https://athletics.stolaf.edu/sports/mens-soccer/schedule

St. Olaf's 2026 schedule looks pretty typical for the Oles. Nonconference headliners are Chicago, Edgewood, and Luther. All of them won a game in the NCAAs last season. Central, UW-Platteville, and UW-Superior are solid opponents as well.

One thing that bothers is the conference game against crosstown rival Carleton is again a middle of the season weekday game. For a while that game was played on the final Saturday of the regular season, but for whatever reason that tradition ended. For the last 7-8 seasons the Olaf-Carleton game has typically been a weekday 3:30pm or 4pm game. It used to be an informal gathering of soccer alumni when it was that last Saturday of the season (or at least some other Saturday), but the late afternoon weekday slot is not very conducive to getting a good alumni turnout.

Quote from: Gregory Sager on February 17, 2026, 02:01:29 AM

Quote from: Kuiper on February 16, 2026, 06:04:47 PMwonder if Superior will consider moving back to the WIAC.

Not gonna happen. Even though it's institutionally a sister school to the eight WIAC members, it's much smaller (it's half the size of the smallest WIAC school, UW-River Falls, and about a third to a fifth of the size of the other seven members) and it's more remote from major population centers, making it a tougher recruiting sell. It also doesn't sponsor football, which makes it a significant outlier, as all eight WIAC members have football programs and that sport is a very big deal for them.

I think there's a chance UW-Superior goes to the WIAC. Not so much because they want to as much as they may need to. The UMAC is not in the best shape with only 7 schools, having lost two (Scholastica to the MIAC and Northland to school closure) in the last 5 years. There are no obvious UMAC additions in the region, and at least a couple current UMAC schools are not in very strong financial positions along with declining enrollment. Nothing I've heard is imminent, but UWS would be smart to get a sense of what options they may have, and I can't think of any that make more sense than the WIAC. Maybe independent, but doing an independent schedule from their location could be problematic.

Quote from: Sandon Mibut on December 05, 2025, 12:45:23 PM

Quote from: mngopher on December 05, 2025, 11:31:04 AMI'm the resident Ole here, but I think Tufts advances. I'll say 3-1 Tufts over the Oles. First half ends 1-1 after the Oles get another early one, but this time they can't hold in the 2nd half. Tufts gets a winner early in the 2nd and tacks on another with the Oles pressing late.

I'm not falling for the reverse psychology trick!

My gut says Trinity over Emory today, but the eventual winner I think will come from the Tufts-St. Olaf match.

Looking at NESCAC teams, I think Conn and Wesleyan (in particular) and Tufts all have a several of their studs back again next year. I  thought I had read/heard that Antic would take another year but IDK.

Bates had 2 freshmen and a Sophomore earn All-Conference honors. They could be a team to watch in the next year or two. Not sure what will happen in 2026 with Amherst, Midd or Williams.

Haha. I'm trying! Agree - I think the Tufts-St. Olaf game is the de facto national championship. No disrespect meant to Emory or Trinity who earned their way to get here.

Quote from: Kuiper on December 05, 2025, 12:20:23 PM

Quote from: mngopher on December 05, 2025, 11:31:04 AM

Quote from: Sandon Mibut on December 03, 2025, 09:53:19 AM

Quote from: Kuiper on December 03, 2025, 02:08:14 AMBy contrast, Tufts doesn't have a player who has gotten past the Sweet 16

Their 2025 squad is 1-0-0 in the Elite 8! 

Thanks for the write up and thoughts.

Anyone going to start making predictions?!

I'm the resident Ole here, but I think Tufts advances. I'll say 3-1 Tufts over the Oles. First half ends 1-1 after the Oles get another early one, but this time they can't hold in the 2nd half. Tufts gets a winner early in the 2nd and tacks on another with the Oles pressing late.

2-1 Trinity over Emory.

2-0 Tufts over Trinity in the final.

I said it earlier, but will add here: the Oles are the favorites in 2026. I'm slightly surprised they made the final 4 this year, but expect them to be there next year.

