Bracketology: The Herald's final predicted NCAA hockey bracket

[ASFN Admin]

Mar. 22—GRAND FORKS — We'll know the NCAA tournament bracket at 2 p.m. Sunday, when ESPNU broadcasts the selection show.

But who wants to wait that long?

Here's the Herald's attempt at projecting the 2026 NCAA men's hockey tournament bracket.

Albany

1 Michigan vs. 16 Bentley

7 Providence vs. 11 Cornell

Sioux Falls

2 North Dakota vs. 15 Merrimack

8 Minnesota Duluth vs. 10 Quinnipiac

Worcester

3 Michigan State vs. 14 UConn

6 Dartmouth vs. 9 Penn State

Loveland

4 Western Michigan vs. 13 Minnesota State

5 Denver vs. 12 Wisconsin

The NCAA Committee will have to decide between seeding integrity and travel costs when assessing UND's first-round opponent.

If the Committee chooses to value seeding, UND will play Merrimack in the first round. If the Committee wants to cut down on flights and localize matchups, UND will play Minnesota State in the first round.

Historically, the Committee has placed a much greater emphasis on seeding.

If Minnesota State finished No. 14 overall, I think the Committee would make the switch.

But because the Mavericks are No. 13 — and Merrimack finished at No. 19 in the NPI and will be the tournament's No. 15 overall seed — that's a significant bridge to cross and I don't think the NCAA alters seeds that far.

Here's what others have projected:

College Hockey News

Star Tribune

College Puck NXT

Continue reading...