University Cup 2025

[AdamMcg83]

MRU vs U of S. Winner in theory should get #2 seed loser # 5 at UCup

With the top-10 made up of primarily OUAE/CW teams, it might be the earliest that we can accurately guess the seeding:

1. UNB (unless they're upset in AUS playoffs)
2. CW champ
3. OUA champ
4. OUA runner-up
5. CW runner-up
6. AUS runner-up
7. OUA bronze
8. Ottawa

 

[902RedIslander]

With the top-10 made up of primarily OUAE/CW teams, it might be the earliest that we can accurately guess the seeding:

1. UNB (unless they're upset in AUS playoffs)
2. CW champ
3. OUA champ
4. OUA runner-up
5. CW runner-up
6. AUS runner-up
7. OUA bronze
8. Ottawa

Someone please correct me if I am wrong, but I believe seeds 1 through 3 are conference champions, 4th seed is OUA finalist. Remaining 4 qualifying teams, seeded using the final Top 10 of the season as a guide.

This is where it falls off for me: Teams 5 through 8 can be flipped no more than two spots (up or down) to try to avoid first round matchups of teams from the same conference. So teams 1 through 4 cannot be flipped. The Host can flip the brackets to ensure they play at a preferred time to assist with ticket sales. However, the structure of the brackets must be maintained (i.e. 1 vs. 8 and 4 vs. 5 must always stay together and 2 vs. 7 and 3 vs. 6 must stay together).

So using this logic...could Ottawa realistically place themselves #7 for a 'better match-up" and elect to play CW champs instead?

 

[UNB Bruins Fan]

As the 4th place OUA team, I’m not sure you can justify placing them anywhere but 8th.

The only time I remember the bracket being changed like that was in 2020 when UBC (the CW runner-up that year) was seeded 8th, behind the OUA 3rd and AUS 3rd….but they were a cinderella type team and clearly the weakest team in the tournament. We aren’t going to have that this year.

Now, you can argue that Ottawa might actually be a better team than whoever finished as OUA 3rd…but I don’t think you can seed them higher than them. They want a better match-up? Should’ve earned it.

 

[AdamMcg83]

Someone please correct me if I am wrong, but I believe seeds 1 through 3 are conference champions, 4th seed is OUA finalist. Remaining 4 qualifying teams, seeded using the final Top 10 of the season as a guide.

This is where it falls off for me: Teams 5 through 8 can be flipped no more than two spots (up or down) to try to avoid first round matchups of teams from the same conference. So teams 1 through 4 cannot be flipped. The Host can flip the brackets to ensure they play at a preferred time to assist with ticket sales. However, the structure of the brackets must be maintained (i.e. 1 vs. 8 and 4 vs. 5 must always stay together and 2 vs. 7 and 3 vs. 6 must stay together).

So using this logic...could Ottawa realistically place themselves #7 for a 'better match-up" and elect to play CW champs instead?

Ottawa doesn't have any say in the seeding - they can only choose which day they play on, so they can't place themselves anywhere. The seeding committee can move teams around to avoid inter-conference matchups, but they also strive to respect the results of he conference playoffs, so i don't think they'd ever place OUA-3 behind Ottawa.

 

[Aces89]

Now, you can argue that Ottawa might actually be a better team than whoever finished as OUA 3rd…but I don’t think you can seed them higher than them. They want a better match-up? Should’ve earned it.

Just say Queen’s makes it to Nationals and wins the bronze. Imagine telling them that the team they swept out of the playoffs is going to take the 7th seed while you’re 8th playing the juggernaut while Ottawa plays Saskatchewan or MRU. Wouldn’t go over well.

 

[FreddyFoyle]

With the top-10 made up of primarily OUAE/CW teams, it might be the earliest that we can accurately guess the seeding:

1. UNB (unless they're upset in AUS playoffs)
2. CW champ
3. OUA champ
4. OUA runner-up
5. CW runner-up
6. AUS runner-up
7. OUA bronze
8. Ottawa

Don't discount that they might move the OUA champ into the #2 spot.

But yes, Ottawa will definitely get the host 8th seed since they didn't advance to the OUA final four.

 

[UNB Bruins Fan]

Just say Queen’s makes it to Nationals and wins the bronze. Imagine telling them that the team they swept out of the playoffs is going to take the 7th seed while you’re 8th playing the juggernaut while Ottawa plays Saskatchewan or MRU. Wouldn’t go over well.

Exactly.

Kind of reminds me of 2019 in Lethbridge. Alberta and UNB entered the playoffs ranked 1 and 2, respectively. They both won their conference. Lethbridge was far and away the #8 seed. I remember there was some talk about flipping Alberta and UNB to avoid the UofA/Lethbridge inter-conference match-up…but Alberta did what they were supposed to do and deserved to keep the #1 ranking. Thus, they got Lethbridge in the first round and UNB got the much tougher Carleton. If the Bears got moved down to face Carleton after entering the playoffs #1 and winning their conference, they would’ve had every right to be pissed.