On the question of St. Olaf in 2026, I was surprised when I did my review of this matchup to see how many of the major offensive contributors can come back next season.  Bechtel and Soares - the two leading scorers - are a junior and sophomore respectively and third leading scorer - Chitulangoma- is a sophomore.  Pillar and Tustin - who had 8 and 9 assists - are a sophomore and freshman.  The big question will be how to replace Buzakovic and their backline/goalkeeper.  They have a bunch of returning midfielders who got lots of time this year and I would expect University of Denver transfer Riker Doolittle will assume a bigger role.  Defense is a little tougher though.  Their three starting centerbacks - Hillis, Olseth, and Beckman - are all seniors.  They also lose starting GK Hobday, although backup Beckett is a big boy (6'4") and looked pretty good getting experience in 7 starts.

They'll bring back a ton of production assuming no transfers/etc. Doolittle was injured halfway through the season so hasn't been 100% for the playoff run, and Soares/Pillar have improved a ton as they've taken on bigger roles. The biggest loss will be Olseth as he is the rock of the defense and really the only size on the roster which is their Achilles heel. But just in terms of identity the Oles are about attacking and Bechtel/Todd are the engine so having both back is the most importany part. They can figure things out on defense and at GK as they only need serviceable replacements there.

That 2023 National championship team identity was basically "we don't care if you score because we can score when we want to" and that's still how the Oles operate. I don't think we'll have the horses to get the win over Tufts today, but with the attacking firepower coming back in 2026 I expect to be back in the small mix of teams to with a real chance to win it all.

Quote from: Sandon Mibut on December 03, 2025, 09:53:19 AM

Quote from: Kuiper on December 03, 2025, 02:08:14 AMBy contrast, Tufts doesn't have a player who has gotten past the Sweet 16

Their 2025 squad is 1-0-0 in the Elite 8! 

Thanks for the write up and thoughts.

Anyone going to start making predictions?!

I'm the resident Ole here, but I think Tufts advances. I'll say 3-1 Tufts over the Oles. First half ends 1-1 after the Oles get another early one, but this time they can't hold in the 2nd half. Tufts gets a winner early in the 2nd and tacks on another with the Oles pressing late.

2-1 Trinity over Emory.

2-0 Tufts over Trinity in the final.

I said it earlier, but will add here: the Oles are the favorites in 2026. I'm slightly surprised they made the final 4 this year, but expect them to be there next year.

Quote from: Kuiper on November 16, 2025, 11:15:40 PM

Quote from: mngopher on November 16, 2025, 11:10:21 PMJust FYI Augsburg is not hosting the next 2 rounds. Believe there is a large wrestling tournament on campus next weekend, and they don't have the space to do that plus host the regional. Likely Wash U hosting

Do Wash U's women have priority? They also advanced to the Sweet 16 (and they are ranked #1 in the country)

Not sure about that. Looks like Trinity women lost so maybe that is an option? Wash U could also probably pull off hosting both men/women like Trinity just did.

Was told by an Augsburg alum that after the game today the coach told them Augsburg is not hosting the next round. I wasn't there, but I was told he seemed to think they were headed to St. Louis. Didn't sound like that was 100% except that it would not be at Augsburg.

Just FYI Augsburg is not hosting the next 2 rounds. Believe there is a large wrestling tournament on campus next weekend, and they don't have the space to do that plus host the regional. Likely Wash U hosting

Quote from: Kuiper on November 14, 2025, 08:41:44 PMCross-posting from the Go WEST thread for the early game involving a Region X team

PREVIEW:  Occidental at Augsburg, Sat 11/15 at 11 AM Central

Occidental was 10-5-4 this season and is ranked #129 in the NPI.  It qualified for the tournament by winning the SCIAC conference tournament final 1-0 over Redlands.  It was also the SCIAC regular season champion with a 6-3-3 conference record.  The team started with a rough trip to the northeast, losing to Babson 2-1, beating MIT 3-0, and then losing to UMass Boston 4-0 in a game where the team looked beat.  The team meandered around most of the rest of the season until ending conference regular season and conference tournament play with 5 wins in a row, beating their opponents (all but one of which were conference tournament qualifiers) by a combined 15-4 score.  They essentially put it together at the right time, raising their performance when other SCIAC foes were faltering or dealing with injuries. 

