On Tue, 24 Mar 1998, Jim Love wrote:
 
> clowns broadcasting the HE Championships on Audionet were particularly
> clueless, babbling on and on about how UNH didn't "deserve" to even make
> the tournament, since the committee placed "special" emphasis on recent
> performance, and that would close out the Wildcats.
 
This sounds like proof positive that a little knowledge is a dangerous
thing.
 
Yes, it is true that recent performance counts. But it counts as only one
means of comparison, and the definition of "recent" is pretty generous.
UNH's Last-20 record was still 11-8-1, despite their, um,  less than stellar
stretch run.
 
This brings up another question, in my mind. If the intent of the
"last-20" comparison is to reward teams playing well toward the end of
the season, would it not make more sense to talk about "Last 10" or "Last
15"?
 
20 games is, at this point, about half the season for most teams. It's
actually more than half for the Ivies. Going back 20 games brings us
either to the Christmas tournaments, or sometime in January. That seems
to me too far back to get an adequate idea of how a team is doing toward
the end of the season.
 
See you later,
John
 
--
John Edwards - Carleton (ON) '96, Manitoba '00 - [log in to unmask]
                         Behold the power of cheese.
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