The conference tournament is critical because you have to weigh in to make the NCAA tournament. However, an NCAA championship is valued on a whole other level compared to a conference championship (as we’ve seen with Vincenzo Joseph and Michael Machiavello) to the point where gamesmanship has become pretty significant at both conference tournaments and in season.

Penn State and Iowa especially have paved the way for “dodging” an opponent at least once and using that their advantage based on the rankings at a specific point in a season. Essentially if you’re ranked higher, then dodge your toughest competition until the conference tournament. If you score a big win during the season, maybe you forfeit in the conference tournament to avoid an opponent and maintain your rank for NCAAs.

I don’t like it but I understand the strategy and it’s all geared toward getting the best path or highest possible ranking for the NCAA tournament.
[Post edited by MExpos27 at 02/25/2021 12:49PM]