Expand to 16 teams, get rid of the bye

Stephanie Offen Off the Record

Today I did something I've never done before. I entered an internet chat room. Now clear those sick thoughts from your minds, this was all innocent fun.

While looking for the score of the Maine-North Dakota hockey game (North Dakota 2, Maine 0), I stumbled upon a chat about the possible NCAA tournament expansion from 12 to 16 teams.

The chat pushed towards the expansion, which was supposedly put on hold because of lack of funds in the league. There will be further review of this matter over the summer.

But this chat, which took place right after Michigan lost to Maine in the NCAA east regional, may have been a little biased.

Expanding the tournament to include 16 teams would eliminate the first-round bye which Maine received since the Black Bears were the top seed in the regional.

And it is no secret that the Wolverines lost because they ran out of gas in the third period, while Maine was still skating strong.

But now, two weeks after that loss, I think a better perspective can be placed on the expansion.

Even though he received a large amount of criticism, one chatter made a very good point. In the past, Michigan has benefited from the first round bye. In 1996, the Wolverines won the NCAA tournament after only having to play in three games. The flip side? Michigan won the tournament two years later without the bye.

But instead of that bye, the third-seeded Wolverines had home ice advantage. This year Michigan was byeless and 12 hours away from home.

And maybe this just wasn't Michigan's year, but if one looks across the board, year in and year out, they will see just how few teams that don't receive that bye actually make it to the Frozen Four.

The question surrounds fairness. Is it fair that one team is well rested while the other team is probably coming off the most grueling game of hockey it has played all year?

My answer is no. After watching - literally - a six-hour battle between St. Lawrence and Boston University before the Michigan loss in the West Regional, it was clear who was going to win. Boston University couldn't handle playing for six hours after defeating St. Cloud St. the previous day.

Even Joe Marsh, the St. Lawrence coach, reacted with amazement that Boston University was able to play continuously hard for six hours considering the amount of hockey the team had played over the weekend. But in the end, a team can only play so much hockey without getting worn out.

If I am not mistaken, that is not the point of the tournament. The point is not to see what team gets worn down the quickest, or what team can play nine hours of its most competitive hockey of the season in two days.

The point of the tournament is that the best team prevails. And the way Boston University play two weeks ago, proved it was one of the four best teams in college hockey. Just worn out.

And there are other ways to make sure the best team prevails.

The hockey tournament mirrors the men's basketball tournament with regions, trying to send the top seeds to the region closest to their homes. This, like it did for Michigan in '98, gives a tremendous advantage. The home advantage proved more powerful than even the mighty bye for the Wolverines.

Something else that everyone seems to forget is that these teams are already seeded. The reason for the seedings is to give the top teams in the NCAA an easy (or at least easier) first round game against a supposedly weaker team.

Let the Wolverines receive a fourth seed and have to play a one seed in their first game in the tournament. Everyone says that the NCAAs are a different season. If it is a different season then it should start on a level playing field and the best team, not the most rested team, should be able to prevail.

I agree with Red Berenson and the majority of other coaches across the league - eliminate the bye. Take a good look at this year's tournament, with the overtimes and record-breaking long games, and find the funds to expand it. It is the only way to run a fair Frozen Four.

Now excuse me while I go see what fans are saying about the fact that Mike Comrie was only selected to the NCAA second team. Maybe I'll turn that argument into my next column.

- Stephanie Offen can be reached at soffen@umich.edu