The 2012 NCAA hockey tournament bracket will be unveiled on Sunday as the march to the Frozen Four begins. The field of 16 teams is set since it is based on the final PairWise Rankings, but currently the matchups are unknown.
Here's what we do know already: Michigan, Ferris State, Michigan State and Western Michigan are among the 16 teams that will be part of the tournament. Western Michigan is in as an automatic qualifier after winning the CCHA tournament on Saturday night over Michigan. The Wolverines are in as an at-large team and will be the second No. 1 seed (Boston College will receive the top overall seed). Ferris State is also in as an at-large team Finally, Michigan State will receive the final at-large bid after narrowly getting into the field. The Spartans edged Northern Michigan in the PWR thanks to winning the RPI tiebreaker .5354-.5307. That small margin was the difference between Michigan State playing in the tournament and having its season come to a close.
Here's more info on the selection show:
Date/time: Sunday, March 18, 12 p.m. ET
TV: ESPNU/ESPN3.com
For more on the 2012 NCAA hockey tournament, check out SB Nation Detroit's StoryStream.