H2Oya 05
Bulldog (over 250 posts)
Let's go Hoyas!
Posts: 298
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Post by H2Oya 05 on Jun 2, 2016 8:23:42 GMT -5
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SirSaxa
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
Posts: 15,620
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Post by SirSaxa on Jun 2, 2016 10:43:27 GMT -5
I see it differently H2O. A post season conference tournament is something to which teams and fans look forward all season long. And even if you have a disappointing year, there is always a chance to make it up in the post-season tournament. The team that finishes first in the conference after playing 16 or 18 games has already earned its NCAA tourney bid. But a surprise or bubble team can still earn their way in by winning, or sometimes just doing well in the post season conference tournament. Finally, these are big money makers for conferences. I doubt a pre-season event, when freshmen have yet to be acclimated, teams aren't playing their best, coaches are still working out kinks and installing offensive and defensive concepts and strategies would gain a lot of traction. There is a reason why so many teams load up on cupcakes, or at least, less challenging opponents to start their season. Why dilute the most exciting aspect of college conference play by moving the conf. tournament to before the season? Just because Calipari ended up a 4 seed despite beating Texas A&M in the conf. tourney final? A&M performed better during the season and got a 3 seed, a notch above UK. The fall is Football time. The Power 5 conferences and their fans are all focused on that. A meaningless preseason basketball tournament would get lost. |
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Thomas
Bulldog (over 250 posts)
Posts: 341
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Post by Thomas on Jun 14, 2016 7:51:12 GMT -5
I think Calipari's idea or getting rid of postseason conference tournaments altogether makes sense, especially for the mid-major/1-bid league's. Every year we seem to have several dominant teams from the lower-tier conferences get upset in their postseason conference tourney and their league ends up sending an inferior team to the NCAA tourney, while the dominant team ends up in the NIT. It's good that the NIT started giving automatic bids to the regular season champs of the smaller league's, but it would be a lot better if those league's sent their best teams(who could possibly win 1 or more games in the NCAA tournament) instead of sending a 15 or 16 seed that gets trampled by a blue-blood BCS school in the 1st round. Last season, Valparaiso and UAB were two dominant teams that could've won same games in the NCAA tournament, but were upset in their conference tournament.
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DFW HOYA
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
Posts: 5,741
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Post by DFW HOYA on Jun 14, 2016 12:52:17 GMT -5
No conference is obligated to a post-season tournament--the Pac-10 resisted it for years and the Ivy will given in next year. With few exceptions (Big East, ACC, MVC) the remaining tournaments are less about tradition and more about TV, and elevating middle of the conference teams into the at-large discussion. If the concern exists that a conference champion plays their way out of the NCAA's in a tournament, a simpler solution: a conference's regular season titleist gets the autobid, not the tournament champion.
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Thomas
Bulldog (over 250 posts)
Posts: 341
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Post by Thomas on Jun 14, 2016 20:44:34 GMT -5
DFW HOYA, I wish the smaller conferences would give their regular season champions the automatic NCAA tournament bid, unfortunately it's hard for them to turn down ESPN's money to televise their tournament championship game. I hate that the Ivy League sold it's soul and will now have a postseason tournament because the Ivy League regular season champ has done very well in the NCAA tournament for the last 7 or 8 years. Maybe they will reconsider things when their regular season champ gets upset in the conference tournament and is then left out of the NCAA tournament in favor of the 7th place team from a high-major conference!! Good point about high-major conference tournaments elevating middle-of-the-pack teams into at-large discussion. Calipari overlooked that aspect of conference tournaments when he made those statements.
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GUMBA
Silver Hoya (over 500 posts)
Posts: 737
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Post by GUMBA on Jun 21, 2016 20:39:42 GMT -5
I would prefer it if the NCAA organized local "bragging rights" mini-tournaments in November/December with 8 geographically close teams in each tournament with a guaranteed 3 games. Seed teams by the previous year's RPI or similar metric. If two "locals" are in same conference put them on opposite side of brackets. Give it a Big 5 Philly kind of feeling. Do Men's and Woman's brackets. The TV revenue and local gate would be strong and it would get fans exited about the season.
