nodakvindy

Sioux playing much better on the defensive end than in the first half. Really need to try to work it inside to keep Air Force honest. 62-53 with 6 minutes left.

Need to try and go inside a little more as well. This is one of the few "big time" programs that doesn't have a ton of height. Need to exploit that a little more instead of just jacking up threes. Or else starting getting some offensive rebounds off the missed 3s. That would be OK too. Webcast isn't terrible. The announcers commercial comments are fun, but the replays that distract from the live action are kinda lame. But for free, really can't complain. Edit: Sounds like they just found out they have had live mics.

A cardiac run through the Great West Tournament keeps the season alive a little bit longer. CIT tourney web site - http://www.collegeinsider.com/tournament/ The full bracket will be announced Sunday evening. This year the tournament has expanded from 16 to 24 teams. Sioux open up play against Air Force Tuesday night at 8 pm. A win over the Falcons would be a huge recruiting coup, especially being in the heart of Big Sky country. CIT tickets (Only $12) - Hope there is a nice turnout of Colorado area alums. Tickets are already on sale. http://ev12.evenue.net/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/SEGetEventInfo?ticketCode=GS%3AUSAF%3AB11%3ACIT1%3A&linkID=usafa&shopperContext=&pc=&caller=&appCode=&groupCode=MB&cgc= I believe the CIT also has an agreement with FCS, so there is a decent chance the game will be on TV.

Hopefully UND puts some full court pressure on them to do just that. I thought they should have tried that when they were trailing during the game in Grand Forks.

Great West Final - UND down 27-18 with 6:30 left in first half.

Hopefully UND can top the Coyotes and we put in a good bid to get a home game in the CIT. Would be great to have a little extra home action.

Unfortunate that the gamecast was wrong, but that stuff happens once in a while. As for the tourney, it would be interesting to see who, if anyone else bid on it. Can't imagine it makes a ton of money, and with Salt Lake a hub for Delta, I'm sure travel was pretty cheap. The other viable options would have been Houston or Chicago, I guess. Will be interesting to see where it is next year, with the league down to six members. I'd guess it will be down to a three day event, since there would only be two quarterfinals, they can play both men and women on day 1.

The Great West website was wrong throughout the game. Chicago State was up throughout and won the game.

Let's get things done now against UTPA and then end the seasons of both HBU teams tomorrow.

HBU 73 USD 64 Final The Sioux women really have an opening now. A favorable path to the championship game. Hopefully they can get there, win the league title and finish on a positive.

Great West Tourney action is underway. #7 seed Houston Baptist is up 71-64 on South Dakota with 30 seconds remaining. Edit: now 73-64 with 22 seconds left. Free webcast at http://www.uvu.edu/uvutv/ click uvu athletics

Once Dartmouth beat Harvard in the ECAC semis, this was pretty much set, can't say I'm too surprised. However, UMD really got hosed, and all three WCHA teams are in one half of the bracket. Looking to next year, I hope the Sioux can get several top eastern teams on the schedule to boost their chances. Maybe even partner with Duluth to alternate a tourney to bring in Cornell, Darmouth, Mercyhurst, etc. Single games are better than series as well, to get a greater diversity in opponents.

North Dakota Nebraska - Omaha Denver Minnesota - Duluth Colorado College Minnesota St. Cloud State Alaska-Anchorage Wisconsin Bemidji State Minnesota State-Mankato Michigan Tech Wisconsin's freefall continues while St. Cloud's anti-swoon does as well. This would create some tasty first round matchups.

Have to be big BU and Cornell fans now. Also probably best for Wisconsin to win out.

WIth Dartmouth beating Harvard tonight, it looks like the Sioux may have to beat Wisconsin to grab an at large bid. Hopefully they can win two straight and remove all doubt. Teams to pull for on Friday/Saturday Cornell over Dartmouth BU over Northeastern BC over Providence A UND win coupled with the above three winning would ensure a trip to the NCAAs.

Why do I have a feeling that's probably a 2001 NCAA Champs sweatshirt or something like that?

The dirty little secret of the bowl system is that this isn't an uncommon occurrence. Schools are often on the hook for a lot of tickets, and if you aren't a Nebraska who travels well or an SEC team that is likely playing a bowl close to home, you will eat a lot of those tickets. Attendance at a lot of the bowls is very weak, not unlike the phenomena of early round playoff games at the D-2 and FCS levels. Bowls exist solely to give ESPN programming in Dec./Jan. People should probably be let in free, much like the studio audiences are for other TV shows.

Sorry, but skating the MacNaughton would have been the cherry on the sundae and have in no way diminished senior day. The MacNaughton is a regular season award and should be given when it is won. The playoff series is about moving on to the Final Five and a shot at the Broadmoor. Plus, two weeks after the fact it is anticlimactic.

The other thing that could hurt Yale is if Quinnipiac and Cornell slip away as TUCs. Both will fall off if they are swept in their respective first ECAC playoff series. That would knock Yale down to an 8-3 TUC record. Add a loss to Union, RPI or Dartmouth and the comparison is flipped.

The RPIs will be very close if the Sioux lose to Wisconsin and Dartmouth beats Harvard but loses to Cornell. If the Sioux lose and Dartmouth loses to Harvard, UND will be fine. What needs to happen to ensure a Sioux at-large (outside of winning the autobid themselves) Harvard and Cornell to win the ECAC semis and Cornell to win the title and either BU or BC winning Hockey East. If Providence, Northeastern or an ECAC team other than Cornell wins an autobid, then UND must win the WCHA to make the NCAAs.

Dartmouth won their game over Clarkson today (and momentarily jumped UND in the Pairwise), so the season rides on tonight's game. That should be all the motivation the team needs.

The other women's game today is huge for UND. Game 3 of the ECAC quarters, Dartmouth versus Clarkson. Dartmouth is just behind UND in the pairwise and the only team that can still flip a comparison and move into the top 8. As long as UND wins tonight, it should make the NCAAs if Cornell wins the ECAC tourney and either BU or BC wins the Hockey East tourney. UND can't really move up from 8th, so it would have to win the autobid to be assured of making the NCAAs. If that doesn't happen, then it's a matter of pulling for the favorites in the other leagues. Hopefully the team gives a more inspired performance than last night, and with the season on the line I would expect it. It would also be nice to see a decent crowd at Purpur. I'd guess there were only about 500-600 last night, with about 50-100 of them Bemidji fans.

Warroad scores five unanswered in the third period to beat South St. Paul 5-1 and defend their title. All the future Sioux looked pretty impressive. Definitely some good years ahead for this program.

Couldn't disagree with this more. We see the same conference teams all year, and then have respective conference tournaments. The last thing I want is to meet up with a conference team again right away in the NCAAs. I think the no first round matchups is a must, and would like to see it extended to the second round as well. If four teams from a conference make the tourney, they should all be in different regions.

I thought the last penalty called on the Sioux (immediately following a blatant Minnesota penalty not called) was nearly as bad as not reviewing the bad goal. Wasn't a sterling effort by the stripes either night.