(03-10-2020 11:52 AM)Herd6993 Wrote:  

(03-09-2020 10:11 PM)Magic95Fan Wrote:  Like deb025 said, the tourney will remain in Frisco until another city puts in a better bid. Based on everything we have heard over the last few years, it seems like nobody else is bidding. We are not a conference in demand until we all start performing better in OOC and start getting At-Large bids. It's time for the schools that people think of as good basketball schools to step up and start earning At-Larges every season so the rest of us can fight to be Bid-Thieves. That means you, WKU, ODU, Charlotte, UTEP and MTSU. There is an expectation that ya'll are here to win some freakin basketball games so as fans, show up to your games and help your team as the "6th Man." Demand that your AD make good hires and hold your coaches accountable. Buy stupid amounts of apparel and talk so much crap to your friends that people start thinking you are perennial tourney teams. Stop declining post season tournaments and go out and crush those things and hang some banners.

The North Texas' and Louisiana Techs and Florida Internationals have no business being in Pod 1 of this conference. Unless the tide's are changing (And I selfishly hope they are), this is going to remain a 1-bid conference and the conference tournament will continue on in Frisco, Texas.

Rant over. Beer crushed.

Since this version of CUSA has been together MTSU (2), Marshall (1), and UAB (1) all have won NCAA tournament games,. ODU (2015)/WKU (2018) made it to the NIT Semi's, North Texas (2018) CBI Champions, and Marshall (2019) CIT Champions.

I don't think putting quality teams on the floor has been an issue. The problem is the league is too big which allows for too many bottom feeders to drag the RPI down, the perception of the league is lousy, and it seems the current schools do not have the same vision about the future of the league. Six years ago many of us felt the gap between CUSA and AAC was very slim. Now it is not even close... One league's member schools ponied up the money and had a commish who used his connections and branding skills to great success. The other leagues innovative idea is to play your basketball tournament on two courts simultaneously so both men and women can play at the same facility/time to save a few dollars.

The fact that Judy is allowed to still be commish either means that the majority of the league is content with the status quo or they know the league is going to split up.

This is how I see it too.

Approach Asheville and let them know it’s up for bid. They don’t have a strong attachment to CUSA naturally, but if they knew the $2 bills would be flooding the town again, I promise they would come up with a competitive bid.

(03-10-2020 04:22 PM)ThunderingHerdFan Wrote:  Approach Asheville and let them know it’s up for bid. They don’t have a strong attachment to CUSA naturally, but if they knew the $2 bills would be flooding the town again, I promise they would come up with a competitive bid.

It would be awesome there. The big question is how would the city respond to having 2 tournaments? The SoCon tournament is already there. And they have even more schools close by and history there. My guess is they would get first dibs, and preferential treatment by the city. Though the SoCon also holds their tourney a week sooner, so perhaps they could do both.

I would love to see what some talented folks with passion could do for with this tournament in a city convenient to the largest fanbases. Im talking pep rallies, battle of the bands, parades, bar takeovers etc. Have CUSA take over the town for a weekend. 15,000 CUSA basketball fans in downtown Asheville would make for a lot of fun.

(03-10-2020 04:32 PM)monarx Wrote:  

(03-10-2020 04:22 PM)ThunderingHerdFan Wrote:  Approach Asheville and let them know it’s up for bid. They don’t have a strong attachment to CUSA naturally, but if they knew the $2 bills would be flooding the town again, I promise they would come up with a competitive bid.

It would be awesome there. The big question is how would the city respond to having 2 tournaments? The SoCon tournament is already there. And they have even more schools close by and history there. My guess is they would get first dibs, and preferential treatment by the city. Though the SoCon also holds their tourney a week sooner, so perhaps they could do both.

I would love to see what some talented folks with passion could do for with this tournament in a city convenient to the largest fanbases. Im talking pep rallies, battle of the bands, parades, bar takeovers etc. Have CUSA take over the town for a weekend. 15,000 CUSA basketball fans in downtown Asheville would make for a lot of fun.

I sincerely think 15k would be possible in Asheville. Between ODU, WKU, Marshall specifically, if two of those schools are having a big year at the same time, the crowds will be there. Same for MTSU... when they’re good, they travel. Charlotte has good history and I have no doubts they could do well if they sustained success. A good UAB team would draw, too.

