perverse incentives and NCAA pairings

[dave1381]

This bracket is upsetting in many ways, but one clear problem that deserves NCAA attention is the perverse incentives created by the system of seeding only the top 4 teams and pairing the rest by geography.

If Wisconsin lost Saturday, likely the Gophers would have been the No. 4 seed and quarterfinal host. Given the obligation to pair UMD with Minnesota or Wisconsin, there's a good chance the NCAA may have chosen to pair UMD with Minnesota instead. The bracket would have likely been

Dartmouth @ Wisconsin
UMD @ Minnesota

BC @ BU
Mercyhurst @ Cornell

Wisconsin has clearly been punished with a superior opponent for winning its conference championship. Do we want teams to strategically throw games next year?

[ARM]

Re: perverse incentives and NCAA pairings

Wisconsin has clearly been punished with a superior opponent for winning its conference championship. Do we want teams to strategically throw games next year?

Not teams in general, but any time Wisconsin plays Minnesota, I think that the Badgers should lose the game just to be on the safe side.

[OnMAA]

Re: perverse incentives and NCAA pairings

Wisconsin has clearly been punished with a superior opponent for winning its conference championship. Do we want teams to strategically throw games next year?

Nope...Losing on purpose always comes back to hound you. Fiver would call it Hockey Voodoo.....Besides, who in his right mind would want to lose a league final on purpose.....One bird in the hand is better then none at all.

[D2D]

Re: perverse incentives and NCAA pairings

Nope...Losing on purpose always comes back to hound you. Fiver would call it Hockey Voodoo.....Besides, who in his right mind would want to lose a league final on purpose.....One bird in the hand is better then none at all.

I totally agree that no self-respecting coach and team would ever want to purposely lose a league final. HOWEVER, I can see where a team may not have quite the same incentive to win knowing that a loss couldn't hurt - and may possibly even help - in terms of which team they would play in the NCAA quarterfinal. Just a slight loss of a will to win could have an impact.

[papulaisle]

Re: perverse incentives and NCAA pairings

Agree-do not want to dis-incentivise...

(Spell check didn't even pause or waiver..."The spelling check is complete", she immediately advised. Spelled it with an 'e' after third 'i' and she also let her pass w/o comment.)

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