Sandy isn't coming to UND so it's a moot point. But you have to admit the three nattys in a decade are pretty amazing. I would gladly take missing the tournament a few times for three nattys in a decade.
I don't have a problem with these regions but I think BU would. They are still Pairwise #2, so should get the AHA champ. But with only 2 #4 seeds to work with there's no easy solution. Lots of rabbit holes indeed, and I don't see much movement in the 4 Pairwise range. St. Cloud and WMU could switch spots but that doesn't resolve anything. An upset in one of the conference tournaments could make the first round matchups much easier to figure out.
Playing one of the last two teams into the tournament, especially this year, will give the number 1 and 2 seeds a better shot at getting to the regional final. There are some pretty good teams hanging around 12,13,and 14.