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"Stogies and Scotch" - Pick the 2021 Field


The Sicatoka

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Welcome to "Stogies and Scotch" where you, the player at home, get to be just like the NCAA Mens Ice Hockey selection committee in 2021 and light up a stanky 'cee-gar', pour the single malt, and make outrageously homer-ish yet completely inexplicable selections to the 16 team field. 

The rules:

  • Pick the 16 mens teams to make the field this year. That is all. Don't even put them in regions: Just pick the correct 16 teams (one point per team). 
  • Of your 16, name the four regional #1 seeds (one point per). 
  • Score the most points and you'll be labeled the 2021 champion (and take home the much desired COVID Cup). 

Obviously your selections must be in before the actual selections are made. 

Have at it. 

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1 hour ago, SiouxTattoo said:

Picked the whole bracket

Fargo - UND/LSSU  SCSU/Bemidji

Loveland - UMN/UNO  UW/UMD

Albany - Mankato/Providence  UM/BU

Bridgeport - BC/AIC  UMass/Quinnipiac

1 Seeds - UND, BC, UMN, Mankato

flop scsu and uw,

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2 hours ago, SiouxTattoo said:

Picked the whole bracket

Fargo - UND/LSSU  SCSU/Bemidji

Loveland - UMN/UNO  UW/UMD

Albany - Mankato/Providence  UM/BU

Bridgeport - BC/AIC  UMass/Quinnipiac

1 Seeds - UND, BC, UMN, Mankato

I've got the same field.  My logic was running through the poll, the PWR (weak this year w/o interconference play but decent for comparing intraconference contenders), and RPI (also weak w/o interconference play also decent for comparing intraconference contenders).  I've given extra credit to the Big 10, Hockey East, and the NCHC.  I'm also assuming the favorites still playing are going to win, so no big surprises...although Lowell and BC are in OT right now...

12 teams are in the top 16 in the polls, pwr, and RPI:  UND, BC, Mankato, Minny, AIC, Quinnipiac, Bemidji, BU, Wisconsin, UMass, SCSU, and Bowling Green.

Teams that appear in the top 16 in one or two:  LSSU, Army, Clarkson, Omaha, Providence, Clarkson, Canisius, UMD, MI.

Strength of conference advances Omaha, Providence, UMD, and Michigan over the other bubble teams.  

Weakness of conference dings Army, Clarkson, and Canisius.  

LSSU was sitting one behind Bowling Green in the polls, was ahead of them on PWR and RPI- considering they are in the same conference and LSSU is still playing, I think LSSU is the last team in and they bounce Bowling Green who is the first team out.  You could really make a case for DU who is sitting 21st, but they are what their record shows, not how close they were to being a tourney team.  Omaha is also sneaking in, and a case could be made for Bowling Green over Omaha.  

So I'm going with:

1 seeds:  BC, UND, Minny, and Mankato

2 seeds:  UMass, WI, SCSU, Quinnipiac

3 seeds:  Michigan, AIC, UMD, and BU

4 seeds:  Bemidji State, Providence, Omaha, and LSSU

The result of this is 4 Hockey East, 4 NCHC, 3 Big 10, 3 WCHA, 1 ECAC and 1 Atlantic

 

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IMO...

  1. Teams that are in without a doubt:  UND, Minny, Mankato, BC, SCSU, WI, UMass, Quinnipiac, MI, UMD, BU
  2. Teams that are in at the moment (should be a little nervous):  AIC, Omaha, Providence, Bemidji, LSSU
  3.  Teams that have to win their tourneys to be in (still alive):  Lowell, Colgate, St Lawrence, Niagara, Northern Michigan, Army, Canisius
  4. Teams just on the outside looking in (need a miracle of somekind):  Bowling Green, DU, Notre Dame
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1 hour ago, yzerman19 said:

IMO...

  1. Teams that are in without a doubt:  UND, Minny, Mankato, BC, SCSU, WI, UMass, Quinnipiac, MI, UMD, BU
  2. Teams that are in at the moment (should be a little nervous):  AIC, Omaha, Providence, Bemidji, LSSU
  3.  Teams that have to win their tourneys to be in (still alive):  Lowell, Colgate, St Lawrence, Niagara, Northern Michigan, Army, Canisius
  4. Teams just on the outside looking in (need a miracle of somekind):  Bowling Green, DU, Notre Dame

One thing to look at is there are 5 teams with 20 wins 

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https://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2021/03/18_Bracket-ABCs--Final-Weekend.php

Fargo
1. North Dakota vs. 4. Bemidji State 
2. Wisconsin vs. 3. Minnesota-Duluth

Loveland
1. Minnesota State vs. 4. Denver or Omaha
2. St. Cloud State vs. 3. Notre Dame or Lake Superior State

Bridgeport
1. Boston College vs. 4. American International
2. Quinnipiac vs. 3. Boston University

Albany
1. Minnesota vs. 4. Providence or Lowell or Army
2. Massachusetts vs. 3. Michigan
 

Fargo is the Regional of Death...brutal regional if it ends up that way.  Three teams in there that could absolutely all win the national title if they advance out of Fargo.
Bridgeport is a cakewalk.  I would see BC advancing out of that without much trouble at all, they also get by far the easiest draw in round 1.

It's gonna be an interesting selection show on Sunday.
 

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14 minutes ago, brianvf said:

https://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2021/03/18_Bracket-ABCs--Final-Weekend.php

Fargo
1. North Dakota vs. 4. Bemidji State 
2. Wisconsin vs. 3. Minnesota-Duluth

Loveland
1. Minnesota State vs. 4. Denver or Omaha
2. St. Cloud State vs. 3. Notre Dame or Lake Superior State

Bridgeport
1. Boston College vs. 4. American International
2. Quinnipiac vs. 3. Boston University

Albany
1. Minnesota vs. 4. Providence or Lowell or Army
2. Massachusetts vs. 3. Michigan
 

Fargo is the Regional of Death...brutal regional if it ends up that way.  Three teams in there that could absolutely all win the national title if they advance out of Fargo.
Bridgeport is a cakewalk.  I would see BC advancing out of that without much trouble at all, they also get by far the easiest draw in round 1.

It's gonna be an interesting selection show on Sunday.
 

No way do they stack all the NCHC in 2 brackets.

 

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11 minutes ago, yzerman19 said:

No way do they stack all the NCHC in 2 brackets.

I could see them doing it if they are adamant about limiting air travel as much as possible.
I hope that's not the case though.

5 minutes ago, Blackheart said:

UND should be playing AIC in the first round.

Agreed. 
But if BSU makes it, would they fly BSU out to a different regional only to also have to fly AIC into Fargo?
In a normal year, I'd say for sure...this year, who knows?

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I started and then realized there are too many upsets still possible.  Four teams could grab autobids but not have overall records strong enough to get themselves onto a bubble:  Canisius, Northern Michigan, UM Lowell, and St Lawrence.

If those four get autobids, then all h-e-double-hockey-sticks will break loose in the committee meetings because a lot of deserving squads for at large bids won't get in. And the competition for the at large gets really intense.

My stogies and picks come out Saturday after the games.  Sorry. 

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