We lost out to the SoCon, but their tournament is already over and if they kept the same schedule, it wouldn’t overlap with our tournament. The women’s tournament wouldn’t be a problem, as they have two arenas (Harrah’s Cherokee Center for men, the UNC-Asheville arena for the women). The schedules could be set to try to avoid the men’s and women’s teams from a single school playing at the same time on the first two days. That would really only be done for the 1 seed and to let the rest fall into place (WKU gets great women’s support, as do ODU, and MTSU, specifically).

There’s really no good reason to not attempt it.

I know Marshall fans are itching for a close tournament. Haven’t had one in the same time zone since 2004, and Birmingham has been the closest in that time period.

(03-10-2020 02:41 PM)odu09 Wrote:  

(03-10-2020 02:05 PM)Shadow_Son Wrote:  

(03-10-2020 01:36 PM)Ourland Wrote:  

(03-09-2020 08:22 PM)deb025 Wrote:  The tournament will be in Frisco until another city outbids it. The eastern schools better tell Greenville, Knoxville, etc . to put in a decent bid for the tournament. You can cry on a message board all day but it doesn't change anything. This topic is getting tiresome to say the least. When the tournament does move closer to the eastern schools I'm going to come on here everyday and start threads and ***** about how the tournament should be closer to Louisiana.

Yeah it has really gotten old. Eastern fans need to get over it. Judging from everything I've heard and seen, Frisco puts on a great tournament, and the money is right. Attendance is poor, but it will never be great in this conference. We have too few fans.

Play the tournament on campus, or leave it in Frisco.

I think what gets old is the eastern schools traveling 12-16 hours to a tournament and having more or equal fans of schools who are 1-4 hours in proximity who simply don't care about basketball. Not to beat a dead horse, but UNT had 4k in a 10k arena with conference title on the line. If the team in that situation was ODU, WKU, MTSU, Marshall etc, they would draw 7-10k and likely sell out, no matter the short notice. Now, its up to the programs mentioned above to get their act together and produce good teams, because they've shown if they have a shot to win it, they'll be there no matter the location. Point still stands, if the conference wants to make money and draw fans, put the dang thing close to the programs who give a rip about roundball.

The western schools don't like it when you talk with sense like this because the tournament is held in the west. Pretty simple. Nobody's going to complain when it's convenient for them. Wonder why that is.

I think it's real clear that the money is right in Frisco, and it looks like they put on a first class tournament. As someone mentioned earlier, no one else is bidding to step in and do a better job.

Unless someone else wants to take it over and do a better job, the only practical alternative is to hold these games on campus. It wouldn't favor one division over another, and it rewards the best teams. Simple solution.

Until then, drive or fly and support your team

(03-10-2020 04:15 PM)ESE84 Wrote:  These cities are not bidding. And the DFW area is probably the second best location possible for UTEP, after El Paso.

No one will argue against the tournament alternating between East and west locations provided an eastern city steps up and submits a bid like Birmingham, Frisco, and El Paso have done recently.

Apparently Hampton, VA submitted a bid in this last round, but even I would say that is not ideal at all for the conference.

So yes, bids outside of those areas are happening, they are either not high enough or the conference is not entertaining them.

(03-10-2020 09:08 PM)Ourland Wrote:  

(03-10-2020 02:41 PM)odu09 Wrote:  

(03-10-2020 02:05 PM)Shadow_Son Wrote:  

(03-10-2020 01:36 PM)Ourland Wrote:  

(03-09-2020 08:22 PM)deb025 Wrote:  The tournament will be in Frisco until another city outbids it. The eastern schools better tell Greenville, Knoxville, etc . to put in a decent bid for the tournament. You can cry on a message board all day but it doesn't change anything. This topic is getting tiresome to say the least. When the tournament does move closer to the eastern schools I'm going to come on here everyday and start threads and ***** about how the tournament should be closer to Louisiana.

Yeah it has really gotten old. Eastern fans need to get over it. Judging from everything I've heard and seen, Frisco puts on a great tournament, and the money is right. Attendance is poor, but it will never be great in this conference. We have too few fans.

Play the tournament on campus, or leave it in Frisco.

I think what gets old is the eastern schools traveling 12-16 hours to a tournament and having more or equal fans of schools who are 1-4 hours in proximity who simply don't care about basketball. Not to beat a dead horse, but UNT had 4k in a 10k arena with conference title on the line. If the team in that situation was ODU, WKU, MTSU, Marshall etc, they would draw 7-10k and likely sell out, no matter the short notice. Now, its up to the programs mentioned above to get their act together and produce good teams, because they've shown if they have a shot to win it, they'll be there no matter the location. Point still stands, if the conference wants to make money and draw fans, put the dang thing close to the programs who give a rip about roundball.

