(03-08-2019 11:38 PM)WKUYG Wrote:  

(03-08-2019 11:20 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(03-08-2019 10:22 PM)WKUYG Wrote:  Just like on the CUSA board, the one's complaining about Hot Springs, or two courts....

are the same people that are sitting their asses in front of the TV no matter where it's played. Those same people will say, move it closer to where I live and I will be there. Most of those fans are not even driving across town to see a home game. They sure as hell aren't driving 3 to 6 hours and spending money on a hotel and $25 to $30 for a ticket.

Nope, people like that just want to complain.

Hot Springs was great and personally I loved it. The town got behind the tourney and playing on two courts let you flow between games if your team isn't playing. For most fans it's your first chance to be right on top of the action. With GA tickets, you can sit first row if you get to the seat right after a game ends. No yellow shirt ******** trying to make you sit in the seat number on your ticket...in a 13k seat arena and 500 people there (UAB).

Nope, it's not bigtime, but it's the best damn setup for a smalltime basketball conference (no disrespect on smalltime...CUSA is also). BTW those of you knocking Frisco, dont knock it till you try it. Way better than I thought it would be an from a fan's experience 10x better than playing the tourney in a 14k arena in B'ham.

But hey....complainers are going to complain. The one thing they wont do, attend a conference tourney....no matter where it's at. If it's across town they are going to complain about ticket cost and paying for parking as the reason they aren't going.

I didn't mind New Orleans but I loved Hot Springs. Biloxi would be another great place for a conference tourney and wish CUSA could play there....CUSA needs 2 courts because the Ladies play at the same tourney

I liked hot springs setup better than yours now. 2nd court was in a separate convention hall, about a 2 minute walk away, so there was no issues with sound carrying over between courts like you guys have now

Anyone that says sound was a problem....must have high pitch ear drums that can hear a dog whistle. I never had a problem with it interfering with the games I watched. At times (timeouts) you can hear some noise but not enough to hurt. Going into the tourney I had the same doubts as Hot Springs...some of the same in this thread. But after going all of those doubts went away and it was just as fan friendly as Hot Springs....

if you are going to spend hundreds or a thousand dollars drive 11 hours (or even 3 UAB) having a nonfan friendly event is not something you want

I just can’t see how the pep bands playing from the other game wouldn’t be a huge distraction.

(03-08-2019 01:35 PM)JoeJag Wrote:  

(03-08-2019 10:08 AM)sdcritter Wrote:  People are tired of New Orleans. It should not be at the site of the #1 seed but there are multiple neutral sites that can be had for the same money spent on that venue. I heard lots of good reviews when the Hot Springs Convention Center hosted here in Arkansas for a couple of years.

Let's just leave it in The Big Easy. There is no better place. Hot Springs? You have to be joking.

You ask the question only because you know nothing about Hot Springs. There may be places as good as but few will be better than Hot Springs. But New Orleans is without questions not the place for the SBC. The results bears this out.

(03-09-2019 06:25 AM)Florida RedWolf Wrote:  

(03-08-2019 01:35 PM)JoeJag Wrote:  

(03-08-2019 10:08 AM)sdcritter Wrote:  People are tired of New Orleans. It should not be at the site of the #1 seed but there are multiple neutral sites that can be had for the same money spent on that venue. I heard lots of good reviews when the Hot Springs Convention Center hosted here in Arkansas for a couple of years.

Let's just leave it in The Big Easy. There is no better place. Hot Springs? You have to be joking.

You ask the question only because you know nothing about Hot Springs. There may be places as good as but few will be better than Hot Springs. But New Orleans is without questions not the place for the SBC. The results bears this out.

I really like Hot Springs and have been there several times. Nice little tourist town, but the tourney needs to be located where it will draw decent crowds. I realize why you stAte fans want it played in HS,A though.

(03-09-2019 10:41 AM)JoeJag Wrote:  

(03-09-2019 06:25 AM)Florida RedWolf Wrote:  

(03-08-2019 01:35 PM)JoeJag Wrote:  

(03-08-2019 10:08 AM)sdcritter Wrote:  People are tired of New Orleans. It should not be at the site of the #1 seed but there are multiple neutral sites that can be had for the same money spent on that venue. I heard lots of good reviews when the Hot Springs Convention Center hosted here in Arkansas for a couple of years.

Let's just leave it in The Big Easy. There is no better place. Hot Springs? You have to be joking.

Been there many times. Nice little tourist town, but the tourney needs to be located at a venue that would be conducive to drawing a decent crowd.



You ask the question only because you know nothing about Hot Springs. There may be places as good as but few will be better than Hot Springs. But New Orleans is without questions not the place for the SBC. The results bears this out.

I really like Hot Springs and have been there several times. Nice little tourist town, but the tourney needs to be located where it will draw decent crowds. I realize why you stAte fans want it played in HS,A though.

It’s not going to draw anywhere except on campus of the better teams.


