The Southern Section has transitioned from traditional coaches' polls to a computerized algorithm for basketball playoff pairings, ranking teams solely by wins and losses. This shift has led to significant backlash, particularly when discrepancies emerged in the early rankings, such as defending champions Etiwanda being ranked No. 17. The format is changing the landscape of playoffs, eliminating wild-card games and altering how teams qualify based on records. Additionally, similar algorithms will be applied to other sports like girls' water polo, due to initial data errors, as the Southern Section works to address challenges such as strength of schedule in rankings.
To say that this culture change is going down with a few swear words might be an understatement.
Going forward, if you have evidence of coaches that are purposely losing games... the Southern Section wants to know about it.
A winning record WILL elevate your power ranking. I have yet to find a way to incorporate strength of schedule into consideration.
Wild-card games have been eliminated and just because you have a .500-or-better record doesn't mean you get an at-large berth.
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