Augsburg was 16-2-2 this season and is ranked #2 in the NPI.  It lost in the QFs of the MIAC tournament 2-1 to Saint John's, which has been its nemesis this year, also beating Augsburg 5-2 at the end of September.  I'm sure Oxy's coaches have been scouring video of those two games to see if they can pick up any tactical secrets.  That wasn't the only team to trip up Augsburg down the stretch, though.  The 2-2 tie with Bethel on 10/15 and with St. Olaf on 10/25 were other blemishes after starting the season with 10 straight wins.  Maybe the rest from losing early in the conference tournament will allow them to come out energized or maybe they will have some doubts and some rust.

Augsburg should be the overwhelming favorite, even before you factor in that they are playing at home and with the weather and time zone advantage (Oxy will feel like they are playing at 9 am).  Does Oxy have a chance?  Every team has a chance, but this is a heavy lift for Oxy.  It has some talented players.  SCIAC offensive player of the year Devin Bening is fast and crafty in the box, they pass and move well, and they have some NCAA tournament experience left on the roster from 2023 when they made it to the third round and took Amherst to the limit.  However, Oxy doesn't exactly have an airtight defense and isn't built to withstand pressure for long.  Not sure they can handle Augsburg's Carver Tierney (not that many have). Moreover, Oxy has shuttled through goalkeepers and I'm not even positive they've found their starter yet.  Sammy Gramlich was outstanding in the second half of the SCIAC championship game, but he's been splitting halves with Casey Scott the last few games.  If Oxy can hold the fort, however, they play pretty well in transition and may be able to catch Augsburg pressing.  They also have the benefit of Macalester transfer midfielder Elijah Edelman, who led the SCIAC in assists this season and has both scored and provided an assist in his 4 games against Augsburg during his first two years of college soccer.  Edelman, as well as St. Olaf transfer defender Alex Yu, may have been able to provide some advance scouting on Augsburg and at least offer a player or two with familiarity playing in this environment.

Just noting here, since Occidental is really the only school in the three MN pods traveling in from outside the region, it was unseasonably warm in the Twin Cities yesterday. Touched 70 degrees, and was a beautiful day. Today isn't quite that warm, but will be around 55 and sunny for kickoff for all three pods.  Should be great soccer weather.

Quote from: Mr_November on November 13, 2025, 10:47:12 AMRandom question for this thread...who are the biggest programs missing out on the NCAAs this year? Or even programs who had a great season but are still missing out?

Not necessarily a big name, but I think teams in the NCAAs are lucky St. John's barely missed playing their way in. They beat Augsburg twice (once 5-2, and the other scoring the winning goal playing 9 on 11) and beat UW-Superior (in the NCAAs this year and made the Sweet Sixteen last year) 7-2, and played other NCAA teams close. They would have been a tough out.

Quote from: Sandon Mibut on November 12, 2025, 03:59:59 PMSome analysis and commentary with focus moreso on the Northeast, South and New England teams:

Midwest teams certainly have some tough 2nd round matchups. The left-half of the bracket with 5 NESCAC teams (n addition to the tough Midwest matchups) also looks challenging. Top-left quadrant with Tufts-Conn-Bowdoin means only one of those 3 teams will make it to the Final 4. Augsburg (#2) and Lynchburg (#4), conversely, seem to have the easiest road to the Final 4. I would also say #5 Emory and #13 Wesleyan have fairly easy paths to Final-4 as well.

