Just went to check things during halftime and saw this. Big Ten will play in Madison Square Garden, but will do so earlier to do commitments to the Big East.

Personally, I don't care for it, but I understand why. I think the conference should hold off on a few conference games till after the tournament though. The Big Ten champ is determined by regular season results and seeding aren't that big a deal so why not give everyone one more conference game after the tournament?

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/col...story.html

I think that the BIG TEN is crazy for not holding it in Chicago every year. Soldier Field is also where I would hold the BTCG.

Not surprised that Delany wanted to be in MSG badly enough to play the tournament a week early.

Good strategy for the Big Ten, IMO. Given that they are ambitious, and can't practically expand their footprint north, south, or west, planting the flag in the northeast and having a tangible presence makes a lot of sense.

I bet they'd play a football title game there, too, if only there was a stadium with a roof in the northeast.

(12-06-2014 11:56 PM)Wedge Wrote:  Not surprised that Delany wanted to be in MSG badly enough to play the tournament a week early.

Good strategy for the Big Ten, IMO. Given that they are ambitious, and can't practically expand their footprint north, south, or west, planting the flag in the northeast and having a tangible presence makes a lot of sense.

I bet they'd play a football title game there, too, if only there was a stadium with a roof in the northeast.

The problem is just that. Playing a tourney in NYC only makes sense if you have a tangible presence there as a conference. I'm not even sure RU has enough pull on the RU campus to have a tangible presence in their own gym every game, let alone enough of a pull to carry the entire conference. And, unlike in football, PSU isn't going to move any NYC needles. The B1G would be much better off holding it in Chicago, having an exciting environment, making it easy on fans, and pocketing some cool hard cash.

(12-07-2014 01:36 AM)nzmorange Wrote:  

(12-06-2014 11:56 PM)Wedge Wrote:  Not surprised that Delany wanted to be in MSG badly enough to play the tournament a week early.

Good strategy for the Big Ten, IMO. Given that they are ambitious, and can't practically expand their footprint north, south, or west, planting the flag in the northeast and having a tangible presence makes a lot of sense.

I bet they'd play a football title game there, too, if only there was a stadium with a roof in the northeast.

The problem is just that. Playing a tourney in NYC only makes sense if you have a tangible presence there as a conference. I'm not even sure RU has enough pull on the RU campus to have a tangible presence in their own gym every game, let alone enough of a pull to carry the entire conference. And, unlike in football, PSU isn't going to move any NYC needles. The B1G would be much better off holding it in Chicago, having an exciting environment, making it easy on fans, and pocketing some cool hard cash.

They have a lot of cash already, and won't lose much by going to MSG one year out of every eight. They play most of their tournaments in Chicago and Indy. And making it a novelty, a once-in-a-long-while event in NYC, makes it more likely that fans of Michigan State, Ohio State, etc. would make the trip. Having it in NYC every year would run the risk that fans from the midwest would go once and decide one such trip is enough.

Sure, you could hold the hoops tournament elsewhere in the east, and IIRC they're going to DC one year. Philadelphia seems like a good tournament venue for the Big Ten to try, but maybe it doesn't have the vacation appeal for midwesterners that NYC and DC might have.