Anthony J. Buffa wrote: "I say the team that has stuck to the grindstone
over the whole season
deserves the #1 bid to any league."

Ah, but by this logic, we need not have a tournament at all, for the team
with the best record is also the defacto champion.

This, by the way, is what the "Colorado College" rule was for. They won
their regular season a few years back (sorry, my memory isn't what it should
be, so no actual dates here), but lost in the first round of their league
tourney. The tourney champion got the league auto-bid, and Colorado did not
get one of the at-large bids. Squeakball has worked this way for years; if
you're in a weak conference, only the tourney champion gets to go. I kind of
agree with you, but then a lot fewer people would care about the league
tourneys, so a lot fewer people would go, so there would be less money
available for the schools and the NC$$ to split up.

George Downing  UNH '92