I agree with your assessment except I certainly hope it doesn't go to court. At this point, I do not think the people of ND (along with its leadership) would agree to spend taxpayer $ to defend the name in court when it appears that it will only harm UND's athletic teams.
I have e-mailed every member of the SBoHE, the legislature, the AG and the governor today asking them to do whatever is necessary to solve this problem immediately. I realize that this will be difficult with the legislature adjourned but they (everyone) needs to address this now. We need to get this behind us and move forward so the athletic department (and us fans) can focus on the Big Sky, a new practice facility and our program in general. We are not making any progress while the debate continues to rage.
It is interesting that I am quite quickly hearing back from legislative members who voted against the bill because of their concern that it may backfire - they were right.
I would recommend others contact these parties and ask for their prompt action.