[KenWittlief]

I dont think there is anything wrong with playing defensively in the elimination rounds, as long as you are not mixing it up to the point where your bot gets damaged, or you forget that you MUST score points yourself to win

but in the qualifying matches focusing on defense is a mistake -it will knock you down in the rankings

in general I have seen more teams playing defensively in the elim rounds - which indicates that most teams understand all this

I think the fact that the national high score (220) happened during a quarterfinal at buckeye only shows that 4 exceptional bots were on the field in that match - all 4 bots were on the bar, and small balls were scored and goals were capped.

but teams are being defensive in the playoffs.