Merrimack exits the weekend ranked No. 20 in the Pairwise

The Merrimack men’s hockey team is a Top 20 team.

The Warriors ended the weekend ranked No. 20 in the Pairwise after Friday’s overtime win over Boston University and Saturday’s come-from-behind win over New Hampshire at the Whittemore Center.

The Warriors entered the weekend ranked No. 27. The biggest reason for the jump was the increase in their RPI (+0.090) thanks mostly to the road win at New Hampshire on Saturday. The Warriors also flipped the comparison against UNH with that victory, giving them another comparison won.

What’s the cut line for the NCAA Tournament?

Here’s a quick refresher on how the NCAA Tournament works.

• 16 teams qualify for the tournament. The winners of the six conference tournaments receive automatic bids, and the highest-ranked teams in the Pairwise Rankings determine the other 10 teams.

• The Pairwise uses different criteria to compare every team against one another, including a team’s RPI (ratings percentage index), head-to-head matchups, and record against common opponents.

• RPI is the most significant factor in the Pairwise. If the head-to-head and common opponents categories are tied, the RPI breaks the tie.

The cut line (in the Pairwise) for an NCAA Tournament spot is usually No. 14 or No. 15. Traditionally, at least one league tournament winner is outside the Top 16 in the Pairwise, which moves up the cut line.

In 2023, Merrimack made the NCAA Tournament as the No. 14 overall seed, and was the last team in the tournament.

However, it seems increasingly likely that the cut line will be at least No. 13 this season.