St Olaf could face Williams in the 3rd round who I'd say are not playing great in the latter-half of the season. Williams had a big win early September at Tufts (basically their only good W of the year) but they've done nothing since a 1-0 win at Bates over a month ago. They've lost to Wesleyan, Conn, Middlebury, and Conn in the last 4 weeks with 1 GF. It's a long way of saying Williams could be the easiest opponent in the 3rd round but at the same time it's a school with strong pedigree and plenty of experience facing top teams.

Macalaster-Middlebury is another potential 3rd round match with Middlebury being another school with incredible history that has found their stride in the last 3 weeks. Minimal goals (GF) til late October but they're 4-1-0 in their last five games defeating Vassar, Bates, Williams, Bowdoin and losing in OT to Tufts with a combined 13 GF in those last 5 games with at least 2 GF in every contest. Their defense has been excellent all season with only 3 multi-GA games this year (Tufts, Vassar, and Tufts each with 2 GA). Also of note regarding Middlebury is their aptitude for earning cards: leading the NESCAC with 37 YC + 2 RC in 16 regular-season games plus another 5 YC vs Bowdoin in the playoffs and 5 more YC vs Tufts in the playoffs!!

Tufts' 2nd round would be at #26 Brandeis (granted it's only a 20 minute drive but still) who has played 8 games amongst top-80 teams with a 3-2-2 record: W @ Bridgewater, W @ Wesleyan, W @ Babson, Tie vs Wheaton, Tie vs Emory, Loss [2-3] at Chicago, and one blowout loss [0-4] at WashU. Brandeis has 5 games against Top-21 teams in which they're 1-2-2 which means they're no stranger to very good competition and they have some offense which in single-elimination goes a long way: 13 GF and 14GA in their 7 games against top-80 opponents and 8 GF - 12 GA in 5 games against top-21 teams. Tufts has solid offense and defense with only 2 multi-GA games this year (1-3 loss to Williams which was not nearly as bad a beating as the score implies, and the Tufts 3-2 comeback win vs Middlebury last weekend. Some have commented that Tufts have scored a lot of PKs this year (10 or perhaps 11 goals on 11 or 12 attempts) but most of them, I believe, have been in non-NESCAC games.

Hobart (potential 3rd round opponent for Tufts) is undefeated at 13-0-5 however most of their opponents are outside the top-100 NPI (probably 75% of Hobart's opponents are lower-ranked NPI then 80+% of Tufts opponents this year). I can't comment much on Hobart. Hobart might be an easier 3rd round for Tufts (if they get there) than their 2nd rounch match at Brandeis.

Conn-Bowdoin in the 3rd round would be tough. Conn is 8-1-2 in their 11 games since a loss vs Tufts on 9/21 (with the single loss being... Tufts [again] in the NESCAC final game on 11/9. I think any non-biased observer would say Conn is a very strong team and they've been playing very well for the last 2 months straight. Bowdoin is also playing quite well and fairly consistent in the last 5+ weeks. Since the Bowdoin 9/28 loss at Hamilton (top ~50 NPI) they've gone 6-1-2 including regular season wins over Middlebury, Wesleyan and Amherst, coupled with ties at Williams and vs Tufts, and one loss to Middlebury in the NESCAC quarterfinal. Bowdoin has the NESCAC player of the year in Senior midfield Tyler Huck (2022 rookie of year, 2023 and 2024 NESCAC 1st team) who lead the NESCAC in goals and assist for 27 points total.

I'm not as familiar with the right-half of the bracket but as I said, I think Augsburg and Lynchburg have the 2 easiest paths to the final-4. Augsburg vs Amherst as a potential 3rd round match: Amherst is nothing like what they've been in recent years. Their "scoring margin" is 3rd-worst in NESCAC (9th of 11 teams) and they are 4-5-0 in their last 9 games dating back to late September. They have an abnormally tall team (which I think is common for Amherst) and they commit a lot of fouls (tied with Middlebury at 37 YC for the regular season).

