Dustin

I normally attend and give an analysis, but I had other commitments last night. Wish I could have!

UND actually had a #52 RPI in 2011 (and NDSU was #42!). UND was ineligible for the NCAA Tournament that year (last year of transition), and NDSU won the Summit League. I wonder if either would/could have been an at-large bid. http://web1.ncaa.org/app_data/weeklyrpi/2011WVBrpi1.html

http://www.undsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=13500&ATCLID=211605695 Opener against the Bison.

I know a kid from Marcell, MN who is only 15, but already 6'6" with a 7' wingspan. He loves BB and can dunk. He's skinny, but who isn't at 15, especially with that awkward body. His mom says he's gotten way more coordinated in the past year. I don't know what he'll turn out to be like as BB player, but is this someone that the coaching staff should be alerted to?

Would be great if something like this could/would work. I've long felt that the #1 seeds should be able to host the regionals, but realize there are only 5 days between finding out if you're a #1 seed and needing to play a game at your arena. That probably works fine for certain arenas, but not so great for others.

Looks like a great facility. Plenty of chances for trips to Sioux Falls for UND fans with the Summit League BB Tourney there, too. I may have to do it.

!

http://www.undsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=13500&ATCLID=211557507 New VB player from Cali.

Those are not NCAA sanctioned events. They are under the jurisdiction of their respective conferences.

I'm guessing it's not even worth the effort. NCAA dislikes Vegas.

Denver and DC are another two where they missed the mark by not selecting them, IMO.

I would agree with that sentiment. Must not want to risk non college hockey markets like San Jose, Nashville, Phoenix, LA, Miami. Really surprised about no St. Louis (UND was bidding to host there) and Tampa (big time success in '12 and '16, IMO).

Maybe this is old news (though I have not seen Brad S. report it), but it appears the next round of frozen four sites have been determined. http://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/2017/04/08/college-hockey-frozen-four-2019-detroit/100210456/

Still concerned about how young our D-men will be. I think tournament history backs up the perception that experienced D-men are really the backbone of championship caliber teams. Not saying we don't have a shot (we always do), but at this point, I don't see the likes of Stecher and LaDue on the roster. Absolutely. It's all about the right combination of things: players, hot goalie, coaching adjustments, and, probably most important, some lucky breaks. One lucky break can keep your season going, and one unlucky one can end it. Like the old saying goes, I'd rather be lucky than good.

Appears to be the largest crowd ever for a hockey venue (Ford Field has an attendance record that will never be broken). http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/frozen_4/2016-17/007-Attendance.pdf

Not sure about atmosphere, but according to the box score, attendance was 19,783, which I'm guessing is one of the highest ever.

I guess I'm on board with Denver. I like the way they play better than Duluth. As much as I like having more titles than them...

Definitely pulling for Harvard after watching Duluth's crap.

Thinking of who I want to win it all - normally I cheer for the team that has never won it, or it's been a long time since they've won it. In that case, Notre Dame (never, lost championship game in '08) and Harvard (once, 1989) would be the most consistent with my rooting interests. Denver or Duluth would keep the championship in our conference, but I don't necessarily need reassurance that the NCHC is the best college hockey conference. Plus, a Denver win would put them tied with us again for number of championships, and a Duluth win doesn't give me warm fuzzies like it did in 2011. So, who is the champion that's most favorable to UND and/or college hockey as a whole?

Not sure I'm buying it. I don't think the Ralph draws numbers because of it being the Ralph. Maybe in 2001-03 timeframe, but not anymore. People pack the Ralph to cheer on the men's hockey team as they strive for national championships. The women's hockey didn't attract crowds because of the Ralph. Plus, even if attendance was the same, 3,300 in the Betty would be much better atmosphere than 3,300 in the Ralph. Like I said, prove that there are more than 3,300 basketball fans for every game, and then I'm for the basketball teams going big time in the Ralph.

Baby steps, baby steps. Prove that the team needs more than a 3,300 seat arena and go from there. when tickets to basketball games at the Betty are hard to come by, then I know it's time to move up. Even in a season with a Big Sky championship, the average attendance was 2,139, with a high of 2,870. Lots of room to grow the program and still use the Betty.

Thanks for the insight. Still can't hurt to pay assistants more, though, right?

Not saying you guys are wrong, but then why did he take the EWU position if it wasn't for his career?

Didn't he take the same position at Eastern Washington? I can't help but think a higher investment in Bubba's staff would have made that decision at least a little bit harder.

As for women's sports, I would love to see an aggressive move on volleyball. The Midwest is a great recruiting area for volleyball players, and I am convinced that UND could take volleyball to a top 50 RPI with regular NCAA tournament appearances and wins. For men's sports, it's obvious and well-documented (and well-discussed) that men's basketball needs a major upgrade. With the highest potential visibility that could be achieved at our university (March Madness), the possibilities are limitless. Take a look at schools like Butler and Gonzaga, who were virtually unknowns 20 years ago. Not saying we're gonna be in the Final Four 20 years from now, but by then if we don't have some NCAA tournament wins, I would be disappointed. Football seems to be on the right track, though losing a guy like Kevin Maurice tells me that work needs to be there too. Excited for things to come!