Since earning the preseason No. 1 ranking, Wisconsin has yet to slip from its perch atop college women’s hockey. Last weekend, the Badgers (31-2-4) captured their third straight Western Collegiate Hockey Association tournament title, winning what is regularly the toughest conference in the nation.

When the N.C.A.A. tournament begins Saturday, the Badgers should be the odds-on favorite.

Unless they encounter Minnesota.

For now, Wisconsin is focused on Robert Morris, its first-round opponent. With Wisconsin and Minnesota on opposite sides of the bracket, their paths would not converge until the national championship game on March 19, in St. Charles, Mo.

But a postseason meeting against the fifth-ranked Golden Gophers (25-7-5) is not far from the minds of Wisconsin players. It would provide the ultimate opportunity for redemption for a senior class whose last three seasons have been ended by Minnesota in the national semifinals.