Selection Sunday....
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Head Roadie
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Re: Selection Sunday....
WPIAL Titan....that is fiction.
Here's the deal. Everyone gets the # of qualifiers they deserve based purely on numbers. Play In games are quite simply so that Runnersup in districts who do not qualify for a second 'regular qualifier' get a chance to play-in to the tournament.
These play-in teams are not stealing spots from the WPIAL or any other district. They are merely getting a shot. Example....if there is no play in then a major upset in a small districts final....say Erie Prep or Hollidaysburg (who did get beat but in semis) get upset in the district final, they still get a shot.
The WPIAL did NOT "only agree with the play-in if they got home sites". That is a complete fallacy and makes me laugh. The WPIAL is not bigger than the PIAA....at least not yet!
The reason for the home court advantage in the play in round is that these games were so poorly attended that with renting neutral sites the PIAA was losing money on them. So....it was a concession to play at the higher seed/more deserving qualifier via the PIAA's system, to continue the play ins and give runnersup a shot.
Personally I like it a whole lot better than runnersup sitting at home....and there is an entire week with no games, so why not.
I just wanted to inform people how/why the play-ins are set up the way they are.
Here's the deal. Everyone gets the # of qualifiers they deserve based purely on numbers. Play In games are quite simply so that Runnersup in districts who do not qualify for a second 'regular qualifier' get a chance to play-in to the tournament.
These play-in teams are not stealing spots from the WPIAL or any other district. They are merely getting a shot. Example....if there is no play in then a major upset in a small districts final....say Erie Prep or Hollidaysburg (who did get beat but in semis) get upset in the district final, they still get a shot.
The WPIAL did NOT "only agree with the play-in if they got home sites". That is a complete fallacy and makes me laugh. The WPIAL is not bigger than the PIAA....at least not yet!
The reason for the home court advantage in the play in round is that these games were so poorly attended that with renting neutral sites the PIAA was losing money on them. So....it was a concession to play at the higher seed/more deserving qualifier via the PIAA's system, to continue the play ins and give runnersup a shot.
Personally I like it a whole lot better than runnersup sitting at home....and there is an entire week with no games, so why not.
I just wanted to inform people how/why the play-ins are set up the way they are.
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WPIAL~Titan
- Official BleacherCoach
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Re: Selection Sunday....
HR, what you say is true and what I have heard as well, but it has been my understanding that a bigger part of the play-in games was to accommodate the teams from District 12 that joined the brackets several years ago. In essence, rather than eliminating bids to accommodate District 12 teams, play in games were added to give teams a shot to get into the tourney, as you say. It is also my understanding that the WPIAL wanted any play in games involving WPIAL teams to be at WPIAL sites, and the PIAA agreed to this to "lessen the sting" so to speak of the WPIAL losing bids in the state basketball tourneys...and besides, could you imagine Beaver Falls travelling to Saxton tomorrow night?????
I still have to disagree with a district having 3-4 AAAA team getting 2 PIAA bids, unless the bigger districts like the WPIAL and Dists 1 and 3 get more teams into play in games too. Maybe the answer is to have a few more play in games so that the WPIAL gets 7-8 bids in AAAA and Dists 1 and 3 get an additional bid or two as well.
HR, answer this question for me...If the WPIAL isn't bigger than the PIAA, then why won't the PIAA insert the following sentence into their by-laws/procedures to put an end to the idiotic Follow The Winner pratice in basketball?
"All districts who receive PIAA bids in team sports must develop a PIAA pre-approved system of consolation/playback games to determine each PIAA bid from #3 and lower."
I still have to disagree with a district having 3-4 AAAA team getting 2 PIAA bids, unless the bigger districts like the WPIAL and Dists 1 and 3 get more teams into play in games too. Maybe the answer is to have a few more play in games so that the WPIAL gets 7-8 bids in AAAA and Dists 1 and 3 get an additional bid or two as well.
HR, answer this question for me...If the WPIAL isn't bigger than the PIAA, then why won't the PIAA insert the following sentence into their by-laws/procedures to put an end to the idiotic Follow The Winner pratice in basketball?
"All districts who receive PIAA bids in team sports must develop a PIAA pre-approved system of consolation/playback games to determine each PIAA bid from #3 and lower."
Last edited by WPIAL~Titan on March 7th, 2011, 9:21 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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sportsfan1000
- Official BleacherCoach
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Re: Selection Sunday....
Boy that rule really must sting this year, how 'bout it Titan?
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Head Roadie
- Moderator Team
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Re: Selection Sunday....
Well the districts with 3-4 AAAA teams aren't really getting bids...there having to earn them at the deserving districts lowest seeded teams home courts.
I'm not disagreeing with some of your thoughts....sound thinking....just explaining the way I understand it to be.
When the play-ins began, they were at neutral sites in the higher seeds district. Thus you had Tussey going to Greensburg, as an example, to play Carlynton, or whoever instead of going to Carlynton like they do now....although it's BF this year. That change is all about $.
I kind of like the rule. Gives runnersup a shot. And there have been years when both an Altoona and a State College, and Erie McDowell and an Erie Prep or even a Tussey Mt. and a North Star, are deserving....so it gives them a chance. 5-AA has 8 teams, yet they have to play in....Keep in mind districts must have 4 teams to even have a playoff, otherwise they are subregionalized.
As for PIAA making WPIAL play consys. The PIAA doesn't make any district do that. District 3 and 1 used to not have consys when they had an even 8 teams moving on. But anytime they deviated to 6, 7 or 9 they always played the consys and it's become a regular thing in all districts EXCEPT the wpial. It's not that the wpial is telling the piaa what to do....the piaa is giving each district the authority to determine their qualifiers and run their tournaments as they see fit. Heck....if a district wanted to try it, they could probably go way outside of the box and run a double-elim tourney if they really wanted to.
I'm not disagreeing with some of your thoughts....sound thinking....just explaining the way I understand it to be.
When the play-ins began, they were at neutral sites in the higher seeds district. Thus you had Tussey going to Greensburg, as an example, to play Carlynton, or whoever instead of going to Carlynton like they do now....although it's BF this year. That change is all about $.
I kind of like the rule. Gives runnersup a shot. And there have been years when both an Altoona and a State College, and Erie McDowell and an Erie Prep or even a Tussey Mt. and a North Star, are deserving....so it gives them a chance. 5-AA has 8 teams, yet they have to play in....Keep in mind districts must have 4 teams to even have a playoff, otherwise they are subregionalized.
As for PIAA making WPIAL play consys. The PIAA doesn't make any district do that. District 3 and 1 used to not have consys when they had an even 8 teams moving on. But anytime they deviated to 6, 7 or 9 they always played the consys and it's become a regular thing in all districts EXCEPT the wpial. It's not that the wpial is telling the piaa what to do....the piaa is giving each district the authority to determine their qualifiers and run their tournaments as they see fit. Heck....if a district wanted to try it, they could probably go way outside of the box and run a double-elim tourney if they really wanted to.