clenz wrote:
Who fly's? I know UNI drives down, and we have one of the longer drives.
From campus to Scott Trade the MVC breaks down like this
Southern Illinois University - 104 mi - all interstate
Illinois State University - 169 mi - all interstate
Indiana State University - 171 mi - all interstate
Bradley University - 171 mi - all interstate
University of Evansville - 172 mi - all interstate
Missouri State University - 215 mi - all interstate
University of Northern Iowa - 346 mi - all interstate
Drake University - 373 mi - all interstate
Creighton University - 433 mi - all interstate
Wichita State University - 443 mi - all interstate
The average distance is 260 miles.
ISU takes a private charter to every game except Bradley and InSU.
State Farm provides the jet and pilot.
They even use it for recruiting visits.
Wow
I'm pretty sure UNI drives to every game except WSU, InSU, and UE....and we even drove to WSU this year. I think we may fly to MSU too.
That's one of the good things about the SoCon, everyone is close by. Even when the tourney was in Charleston or Chatty, the east and west points of the conference respectively, there was good attendance. Charlotte is about as center as you can get it and have a five-figure-plus attendance arena.
Samford is by far the farthest at 400 miles (7 hour bus ride all on Interstate or a short flight, not sure what they will use). UTC is about 350 miles (they'll drive more than likely) and everyone else is 200 miles or less. Not to mention the 9 Carolina schools have a good number of active alum in Charlotte.
Look at the CIAA. They're a D2 conference and their members go up to PA. They have their conference tourney in Charlotte the week before the SoCon does and it was the 3rd highest attended conference tourney in all NCAA, behind only the ACC (which also was in Charlotte last year) and the Big East in MSG. Granted it's more of a weekend party/convention than just a basketball tournament, but still, it's popular enough that ESPN is broadcasting all their games.
Point being, conference tournaments at neutral sites can be great. I've been to the SoCon tourney in Charleston before and that was fun.
Last edited by T-Dog on Tue Feb 16, 2010 12:47 pm, edited 2 times in total.
OSBF wrote:
ISU takes a private charter to every game except Bradley and InSU.
State Farm provides the jet and pilot.
They even use it for recruiting visits.
Wow
I'm pretty sure UNI drives to every game except WSU, InSU, and UE....and we even drove to WSU this year. I think we may fly to MSU too.
There is good reason. Our kids are not EXPECTED to be in class, they are REQUIRED to be in class. When you fly, it's easier to make that 800 AM math class after playing in Cedar Falls the night before.
"It's hard to kiss the lips at night that chew on your ass all day."
I'm pretty sure UNI drives to every game except WSU, InSU, and UE....and we even drove to WSU this year. I think we may fly to MSU too.
There is good reason. Our kids are not EXPECTED to be in class, they are REQUIRED to be in class. When you fly, it's easier to make that 800 AM math class after playing in Cedar Falls the night before.
Our guys are required to be in class as well. However, I think we take a tutor with us if we have a LONG drive. They also have to have the professor sign some slip saying they are on a sports team and may miss some class time but will not miss assignments or anything like that.
clenz wrote:We also can't afford to fly more than we have too.
We're lucky, it doesn't cost us much of anything. State Farm donates the plane and pilot, I think we pay for jet fuel or something. Football team flies quite a bit too, but that's more of a production.
"It's hard to kiss the lips at night that chew on your ass all day."
clenz wrote:Southern Illinois University - 104 mi - all interstate
Illinois State University - 169 mi - all interstate
Indiana State University - 171 mi - all interstate
Bradley University - 171 mi - all interstate
University of Evansville - 172 mi - all interstate
Missouri State University - 215 mi - all interstate
University of Northern Iowa - 346 mi - all interstate
Drake University - 373 mi - all interstate
Creighton University - 433 mi - all interstate
Wichita State University - 443 mi - all interstate
The average distance is 260 miles.
Technically, the trip from CF to StL isn't all interstate (unless you go through Peoria and Springfield), as the "avenue of the saints" goes on US 218 and US 61, which isn't interstate once you get south of I-80. Though most of it is 4-lane freeway (perhaps all of it now, it has been a few years since I've made the trip)
clenz wrote:Southern Illinois University - 104 mi - all interstate
Illinois State University - 169 mi - all interstate
Indiana State University - 171 mi - all interstate
Bradley University - 171 mi - all interstate
University of Evansville - 172 mi - all interstate
Missouri State University - 215 mi - all interstate
University of Northern Iowa - 346 mi - all interstate
Drake University - 373 mi - all interstate
Creighton University - 433 mi - all interstate
Wichita State University - 443 mi - all interstate
The average distance is 260 miles.