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I enjoy looking at the geographic map of Sun Belt schools. It appears the center would be in western Tennessee or northern Mississippi. So Memphis, TN; Nashville, TN; Huntsville, AL; and Chattanooga, TN would all be good locations IMO. Of those, Memphis has the best transportation connections, followed by the others in the order given. But our real problem is not location, it is attendance. Only a few of our fan bases seem to travel well given the immature state of our rivalries.

I like the Mississippi River as a central demarcation of our conference, so would prefer New Orleans or Memphis (or Vicksburg?) as the best neutral sites for conference tournaments. But if the majority of fans that make the trip are coming from Georgia or the Carolinas, maybe they should be given more weight in site selection.

(03-09-2019 10:41 AM)WolfBird Wrote:  

(03-09-2019 10:41 AM)JoeJag Wrote:  

(03-09-2019 06:25 AM)Florida RedWolf Wrote:  

(03-08-2019 01:35 PM)JoeJag Wrote:  

(03-08-2019 10:08 AM)sdcritter Wrote:  People are tired of New Orleans. It should not be at the site of the #1 seed but there are multiple neutral sites that can be had for the same money spent on that venue. I heard lots of good reviews when the Hot Springs Convention Center hosted here in Arkansas for a couple of years.

Let's just leave it in The Big Easy. There is no better place. Hot Springs? You have to be joking.

Been there many times. Nice little tourist town, but the tourney needs to be located at a venue that would be conducive to drawing a decent crowd.



You ask the question only because you know nothing about Hot Springs. There may be places as good as but few will be better than Hot Springs. But New Orleans is without questions not the place for the SBC. The results bears this out.

I really like Hot Springs and have been there several times. Nice little tourist town, but the tourney needs to be located where it will draw decent crowds. I realize why you stAte fans want it played in HS,A though.

It’s not going to draw anywhere except on campus of the better teams.


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So, do you believe Ark. St. or UALR is one of the "better" teams? StAte, nor UALR didn't even fill 2,000 seats in their last home games. Of course, neither did South.

(03-09-2019 10:53 AM)JoeJag Wrote:  

(03-09-2019 10:41 AM)WolfBird Wrote:  

(03-09-2019 10:41 AM)JoeJag Wrote:  

(03-09-2019 06:25 AM)Florida RedWolf Wrote:  

(03-08-2019 01:35 PM)JoeJag Wrote:  Let's just leave it in The Big Easy. There is no better place. Hot Springs? You have to be joking.

Been there many times. Nice little tourist town, but the tourney needs to be located at a venue that would be conducive to drawing a decent crowd.



You ask the question only because you know nothing about Hot Springs. There may be places as good as but few will be better than Hot Springs. But New Orleans is without questions not the place for the SBC. The results bears this out.

I really like Hot Springs and have been there several times. Nice little tourist town, but the tourney needs to be located where it will draw decent crowds. I realize why you stAte fans want it played in HS,A though.

It’s not going to draw anywhere except on campus of the better teams.


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So, do you believe Ark. St. or UALR is one of the "better" teams? StAte, nor UALR didn't even fill 2,000 seats in their last home games. Of course, neither did South.

Better team as in seeding.

So as in when the 1 hosts the 4 at home.

In reality eliminating the tournament is the best way to go with it.


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Lot of support on here for being the only D1 conference in the country to not have a conference tournament.

No way I could condone that. I hate the idea of teams having nothing to play for by mid-January.
I do like the new format of the tournament though that really rewards regular season success.

(03-09-2019 11:03 AM)_x_ Wrote:  Lot of support on here for being the only D1 conference in the country to not have a conference tournament.

No way I could condone that. I hate the idea of teams having nothing to play for by mid-January.
I do like the new format of the tournament though that really rewards regular season success.

We wouldn’t be the only one.


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Yeh I'm 100% against the "no tourney" idea. Dumb.

Chattanooga would be a great place. Good little tourist city.

Yeah we would. Ivy League started having a conference tournament a couple years ago if that's what you're referring to.

(03-09-2019 11:06 AM)_x_ Wrote:  Yeah we would. Ivy League started having a conference tournament a couple years ago if that's what you're referring to.

Yeah but they didn’t before. So they were the first not to.

If we are not going to take basketball seriously and just be a one bid league, it might as well be to the best and most deserving team.


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Chattanooga is a cool town.

Tournament should be in the least expensive venue that will bid to the conference anywhere in our footprint.

(03-09-2019 11:07 AM)WolfBird Wrote:  

(03-09-2019 11:06 AM)_x_ Wrote:  Yeah we would. Ivy League started having a conference tournament a couple years ago if that's what you're referring to.

Yeah but they didn’t before. So they were the first not to.

If we are not going to take basketball seriously and just be a one bid league, it might as well be to the best and most deserving team.


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Nothing screams taking basketball seriously more than being the only conference to not hold a conference tournament...

Our 1 and 2 seeds have a ridiculously easy path to a tournament championship now. Which I'm cool with. We will end up with a top 2 seed in the tournament more often than not going forward.