Wesleyan (lower-right quadrant) has been consistent all year. They suffered non-conference early season losses at Babson [0-1] and vs Brandeis [1-2] but Babson is NPI #63 and Brandeis is NPI #26 so they're not terrible losses. Ever since their 9/16 loss to Brandeis they are 7-2-3 with the 2 losses being vs #9 NPI Bowdoin [0-1] and #7 NPI Conn [1-2]. In that stretch they also defeated Middlebury, Amherst, Williams and Amherst and had ties at Tufts [1-1] and vs Conn [1-1]. Aside from scoring 5 goals in their 2 matches hosting Amherst, Wesleyan does not have the offensive firepower of the top-ranked NESCAC teams. They seem to eke-out a lot of low-scoring wins and ties and they only had 1 good opponent (not named Amherst) with 2 goals whereas all their other tough matchups have been 0 or 1 single goal for Wesleyan. That said, I think the Wesleyan's lower-right quadrant is the easiest of all 4 quadrants and Wesleyan's right-half bracket is easier than the left half, so Wesleyan could have the best opportunity of any NESCAC school to reach the final 4.

Emory being ranked #5 is comical to me. They're 1-1-2 vs top-30 NPI teams (only win was in August vs #29 Wash&Lee). After the W&L win, their next best win was at #46 Univ of Rochester. No way is Emory equivalent to #2 in the NESCAC! I would say Emory is behind Tufts, Conn, Bowdoin, Wesleyan, and Midd and they may not even be as good as Williams or Amherst. I imagine the Midwest also has several teams that are better than Emory. Emory appears to lack offense with only 5 GF in their 6 matches against top-50 NPI teams (2-1-3). Emory tied Brandeis 1-1 (Brandeis NPI #26 who Tufts would potentially face in the 2nd round).

Additionally, Lynchburg at #4 is overrated. They have not faced any top-20 NPI teams this year! They only lost 1 game all season but it was their toughest opponent #23 Hampden-Sydney [0-2]. Their best 2 wins were both against #29 Washington & Lee (late regular season away game 2-0 win; ODAC championships hosting W&L 2-1 win). Again using #26 Brandeis as a barometer, it's hard to say that Lynchburg is much better (if at all) since Brandeis actually has a win and 2 ties against top-21 teams (plus 2 losses).

Between Chicago and WashU, if one of them survives the 2nd round I would like either of them over Trinity in the 3rd round. Trinity at 15-1-1 on the season lost (as home team) to their only tough opponent #19 Christopher Newport [2-3] and tied # 73 Berry 1-1 with a loss on PKs in their conference tournament. Trinity's best win for the year was a 2-1 win as home team vs #38 Southwestern. WashU offense looked more potent early in the season but they've managed their best 2 wins of the year within the last 2 weeks at #5 Emory [1-0... again I don't think Emory is truly #5] and hosting #8 Chicago [1-0]. Aside from a weird loss on 9/5, WashU lost 2 other games within the last few weeks: 2-3 at #46 Rochester and 0-1 at #121 NYU. Against top-30 NPI they're 4-0-0 so who knows.

Chicago: they have strong SOS this year with a lot of top-100 opponents including 7 games against top-30 NPI teams in which they are 2-2-3. They also tied #45 Carnegie Mellon and #95 Hope. I'm not really sure who would be the favorite between Chicago and WashU. They met recently at St Louis where WashU won 1-0.

I would love to hear commentary from people familiar with the MN and WI teams on what you think of their current trajectory and overall strengths or weakenesses.

I don't know a ton about the WI teams, but can give a breakdown of the 4 MIAC teams. I'll start with this, Macalester is not a team anyone should want to play right now. Here are my thoughts on each MIAC team in order of how dangerous I think each is to go on a big run in the NCAAs.

