The unofficial online home for fans of the UAB Blazers. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

The proposal includes:

• Only the top 8 advance to tournament
• Games would be played at the home courts of the higher seeds - possibly on a Sunday - Wednesday - Saturday schedule.

The current format is locked in for 2017, any changes couldn't take effect until 2018 at the earliest.

http://pilotonline.com/sports/college/ol...01df9.html

I don't mind it.

Top eight is way better to me. It'd suck for the bottom programs since it'd be denying them an opportunity to make that last minute run, but, being real, none of them are really primed for anything like that.

The deal with where the games should be played is definitely more complicated. I understand that it could be viewed as being small time, but I think it'd definitely help more than it hurts. I think it'd be a big plus, but the biggest con against it is the short notice. I'm pretty sure the hardcore fans will be down regardless. The average fan, however, needs time to plan accordingly. They'd have to implement something to give people enough time to know where their team will be playing and also enough time for them to make travel plans.

ODu is one of the few teams with a large enough fan base to make games work well on short notice. I dont like it since it further minimizes the conference.

Playing at different sites makes it more of an extension of the conference season rather than a tournament. Also doesn't allow for long-term planning. It protects the top conference teams, though...

I'm OK with top 8 but individual sites isn't going to work in this league. If I'm not mistaken only one 8 seed or lower has ever won our tournament (8-Houston).

I'd like to see 8 teams with double elimination until the championship game. This is what they do for baseball and softball. I'd would be a hard sell (literally) because of the increase in games if you have all 14 teams in the field. However if you have just the top 8 it's doable and the host team get's at least 2 games.

Maybe doing a combination is the best idea? We have proven that people aren't going to show up to watch a 5v12 game midday during the week. Perhaps if the tournament started a week earlier, you could do the first rounds on Thursday and Saturday at sites(assuming 12 teams) and get it down to 4. The 4 teams left could then meet in a neutral location and play Thursday and Saturday again. This would limit the whining of we played the late game and they played earlier so got more rest.
Also, is there anything that would prevent a consolation game in this situation? It could be very valuable to a team that was knocked out in the semis to play one more decent game, and the time/logistics would already be in place. I think knowing your team would play twice would also encourage more fans to go to a neutral site, even though the notice would be fairly late.

The current format is not working. I'm all for creative ideas, and if things don't work out, try something else.

If you are going to be a mickey mouse league, might as well start using the formats used by the mickey mouse leagues.

One bid League - check

Pitiful attendance - check

Negligible tournament history - check (the last sweet 16 appearance by a team that played in then and is currently in this conference was UAB in 2004, 12 years ago.)

Conference RPI ranking is a high enough number to buy beer - check


I hate to burst anyone's bubble, but our conference sucks in Men's Basketball and we are officially a very small time league.


I'd like to see a 12 team conference tournament with the first 2 rounds at the higher seed.

first round - Monday night
5 vs. 12
6 vs. 11
7 vs. 10
8 vs. 9

second round - Wednesday night
1 vs. 8/9
2 vs. 7/10
3 vs. 6/11
4 vs. 5/12


top 4 advance to a neutral site and play Saturday & Sunday

I like that, Phil.

I'm fine with cutting the tournament to 8 teams, but playing at campus sites is bush league.

(05-24-2016 08:47 AM)BlazerPhil Wrote:  One bid League - check

Pitiful attendance - check

Negligible tournament history - check (the last sweet 16 appearance by a team that played in then and is currently in this conference was UAB in 2004, 12 years ago.)

Conference RPI ranking is a high enough number to buy beer - check


I hate to burst anyone's bubble, but our conference sucks in Men's Basketball and we are officially a very small time league.


I'd like to see a 12 team conference tournament with the first 2 rounds at the higher seed.

first round - Monday night
5 vs. 12
6 vs. 11
7 vs. 10
8 vs. 9

second round - Wednesday night
1 vs. 8/9
2 vs. 7/10
3 vs. 6/11
4 vs. 5/12


top 4 advance to a neutral site and play Saturday & Sunday

YEP

(05-24-2016 08:36 AM)Memphis Blazer Wrote:  If you are going to be a mickey mouse league, might as well start using the formats used by the mickey mouse leagues.

First round - Annette vs Jimmie

(05-24-2016 09:12 AM)hooverblazer Wrote:  I'm fine with cutting the tournament to 8 teams, but playing at campus sites is bush league.

CUSA is a bush league with the tournament on campus or at neutral locations...the fact remains...

Wait a minute, I'm confused...I thought none of the other teams wanted the CUSA championship to come through Birmingham.

So now they are saying they not only want to come through Birmingham, but they want to move from Legacy to Bartow?

Was seeing something about UTEP or Birmingham being likely destination for next year's tournament. I thought we weren't bidding until they allowed host team to play in prime evening time slot.

We're bidding lasti herd. That other was here say.

I don't think we're bush league, but we need to discard any notion of vanity going forward. There's no shame in opting away from what the more established conferences do. We obviously don't command the same amount of attention and those empty arenas don't help anyone.

The conference needs to at least try something.

What pray tell is your idea of bush league? Conferences ranked 22 or below?

(05-24-2016 01:13 PM)Blazer85 Wrote:  Was seeing something about UTEP or Birmingham being likely destination for next year's tournament. I thought we weren't bidding until they allowed host team to play in prime evening time slot.

I suspect that if the tourney is in El Paso there will be a format change that would have fewer teams heading to the tourney. Having to get 12-14 teams and fans to El Paso would be asking for complaints...

(05-24-2016 03:12 PM)Memphis Blazer Wrote:  What pray tell is your idea of bush league? Conferences ranked 22 or below?

To me, being bush league is being completely irrelevant. Conference USA isn't there yet. The conference is down, but why should I believe that the conference as a whole will do this poorly for the foreseeable future?

At the end of the day, I just want them to at least try something different for the tournament. I know C-USA basketball isn't a draw of real, but damn.