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Post by ghostofdylan on May 6, 2015 17:31:55 GMT -6
Unless this was done to appease expansion candidates I really don't understand the move. The OVC plays at a neutral venue in Nashville so maybe this was done for them? There's clearly no financial value for moving the games. This makes sense. I still don't like it and believe that it severely compromises the league's profile in the short term, but it makes perfect sense. Now what if Murray State and Belmont elect not to join? Does the league have an ironclad vow? |
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Post by Pounce Needs Pals on May 6, 2015 18:43:21 GMT -6
Can't see Murray State joining because they have football.
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Post by Pantherholic on May 6, 2015 20:03:15 GMT -6
Now what if Murray State and Belmont elect not to join? Does the league have an ironclad vow? Since the B1G announced they were looking to expand (originally) I can't think of one instance of a conference playing their cards wrong not getting the school(s) they wanted. Ever notice a school's election to their new conference is always by a unanimous vote? Coincidence? As for Murray State, I think they're a longshot at best. They can't even move their football team to the Pioneer League unless they drop scholarships so their only option is to go independent. I have no idea how viable of an option that is. |
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Post by GoPanthers33 on May 6, 2015 21:54:14 GMT -6
This is an awful idea.
The die-hards on the message boards will still show up to a point but casual fan attendance will be next to nothing.
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Post by DunneDeal on May 7, 2015 6:32:05 GMT -6
In order for this to work, it has to be played over a weekend, no breaks, so Wednesday at School Sites, then Friday, Saturday, Sunday. OR Tuesday at School Sites, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. You can't have the title game be on a Tuesday, the only way it works, is fans of the teams left in the Quarterfinals, all stay, for the weekend it will be a slightly bigger draw, but not much.
I like the idea, and I would say give it 1 year.
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Post by ghostofdylan on May 7, 2015 6:50:46 GMT -6
In order for this to work, it has to be played over a weekend, no breaks, so Wednesday at School Sites, then Friday, Saturday, Sunday. OR Tuesday at School Sites, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. You can't have the title game be on a Tuesday, the only way it works, is fans of the teams left in the Quarterfinals, all stay, for the weekend it will be a slightly bigger draw, but not much. I like the idea, and I would say give it 1 year. As it pertains to the projected tournament format, I assume that the seventh and 10th seeds and eighth and ninth seeds would play on the first day (Wednesday/Thursday) and the teams would just play up from there without a break. In regards to the idea itself, the coaches are stunned sick. The problem is that the arrangement is not to treat this as a one-year trial balloon but as a long-term, five-year commitment. Silly coaches! They actually harbored intentions of hosting the tournament, showing everybody a good time and making a lot of money for the community! |
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Post by striker14 on May 7, 2015 7:15:29 GMT -6
I'm going to echo the general sentiment and say I'm not a fan of this. This basically means I won't even have the chance to attend a Horizon League final or the next 5 years (not that it was guaranteed that I could, but with UWM, GB, UIC, and Valpo within driving distance there was a decent shot).
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Post by PantherNation on May 7, 2015 13:15:01 GMT -6
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Post by Pantherholic on May 7, 2015 13:43:32 GMT -6
I'll only truly hate this if it isn't to land expansion candidates. I still won't like it afterwards but I'll dislike it less if it lands NKU, Belmont, and tbd. Regardless it'll be a disaster on TV and I hope fans from all teams boycott it.
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Post by PantherNation on May 7, 2015 13:45:52 GMT -6
The real winners of this are the Oakland and Detroit fans. They can finish 5th place or 10th place and still have homecourt advantage throughout the tournament.
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Post by DunneDeal on May 7, 2015 13:50:51 GMT -6
So, anyone want to get a hotel in Windsor and party it up?
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Post by ghostofdylan on May 7, 2015 13:54:09 GMT -6
"A crowd of 250 strong on hand tonight at Joe Louis Arena as Green Bay gets set to meet Milwaukee for the Horizon League title!"
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Post by BBFran on May 7, 2015 14:06:48 GMT -6
I'm speechless. First, Pantherholic is right that unless this is part of a deal to bring in THREE good new members, it's an unmitigated disaster.
Even if there is such a deal, it's at best a slightly mitigated disaster. Note from the press release the following:
"The 2016 Horizon League men’s basketball championship game will keep its current Tuesday, March 8, slot on ESPN or ESPN2 at 7 p.m. ET. Additional game dates, times, network information, and tournament format will be announced at a later date."
Everybody got that? The championship game next year is going to be played in Detroit on a Tuesday night. IF UDM or OU are in that game, you MIGHT see 4,000 fans. If they are not, it would be shocking to see more than 2,000 people in the stands. If the game is, say, Green Bay versus YSU, or Wright vs. NKU? Hundreds? May I also point out that Milwaukee is easily one of the preseason favorites next year? So imagine a scenario under the old system where the Panthers won the league, secured the 1 seed and survived the semi to reach the final at the upgraded UWM Panther Arena? I have a hunch what that would look like. It would look like a packed to the rafters crowd of 10,000 crazed fans in an absolutely fantastic college atmosphere on national TV. You know what my hunch is based on? REALITY. We have already done it three times! Instead, even if we reach the final next year, we will hear flies buzzing. Except for the diehards people simply are not going to make that trip. And that's not a Milwaukee issue, that's all but a couple schools in all of the mid-major universe. That's why the Horizon tournament WAS a stroke of genius.
Madness.
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Post by Pounce Needs Pals on May 7, 2015 14:30:10 GMT -6
“The partnership with Olympia Entertainment is a unique and exciting opportunity,” Horizon League Commissioner Jon LeCrone said. “We want to provide a great tournament experience for all of our key constituents -- student-athletes, coaches, administrators and fans -- and we are excited to work with Olympia and our institutions on that goal.”
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Post by Pounce Needs Pals on May 7, 2015 14:37:41 GMT -6
Someone needs to call Disney on Ice and tell them they can have their dates back at UWM Panther Arena.
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