The fallacy of pool play

S

Scooter

250+ Posts
I know Augie pushed for pool play - a possible 5 games during a double-elimination conference tourney can really clobber a pitching staff before regionals.

But pool play has some real problems.

Here's the scenario with this year's Missouri team as an example:

9am Wed: Texas beats Mizzou
12:30 Wed: aggy beats ou

4pm Thur: Texas beats aggy

At this point, after only playing one game, Mizzou is already out of contention for the tourney championship.

Even if Mizzou wins out, they are done. Sure, they can play for the wins or pride or whatever, but the games are meaningless in regard to a tourney title.

This happened to OSU in 2006, the first year of pool play.

The issue, I guess, is saving your pitching staff the stress of a 5th game versus the drama of a tournament where every game actually means something.
 
Isn't the real issue here conference championshp tournaments in general? If not all have them, they should not play in the selection process at all. Winning a conference tournament is something akin to winning the Lone Star Showdown 19-0 and watching the loser in that competition move on to greater prominence on the national stage.
 
Well, I never said it was unfair. I'm just pointing out that a team can end up in a very weird position after playing (and losing) only one game.
 
I dislike the entire conference tourney, regardless of format. I'd be fine if they nuked the whole thing.

(And yes, I will continue to say that even after we win the B12 tourney this year
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I'd also prefer that they do away with the conference tourneys.

If you are going to have some type of championship though, I prefer what the West Coast Conference uses. They take the top 2 teams in the league and play a best of 3 series.
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At this point, after only playing one game, Mizzou is already out of contention for the tourney championship.

At this point you use the games to evaluate talent and get reps and expierence..
 
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Pool play is optimal with five or more teams per pool. What I would like to see, if we have to continue with the Conference tournament, would be an eight team, SINGLE elimination format, which would also go easy on the pitchers, and allow some of the lesser seeds an opportunity to advance into the NCAAs.










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If the goals are to crown the hottest team at the end of the season and to allow a team on the rise to play its way into the NCAA regionals, how about a single-elimination ladder format?

Wed (DH day): 8-seed @ 7-seed; winner of first game @ 6-seed
Thurs: winner @5
Fri (DH day): winner @4; winner @3
Sat: winner @ 2
Sun: winner @ 1

It's brutal, but it gives the low seeds an opportunity, and would be high drama. Imagine if an 8-seed managed to find enough pitching to win 6 straight games and make it to the championship.
 
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