A lot is at stake as Penn State heads into its final series of the regular season.
After a two-game split with Wisconsin last weekend, the Nittany Lions (20-10-4-0, 10-7-1-0) dropped out of the top-16 of the PairWise rankings, which simulate the committee’s selection process for the NCAA Tournament.
The Lions will travel to Michigan (20-7-5-0,10-5-3-0) this weekend.
The committee uses three criteria — Ratings Percentage Index, record vs. common opponents and head-to-head record to help determine who makes the tournament.
RPI is calculated based on a team’s winning percentage, its opponents’ winning percentage and its opponents’ opponents’ winning percentage, according to USCHO.