Bracketology: Will UND be in Sioux Falls for the regional?
· Yahoo Sports
Mar. 5—GRAND FORKS — If UND wants to be in Sioux Falls for the 2026 NCAA regional, it can do itself a big favor this weekend.
Omaha is the host of the Sioux Falls Regional and will automatically be placed there if it makes the NCAA tournament. In that case, the rest of the teams in the regional would be selected based on their seeding in relation to the Mavericks.
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But if UND ends Omaha's season in this weekend's National Collegiate Hockey Conference quarterfinals, it would give the NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Committee a lot more leeway in choosing who goes to Sioux Falls. In turn, UND's odds of ending up in South Dakota would increase.
Here are a few things to know about the NCAA bracket-building process as we enter conference playoff season.
1. No, UND is not a lock to be in Sioux Falls. The only locks are host institutions. This year, Omaha is hosting in Sioux Falls. Denver is hosting in Loveland and is a lock for that regional. Union is hosting in Albany, N.Y., and Holy Cross is hosting in Worcester, Mass. Both need to win their league's playoff to make it.
2. This week, the bracket would be very easy for the Committee. The No. 3 overall ideally matches up with the No. 14 overall in the first round. Right now, those teams are UND and Augustana. Even if they're off by one — let's say UND is No. 2 and Augustana is No. 14 — the Committee would likely make a flip to set that matchup in Sioux Falls. It's a dream scenario for the Committee, which would love to have as few flights as possible.
3. There are two main things that could break up a potential UND-Augustana in Sioux Falls matchup. The first, obviously, is Augustana slipping in the NPI Rankings and missing the tournament. If that happens, UND could be looking at a different Central Collegiate Hockey Association opponent first round like Minnesota State or St. Thomas. Both those teams are within driving distance to Sioux Falls.
4. The other thing that could prevent a UND-Augie matchup is UND gaining the No. 1 overall seed. Historically, the Committee has prioritized pitting the No. 1 overall seed against the No. 16 seed at the closest venue to its campus. If UND rises to No. 1 overall — it isn't far off right now — it would likely get Atlantic Hockey's playoff champion first round in Sioux Falls. The highest-rated Atlantic Hockey teams are Sacred Heart (No. 31) and Bentley (No. 32). That will very likely be the lowest-rated team in the NCAAs.
5. One thing that could throw the whole thing for a loop is if UND is the No. 1 overall and Holy Cross wins Atlantic Hockey. The Committee, traditionally placing the No. 1 vs. the No. 16, could send UND to Worcester for the 1-16.
6. So, what scenarios could keep UND out of Sioux Falls? No. 1: If Omaha wins the NCHC and gets into the NCAA tournament, it would almost surely knock UND out of Sioux Falls. No. 2: If UND drops to a second seed and Augustana makes the tournament, the Committee could prioritize putting hometown Augustana in Sioux Falls and ship UND out. There are other scenarios, too, but if UND remains a No. 1 seed and Omaha misses the NCAAs, odds for UND in Sioux Falls will increase significantly.
7. There are still three weeks of games until the NCAA tournament bracket will be announced. The projected bracket can and will change almost every night.
Loveland Regional
1. Michigan vs. 16. Atlantic Hockey champion
8. Denver vs. 9. Cornell
Albany Regional
2. Michigan State vs. 15. UConn
7. Quinnipiac vs. 10. Duluth
Sioux Falls Regional
3. North Dakota vs. 14. Augustana
6. Providence vs. 12. Wisconsin
Worcester Regional
4. Western Michigan vs 13. Boston College
5. Penn State vs. 11. Dartmouth