Conference tournament play starts on Monday with the Patriot League. Tuesday begins the Horizon and A-Sun tourneys.
jmanny24 said:What do you think about the SWAC getting an exemption to have its ineligible teams compete in the conference tournament? The auto-bid will go to the eligible team that goes the furthest and if all eligible teams get eliminated in the same round the bid goes to the highest-seeded eligible team. Just wild.
mabrowndog said:Northeast Conference
All games at U.S. Cellular Center, Asheville NC ... The field consists of the top 8 teams, meaning LIU-Brooklyn and Sacred Heart failed to qualify ... All games hosted by higher seed ... Teams are re-seeded after quarterfinals ... All times Eastern (clocks change for daylight savings time on 3/9, which is mid-tournament) ... The quarterfinal between Mount St. Mary's and St. Francis NY will be broadcast on MSG+2, Fox College Sports and Root Pittsburgh. No other quarterfinals will be televised ... The semifinals will air on MSG+ and Fox College Sports.
Quarterfinals (Wed, March 5th)
07:00 pm - #1 Robert Morris vs #8 Fairleigh-Dickinson
07:00 pm - #2 Wagner vs #7 Central Connecticut
07:00 pm - #3 Bryant vs #6 St. Francis (PA)
07:00 pm - #4 Mount St. Mary's vs #5 St. Francis (NY)
Semifinals (Sat, March 8th)
12:00 pm - Lowest Remaining Seed at Highest Remaining Seed
02:00 pm - Lowest Remaining Seed at Highest Remaining Seed
Championship (Tue, March 11th)
07:00 pm - Lowest Remaining Seed at Highest Remaining Seed (ESPN or ESPN2)
jsinger121 said:
NEC Tournament is a conference site tournament.
As a Quinnipiac alum i'd like to take the title this year but I am not sure they can do it.RedOctober3829 said:Hope it's an Iona\Manhattan final in the MAAC. They've played 2 real good game against each other.
Yes I do too. I have to make my annual donation because I suck at picking. I should just either pick names out of a hat or go by team colors.DrewDawg said:I used to love conference tourney time when I was in college (and the few years after I left). A group of us would get a hotel room, sometimes in the same hotel multiple teams and/or cheerleaders were in, stuff 6 or 7 guys in that room, and just have a blast.
Growing up sucks.
EDIT: This also means the college basketball pool is right around the corner. I hope Murfman is doing that again.
Plantiers Wart said:Why on earth is the MAAC playing their tourney in Springfield??
And who is the host school??
"The MAAC Council of Presidents have unanimously voted to accept the bid from Springfield, Massachusetts to host the 2012-14 Men's and Women's Basketball Championships at the MassMutual Center," MAAC Commissioner Rich Ensor stated. The decision concludes an 18-month process that was assisted by services of consultant Rich Oriolo from Stafford Sports, LLC, which is headquartered in Medford, N.J.
"In reaching its decision, the Council concluded it is time to take the championships to a neutral site," Ensor noted. "The MAAC has built the event to the level where the next step in its evolution is a neutral arena in a destination city. In Springfield, the MAAC membership can grow the championship in an environment that favors no single program because of location, and presents its fans the opportunity to enjoy the Basketball Hall of Fame and the amenities of the Pioneer Valley.
"The coaches and administrators had expressed to the Council and league office during the selection process that home sites have become too big of a playing and recruiting advantage for the host school. This is understandable, and speaks to the increased competitiveness of the MAAC. It seems appropriate and financially sustainable to move beyond the comfortable confines of an arena with a home school fan base. I would note that the MassMutual Center and the Local Organizing Committee have guaranteed the league its best ever financial result.
"Springfield was my individual preference for a neutral site as it is the perfect market for the event as the league moves from a home school arena. It has a proven track record in hosting neutral site events, an established LOC with strong corporate tie-ins to the local community, and the valuable asset of the Basketball Hall of Fame, which is offering the MAAC use of its facilities for the championships and a permanent exhibit on MAAC basketball for the duration of the hosting agreement. This association with the Basketball Hall of Fame offers the MAAC the opportunity to be directly associated with the history of the sport and provides the MAAC and its institutions with unique branding within the college basketball community,"
The decision to return to Albany and the Times Union Center, Siena's home court, was a unanimous vote by MAAC Council of Presidents at their May 28 meeting in New York City, the league announced Wednesday.
In 2013, the MAAC generated over $2.3 million in economic fan activity in Springfield as calculated by an UMass Isenberg School of Business Economic Impact Study. That figure did not account for the approximately $15,000 a day in travel, housing and meal expenses associated with each of the 20 visiting teams in Springfield.
With the expansion to 11 member schools in 2014, and the return to Albany in 2015, the economic impact is expected to grow considerably, the league said.
The tournament drew 14,394 last year and about 17,000 the year before. The smallest attendance in Albany was 23,000 over the course of a tournament and the average was in the 30,000 range, said conference commissioner Rich Ensor said Wednesday in a phone interview.
“It wasn’t horrible, it just wasn’t what we were used to,” Ensor said. “We knew we were going to take a hit when we went to a neutral site. But we just couldn’t make an impact with the fan base in Springfield. There were a lot of reasons. Umass’ basketball season is still going on . There is a lot of high school basketball.”
Ensor said MAAC fans didn’t travel to Springfield as expected. One reason was that Siena, located near Albany and the league’s biggest hoops draw, suffered some down years.
“Maybe a strong Siena team would have helped,” he said.
The MAAC tournament lost money at the MassMutual Center in Springfield because attendance was disappointing, said Matthew Hollander, general manager for the center.
The minimum bid to keep the tournament was a $250,000 guarantee from the host to the league. For this bid, because of those financial losses that Hollander declined to detail, Springfield organizers made that $250,000 bid contingent on attendance.
“The bid was going to have to change form a high guarantee to a shared model plus a splitting of the upside,” John L. Doleva, president and CEO of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. “The guarantee was there to be there to be earned. But it was going to have to be more of a partnership.”
RedOctober3829 said:America East Quarterfinals
#8 UNH opened up a 27-19 lead on #1 Vermont but UVM finished the half on a 16-0 run to hold a 35-27 lead.
No I'm not. Wish I was.Plantiers Wart said:
Are you in Albany?
Might shoot up tomorrow for Hartford game if they win tonight.
RedOctober3829 said:In the Big South semis, #4S Winthrop's Cinderella run continues. After beating #1N High Point last night, they beat #2S UNC-Asheville this afternoon 80-79 to advance to the championship game. They will meet the winner of VMI-Coastal Carolina tomorrow for the automatic NCAA bid.
mabrowndog said:Northeast #6 St. Francis PA (10-20) trying to upset #1 Robert Morris, up just 20-15 at halftime. An atrocious shooting half for both teams (SF 31%, RMU 25%). Only 7 fouls called combined, and just one free throw was attempted (and made, by RMU).
2nd half just underway in Pittsburgh.
EDIT - The Colonials trailed at one point 20-11, but they're on a 15-2 run and now lead 26-22 just 4:00 into the 2nd half. Looks like Coach Toole ripped them a new asshole at the break.