OK, I was no English major. My post regarding the playoffs was not meant to be whining or crying. It was just based on facts I have observed for over 10 years about the D III playoff selections.
Look at the brackets, numbers are the team rankings in the last poll:
Upper Left bracket
Top half:
#6 team and #9 meet in Round one.
#3 meets winner of #6 and #9 in Round two.
Lower half: No top 10 teams meet.
Bottom Left bracket
#2 team meets no top ranked team until the Semi-finals.
Upper Right bracket
Top half:
#5 and #8 meet in Round one.
#1 meets winner of #5 and #8.
Lower half:
#4 meets no top ranked team until the Quarter finals.
Lower Right bracket
#7 meets no top ranked team until the Quarter finals.
#10 meets no top ranked team until the Quarter finals.
As it is now, four of top nine teams can not make it past Round 2 (Upper Left and Upper Right brackets.) To me, that is a little harsh for high quality teams.
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Here is a better balanced playoff:
Upper Left bracket
Top half:
#3 team
Lower half:
#6 team
Bottom Left bracket
Top half:
#2 team
Lower half:
#7 team
Upper Right bracket
Top half:
#1
Lower half:
#8
Lower Right bracket
Top half:
#4
Lower half:
#5
If the rankings are accurate, these top eight teams will win Rounds 1 and 2 and make the true Final eight.
Of course, I realize that geography and budget make this almost impossible. But, it should be an NCAA target. Get it as close as possible.
GT
