TheEagle

It looks like we could backdoor our way to a #1 seed with a Denver loss to SCSU and a Michigan State loss to Michigan, but I think a win on Friday wraps up a #1 seed.

It looks UND is #3 overall with W-W, #4 overall with W-L, and #2 seed with L.

Downtown St. Paul is much safer than downtown Minneapolis, so I realize that is not the reason.

I'm not sure about that. I lived in the Twin Cities for 30 years before moving in 2019. In the early to mid 90s I took the bus every night from the U of M to downtown to Brooklyn Center, and I felt safe. However, I didn't go to downtown Minneapolis at night for the last 5 years I lived there. Sure, most of the time it was relatively safe (especially with big crowds), but there were too many moments of discomfort for my taste. Seeing bus drivers got a bottle smashed over their head, addicts on public transit, the number of crazies increase. There were a lot of people up to no good in recent years. I got tired of being in a place where I had to watch my back all of the time. My cousin ventured to downtown Minneapolis earlier this year for the first time in ages and got his Toyota Tundra stolen.

Air Force Western Michigan Michigan Tech Union Cornell Providence Harvard Minnesota-Duluth UMass-Lowell Penn State Ohio State Notre Dame Boston U Denver Minnesota

Keep it. I wish I lived near Grand Forks because I'd like to support the team by attending games.

I like the black outline verson more. Not a big fan of the new logo, but I could almost stomach this version. I would be interested in seeing it cleaned up by a professional. It's probably a pipe dream to think the decision makers would change it though.

Well said, Carson! Carson Wentz ‏@cj_wentz 2m2 minutes ago Huge congratulations to the UND Men's hockey team! So cool. All we do is win here in this great state folks! Well deserved UND. #NoDak

How many penalties on each team so far? I just started watching.

As somebody who grew up in North Dakota and roots for both universities to do well because I didn't attend either, this thread is pretty childish on both sides from my perspective. If I had to choose a team to win a championship I'd choose UND hockey over NDSU football, but the Wentz story is a big deal (so is the five championships in a row won by NDSU). Is it as big as Roger Maris? Absolutely not. Is it as bigger than Virgil Hill? Probably. Is it bigger than UND hockey or NDSU football winning a championship? Yes, because the NFL is that big. Is it bigger than some guy in 1936 winning a Silver Medal in the Olympics? I'd have to say so because I'd never heard of the guy before. It's comparable to Jonathan Toews playing at UND but bigger because 1) it's rare that a DI-AA QB gets this kid of hype and not so rare than a UND player does well in the NHL, and 2) the NFL is much more popular than the NHL. I'll be rooting for the Sioux to win tomorrow night--just as I'll be rooting for Carson Wentz to succeed in the NFL. Carson also seems like a great kid.

How would having no nickname violate the NCAA's policy on Native American nicknames and mascots?

Ummm...no. It says that it must adopt a nickname that "does not violate the policy." Huge difference. I'm not going to get into this much, but I watched an interview with an NCAA representative several months ago, and the dude stated that the UND's nickname was not in accordance to the NCAA's ban on Native American nicknames. Having no nickname would not violate that policy. I'm pretty sure the NCAA doesn't care, but I wouldn't put it past Kelley to try to use with the NCAA as a scapegoat to force a new nickname on UND by publicly insinuating the NCAA might put sanctions back on UND if they don't adopt a new nickname. Here is the statement the NCAA made in 2005 when making the policy. How would having no nickname violate this policy? "Colleges and universities may adopt any mascot that they wish, as that is an institutional matter," said Walter Harrison, chair of the Executive Committee and president at the University of Hartford. "But as a national association, we believe that mascots, nicknames or images deemed hostile or abusive in terms of race, ethnicity or national origin should not be visible at the championship events that we control."

He wasn't saying the nickname was being used against UND. It was the controversy surrounding the nickname and the fact that there could be sanctions given to UND over it. Of course, other recruiters would use those threats to help them win recruits. If the NCAA hadn't made those threats, the nickname itself was being used against UND.

http://www.crookstontimes.com/article/20150724/OPINION/150729718/?Start=1 These are the types of Minnesotans that I've run across.

We've jumped the shark.

Yes, let's insult the people that disagree with us. People can have a differing opinion. It's okay. Certainly, my point was conjecture. That is why I said "I suspect". I suspect my conjecture is closer to the truth, but that's just more conjecture. If somebody is going to quote Kat, then they should also quote the student on the committee who offered a differing opinion. Intellectually honesty. I remember for years hearing how the Sioux tribal members were against the Sioux nickname--until there were polls and an actual vote on it.

