Take a feeling of deja vu, mix in some agony and helplessness, and you have the emotional cocktail members of the University of Wisconsin men's hockey team had one too many of Saturday night.

The 13th-ranked Badgers were swept out of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association playoffs by St. Cloud State in a best-of-three series that was a microcosm of their erratic season.

UW barely showed up for the opener Friday and endured a 3-0 loss, then unleashed a dynamic show that produced a 49-21 advantage in shots on goal, but somehow ended with a 4-3 setback in overtime Saturday.

Now comes the hard part: Waiting a week to find out the particulars of its postseason life.

"We've got to hope," sophomore center Aaron Bendickson said.

"We still have a heartbeat," UW coach Mike Eaves said, "but we have to wait and see."

The Badgers made the 5 -hour bus ride home from St. Cloud, Minn., with a familiar smell of uncertainty in the air.

Do they still have a shot at making the 16-team NCAA tournament field? What must happen for them to get in and take advantage of hosting the Midwest regional at the Kohl Center March 29 and 30?

No one will know for sure until after the WCHA Final Five, which begins Thursday, and the other five leagues determine their playoff champions Saturday.

All this was reminiscent of two weeks ago when UW split its final WCHA series of the regular season with the Huskies at the National Hockey Center, then spent a bye week waiting to see if they would have home ice for the first round or go on the road.

Leaving your fate in the hands of others is rarely a good idea.

"It's not a good position, but you just have to do everything in your power to prepare yourself to be ready if you're called on," Bendickson said.

The Badgers were ranked 13th in the latest unofficial pairwise rankings, which mimic the formula used by the NCAA to seed and align the field, Saturday night. A lot can happen between now and the NCAA Selection Show, which will be televised Sunday at 10:30 a.m. on ESPN2.

An obvious question: Does UW deserve to be in the field, especially given its losing record (15-16-7) and its 7-13-4 mark against teams currently ranked above it in the pairwise?

"Given the league that we're in and given the competition that we play against, yes, I do," Eaves said.

A NCAA tournament berth with a losing record is not unprecedented. Colorado College (18-21-2) did it in 1978 when the field was six teams. Minnesota (13-16-2) did when four teams got bids in 1971.

"We fought through a lot this year," junior goaltender Shane Connelly said. "We were so close this season to being a really, really good team.

"I think this would be a huge step for us -- a huge morale boost if we get to play again."

If the chips fall the right way and the Badgers are in the field of 16, they would be automatically assigned to the regional at the Kohl Center.

"I still feel like we're going to get in, for whatever reason," UW senior defenseman and captain Davis Drewiske said. "I don't know why I would think any other way, but deep down in my gut I feel we're still going to get in."

The Badgers will practice this week as they wait to learn their fate. Eaves said he will bone up on the particulars of the pairwise rankings, which can be mystifying. For example, UW improved its standing after its loss Friday because certain dominoes fell in other areas of the formula.

"I have a phone number that I can call a guy and just (say), 'OK, right now, walk me through it. What are the scenarios?' " Eaves said.

There appear to be many, but none are all that reassuring given the Badgers have left their fate to others.