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DFW HOYA
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
Posts: 5,741
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Post by DFW HOYA on Jun 22, 2016 7:40:17 GMT -5
I would prefer it if the NCAA organized local "bragging rights" mini-tournaments in November/December with 8 geographically close teams in each tournament with a guaranteed 3 games. Seed teams by the previous year's RPI or similar metric. If two "locals" are in same conference put them on opposite side of brackets. Give it a Big 5 Philly kind of feeling. Do Men's and Woman's brackets. The TV revenue and local gate would be strong and it would get fans exited about the season. There would be a lot of pushback to those programs which bank on home court revenue in December (Louisville, Syracuse, many Big 10 schools) and those on the opposite end of the spectrum who need road guarantees to pay their bills. It would also bankrupt the holiday tournaments in Hawaii and the Caribbean because many schools would simply opt not to travel there if they have to commit to something locally. Here are the seven closest Division I schools to Georgetown--outside of Maryland, I can't see any of these as drawing significant crowds. George Washington: 1.4 miles Howard: 3.5 miles American: 3.7 miles Maryland: 17.3 miles George Mason: 17.9 miles Navy: 37 miles UMBC: 47 miles |
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GUMBA
Silver Hoya (over 500 posts)
Posts: 737
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Post by GUMBA on Jun 22, 2016 9:44:10 GMT -5
- One long weekend local tournament before or after Thanksgiving doesn't preclude you from scheduling other home court games or tournaments like Maui held the week of Thanksgiving break. The season starts in mid November. Exams are typically held mid-December through the 20th. You could schedule the local tournament the week before exams (Thursday - Sunday the first week of December). Or alternatively as a way to kick-off the season the 2nd weekend of November.
- Under NCAA rules teams can play either 29 regular season games or 27 regular season games plus no more than four games in one multi-team tournament for a maximum of 31 games. Conference and other postseason tournaments do not count against the limit. If three guaranteed games bothers you because it takes away from other revenue generating home games then make it a guarantee of two games and only one championship game for the two finalists which could be exempted by the NCAA under a rule change. Many local teams already schedule each other. Now schools don't need to worry about lining up local opponents with the right RPI. They get two or three guaranteed local games where they don't need to spend money on travel - planes, hotels, etc. They'd get a set gate and TV money.
- The announced attendance for non-Power Conference home games last year was: Radford 8187; Bryant 7876; UMES 4062; Brown 4690; UNCW 8132; Monmouth 5258; AVL 7467. So we are talking about 7500 people per game. We could surely draw more than that for a tournament game against four or five teams on that list. I'd think a local conference tournament with rivalries and bragging rights at stake - upsets and crowning a local champ each year - could draw way better than those numbers. Sell the tickets in packages and make it an event. Pack the place with crazy students. Hype it locally and nationally with a network and in the Washington Post. Make it like the NCAA tournament with coverage from around the country. Get local pools and contests running.Local bars and restaurants would love this tournament as well.
- Based on your schools the theoretical first round would be UMD vs AU; GMU vs. UMBC; GU vs Navy; and GWU vs Howard. Second round would be UMD vs GMU; GU vs GWU; AU vs UMBC; and Navy vs Howard; Third round (without upsets) would be UMD vs GU; GWU vs GMU; Navy vs AU; and UMBC vs Howard. There are several good games in there and that's without the upsets. Maryland, Georgetown, George Washington, George Mason and Navy fans should all show up - maybe less so for AU, UMBC, and Howard. But it's local and it would be a fun tournament atmosphere with multi-game packages - battle of the bands - cheerleaders from all the schools - local politicians, alumni, famous former players. You'd hype it here and around the country.
- I'd build this on a major network TV package. You'd make it like a mini-March Madness. The local tournaments around the country would attract national interest. You get to watch upsets and great finishes from all over the country. You are talking about 44 local tournaments (351/8 OK the math isn't perfect but let one Division II school play in and you get an even number). Call it "Braggin' Rights." Make it a thing.
- Such a tournament would help develop and foster strong local basketball rivalries. Rivalries are what drive interest and attendance at college games. That is something we all lament on this board. The lack of rivalries and broken rivalries based on conference realignment. This could establish great local rivalries outside of the conference that would draw fan interest. It would also be a great "kick-off" for the college basketball season when viewership is more focused on football and basketball gets lost in the weeds. You could also build it with a national charity to attract even more interest and focus.
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