IMO, the bottom half of the bracket can be adjusted slightly but it still has to make sense.

 

[Drummer]

1 through 3 are conference champions (correct ), 4th seed is OUA finalist (correct ). Remaining 4 qualifying teams, seeded using the final Top 10 of the season as a guide (correct )

This is where it falls off for me: Teams 5 through 8 can be flipped no more than two spots (up or down) to try to avoid first round matchups of teams from the same conference (correct ) . So teams 1 through 4 cannot be flipped (correct ). The Host can flip the brackets to ensure they play at a preferred time to assist with ticket sales (correct ). However, the structure of the brackets must be maintained (i.e. 1 vs. 8 and 4 vs. 5 must always stay together and 2 vs. 7 and 3 vs. 6 must stay together) - correct

So using this logic...could Ottawa realistically place themselves #7 for a 'better match-up" and elect to play CW champs instead?

Yes - they could do this. But it would be a hard sell. Lethbridge elected not to do this in 2019 - they were scheduled to play #1 Alberta and kept that opponent when many of us thought they would flip with #7 (Carleton) and play #2 UNB instead.

In the past - CIS/USPORTS didn't like hosts flipping things around but in this new financial model, they are less strict.

From a statistics perspective, you want to end with #1 playing #2 in the final, which also means you want #1 v #4 and #2 v #3 in the Semi-finals and that gives you 1v8 and 4v5 together with 2v7 and 3v6 for the Quarter-finals.

This also results in #8, the least competitive team, having the hardest road having to beat the #1, #4 and #2 seeds while #1 gets the relatively easier road.

 

[UNB Bruins Fan]

Don't discount that they might move the OUA champ into the #2 spot.

But yes, Ottawa will definitely get the host 8th seed since they didn't advance to the OUA final four.

I would say the only way that might happen is if Concordia and MRU win.

 

[UNB Bruins Fan]

Yes - they could do this. Lethbridge did it when they hosted (2019). They elected to be seed #7 and play Alberta (a conference opponent) instead of being #8 and playing #1 UNB (UNB played Carleton instead). They intentionally went against the rule of avoiding common opponents.

In the past - CIS/USPORTS didn't like hosts flipping things around but in this new financial model, they are less strict. I doubt Ottawa can make themselves #6 though - that would be a stretch.

From a statistics perspective, you want to end with #1 playing #2 in the final, which also means you want #1 v #4 and #2 v #3 in the Semi-finals and that gives you 1v8 and 4v5 together with 2v7 and 3v6 for the Quarter-finals.

This also results in #8, the least competitive team, having the hardest road having to beat the #1, #4 and #2 seeds while #1 gets the relatively easier road.

In 2019 Alberta was #1 and UNB #2. Carleton #7 and Lethbridge the obvious #8.

I believe the discussion at the time was flipping Alberta and UNB…but I think the only case UNB had of moving up was they swept X in the AUS Final and Alberta needed three games to take out a better opponent in Saskatchewan. The debate was whether that was enough for the #2 ranked Reds to be slotted ahead of the #1 ranked Bears. The seeding committee determined it wasn’t.

 

[Drummer]

Exactly.

Kind of reminds me of 2019 in Lethbridge. Alberta and UNB entered the playoffs ranked 1 and 2, respectively. They both won their conference. Lethbridge was far and away the #8 seed. I remember there was some talk about flipping Alberta and UNB to avoid the UofA/Lethbridge inter-conference match-up…but Alberta did what they were supposed to do and deserved to keep the #1 ranking. Thus, they got Lethbridge in the first round and UNB got the much tougher Carleton. If the Bears got moved down to face Carleton after entering the playoffs #1 and winning their conference, they would’ve had every right to be pissed.

IMO, the bottom half of the bracket can be adjusted slightly but it still has to make sense.

UNB lost to SFX for the second time on Jan. 22nd and that dropped them from #1 to #2 and that is how it stayed for the remainder of the season. Interesting though that USask was #3 at the time, but had a better record than Alberta.

Alberta wins CW and keeps the #1 seed despite loses to Calgary and USask during the playoffs while UNB was undefeated (thus our hope UNB would be seeded #1 for the tournament). Regardless - UNB and Alberta meet in the final

 

[Drummer]

I recall something occurred in 2009 at Lakehead. It's a bit foggy, but I think Lakehead wanted to change pools with McGill to avoid UNB and Alberta to play Western and SMU instead. In the end CIS/USPORTS wouldn't approve the tournament committee's proposed pools and it was corrected to reflect the seedings provided by the Top 10 Committee before being published. This was all 'behind the scenes'

 

[Drummer]

Don't discount that they might move the OUA champ into the #2 spot.

That might be a stretch.

Did I miss the Top 10 for Hockey last week and again this week?

Regardless - both CW teams were ahead of the OUA teams on Feb. 18th, so I would expect them to keep that relative placement regardless of a MRU upset of USask.