(03-09-2019 11:10 AM)_x_ Wrote:  

(03-09-2019 11:07 AM)WolfBird Wrote:  

(03-09-2019 11:06 AM)_x_ Wrote:  Yeah we would. Ivy League started having a conference tournament a couple years ago if that's what you're referring to.

Yeah but they didn’t before. So they were the first not to.

If we are not going to take basketball seriously and just be a one bid league, it might as well be to the best and most deserving team.


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Nothing screams taking basketball seriously more than being the only conference to not hold a conference tournament...

Our 1 and 2 seeds have a ridiculously easy path to a tournament championship now. Which I'm cool with. We will end up with a top 2 seed in the tournament more often than not going forward.

Further proving the rest of the tournament games are a pointless expense.

The tournament should at most be the top 4 teams and the games played at the highest seeds home court.

Thursday Semis

Saturday Finals


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I think instead of giving up and doing away with it cause our fans won't travel we need to find a way to get our fans to travel. Or get the locals involved somehow. I don't like the idea of just giving up though cause we're struggling with attendance.

(03-09-2019 11:15 AM)_x_ Wrote:  I think instead of giving up and doing away with it cause our fans won't travel we need to find a way to get our fans to travel. Or get the locals involved somehow. I don't like the idea of just giving up though cause we're struggling with attendance.

The attendance sucks because nobody cares.

College basketball has gotten unwatchable.

Sun Belt basketball is as bad as it’s ever been.

People who have families and jobs aren’t taking a week off to load the family up and take them anywhere for a basketball tournament.


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If other conferences can figure it out so can the Sun Belt. The OVC had a really nice crowd last night for Murray State/Jacksonville State in Evansville, IN.

I know having a top 5 pro prospect playing in the game helps, but still.

(03-09-2019 11:16 AM)WolfBird Wrote:  

(03-09-2019 11:15 AM)_x_ Wrote:  I think instead of giving up and doing away with it cause our fans won't travel we need to find a way to get our fans to travel. Or get the locals involved somehow. I don't like the idea of just giving up though cause we're struggling with attendance.

The attendance sucks because nobody cares.

College basketball has gotten unwatchable.

Sun Belt basketball is as bad as it’s ever been.

People who have families and jobs aren’t taking a week off to load the family up and take them anywhere for a basketball tournament.


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On this point, you’re absolutely correct.

I don’t agree that college basketball has become unwatchable, or that nobody cares. The thing with basketball as it exists today (especially this time of year) is that it’s all about The Big Dance . . March Madness . . The Field of 64. Next to that, we’re small potatoes; and as such, we don’t draw jack at our tournament (with the exception of the really die hards).

Now having said that, I wouldn’t want to get rid of the tournament either, but I do agree we’ve got to get creative in how we put that tournament on so as to maximize our fan involvement. Which is why I like the idea of the higher seeds hosting in the initial rounds.

(03-09-2019 10:41 AM)JoeJag Wrote:  

(03-09-2019 06:25 AM)Florida RedWolf Wrote:  

(03-08-2019 01:35 PM)JoeJag Wrote:  

(03-08-2019 10:08 AM)sdcritter Wrote:  People are tired of New Orleans. It should not be at the site of the #1 seed but there are multiple neutral sites that can be had for the same money spent on that venue. I heard lots of good reviews when the Hot Springs Convention Center hosted here in Arkansas for a couple of years.

Let's just leave it in The Big Easy. There is no better place. Hot Springs? You have to be joking.

You ask the question only because you know nothing about Hot Springs. There may be places as good as but few will be better than Hot Springs. But New Orleans is without questions not the place for the SBC. The results bears this out.

I really like Hot Springs and have been there several times. Nice little tourist town, but the tourney needs to be located where it will draw decent crowds. I realize why you stAte fans want it played in HS,A though.

And it could be argued Joe that South fans would want the tournament in NOLA given how close Mobile is to there. (It's not much farther than Jonesboro to Hot Springs)

The thing is, attendance IS The reason fans want it out of NOLA. No one's attending the tournament at all right now. The tournament had higher averages in Hot Springs than it has at Lakefront. The honest truth to the reason the tournament was pulled out of Hot Springs is The Sun Belt got lazy and didn't want to have to pay for a week of hotels for its staff, when they could put it at Lakefront for dirt cheap, and not have to pay hotels.

The only way the conference tournament is going to draw people is if we go to a format similar to what a couple other leagues do now. 8 teams, Tournament spread out over a week. 1 hosts 8, 2 hosts 7, 3 hosts 6, 4 hosts 5 etc, with higher seed hosting every round.

If we're not willing to do that, than the best possible option is to find a small city, like Hot Springs, that has a small arena, and has been looking for an event to call their own. There are a ton of cities in this region with 4K and 5K seat stadiums. Hell, put it at some high school somewhere. That's better than holding it in freaking NOLA With no one there.