Macalester - Two things have stuck out to me about this team. 1. Maina (striker) is going to be a big problem for any defense Mac faces. Had a couple very clinical finishes in the MIAC championship game, and I think he has even improved as the season has gone on. Early on he was not very consistent, but in their past 5-6 games he has been fantastic. Good luck to any defenses that have to deal with him. 2. Macalester's size is going to be as asset for them in the tournament. This is what created the most problems for St. Olaf in the MIAC title game. The Oles had a good amount of possession in the 2nd half of the game, but Macalester was getting on the end of any service into the box that was in the air. Unless there is another team with some height, it's going to be tough to beat Mac via set pieces, corners, or crosses. The scouting report on Mac is that to beat them you need to do it on the ground and through the middle of the field.

This was a top 25 program in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but has been relatively down for most of the last 10 or so years. They won 7 out of 9 MIAC titles from 1997-2005, and had a couple of nice NCAA runs in that time period.

St. Olaf - The Oles were again the most talented team in the MIAC. There are a few holdovers from the 2023 national title squad, though none who contributed to that team in a big way. Attacking is this team's strength, and they like to create 1v1 situations on the wings and then let their guys cook. They are on the smaller side, and against bigger and more physical teams they have had some issues. They can get in trouble in a game where the whistle isn't tight, which is often the case in the NCAAs. They like to push numbers forward and get defenders involved in the attack, so they can be caught with the quick counter. Fairly balanced in terms of scoring. Bechtel is probably  their most dangerous player in the attack, and they'll move him around to either wing and occasionally in the center of the field as well. Center defender Olseth was a really good striker in high school so if the game situation calls for it they will move him up to the #9.
The committee did not do this team any favors. In round 1 they get the team that eliminated them last season as well as one of the two teams that beat them this season (UW-Superior). Then in the 2nd round they would get either Luther (who tied them this season, and is also the only team to hold them scoreless all season) or  Lake Forest (#14 in NPI with a 19-1 record).
This year's squad has some major contributors in the sophomore class, and a couple are currently nowhere near 100%, so I don't think this will be the Oles year. Bu assuming everyone comes back, this should be a top 5 team next season with an good of a chance as anyone to win it all. (Full disclosure: I am a former Ole player from the 2000s.)

Augsburg - It starts and ends with Carver Tierney, a D1/D2 transfer who is a senior. He's been firing on all cylinders of late so he could carry them a ways. This team likes to possess the ball, but are still very direct with their attack. No a lot of outside in, they go right up the gut. This team has had problems closing out games, which I think is what will do them in. It would be one thing if it happened once, but it has happened three times in the past month where they didn't get a result when the game should have been in hand. Bethel tied them with a goal in the final ten seconds. Auggies were up 2-0 on St. Olaf with about 5 minutes to go, and that game also ended in a tie. In the MIAC quarterfinal it was 1-1 at home vs St. John's with 15 min to go and the Johnnies received 2 red cards. Even playing 11 on 9 the Auggies gave up a goal and could not find one of their own to lose 2-1. NCAA games are going to be tight, and this team has shown it can't close out close games.

Gustavus - Kind of a disappointing year for this team based on preseason expectations. Many thought it would be a battle between Olaf and Gustavus for the conference title, but the Gusties ended up 4th. Very impressive win over Chicago to open the season, but things have kind of gone downhill from there. They have some talent, but no real identity. I've watched them play 6 times and I couldn't tell you about their bread and butter. Some of this might be normal in the first year for a head coach, but because of it I would be very surprised to see them get past the 2nd round.


General comment -- All of these teams have really tough round 1/2 pods.

TL;DR Macalester has the pieces and are primed to make a run. Oles have the talent, but are a year away. Auggies have the stud striker, but blow games late. Gusties have no identity.

Quote from: kansas hokie on November 10, 2025, 02:03:13 PMGreat stuff here from the St. Olaf coach...going off on the NCAA selection.

https://x.com/justin_oliver11/status/1987929210199867637?s=46&t=0FevKR5xEJQBlFEq3_7kag

Justin can be kind of a hot head, but he's not wrong here. 

