[Leaping Lee]

I think that, in most years, the state tournament has three or four )at best) good teams and the rest are the survivors of weak regions. For the good teams, the draw is vitally important. If they can draw weak teams for the first two rounds, as often happens, they are well rested for the semi-finals. Also, playing on the first day means that you have that extra day of rest as well as playing earlier on Friday and Saturday morning.

Still, there are some regions, like the 6th, the 7th, and the 11th, in which the regional tournament is often much tougher than the first two, and maybe three, rounds of the state tournament.

I agree that draw is important. However, in the end, it only matters to a very few regions. Usually, the rest are there just to fill out the field and enjoy the sights.

I'm not sure I totally agree. The draw has been very important to Rowan Co 2 years.