NPI Tracker: Not much movement among qualifying teams, but some bracket trends can be identified
Plus: Regionals in Manchester aren't likely to return, UCHC standings, and more
There wasn’t much movement among qualifying teams in the NPI and NCAA Tournament picture this week. Augustana is back in a qualifying spot, though just barely, while UConn slid one position out of the field despite being idle. Augustana’s weekend sweep of Lake Superior was enough to nudge the Vikings past the Huskies by a razor-thin 0.01 margin in the NPI.
And that’s hardly the only tight race. Teams ranked 9 through 13 are separated by just one full NPI point.
Today’s newsletter features our weekly deep dive into the NPI and NCAA Tournament bracket, including the updated NPI Tracker chart, a look at non-conference records, and a bracket projection with key takeaways and emerging trends tied to both the NPI and the tournament picture.
Also in today’s newsletter (#636):
Why regionals in Manchester, N.H., aren’t likely to return anytime soon, plus a refresher on where NCAA regionals will be held in 2027 and 2028.
Notes on the latest commitments and a player departure at Arizona State.
The latest United Collegiate Hockey Cup standings.
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Now, let’s get into today’s newsletter.
NPI Tracker: Not much movement among qualifying teams, but some bracket trends can be identified
Inter-Conference Records
Overall, inter-conference records for each league factor considerably into the NPI. Traditionally, the NCHC, Hockey East, and Big Ten have had the most teams per season make the NCAA Tournament, and that’s because those leagues traditionally perform the best in inter-conference games.
Here is where the inter-conference records stand as of this week:
Current NCAA Tournament Field
Automatic qualifiers are selected using the highest-ranked NPI team in each league. The Top 30 Pairwise teams each week are recorded. If a cell is left blank, that team was not in the Top 30 that week.
Click on this image to expand it
