Technically, the opening weekend (regional) is the first few rounds of the World Series as teams need to advance out of their bracket to move on. By the time they reach Appleton, they have all earned the right to be the Top 8 teams and re-seeding teams punish Cinderellas. If teams are really as good as advertised and should win it all, then loasing the opener against a quality opponent will not stop them from fighting back through the loser's bracket to win it all (note St. Thomas in 2009).
I have to agree with Big Poppa. Didn't mean to open a can of worms with my earlier post, just happy to be going to the big dance. It did cause some interesting comments though. Wish I would have put it in as a "What would happen if?
??" question.
Anyway, I wish all of the teams who made it to Appleton the best of luck. Enjoy the games, cheer for your team and respect your opponents team, after all, they love their team as much as you love yours.