Technically, the trip from CF to StL isn't all interstate (unless you go through Peoria and Springfield), as the "avenue of the saints" goes on US 218 and US 61, which isn't interstate once you get south of I-80. Though most of it is 4-lane freeway (perhaps all of it now, it has been a few years since I've made the trip)
Made the trip last year, and am making it again in a couple weeks....there was very little of it that wasn't 4 lane interstate/highway.
Way to take it literally though, good job. None of the schools are all interstate...but well over 90-95% of the trip is, thus the all interstate statement.
clenz wrote:Way to take it literally though, good job. None of the schools are all interstate...but well over 90-95% of the trip is, thus the all interstate statement.
Freeway does not equal interstate.
(and yes, I am being a smartass)
In St Louis most WSU and CU fans that I talk to fly in. They have by far the farthest trip.
Those I would expect. But the fans from the six schools within 3 hours, they are generally going to drive.
That is the point I was trying to make referencing the Big Sky vs MVC. St. Louis has 6 schools within 3 hours, no place in the West has more than 2 Big Sky schools within three hours.
In St Louis most WSU and CU fans that I talk to fly in. They have by far the farthest trip.
Those I would expect. But the fans from the six schools within 3 hours, they are generally going to drive.
That is the point I was trying to make referencing the Big Sky vs MVC. St. Louis has 6 schools within 3 hours, no place in the West has more than 2 Big Sky schools within three hours.
Id still rather have my option than the one we currently have...or rotate it just like the WCC does...and their members are just as spread out as the Big Sky members are...its not rocket science for God sakes...
I like the way the Big Sky does it, letting the reg season winner host, Its thier reward for winning the regular season, and in doing so the Big Sky is trying to get thier best team to the dance. a neutral sight in the Big Sky wouldnt be at all exciting, when the team that is winning the conference right now (WSU) is only averaging about close to 6,000 fans which is the highest average in the Big Sky in an arena that holds 12,000 , play this game at bigger arena's (NBA) like Energy Solutions in SLC which is about 22,000. yeah, that place would be the definition of empty, Last season I saw hardly any PSU fans or MSU fans at the Big SKy tourney last year in Ogden, ISU had a good crowd, but then again they are only about 2 hours away. do you think the crowds of teams like Portland State would be better if they played in Denver?, I dont. I think the Big Sky should keep it the way it is.
dbackjon wrote:
Those I would expect. But the fans from the six schools within 3 hours, they are generally going to drive.
That is the point I was trying to make referencing the Big Sky vs MVC. St. Louis has 6 schools within 3 hours, no place in the West has more than 2 Big Sky schools within three hours.
Id still rather have my option than the one we currently have...or rotate it just like the WCC does...and their members are just as spread out as the Big Sky members are...its not rocket science for God sakes...
Actually, the WCC doesn't rotate it anymore. They just hold the thing in Las Vegas now for some reason, even though Vegas is further East than any team in the WCC.
SactoHornetAlum wrote:
No, its because there is no real leadership in marketing this conference in the conf. office. Just because that was then (the last time that format was used was 1994, that's about a generation ago). Something needs to change with the conference tourney, generate excitement. With the way its run, there is nothing to get excited about this tourney...the status quo is simply not working!!
What's worse is that then if the reg season champ loses in the semis, the attendance for the final has been terrible (see 2009, 2005, 2002, 2000, 1997) and its really looks bad on ESPN (our one and only game a year on the WWL).
What are you talking about? There's plenty of excitement as long as the regular season champ is still playing. The only thing using a predetermined neutral site would do is make sure there's no excitement for any game at all; Big Sky schools are too far away & don't care enough to make a predetermined site worthwhile. As a result, the neutral thing would bleed money (why do you think they moved the QF games to home sites in 2003?). The rotation idea is less bad, but it will arbitrarily award a mediocre team home court advantage (like we saw frequently in the WCC).
I prefer the Big Sky format to others because the regular season actually means something in this conference. Ideally, small conferences should give their best teams as much of a leg up as possible so they can get better seeds in the NCAAs & a better chance of winning a first-round game (which lets the conference share the TV money for the second round).
SactoHornetAlum wrote:
No, its because there is no real leadership in marketing this conference in the conf. office. Just because that was then (the last time that format was used was 1994, that's about a generation ago). Something needs to change with the conference tourney, generate excitement. With the way its run, there is nothing to get excited about this tourney...the status quo is simply not working!!
What's worse is that then if the reg season champ loses in the semis, the attendance for the final has been terrible (see 2009, 2005, 2002, 2000, 1997) and its really looks bad on ESPN (our one and only game a year on the WWL).
What are you talking about? There's plenty of excitement as long as the regular season champ is still playing. The only thing using a predetermined neutral site would do is make sure there's no excitement for any game at all; Big Sky schools are too far away & don't care enough to make a predetermined site worthwhile. As a result, the neutral thing would bleed money (why do you think they moved the QF games to home sites in 2003?). The rotation idea is less bad, but it will arbitrarily award a mediocre team home court advantage (like we saw frequently in the WCC).
