Bulldogs Hockey Teams Cling to NCAA Tournament Hopes

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The Minnesota Duluth men's and women's hockey teams are both fighting to maintain their positions in the NCAA tournament picture as the regular season winds down. Both programs have struggled to rack up wins in January, but are still in contention for at-large bids to the national tournaments.

Why it matters

With the postseason rapidly approaching, the performance of the Bulldogs hockey teams in their final six regular season games will be crucial in determining whether they earn a spot in the NCAA tournaments. Both programs have built strong resumes, but recent losses have put their tournament hopes in jeopardy.

The details

The UMD men's team has played itself out of contention for a No. 1 seed after four straight losses, but remains firmly in the tournament field for now. The women's team is clinging to the edge of the tournament bubble, sitting at No. 10 in the NCAA Percentage Index (NPI) after going 1-6-3 over their last 10 games. If the season ended today, the Bulldogs women would claim the final at-large bid, but could be knocked out if any lower-ranked teams win their conference tournaments.

• The Bulldogs men and women each have six games remaining in the 2025-26 regular season.
• The men's team also has a bye weekend coming up over Valentine's Day weekend.
• The 11-team NCAA women's tournament field will be announced on March 8.
• The 16-team NCAA men's field will be unveiled on March 22.

What’s next

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