The western schools don't like it when you talk with sense like this because the tournament is held in the west. Pretty simple. Nobody's going to complain when it's convenient for them. Wonder why that is.

I think it's real clear that the money is right in Frisco, and it looks like they put on a first class tournament. As someone mentioned earlier, no one else is bidding to step in and do a better job.

Unless someone else wants to take it over and do a better job, the only practical alternative is to hold these games on campus. It wouldn't favor one division over another, and it rewards the best teams. Simple solution.

Until then, drive or fly and support your team

So why is it acceptable for fanbases to vote with non-attendance when their program isn't doing well, but it's somehow not acceptable for us to do the same for this tournament? I'm not sure that supporting something I don't like (AAU setup with popup bleachers in a FOOTBALL facility that looks terrible and embarrassing on tv, let alone the location) with my attendance helps the problem or get to a solution at all. Seems like if I have any weight at all to affect change, it would be not showing up.

But in reality, it is out of our control. And we are just out here venting possible solutions, a lot of which make sense. That's all this is. It's obvious we aren't going to change anything by typing into the void of bbs.

http://www.dothanciviccenter.org/civic-center.html



clt says move it to dothan al

I guess I don't really care where we win the Championship.

(03-11-2020 08:33 AM)ghostofclt! Wrote:  http://www.dothanciviccenter.org/civic-center.html



clt says move it to dothan al

Think they could get a court on the stage so Judy can keep playing two games at the same time?

(03-11-2020 07:20 AM)odu09 Wrote:  

(03-10-2020 09:08 PM)Ourland Wrote:  

(03-10-2020 02:41 PM)odu09 Wrote:  

(03-10-2020 02:05 PM)Shadow_Son Wrote:  

(03-10-2020 01:36 PM)Ourland Wrote:  Yeah it has really gotten old. Eastern fans need to get over it. Judging from everything I've heard and seen, Frisco puts on a great tournament, and the money is right. Attendance is poor, but it will never be great in this conference. We have too few fans.

Play the tournament on campus, or leave it in Frisco.

I think what gets old is the eastern schools traveling 12-16 hours to a tournament and having more or equal fans of schools who are 1-4 hours in proximity who simply don't care about basketball. Not to beat a dead horse, but UNT had 4k in a 10k arena with conference title on the line. If the team in that situation was ODU, WKU, MTSU, Marshall etc, they would draw 7-10k and likely sell out, no matter the short notice. Now, its up to the programs mentioned above to get their act together and produce good teams, because they've shown if they have a shot to win it, they'll be there no matter the location. Point still stands, if the conference wants to make money and draw fans, put the dang thing close to the programs who give a rip about roundball.

The western schools don't like it when you talk with sense like this because the tournament is held in the west. Pretty simple. Nobody's going to complain when it's convenient for them. Wonder why that is.

I think it's real clear that the money is right in Frisco, and it looks like they put on a first class tournament. As someone mentioned earlier, no one else is bidding to step in and do a better job.

Unless someone else wants to take it over and do a better job, the only practical alternative is to hold these games on campus. It wouldn't favor one division over another, and it rewards the best teams. Simple solution.

Until then, drive or fly and support your team

So why is it acceptable for fanbases to vote with non-attendance when their program isn't doing well, but it's somehow not acceptable for us to do the same for this tournament? I'm not sure that supporting something I don't like (AAU setup with popup bleachers in a FOOTBALL facility that looks terrible and embarrassing on tv, let alone the location) with my attendance helps the problem or get to a solution at all. Seems like if I have any weight at all to affect change, it would be not showing up.

But in reality, it is out of our control. And we are just out here venting possible solutions, a lot of which make sense. That's all this is. It's obvious we aren't going to change anything by typing into the void of bbs.

That can't really be your excuse for protest. If you guys love basketball like you say, something as trivial as the court setup and venue shouldn't be a determining factor as to whether or not you attend.

(03-11-2020 11:08 AM)Nugget49er Wrote:  I guess I don't really care where we win the Championship.

This is my opinion although my preference is UAB.

People keep talking about the money in Frisco. Is there a link somewhere showing what we are getting for this? So that 300 people can show up? I watched FIU / Rice with a buddy who had been in the SoCon tourney in AVL the week before and he was cracking on CUSA so hard for attendance to be a "better" league.

