It’s rare in the NCAA Tournament for a #2 seed to have perhaps the biggest target on their backs of any team. But that’s precisely the situation for the Denver Pioneers, who are attempting to defend their national championship, have by far the most tournament experience across the board of any team and just made a run through the tournament of the toughest conference in college hockey.
It isn’t crazy, then, that many consider Denver to be the favorite in the Midwest region over #1 seed Ohio State. But before even starting that conversation, Denver is tasked with #3 Penn State Saturday night, who received an at-large bid to the tournament after falling in the Big Ten semifinals to Notre Dame, another #1 seed.