respectfuly disagree. yale last year, maybe. however they were a top 10 team all year long and just tailed off at the end. MSU, yes. duluth and Wisconsin were two of the better teams in the nation the those years. wisconsin was ranked number for the majority of the year until elliot got hurt in practice in late january that year and had a little slump for a few weeks and the gophers over took them. they still ended up as the number one or two overall seed entering the ncaa's that season. duluth was a top five team for most of the season and hit a slump in late feb. had they won a game or two at the final five they could have been a one seed that season.
everyone brings up yale from last year and how they snuck in, and that could be a blue print for sucess or duluth losing the first day at the final five and then going on to win it all. or denver losing in the first round of the wcha playoffs and going on to win it. who knows maybe miami will win it all and then the blue print will be to tank the regular season and just go on a playoff run.