I'd love Asheville, but we would have to figure out how to do that with the SoCon. As far as saying Charlotte is not a destination city or whatever, the ACC tournament and CIAA tournaments have done extremely well here. There is a LOT to do. If the other CUSA schools don't want to come, I don't know what to tell you.

(03-11-2020 12:15 PM)ODU2K1 Wrote:  

(03-11-2020 08:33 AM)ghostofclt! Wrote:  http://www.dothanciviccenter.org/civic-center.html



clt says move it to dothan al

Think they could get a court on the stage so Judy can keep playing two games at the same time?

clt loves this idea. Cusa could set up nerf hoops on the stage for pods 2-4

(03-10-2020 04:15 PM)ESE84 Wrote:  These cities are not bidding. And the DFW area is probably the second best location possible for UTEP, after El Paso.

No one will argue against the tournament alternating between East and west locations provided an eastern city steps up and submits a bid like Birmingham, Frisco, and El Paso have done recently.

It will eventually return to El Paso down the line as UTEP Athletic Director Jim Senter has already expressed interest in trying to bring the C-USA Basketball Tournaments back to El Paso.

The reason El Paso has not bid for the tournaments lately is because Rodney Terry needs to restore the basketball team to winning again as the program has been down in mediocrity. Once that happens the fans will come back with higher attendance numbers.

El Paso is in the process a building a new downtown arena but a local UTEP history professor and historian named Max Grossman has been trying to deny the city the chance to build it as he claims the area for the planned arena is a historical site that should be preserved. Voters approved the building of the arena in downtown in 2012, yet no progress has been made in building it because of Grossman’s lawsuits against the city. Ultimately the city should prevail, I personally think Grossman is an idiot wasting everyone’s time trying to delay the project.

Although even if El Paso doesn’t have the new arena completed yet the tournaments could still be hosted in the Don Haskins Center for the Men’s tournament and Memorial Gym for the Women’s tournament as it did in 2011 and 2014.

Being that C-USA wants to be able to have the women's and men's tournament at the same location, it places certain logistics on hosting the event.

Once North Texas builds our new basketball arena, we will be able to host the conference tournament. The new arena will have between 6 and 7 thousands seat, with luxury boxes. Plus, we will still have access to the Super Pit which seats over 9,700. The two facilities will be located within walking distance of each other, just across the bridge that connects the main campus to the athletic village. And, if we need a third court, we still have the Snake Pit, which seats 5,500, right next to the the Super Pit. Both facilities should look good on TV, and it would be better than playing the tournament with a curtain between the courts.

I expect Birmingham to bid on the tournament again in 2022 after the $100M renovation of Legacy Arena is complete.

(04-07-2020 11:23 PM)hooverblazer Wrote:  I expect Birmingham to bid on the tournament again in 2022 after the $100M renovation of Legacy Arena is complete.

Only if:

1. UAB Basketball is relevant in Birmingham again and,

2. CUSA Basketball shows significant improvement.

Otherwise, Judy needs to move the tourney to the site of the regular season champs or play each game at the site of the highest seeded team.

(04-08-2020 06:43 AM)HiddenDragon Wrote:  

(04-07-2020 11:23 PM)hooverblazer Wrote:  I expect Birmingham to bid on the tournament again in 2022 after the $100M renovation of Legacy Arena is complete.

Only if:

1. UAB Basketball is relevant in Birmingham again and,

2. CUSA Basketball shows significant improvement.

Otherwise, Judy needs to move the tourney to the site of the regular season champs or play each game at the site of the highest seeded team.

I think that B’ham’s bid or any other city’s bid will come down to the projected economic impact that the tournament brings. Does anyone know how much money that the tournament has brought in to the local economy the last couple of years?

(04-08-2020 07:16 AM)MAN4UAB Wrote:  

(04-08-2020 06:43 AM)HiddenDragon Wrote:  

(04-07-2020 11:23 PM)hooverblazer Wrote:  I expect Birmingham to bid on the tournament again in 2022 after the $100M renovation of Legacy Arena is complete.

Only if:

1. UAB Basketball is relevant in Birmingham again and,

2. CUSA Basketball shows significant improvement.

Otherwise, Judy needs to move the tourney to the site of the regular season champs or play each game at the site of the highest seeded team.

I think that B’ham’s bid or any other city’s bid will come down to the projected economic impact that the tournament brings. Does anyone know how much money that the tournament has brought in to the local economy the last couple of years?

Those games in Frisco, TX ain't drawing large crowds at all. Maybe a better analysis would be looking at the economic impact the tourney had in cities prior to the games being moved to Frisco.