The
other March Madness kicks off it's finale tonight in Detroit, on a temporary rink built at Ford Field.
It's an eclectic bunch of teams: one massive Big Ten school, an small technical school that's D-III in every sport but hockey, a powerhouse Catholic school form Massachusetts, and a new powerhouse public school from Ohio. Two teams with National Championships in the past, two other teams who've never won a Division-I title in any sport.
5pm - ESPN2: Wisconsin vs. RIT
RIT was a pushover in their bracket, a 4 seed up against the likes of Cornell, UNH, and Denver. RIT is not supposed to be here. But Wisconsin is. The Badgers secured a 1 seed thanks to an impressive regular season. RIT has the heart, but no longer enjoys the home ice advantage they possessed in Albany. Then again, Detroit's not too far from Rochester. I'd love to see RIT get to the finals, but Wisconsin is simply too good, and will come into this game prepared after witnessing what RIT did to Denver and New Hampshire.
Wisconsin 5, RIT 2
8:30pm - ESPN2: Miami (OH) vs. Boston College
Miami had victory pried from their clutches last year in an utterly heartbreaking climax of the National Championship game. They're on a mission, and they're ridiculously stacked. Their backup goalie made 55 saves in their double OT win against Michigan. BC can score (19 goals in their last 3 games), but they can be scored on (14 goals against in their last 3 games). As much as I want to see BC's only clutch team advance to another Championship, I have to select Miami for their superior balance.
Miami 4, BC 3
And in a Wisconsin/Miami title game, I'd give the nod to Miami. But hopefully it'll be RIT/BC.
