Championship Subdivision Football | FCS Football | Stadiums | Blogs | Forums

BILLINGS - Billings will not host the Big Sky Conference Basketball Championships, but the tournament will likely land in Reno.

The tournament set for announcement in Reno will be held at the Events Center from 2016-2018.

Reno has two hotels in close proximity that would allow all 24 Big Sky men's and women's teams to share village-type atmosphere.

http://www.ktvq.com/story/28886272/big- ... ed-to-reno

I'm glad Billings wasn't selected. That was the worst of the finalists imo. I thought Spokane had the best logistical advantage, but Reno probably bought the bid with super cheap hotel rooms for the BSC.

In general I like the idea. We discussed the pro's and con's of a predetermined site before. I like that the BSC is at least trying to make the BSCT something of a spectacle. If this is a complete failure they can always revert to the old format.

Reno is a place I'd actually consider going to - things to do (and not just gambling) - Tahoe is nearby, Virginia City is nearby.

dbackjon wrote:Reno is a place I'd actually consider going to - things to do (and not just gambling) - Tahoe is nearby, Virginia City is nearby, SDHornet is nearby.

and FIFY.

SDHornet wrote:

dbackjon wrote:Reno is a place I'd actually consider going to - things to do (and not just gambling) - Tahoe is nearby, Virginia City is nearby, SDHornet is nearby.

and FIFY.

Unfortunately, all 12 teams will make the tourney. The specific format hasn't been decided yet, but I'm guessing it will be a lazy single-bye format that will create essentially no difference between the #1-#4 seeds.

They could go the convoluted MAC route, I suppose: the #5-#12 seeds play each other in the first two rounds (home games in the first round, which wouldn't happen here), the #3 & #4 seeds get two byes, & the #1 & #2 seeds get three byes.

Agree about all teams getting in. Not every team deserves to get in, this will make the regulars season pretty meaningless. Once your team is out of contention for the title, there is little reason to follow. I guess you can care to get a top 4 seed but really your team has a shot no matter what so no point in tuning in until the BSCT. That said I'm not buying into the concern of a bottom seed team running through the tournament.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gt0RtnTMEKI[/youtube]

Interesting points:
-BSCT will run Monday - Saturday. No idea if the BSCT will alternate women-men during the week (this is my guess) or if they go women first, then men.
-Both parties seem to indicate that this will be a long term arrangement. I'm not too surprised at that.
-Loghry (sp?): "This allows every team in the conference to take ownership of the tournament."
-Based on Loghry and Foolertons responses they always wanted all 12 to get into the tournament.
-Podunk towns in BSC can't logistically support a 24 member tournament. Shocker.
-Foolerton gives Reno a blowjob.
-Reno is 100% neutral and no other locations have a core of hotels immediately surrounding the tournament location.

SDHornet wrote:Agree about all teams getting in. Not every team deserves to get in, this will make the regulars season pretty meaningless. Once your team is out of contention for the title, there is little reason to follow. I guess you can care to get a top 4 seed but really your team has a shot no matter what so no point in tuning in until the BSCT. That said I'm not buying into the concern of a bottom seed team running through the tournament.

No, but there's no real obstacle to a #3 or #4 seed winning it.

Interesting points:
-BSCT will run Monday - Saturday. No idea if the BSCT will alternate women-men during the week (this is my guess) or if they go women first, then men.

I'm guessing it will alternate until the semis. They could also put the #5/#12 and #6/#11 games on Monday and the #1-seed and #2-seed quarterfinals on Wednesday to give the higher seeds (if they win, of course) a day off before the next round. The latter option would create a meaningful difference between #1/#2 and #3/#4, at least.

-Podunk towns in BSC can't logistically support a 24 member tournament. Shocker.

Of course, we didn't really need all 24 teams in the tournament in the first place.

Aside from the fact that the 3/4 seed get the highest seeds remaining after the first round? Still not a concern. Best team “should” win the BSCT regardless of how its set up. All this quibbling about the bottom tier teams having a shot and the risk of a top seeded team stumbling is…well…meh. The top 4 getting an extra day of rest is an advantage (especially if the regular season goes up until the Saturday of the week prior).

I like the concept. Time will only tell how it works out, the home court wouldn't work anymore with some schools having a Junior High gym (Sac State for one) for a league tourney.

Jjoey52 wrote:I like the concept. Time will only tell how it works out, the home court wouldn't work anymore with some schools having a Junior High gym (Sac State for one) for a league tourney.

Welcome!



What team do you root for?

Jjoey52 wrote:I like the concept. Time will only tell how it works out, the home court wouldn't work anymore with some schools having a Junior High gym (Sac State for one) for a league tourney.

Accept the BSC signed off on an alternate venue on campus. Nice fail post though.

Well shit. Guess the regular season means nothing now.

Have I bitched about playoffs lately and all the expansion and participation trophies they give out?

SDHornet wrote:

Jjoey52 wrote:I like the concept. Time will only tell how it works out, the home court wouldn't work anymore with some schools having a Junior High gym (Sac State for one) for a league tourney.

Accept the BSC signed off on an alternate venue on campus. Nice fail post though.

That was only true for the men, though. A Sac State women's tourney would've been in Hornet Gym.

Mvemjsunpx wrote:

SDHornet wrote: Accept the BSC signed off on an alternate venue on campus. Nice fail post though.

That was only true for the men, though. A Sac State women's tourney would've been in Hornet Gym.

I could easily be wrong (I often am, as all the world knows), but I believe that would have been true ONLY had Sac hosted BOTH tournaments. I think I read something somewhere about Sac hosting the women's tournament in the Well if someone else got the men's tournament.

Of course, we'll never know now that BOTH tournaments went elsewhere in 2015 and the conference is now co-hosting both in Reno at least for 2016-2018....

SuperHornet wrote:I could easily be wrong (I often am, as all the world knows), but I believe that would have been true ONLY had Sac hosted BOTH tournaments. I think I read something somewhere about Sac hosting the women's tournament in the Well if someone else got the men's tournament.

Well, possibly… but I'm guessing that was only after Sac State had put forth money for their men hosting at The Well. If Hornet MBB hadn't been in contention, I doubt they would've entertained putting the women's tourney in The Well.

Keep in mind the Big Sky wouldn't have forced Sac to hold the women's tourney at an ESPN-friendly venue. Portland State's 2011 tournament was held in the Stott Center, after all.

grizzaholic wrote:Well shit. Guess the regular season means nothing now.

In terms of just "getting in," you're right. But in terms of what you get for showing up, not so much. Coming in as the last couple of seeds is NOT a recipe for success (usually)....