[rojas]

Ok, I'm gona play devils advocate here. I grew up and went to hs and played ball in NC, were we had 4 classes, so the "all in one" class was unique to me when I moved here and stated college after I got out of the military 23years ago.

Someone mentioned in a post above about the hs football playoffs being waterd down now, with the way it's set up and almost everyone making the playoffs. Well, in actuality, if you believe that, then isn't the same thing true in basketball, or at least similiar? Does anyone really think the best 16 schools get to the state tournament every year? Arent there probably 15-20 teams sitting at home that are better, maybe even significantly better, than half the field at the sweet 16? Don't some schools only make it to the sweet 16 because they play in a very weak region, while several very very good teams sit at home because they play in an extremely tough region? Aren't those teams just as "deserving" (I don't really like to use that word) as the teams in the extremely weak region? How is it any more fair that team X from (pick a weak region) gets to go to Rupp and plays in the state tournament that they have no shot what-so-ever at winning, while team Y, who may be the 2nd or 3rd best team in the state and could beat the best team half the time, sits at home watching?

Whew, I know, I may ruffle some feathers here, but I'm just asking. In actuality, I kind of like the sweet 16 set up, and I get to go to Rupp and see teams play that I probably for the most part would never see. However, you have to admit that the way the sewwt 16 is set it, there can be and usually are some big blow outs in the first rounds becasue, obviously, some teams get there that really aren't very good, comparitively. Of course, it makes the region tournaments that much more exciting, especially in the tough regions where 3 or 4 of the states best teams my reside and play each other for the right to get to Rupp, but in return that again can lead to some big mis-matches at Rupp as well. There is good and bad to it I suppose, but it is unique for sure.

In football you only have to beat out about 30 other schools to win a state championship. In basketball, you have to beat out nearly 300 other schools to win a championship.