I prefer the Big Sky format to others because the regular season actually means something in this conference. Ideally, small conferences should give their best teams as much of a leg up as possible so they can get better seeds in the NCAAs & a better chance of winning a first-round game (which lets the conference share the TV money for the second round).
Exactly, and a conference like the Mtn west who knows they get at least 2 teams in every year has it at a pre-determined site, because they know that if BYU wins the conf, but doesnt win the tourney BYU is still going to go dancing, In a conference like the Big Sky who only gets 1 team in the dance the Big Sky awards the best team to host so that the chances of the best team in the big sky going is higher. I like it this way, and every team has the same opportunity to host, they just need to win.
There's a TON of logistics involved with hosting a basketball tournament at ANY level (unless you're talking about one of those pre-season play once or twice and you're done jobs). To me, unless a school clinches WAY early (not likely in this age of parity), it's way too much of a burden with a freaking hairtrigger. You have hotels, scheduling games and practice courts, meals, security, etc. If it's rotated, then the host school has an entire year to plan for the stuff. If it's at a neutral court (a la the Big West, though that's a bad example as they can't fill the place since USU left), then the conference takes care of everything, and the schools only have to worry about selling tickets and getting fan hotel deals and perhaps scheduling a pep rally. A lot less of a burden on one individual school.
SuperHornet's Athletics Hall of Fame includes Jacksonville State kicker Ashley Martin, the first girl to score in a Division I football game. She kicked 3 PATs in a 2001 game for J-State.
Horizon League (Butler, Valparaiso, Youngstown State) makes it very important to be first or second during the regular season. Only two wins needed to win the tournament. Third place has to win four games to do so.
First round at campus sites
#10 @ #3
#9 @ #4
#8 @ #5
#7@ #6
Quarterfinals at #1 seed (Butler again this year)
3/10 winner vs. 6/7 winner
4/9 winner vs. 5/8 winner
Semifinals at #1 seed
3/6/7/10 winner vs. #2
4/5/8/9 winner @ #1
OhioHen wrote:Horizon League (Butler, Valparaiso, Youngstown State) makes it very important to be first or second during the regular season. Only two wins needed to win the tournament. Third place has to win four games to do so.
First round at campus sites
#10 @ #3
#9 @ #4
#8 @ #5
#7@ #6
Quarterfinals at #1 seed (Butler again this year)
3/10 winner vs. 6/7 winner
4/9 winner vs. 5/8 winner
Semifinals at #1 seed
3/6/7/10 winner vs. #2
4/5/8/9 winner @ #1
Finals at home of highest remaining seed
2 rounds of byes? Obviously designed to avoid upsets and give Butler the best seeding scenario in the NCAA tournament.
I like the way the Big Sky does it, it gives even more meaning to the regular season, it gives the teams something to fight for.
The Big SKy only gets one team to go to the dance, why not have it at the reg season winners court to up the chances of having your best team win the tourney? I remember watching Weber win the Conference and lose in the tournament because it was at a pre-determined spot, and it was at Boise State who won the tournament and went dancing, Weber even though they won the Regular season did not get to go dancing. How do you think Utah State fans feel when they win thier conf and have to go play at Nevada or at New Mex St for the WAC tourney, I've met Aggie fans and Guess what THEY HATE IT, they wish it was just like the Big Sky. The Big SKy isnt the WAC, or the Mtn West, In a conf with no at-large, the BSC tournament should be left the way it is. If NAU or Sac or UNC or Montana or anyone in the BSC were to win, I believe they would deserve to host, thats thier reward for winning the conference. Apparently it hasnt caused any problems yet, so why change it?
In the Summit League, the top 8 of the 10 teams make it to the tourney. This year and the next two years after that, it will be held in Sioux Falls, SD.
I guess it depends on one's perspective, Ryan. Does one reward on-court performance at the expense of completely SHAFTING one athletic department, or does one allocate ONE place prior to the season (either on a rotation amongst the schools or a single neutral site) and alleviate the stress on school staff? And there's even a difference among the two static positions: even the rotation idea leaves SOME stress on school staff, that just gives them an entire year to plan. At a neutral site, the conference takes care of EVERYTHING, so there are a whole lot fewer worries for school staff.
So, I guess if one prefers the reward aspect, they'll go with the Big Sky route. If one wants to reduce pressure, one goes with the neutral site concept like the Big West. Or one could split the difference by announcing a rotating home hosting. Depends on one's perspective.
SuperHornet's Athletics Hall of Fame includes Jacksonville State kicker Ashley Martin, the first girl to score in a Division I football game. She kicked 3 PATs in a 2001 game for J-State.
