buy season tickets in the lower bowl for $75 a year? That's a pretty sweet deal this alumnus can't get, but the students can.

For students. In the upper. (Forgive me if $3 is "free" in my world.)

"IMO, residents should be happy they even have season tickets." Students should be happy "residents" pay state taxes because those are a bigger fraction of UND's operational budget than tuition and fees. Now that that's out of the way .... Please lose the confrontational mindset. It doesn't serve either side well.

We have another math problem here. You want 50% of new REA? That's a mere 5703 seats. The students aren't filling the 2200 they have today. Proof? REA/UND are able to sell general admission tickets to the public because the students haven't picked the (free) tickets up.

The Kohl Center, last weekend: Friday night hockey, Saturday noon hoop, and Saturday night hockey.

Various notes (read as appropriate to context and conversation): FIRST: Various "feats of strength"? Are we sure it wasn't "festivus"? NEXT: When is 11,701 people more like 23,402 people? Wisconsin sells a "split" season ticket in hockey. You get either the first game or the second game of a weekend series meaning there is nearly a completely different group of people night to night. Proof? Source: http://www.uwbadgers.com/tickets/mhky/hky_reserved.aspx

See above for reading comprehension help. (Clayton Hoyt didn't need the help.)

Based on this, are we sure NDSU didn't learn how to crank up their football program in the 1960s after watching UND hockey program in the 1950s? As far a "learning from observing", who has the first NCAA titles in the region? Wouldn't they be the one the others watched and learned from? UND has that 1959 NCAA hockey title. Who before that in this region?

To quote the great and wise Ron White, "drunk in pub-lic" is a crime.

Uh, bad-math alert. " ... then 9 percent of students should have the opportunity to sit in the lower bowl at the REA." Uh, no, 9% of the budget does not mean 9% of the student body. 9% of the budget should mean 9% of the seats!. (Seats are what "costs" the budget pays for.) 9% of 11406 means roughly 1027. Half up, half down would be 514 down, 513 up. Uh, the students have 2200 seats right now, with 545 of them down. They're ahead in the lower bowl game if they want to play "9%". Pssssstt --- students, don't play that card. It's a loser.

With NDSU putting money into the BSA that tells me that there isn't a new arena on their short-term or mid-term horizons. That means that Bina's team, oops, sorry, formerly Bina's team, stays in the Benson-Bunker Fieldhouse for the foreseeable. Yeah, renovated locker rooms, but it's still what it is (and that's not very good, especially if there's a chance you'd have to start recruiting against The Betty as a home court).

Yeah, post-season, NCAA tourney, like all of those glorious Bison post-season football games in the Fargodo ... oh, yeah, sorry. I mean like the Sioux in the Alerus Center, you know, NCAA playoffs, post-season.

From: http://www.gobison.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SP...0&ATCLID=227386 What "fundamental philosophical differences" could be so strong, after 11 years in the job, that a coach with that record would resign? Somebody's going to pick up a pretty solid volleyball coach.

Huse is at Montana, and living in his hometown of Missoula.

Before the end of this semester. http://www.in-forum.com/articles/index.cfm...&section=sports

I'd be shocked if it's not Smaby-Jones and Chorney-Lee and Marvin-Alexander. If I were betting I'd bet: (i) Alexander gets two or three shifts per period (standard 6th D), (ii) Marvin gets the shifts with Alexander, and spotted in on PK or when someone else need extra time after a long shift (standard 5th D), and (iii) Smaby-Jones and Chorney-Lee will see a lot of ice. I don't expect the "3 pairs" approach; I expect to see the "6-5-4" bench shortening approach normally taken during playoffs (which keeps the better guys out longer). As far as forwards, who wanted in the line-up more this week in practice? Kaip, Miller, Mertens, or Foyt? Skate or sit. There's that answer. One more note: Brian Lee needs to have a better weekend than he did versus Mankato.

Some interesting points: The SCSU fan points out we're complaining about a wealth of riches, or that as I've heard one guy say "complaining that our ice cream is too cold." I'll agree with Rick. My eyes say that larger end portable stands could be put into The Betty. What's there now is about 10 rows per end. Put in 20 row models and I bet you'd (a) push that place to about 5000, and (b) make Hyslop seem like a pleasant place for opponents. PS - What NDSU drew v. Idaho would have been held by The Betty: 3541.

As much as it pains me, Mike McFeely at the Forum may have gotten one right:

Easy, in BB configuration: The Betty: ~4000 Lower Bowl of REA: ~5500 The Al: ~9000+ (who knows how many) REA: 13000+ (see v. Kansas) And I'd guess old REA in a BB config would hold ~7000. (It held 6067 for hockey.)

Q: "It must be UND vs. SCSU week, Are you kidding?" A: "If I was kidding you, I'd be wearing a fez and no pants." -- Det. Lenny Briscoe (RIP)

From http://www.mratings.com (01/22/06): Least Likely Results 1 12/22 Alabama St (297) 78 S Alabama ( 97) 75 0.079 2 12/6 Indiana St (143) 72 Indiana ( 16) 67 0.085 3 12/6 Chattanooga (206) 69 Creighton ( 40) 64 0.105 4 1/21 N Dakota St (155) 62 at Wisconsin ( 24) 55 0.111 5 1/7 UC Riverside (302) 83 at Pacific (135) 71 0.122 6 11/18 E Michigan (256) 67 California ( 85) 65 0.128 7 12/31 East Carolina (265) 82 UNC Wilmington (107) 69 0.135 8 11/24 Monmouth NJ (213) 80 vs S Illinois ( 64) 68 0.142 9 1/16 E Illinois (283) 59 Murray St (124) 54 0.145 10 1/3 Liberty (318) 83 High Point (223) 80 0.148 Although every weekend is a good weekend to not be a Badger fan , this one is especially good: Imagine being swept at home by DU and having NDSU beat your MBB team in between.