Sports aren't as cut and dry as you seem to imply here. Teams have ups and downs during the course of the season. Sometimes they figure things out and get better and sometimes a team can even decline. It's a game of momentum and both teams (Eville & Loyola) that you mentioned had extreme turn arounds during the course of their season and were very different and obviously much better teams by the time that the playoffs arrived.
I agree. I am saying class has nothing to do with it. If you have the momentum you can make a run regardless of class. Also if you are flat, you can lose in either class. The exit round is based on the match up and not the class of the school.