Hockey 11th RPI/Pairwise
Hoop sure to move up in polls to be announced later today as well.
Mel Pearson - Coach of the Year
link:
February 19th, 2018 at 7:26 AM ^
I don't think you could have scripted a better weekend. Now just have to beat ASU and they are in.
February 19th, 2018 at 7:51 AM ^
Great weekend and great news with the Pairwise. Assuming we sweep ASU, it gives us some breathing room in the Big Ten tourney. I imagine that if we win our first round series (after sweeping ASU) we’d definitely be in.
February 19th, 2018 at 11:11 AM ^
With a sweep of ASU, Michigan could probably lose the first round series and still be in.
February 19th, 2018 at 7:52 AM ^
On top of sweeping ASU this weekend, I think we also need to be pulling for Penn State to take one of two against the Gophers to ensure we lock up 3rd place in the Big Ten and home ice for the first round of the Big Ten tourney.
It will be nice to have playoff hockey return to Yost.
February 19th, 2018 at 8:03 AM ^
All PSU needs to do is take 1/6 points and we finish 3rd.
February 19th, 2018 at 9:59 AM ^
Is this true?
February 19th, 2018 at 4:41 PM ^
Yes. We have the tie breaker with Minny
February 19th, 2018 at 8:16 AM ^
We want to root for PSU because if they take a couple games from Minnesota, the Gophers might miss the NCAAs
February 19th, 2018 at 8:27 AM ^
Michigan is sitting at 3rd, 5 points ahead of Minnesota. If the Gophers win two at Penn State they'd slide a point ahead of us into 3rd, no?
February 19th, 2018 at 8:33 AM ^
The top 4 seeds get home ice. Michigan has already locked that up. Well, 2, 3 & 4 anyway. ND gets a bye.
The remaining 6 teams play a 3-game series. Those 3 winners + Notre Dame will play a single elimination final four.
February 19th, 2018 at 9:20 AM ^
ND getting the 1st round bye was the part I was missing, thanks for the correction.
Still, if we come in at 3rd, we'd wind up in the bottom half of the tourney, delaying a possible rematch with the Irish until the Finals. Makes sense to pull for Penn State to take at least a point from Minnesota this weekend and lock us up that 3 seed.
February 19th, 2018 at 10:17 AM ^
Would you prefer Michigan play at Ohio State or at Notre Dame in the semifinals?
In other words, I can kind of see an advantage to finishing 4th over finishing 3rd: we seem to match up much better against Notre Dame than against Ohio State.
February 19th, 2018 at 11:06 AM ^
We do seem to match up better against those guys, although it's unlkely Ohio State could beat us five times in a season. Those odds seem long.
February 19th, 2018 at 12:02 PM ^
I hear what you're saying, but I've seen enough hockey to know that there are some matchups that just aren't good.
Besides, the odds for winning five games against one team don't matter. All that matter is the odds to win one game in Columbus.
Which, btw, should be three games, but whatever.
FWIW I have an entirely selfish reason for being ok with Minnesota jumping Michigan (they're not missing the tournament, they have a great RPI). The slight possibility that Michigan could wind up playing for a conference title in Minneapolis, which means an opportunity to watch in person.
Though the way the team is playing I no longer consider the probability of them playing in my area in April to be non-zero. So if I have to wait till then, I'm cool with that.
February 19th, 2018 at 12:08 PM ^
If #3 and #4 beat #1 and #2 in the semis, I would much rather have that Big Ten Tournament Championship game in Yost than in Mariucci.
Oh, that could be an old-time Yost hockey playoff atmosphere--Minnesota at Michigan, one game for the conference tournament championship (and possibly a 2-seed in the NCAA Regionals on the line as well).
February 19th, 2018 at 4:21 PM ^
seem to be in a little bit of a rut. Perhaps it is taking their foot off the gas after clinching the B10; perhaps it's something else. In any event, momentum once lost can be hard to regain.
February 19th, 2018 at 12:05 PM ^
The bracket re-seeds after the first round, so there's no guarantee who Michigan will play when/if they win their first series.
Everybody would rather have a better seed. Feel free to root for Penn State.
February 19th, 2018 at 12:11 PM ^
Sure, Ohio State could drop a best-of-three to Michigan State. That would be great. But that's not the way to bet.
Yes, there are advantages and disadvantages to each line in the bracket (except #1). I think that Michigan's probability of winning the tournament might be a little better from the #4 line than the #3 line. Not much, just a little. Of course, there are scenarios (as I point out above) where the #3 line would be much, much better than the #4.
February 19th, 2018 at 12:35 PM ^
I'd take the slim shot at a home semi-final game, but I understand your preference.
February 19th, 2018 at 7:57 AM ^
This weekend was a reminder why we all cheer so hard for our Michigan Wolverines. To see them put it together and win these marquee games against rival teams is what makes it all so much fun. And also, it is incredible what a difference a coach can make. Red is a living legend, and kudos to him for seeing that it was time to pass the torch. Mel appears to be worth his weight in gold. I know that Warde does not get that much love around here, but he continues to retain our best coaches and bring in other great coaches. He had incredible success at Connecticut, and the Big Ten champion count in all of our sports must be as high as ever this year. We, indeed, are entering a renaissance of Michigan athletic excellence. Let’s enjoy it with gratitude and go blue!
February 19th, 2018 at 11:03 AM ^
Couldn't agree more.
February 19th, 2018 at 8:01 AM ^
Beat in state Rival Central Michigan yesterday too!
February 19th, 2018 at 9:13 AM ^
Ideally, we end up in third. OSU, the #2 seed loses to the #7 seed and we get another home series. That's probably a stretch since OSU would need to lose a three game series to MSU in Columbus, but miracles can happen.
February 19th, 2018 at 10:41 AM ^
Mich just got the better of ND 5-on-5 for two games. Haven’t had much luck with the Buckeyes
February 19th, 2018 at 12:17 PM ^
After the first round series, Notre Dame will play the lowest seed remaining. Even finishing 4th isn't a guarantee to play the Irish if OSU or Minnesota get upset.
February 19th, 2018 at 10:52 AM ^
We still need to sweep ASU to stay safely in heading to the BTT. Depending on other results that would likely keep us at 11 or maybe even drop us a spot. Other comparable teams have better opportunities for quality wins.
Without entering other teams results, a sweep moves us up to 9th.Win and tie keeps us at 11, Split drops us to 14. Add in other results and we sweep and we likely land at 11-12.
February 19th, 2018 at 12:27 PM ^
February 19th, 2018 at 5:17 PM ^
Just looked up ASU’s record. Yikes. Michigan has to sweep them.