Playoff Brackets are now Posted.

Playoff brackets have now been posted by NCHSAA. Here is the link:

http://www.nchsaa.org/championships.php?mode=publicviewchamps&sportID=3

Looks like they have taken a little different approach this year with the seedings. All teams from the same conference will be playing in the same half of the bracket, with no crossover. For example: All teams from MECA-6 will be seeded into the top half of the bracket only. This means that there will not be a possibility of 2 teams from the same conference playing each other in Raleigh.

Also, for the 4A West bracket, there are 3 conferences in the upper half, while the bottom half represents 6 conferences. I find that interesting. The upper half of the bracket also shows the #5 seed from the PAC 6 conference listed, which would mean a team from the Chapel Hill area. The other teams from the PAC 6 conference will be playing in the 4A East bracket.

A very weird setup in my opinion. Would like everyone else to check the brackets and post your thoughts here.

 

NCHSAA puts its main emphasis on travel distance and keeping school administrators happy when setting up the tournament. That's why the conferences are grouped as they are. Anything over 1 1/2 hours each way on an activity bus becomes a tough trip unless the kids start missing too much class time.

Conferences are also grouped based on the number of teams they have. Bigger conferences get more playoff births and smaller conferences less, with wild cards used to balance out the bracket halves.

It is a weird setup and not the best, especially if the strongest teams in the state happen to be close to one another. But how else could they do it in a state that is 500 miles east and west and as much as 180 north and south.