re: Advocate: LSU could sweep and still miss SEC tourney...

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there's nothing special about a 4-way or 5-way tie compared to a 3-way. They are handled the same way. Until you keep breaking the tie until you get down to 2 teams left.

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Your line of thinking makes perfect sense, but that's not how the vaguely written tiebreaker rule is interpreted by the SEC.

That's why all the writers have explained why LSU still needs help if we sweep Miss. State.

A 4 or 5 way tie never gets down to 2 teams. It simply goes by record against each other among the tied teams. And LSU finishes last in that case.

After doing a little more reading, I am now convinced that the tiebreaker is broken the way that I laid out. If it was not, then all the media outlets would merely be reporting that an LSU sweep automatically gets us in the SEC tourney.

If Ole Miss wins 2/3 and we sweep, then we lose the 3-team tie-breaker with arky and OleMiss (even if Bama or Auburn end up in that tie, we are still left out). Of course if we outright pass Bama or Auburn if one or both of them get swept, then it is moot anyway because we'd make the tournament regardless of OleMiss-Arky.

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I confirmed with SEC office baseball spokesperson today that LSU would be left out in the 4 or 5 way tie scenario.

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Which makes sense based on the records against one another you posted on Page1, but why would a 3-team tie be any different than the 4 or 5? We finish last in all the possible tie-breakers (which is why we not only need a sweep this weekend, but some help elsewhere).

Hmmm. I guess we'll just have to wait and see but IMO if LSU/Ark/Ole Miss all finish 14-16, I'm fairly confident based on what all media outlets are reporting that LSU is the one that gets left out of Hoover.

It never comes down to head-to-head between Ole Miss and LSU. The first tiebreaker never gets down to two teams. Arkansas and Ole Miss advance on the first tie-breaker (record against tied teams). the ONLY way the first tie-breaker would be reduced to 2 teams (and head-to-head would come into play) is if Ole Miss and LSU had identical records against the other two tied teams.

We'll be a lot closer to this scenario actually playing out if Ole Miss wins tonight.

this is actually one of the more interesting scenarios I've seen in that NO ONE - including the media - seems to have a definitive answer on. It's all based on one's interpretation of the 3-team tie-breaker.

Simply because we are spending so much time talking about it, there is no doubt it will happen.

If this does play out, there will be a 3 way tie for 7th place. LSU, Ole Miss, and Arkansas all have an equal right to that 7th seed so the 3 way tie breaker is applied to find out who earns the 7th spot. Arkansas wins the tie breaker based on the criteria becoming the tournament's 7th seed

Now ask who gets the 8th seed? LSU or Ole Miss.

How does breaking a tie for 1st place differ from breaking a tie for 7th place? If Vandy, SC, and UF all finished tied for 1st, whoever wins the tie breaker, gets the 1 seed. If Arkansas wins the 7th place tie breaker, they are the 7 seed.

Tie breakers produces a SINGLE WINNER based on agreed criteria.

yeah ok, or cancelled due to raptor. either.

yu saw how the ended up breaking the Bama/Auburn/Arky tie?