This year the 4 toughest pods based on average NPI are the UWW, Macalester, St. Olaf, and Augsburg pods.
Olaf, Mac, and Chicago are all top 8 in NPI, yet all ended up with another top 16 NPI team in their pod.
Chicago, WashU, Macalester, Olaf, Lake Forest, and UWEC are all in the top 14 NPI and will play first round opponents in the NPI top 75. Meanwhile, Wesleyan (#13), Middlebury (#15), Hobart (#16), Williams (#17), Cortland (#18), & Dickinson (#22) all play opponents outside the NPI top 100. Some by a lot.
I'm sure Oliver is also not very happy that as the NPI #3 team in the country his squad is rewarded with a first round matchup against UW-Superior, one of only two teams to beat Olaf this season. (And the one that eliminated them last season.)

The only good news is it is actually better than last year when the entire North/Midwest was in 3 pods that all flowed to the same regional. At least this year the upper Midwest will have a chance to get more than one team in the final four.

It is what it is. In the NCAA tournament you are going to have to win games against good teams to get a national title. It's frustrating that bracketing works this way, but I get it that $$ is the ultimate factor. Because of it the paths that each team faces are not equal.

Quote from: Ron Boerger on November 09, 2025, 11:35:25 PMHmm, Trinity(TX) women are 17, which wouldn't normally get to host but there are three teams in Texas that need to play somewhere (Trinity, McMurry (82), Hardin-Simmons (57)) just like the men.  If women truly have priority it could upset the apple cart.  Will be interesting to see how the NCAA handles this tomorrow because either you let someone who really shouldn't host (like Hardin-Simmons in the women's case, TLU in the men's, ASSUMING EITHER SUBMITTED A BID) host or you are going to fly three teams somewhere.

Given the way the NCAA pinches pennies my bet is on the former option.

Is it not allowed to have both men and women host at the same time, or just something that is avoided wherever possible?

Trinity has lights at their field if I recall correctly. It would be a long day, but the first men's game could kick off at 10am then first women's game at 5pm.

Double hosting might be a problem at some of the more rural small schools just getting hotel arrangements for 4 teams, but I'd guess it would not be an issue in San Antonio.

No improvements from me. Appreciate seeing what this bracket could look like It's a very complex puzzle. I think you hit the nail on the head with all the northern/upper Midwest hosts — that makes it very difficult to avoid flights, and I'm curious how that will be handled.

Quote from: Kuiper on November 07, 2025, 06:04:25 PMSomething to keep an eye on if this shutdown drags on.  If the NCAA is thinking about it, they may try to avoid air travel even more than usual.

NCAA Warns Schools Government Shutdown May Affect Fall Championships

The NCAA is "monitoring the impact and risk" of the shutdown to travel and "exploring" its options "since this is an issue that cannot be controlled by the national office or the membership. Rest assured that the national office staff is committed to working on these potential issues so the student-athletes, coaches and administrators can have great experiences competing for national championships this fall."

An interesting subplot. Especially with potentially 4 1st/2nd round hosts in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area plus 2 around Chicago. I'm fudging the numbers a little bit and counting Eau Claire among the 4, which is about 90 minutes from MSP. I wonder if it will cause one of them not to host. With 18 other teams having to get to those sites (4 MSP plus 2 Chicago) it seems to me that could cause more flights than usual, which is not preferred anyways, but especially bad this year.

To me a lot of it comes down to team leadership, which is probably not the best line of defense being that those are mostly 21-22 year olds.

We had really good captains my first year. They did buy a keg for a team party at their house at the end of preseason, but they knew that it was the first college house party for many of us and treated us as such. Encouraged us to eat a big meal before coming over, didn't have any hard alcohol, and could opt out of drinking if we wanted to. Enforced a team rule of no drinking within 48 hours of any game.

We still had to do a few fairly harmless traditions like introduce ourselves in front of the entire women's team including announcing relationship status. But the captains treated us like we were their little brothers, and truly protected us. Leadership from the captains was not very good my sophomore year, and it's probably not a coincidence that those first-years got themselves in a little more trouble.