NABA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT

2010 PLAYOFF and TIEBREAKER RULES

The following Playoff and Tie-Breaker Rules only apply when determining eligibility/qualifying for playoff games.  Tiebreaker rules have always been difficult.  This is especially true in the case where there are several teams with the same or tied record worthy to go on to the playoffs; yet, due to a limits on fields and time to complete the tournament, not every team with tied records can be assured a playoff spot.  The only way to “guarantee” a playoff spot is to remain undefeated.

It is our sincere belief that the following set of tiebreakers is the fairest, because the focus is on win-loss percentages first, head-to-head competition second, and the “best defensive teams in a given situation”, with least runs allowed, next. 

There are also four key principles to which we consistently adhered:

1) As a general rule, a tiebreaker between teams with the same win-loss percentage should be determined on a “head-to-head” since it is the best determinant of which of the teams in question is the better team;

2) Based on fairness, where teams with the same win-loss percentage are vying for the final playoff spot (usually the runner-up spot or a “wild-card”), and those 2 teams have not played one another, then the best defensive team in a given situation with average least runs allowed will be used.

3) If head-to-head did occur, but that game ended in a tie, and the least runs allowed for each team is the same, the team with the highest average winning margin in pool play is the pool winner;

4) If a forfeit occurs in pool play, the forfeit win will count towards the tiebreaker for win-loss percentage, and the head-to-head determinants.  However, forfeit wins will not count towards the tiebreaker for average least runs allowed, nor highest average winning margin in pool play.  If a team forfeits a game during pool play, the NABA reserves the right to exclude the team forfeiting the game from the playoffs.  NABA reserves these rights in order to protect teams against forfeiting teams gaining an unfair advantage in playoff games.

DETERMINATION OF POOL WINNERS and RUNNER-UPS

A Pool Winner is the team with the best win-loss percentage within a pool.  However, if more than one team in a pool has the same win-loss percentage, then you must revert to the tie-breaker(s) below.  All examples assume a three game pool schedule.

Determining the Pool Winner/Runner Up

There are two basic scenarios:  A) A tiebreaker involving two teams with the same win-loss percentage; and B) A tiebreaker involving three (or more) teams with the same win-loss percentage.

A) Pool Winner:  Two teams with the same win-loss percentage:

                In the event two (2) teams in the same pool finish with the same win-loss percentage, the order of tiebreakers is as follows:

                1)             Head-to-Head.  (The team that beat the other is the Pool Winner.)

                2)             Average Least Runs Allowed.  (If head-to-head did occur, but that game ended in a tie^[1], then the team with the fewest runs allowed in pool play is the Pool Winner.)  Average Least Runs Allowed is the total runs allowed divided by the number of games played.^[2]  For the purposes of the remaining examples, this will be referred to as “Least Runs Allowed” (and we will assume the same number of games played by the teams involved in the tie-breaker examples).

                3)             Highest Average Winning Margin in pool play.  (If head-to-head did occur, but that game ended in a tie, and, the Least Runs Allowed for each team was the same, then the team with the Highest Average Winning Margin in pool play is the Pool Winner.)  (For situations where two teams in the same pool with the same win-loss percentage did not play each other, see (C)(1) below.)  Average Winning Margin is the following:  The difference between the total runs scored and total runs allowed, divided by the number of games played.  For example, in pool play A, with a 2-1 record scored 30 runs and allowed 20 runs in its 3 games, its Average Winning Margin is 3.3.  ((30-20)/3=10/3=3.3)

                4)             Coin Flip.  (All coin flips must take place in the presence of a Tournament Protest Committee Member.)

The foregoing will be referred to as the “Two Team Tie-breaker” and/or “Tie-breaker A”.  The team that is not the Pool Winner is the Runner-up.

B) Pool Winner and Runner-up:  Three teams with the same win-loss percentage:

In the event three (3) teams in the same pool finish with the same win-loss percentage, the order of tiebreakers is as follows:

                1)             If one team beats the other 2 teams, it is the Pool Winner.  You then proceed to the “Two Team Tie-breaker” to determine the Runner-up as to the remaining two teams starting with head-to-head.

                2)             If all 3 teams involved in the tie-breaker beat one another, then the team with the most runs allowed among the three involved during all pool play games is eliminated.  The two remaining teams revert to the tiebreaker rule for “two teams with the same win-loss percentage”.

                The tiebreaker is as follows:

                                a)             Head-to-head play between the two teams involved will determine the pool winner.

                                b)             The non-pool winner with the least or second fewest runs allowed is the runner-up.

                Example:                                Teams A, B and C are in the same pool and have 2-1 records (examples made up):

                                                Team A beats Team C 6-2

                                                Team B beats Team A 7-4

                                                Team C beats Team B 6-5

                Each team, thus, has beaten one of the other two teams and the runs allowed comparison is as follows:

                                                Team                                                       Runs Allowed

                                                                                                                (As between the 3)

                                                A (2-1)                                                                    9

                                                B (2-1)                                                                     10

                                                C (2-1)                                                                     11

                And, thus, Team C is eliminated because it allowed the most runs as between the three teams; and, since Team B beat Team A, Team B is the Pool Winner    (reverting back to the “Two Team Tie-breaker” in (A)(1).  Team A is the Runner-up.

3)             If three (3) teams have the same win-loss percentage and only two of the teams have played against each other, then the team with the most runs allowed among the three involved during all pool play is eliminated first.  The two remaining teams revert to the tiebreaker rule for “two teams with the same win-loss percentage”.  This rule applies not only for determination of pool winner and runner-up, but also for seeding purposes in pools for playoffs.

                Good Luck!

(UP-01/10)