K-State holds #1 starter out of Gm 1, loses

[ISASO]

Baylor scored 8 runs in the first three innings of their 1st round Big 12 Tourney game against K-State and went on to win the game, sending the Wildcats to the losers bracket with a depleted pitching staff.

Here's the line for their "starter", you might recognize his name:

K-State pitching: Bahramzadeh 1 1/3 IP-5 ER

In a related story, Texas did the same thing and lost to Missouri.

Difference is, Texas has the depth to recover from it. K-State tried to rescue themselves by using several of their better pitchers but still lost. Even with this being their best team in school history, they are in b-i-g trouble.

[GoShockers89]

Did the Big 12 stop using the round-robin format?

[ShockBand]

Still round robin with the pool winners meeting in the championship.

[ISASO]

Good call, I should have said they put themselves in the handicapped pool.

[shox1989]

If it had been a double elimination format, both teams probably would have started their #1 guy. In a round robin format, everyone can save their best guy for the toughest game.

[ISASO]

Apparently, Baylor didn't buy into the belief that they were a weak opponent. Wouldn't that strategy also kill your option of throwing your ace twice like we are seeing in the MVC Tourney?

[shox1989]

Actually I think that the round robin format penalizes the best teams.

Everybody is going to save their ace for the top team. That means the #1 team (in one bracket) and the #2 team (in the other bracket) have to face everybody's ace.

It is really a set-up that encourages an upset tourney winner.

I think it makes the regular season worthless.

[shocker3]

The round robin format is just plain stupid.

The big 12 championship game is already set with Baylor facing Texas A&M on Sunday (4 seed vs. 6 seed).

In the mean time the Big 12 will play 4 totally meaningless, worthless games on Saturday.

They ought to just cancel all 4 games tomorrow and let everyone go home early.

[ShockBand]

I totally agree that the round robin stinks for postseason. It works for early season tournaments, where you want a guaranteed number of games, but that's about it.