NPI Tracker: While volatility still reigns, not much changed in the Top 16.

Plus: Some early bracket talking points identified, including Albany attendance and where Wisconsin goes as a No. 1 seed?

Wisconsin is one of the top teams in the NPI (Photo: Wisconsin Athletics)

In this week’s NPI Tracker, there wasn’t much movement among the qualifying teams. From an at-large perspective, Harvard and Princeton swapped positions, marking the only shift above the cut line.

That said, there are still clear signs of volatility in the rankings, which is hardly surprising as we turn the calendar into early December.

Also in today’s newsletter (#614):

• The reason it’s worth monitoring the NPI at this stage is its historical predictive value. Roughly 65 percent of the teams currently in qualifying position, on average, ultimately make the NCAA Tournament. More importantly, early trends allow us to identify potential headaches for the selection committee. Holy Cross, should it claim the AHA title, is essentially locked into Worcester. That works if the Crusaders match up with the No. 1 overall seed — as they do this week — but what happens if they don’t? And then there’s the matter of potential attendance issues in Albany. How does the committee navigate that scenario?

• I still believe Hockey East’s best path to three or even four NCAA bids is through separation in the league standings. Someone — or a small group — needs to pull away.

• The U.S. World Junior program unveiled its preliminary roster.

• Charlie Baker is urging Congress to vote yes on the SCORE Act this week.

• Northeastern’s new arena has received final approval.

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