Brian Morris writes:
>Why not have the #1 seed in each region play the lowest remaining seed after
>the first round game?  In the Eastern scenario this would prevent Harvard from
>playing RPI, and BU from playing UHN. To me this also is the fairest solution.
 
* They should re-seed (what Brian is saying).  Suppose 6E RPI wins.  BU
should play them rather than 4E Wisc/5E WMU.  I never liked the bracket
concept.
* RPI & MSU should not have been allowed to stay at home.  This was
always an advantage I thought the DivI tourney had over the DivIII
tourney, that lower seeds staying at home because of attendance or
ability to host was never really a factor.  (It was a factor that
could have been applied when we had campus sites, but I believe the
committee never actually used it, to their credit.)
* No consideration should be given to whether conference teams meet
early in the tourney or not.  If that is the way it works out, oh well.
 
Basically, if anyone is looking for a fair seeding of the teams and a
tournament designed to fairly allow the best team to come out as the
champ, this isn't it.  I'm not saying that as someone who is upset
like some of the folks here who feel their team got shafted - it is
just an objective assessment of the situation, and I suspect the
committee would agree.  After all, the policies such as the three I
offered opinions on above (especially #2 & 3), are specifically opposed
to allowing a fair seeding based on how the teams performed.  But it
has been this way for a long time, and I do not think it will change
much in the future.  However, I do not blame the committee.  They are
simply following instructions.
 
I would also venture the opinion that all four of the conference
tournaments are fairer than the NC$$ tournament.
 
It sounds as if the West regional would have sold out whether MSU was
there or not.  I wonder how ticket sales in Albany were going before
RPI made it.  Chances are they could have left the seeds as they were
and it would not have affected attendance much at all.
---                                                                 ---
Mike Machnik                                          [log in to unmask]
Cabletron Systems, Inc.                                  *HMM* 11/13/93