State Playoffs, Fewer Teams, Double Elimination

This has probably been discussed before but if not what are your opinions on double elimination?

 

You have double elimination in Raleigh. Need to cut 1 round out but leave format like it is.

 

how about ncaa style

3 weeks
same # of teams
fri-sat only
lights required to host

3A west foard wouldnt have been in line to host of the conference #1 seeds, but without lights crest couldnt have hosted so foard next in line - do they have lights?

adds a bit to being that top seed.

travel isnt really any different as far as # of trips. except none of the trips are on tues so kids have to stay out late and get up early for class next day.

granted you add overnight for 3 teams (most likely) but the gate you lose for each pod i believe would be more than made up for in # of people that would travel for more games. (and for friday saturday instead of tuesday.)

 

I'm in favor of double elimation for any/all baseball and softball tournaments where it matters who the winner is. The nature of the game means it is too easy to lose a single game.

The SC AAAA champion team lost a 1-0 game on a rainy Monday during the upper-state playoffs after having beaten their opponent twice during the regular season. They met that team again the following Friday and easily won both games (8-2, 13-2) to head to the state championship series.

With single elimination, the team that was demonstratively better (won 4 out of 5 games, including a run-rule) would have been sent home.

OTOH, this was the second level of playoffs where the field is tougher. In all eight AAAA district tournaments (first level), only one team advanced from the loser's bracket. Of course that team eventually became the lower-state champ. In AAA, two teams won district out of the loser's bracket.

It takes 3 weeks to get through this, with 32 teams participating at each size division.

http://www.schsl.org/2009 brackets/sbaaaa.pdf

 

....not picking on you good buddy, but I'll use your post to play devils advocate, with respect.

Dog gone right on any given day one team can beat another.
As an astute sports person you've experienced many times, an upset in the NCAA basketball tourney.
Add some more of your experience in "shaking your head", saying, "wow, how'd that happen" in ALL sports.

If I had a vote, which I don't, I'd like to see a HS playoff system that awards more teams to get a chance to play spoilers.
Single elimination would allow that scenario.
Single elimination also reduces the # of games and stress on pitchers, players and budgets.
Cinderella? ....well she was a hottie in a pumkin carriage for one night as the story goes right?....but in the end, the ugly stepsister who had stood up and taken her lumps finally got the chance to show who she really was because she got that chance.

Sweet.

Ric Flair: "to be the best, you have to beat the best" ..... and he doesn't say anything about double elimination.

WHOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

 

Don't worry, I'm a big boy.

If the purpose of the tournament is to crown a Cinderella, fine. If the purpose of the tournament is to find out which is the best team, then that's a different story. I thought it was about the latter.

The nature of the game of "diamond sports" (though more true for baseball than softball because of pitching rotations) is that it is more likely for a "Cinderella" team to win a game against a superior opponent than in most other sports. Best 3 of 5 or 4 of 7 series in MLB make sense. Best of 7 series in NBA is all about selling tickets and commercials.

One swing of a bat can turn a 0-1 deficit into a 4-1 lead. A pop-up can kill a promising rally. One umpire's unique strike zone (consistantly applied to both teams for one game) can be a boon or bane to one team's performance.

 

^ this

 

I'm not sure some of the 1st round games make much money. Some of these teams in weak conferences have very little support for their team. I've been to those games where you can hear the crickets chirping.

When you have a double elimination with higher seeded teams, those games far exceed the attendance of many 1st round games. I'm not advocating either way, I'm just not sure it is done as a financial reason.

I've also witnessed 1st round teams that had no business being there---strength of conference should play a big roll in determining playoff teams, but that would take some work on the NCHSAA part and I don't believe they are willing to do that.

Give you an example: One conference is split 3A/4A with two teams automatically qualified for playoffs. But...there are only 2 teams in that conference that are 4A, so they are automatically qualified before the first ball is rolled out. They could be 0-20 and it doesn't matter..they're in! While they knock out another quality talented team.