Your Mom uses NoDak as a postal abbreviation, so I don't know why that is pertinent. No offense. Yes, NoDak and Minn are abbreviations. Businesses often use abbreviations in their names. We've had two different experiences with regards to NoDak, and that's fair enough. I didn't hear the term at all growing up, and when I did hear it after moving out of state, it was often derogatory. Your experiences lead you to be okay with that nickname. My experiences lead me to not want any part of that nickname.

The first part I agree with. I disagree with the second part. The people on the message boards are from those places but also from everywhere in North Dakota outside of Grand Forks and maybe Fargo--although you'd be surprised that most people in Fargo who didn't go to NDSU root for UND hockey. The comments I read on FB groups that I'm a part of from Bismarck and Mandan all have the same sentiments. In a lot of ways it's those from North Dakota vs. those that went to UND from elsewhere. I know not everybody from North Dakota has those sentiments and vice versa, but I think it's true in general.

There is a Minn-Dak Farmer's Cooperative. Does that mean Minnesotans should be called Minns? I'm guessing most (not all, of course) of the people that grew up in North Dakota are not found of NoDak--while those UND students that are from elsewhere think it's a perfectly acceptable term to describe North Dakotans (not all, of course). I'd be interested to know where the people who support NoDaks are from originally? My experience having been raised in North Dakota but living in Minnesota is that very few North Dakotans refer to themselves as NoDaks. (I never heard the term growing up.) When I got to Minnesota, I heard it more often. Usually it was a "Minnesota Nice" passive-aggressive insult (e.g. "You're a Nodak, huh? Do you cry when a tree is cut down?")

Has Kat polled all of the athletes at UND? I suspect it's just conjecture. Just like it was conjecture on the part of the student on the committee to say most of the non-hockey playing athletes she knows want no nickname. I suspect the student-athletes are as divided on this issue as everybody else. Regardless, this decision is bigger than the student-athletes that are currently playing at UND only. Many may not be from North Dakota, and the nickname choice could mean very little to them. It's just a nickname, right? That doesn't mean I don't respect their opinion. It just means that I don't respect their opinion any more than North Dakota residents, UND students, or UND administration.

This actually wouldn't be bad because it would give a nickname a chance against no nickname--even though I'm in favor of no nickname or Roughriders (I don't like any of the others). If they put up no nickname with two or more nicknames, no nickname will have the plurality and win. Getting to 50% might be harder for no nickname. I suspect no nickname vs. Roughriders would be a fair fight.

No doubt. I expect an announcement in a day or two taking it off the board again. It would fit how the process has played out.

Maybe things have changed, but growing up in North Dakota I never heard somebody from North Dakota call themselves or another North Dakotan a Nodak. It was something that I heard Minnesotans call North Dakotans after I moved down here, and it was usually derogatory.

I disagree. That would be like me saying that I think people that grew up in North Dakota should have weighted decision-making. They are the ones that are truly passionate about the University of North Dakota. I'm guessing many that work for UND and aren't from North Dakota aren't nearly as passionate as somebody who grew up in the state. It's just a job, a stepping stone. As an example, President Kelley grew up in New Mexico. He's worked at Illinos-Chicago, Cal-Berkeley, the University of Wyoming, the University of New Mexico. Now, he works at UND. Do you think he's truly passionate about UND? When he retires, will he care about the University of North Dakota more than the University of New Mexico or the University of Wyoming? How university athletics employees feel is conjecture on your part. We don't know how they all feel. We know Hajdu supports having a nickname. We know Karl supports letting no nickname go to a vote. A lot of these university employees are more P.C. than the average North Dakotan would like them to be. I don't feel comfortable leaving the decision up to just them.

To me, this "hockey-only" talk is insulting and unnecessary. I'm betting a lot of them are like me. I didn't go to UND, but I care about the University of North Dakota because I grew up in the state. My circumstances didn't allow me to go to UND, but I would rather have my daughters go to UND than to my alma mater (Minnesota). Yes, my passion comes out more for UND hockey--mainly because it's on a national stage. But I care about the university because my passion for all things North Dakota started at a young age and has continued throughout my life. Now, I don't agree with the people that say they will no longer support UND because of a nickname. However, most of the "hockey only" crowd truly care about UND. The University of North Dakota isn't just important to students and alumni. It goes beyond them. It's the flagship university of small state with proud people.