It's a Fun Time of Year

Playoffs are Here

My two favorite times of the high school season are opening night and the playoffs. Opening night was great, but it's gone before you know it. Then it's the weekly grind. Fun, but can't match the opener. Then, for those fortunate enough to make it, the playoffs begin. Featuring the best teams of the regular season, they provide great excitement and entertainment. I love the playoffs.

By now all states should be full swing into their playoffs to determine state champions. Here in Illinois it has evolved into some pretty cool stuff. We now have 8 classes, probably too many, but it allowed most 5-4 teams in, so it has worked out. You really don't know who you are going to play until the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) announces the pairings. One can get the pairings online or watch the IHSA TV show which is much more fun. They make it look like the CBS NCAA Basketball Tournament Show. You know, the commentators sitting at their desks and then the big board gives the matchups and seeds as they appear right before your eyes. It's really cool as you watch your school go on the big bracket board with your opponent listed for you. Coaches and kids find out who they play, what they are seeded, and whether they'll be at home or on the road. The anticipation is so exciting and gives the whole atmosphere a big time feel. Then, the announcers talk about your bracket and you get to see how tough your quarter bracket or half bracket is. It's a 32 team bracket so you tend to look at your quadrant many times. How do we seed here in Illinois? Actually, it's the fairest system that I can think of. It's not based on rankings at all but on won-loss record and what we call playoff points. All 9-0 teams get seeded highest, then 8-1, then 7-2 and so on. Teams with the same record then get seeded by their number of playoff points. You get a point for every opponents win on your schedule. So, if many of your opponents had great seasons, theoretically you played a tough schedule. If your opponents won a total of 40 games, you would get a higher seed than a team whose opponents won only 38 games. Although it doesn't necessarily reflect true power, it works.

We are now in the quarterfinals as I write this, so there are 8 teams left in each class. A lot of undefeated teams will be going at it this weekend and the atmosphere gets more intense each week. As a fan, I will have a lot of fun watching the results of all classes. Good luck to all those involved (although I don't believe in luck), may your teams play hard and come out of the games healthy.