PB13 (Power Matching)

Viking Squirrel <*geertgen22_at_ratatosk22.yahoo.invalid*> · Mon, 26 Jan 2004 18:42:24 -0000

"--- In quizbowl_at_yahoogroups.com, lampdwellr <no_reply_at_y...> wrote:

Huzzah to Samer etc. for a good tournament, if the power-matching
setup was a little confusing. Between NAQT '03 and PB13, can we
agree that power matching sucks? Please? Do something else. That's
my only real complaint.

-Steve Bahnaman, Emory"

Despite benefitting from power-matching at both tournaments, I have 
to agree here.

At NAQT '03, we didn't beat anyone who finished in the top seven, 
lost to Michigan B, and yet somehow finished third, ahead of Michigan 
A.

As for Penn Bowl, I congratulate Yale A for defeating two outstanding 
opponents (Rochester A and Michigan A) in the single-elim rounds to 
win the tournament -- that's no easy feat.  I have to question, 
however, whether Yale A belonged in the semis in the first place.

Granted, they racked up some impressive point totals throughout the 
tournament.  However, here is a list of teams they did not play en 
route to their two-loss, semifinal appearance:  Michigan A (14-0), 
Rochester A (13-1), Yale B (12-2), Maryland A (12-2), and Chicago A 
(11-3).  That would be the other five of the top six finishing 
teams.  What's more, they lost to Swarthmore A and to a team that did 
not even finish in the top four of its prelim bracket (not sure who 
that was).  Chicago, on the other hand, had to face Michigan, 
Rochester, and Yale B in its power matching rounds.

I'm not saying Yale A was less qualified than Maryland A and Chicago 
A in reaching the semifinals, but I do not think that they were more 
qualified either (at least our two losses were to Michigan A and Yale 
B, in our weirdly stacked prelim bracket).  This is just proof that 
the power-matching system failed... though of course we could have 
had the opportunity to face Yale A in the fourth scheduled power 
matching round and make it a moot point.  Unfortunately, we did not 
get that opportunity because a moderator read Round 7's packet during 
Round 6, but that's another matter.

As much as I dislike the 16-team single-elim format, at least the 
teams that qualified for it did so based on the same schedules (in 
each bracket).  Hopefully we can give power matching its proper 
burial, and never have to see it again.

-Adam  