I find this debate interesting... but it seems that if all tournaments were run in a matter consistant with the views of Matt Weiner, then there would be no chance for the occasional "upset" or "dark horse" victory. Therefore, the team with the best overall record would ALWAYS win. This basically means that Michigan will always win every tournament, Florida (or Kentucky) will win every tournament in the Southeast... One of the things that makes the game exciting is the chance that an underdog team CAN win a tournament if it beats statistically superior teams. It seems unfair that record alone should decide victory... For example: Say there is a tournament with two pools and the top two teams go to a single-elimination playoff... Standings are as follows: Pool A - 1) Florida - 9 wins, 0 losses (432 ppg) 2) South Florida - 8 wins, 1 loss (345 ppg) Pool B - 1) Ga Tech - 9 wins, 0 losses (300 ppg) 2) Athens State - 6 wins, 3 losses (200 ppg) Obviously pool B is weaker (and keep in mind this is totally hypothetical). Round One - Athens def Florida 220-210 (yeah, right...) South Florida def Ga Tech 240-180 Round Two - Athens def. South Florida 260-250 for the championship. Now Athens would have been an extreme underdog, and would still have a lower win/loss record than Florida, South Florida, and Ga Tech... BUT if a team pulls off a huge upset in the finals AND defeats the statistically superior teams, it seems unfair to say that they can't have the championship just because they still have more losses... Anyway, my point is that the occasional upset keeps the game interesting... If it wasn't at least POSSIBLE for a statistically weak team to pull an upset, then why even try after a couple of losses? The playoffs (if any) should be a clean slate for teams playing for the championship. Don't get me wrong, I still prefer a full round robin to anything (especially at CBI), but if there are going to playoffs, there should be a chance that the lowest seed can pull an upset and win, even if they are a weaker team. -Lee Henry
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