It wouldn't matter where it was held if we were a 3-4 bid league. I probably made the trip to El Paso if I knew the Niners had a chance of winning. We all need to focus on the quality of our basketball programs.

Biloxi... You heard it here first.

(03-14-2014 07:36 AM)WKUFan518 Wrote:  Noticing the last fews season in the conf. touranment landscape you are almost cursed to play on your home floor during a conf. touranment...Look at all the teams that have lost on their home floor this season during conf. tournament time....The lower conf. have teams hosts every game as they progress in conf. tournament, but it still does not matter as they still lose 9 times out of 10 on their home floor....I think it doubles the pressure of conf. tournament time for the home team and the players cannot handle it most of the time.....

Really interesting note: In strictly on-campus tournaments (higher seed hosts each round), home teams are 0-5 in conference championship games so far this year. It definitely prevents upsets in the early rounds. but the advantage dissipates when the championship round comes and the home team faces a comparable opponent or a really hot lower seed who has won a couple games on the road already.

As far as tournament hosts go, Belmont lost their championship game in Nashville. CCU won the Big South tourney that they hosted. Being near home helped a low-seed Western Carolina get to their championship game but they lost.

Historically, with C-USA, it is difficult to assume anything because Memphis was always the superior team and either won at home or beat the host.

Memphis just lost on their homecourt last night....Belmont did not play on their home court in Nashville.....We did not host the SB tournament often but when we did we usually lost, I think only one year in 2003 did we win on home floor...

(03-13-2014 11:36 PM)stanman505 Wrote:  I will be there tomorrow even though UTEP is out. I have been to every session. It is what you do to support your city and school.

This.

(03-14-2014 08:27 AM)shiftyeagle Wrote:  Every conference tournament I've seen so far has bad crowds unless the host team is playing. If that's how they do the tournament.

Lets be honest here. When the host team isn't playing has there ever really been good game attendance for the CUSA2.0+ tournament? Given the relatively small fan bases and the spread out nature of the league, it's really not a shock.

(03-14-2014 08:56 AM)wh49er Wrote:  It wouldn't matter where it was held if we were a 3-4 bid league. I probably made the trip to El Paso if I knew the Niners had a chance of winning. We all need to focus on the quality of our basketball programs.

I disagree. The MWC will likely only get two schools in the dance and their conference tournament has sick crowds. Last night looked totally full for New Mexico and Fresno St and it was a quarterfinal!

Granted, the games are being played in Las Vegas. I'm not sure any city in CUSA can compete with Vegas but New Orleans probably comes close.

I look at it from the opposite perspective. Because of the fact that CUSA is a one bid league, it makes it that much more important that the Conference tournament be in a tourist city on a neutral floor. For most of us, this IS the tournament.

(03-14-2014 10:41 AM)blunderbuss Wrote:  

(03-14-2014 08:27 AM)shiftyeagle Wrote:  Every conference tournament I've seen so far has bad crowds unless the host team is playing. If that's how they do the tournament.

Lets be honest here. When the host team isn't playing has there ever really been good game attendance for the CUSA2.0+ tournament? Given the relatively small fan bases and the spread out nature of the league, it's really not a shock.

yepper....that is why I like Biloxi, Nola, or Charlotte as future hosts...all those venues would generate tourism revenue....nobody east of the tx/la border is going to travel to El Paso...just like nobody would want to travel to HBG

...and I love b'ham, but it just doesn't have that 'it' factor IMO

I am not aware...do we know the location for next year yet?

(03-14-2014 10:51 AM)Fitbud Wrote:  

(03-14-2014 08:56 AM)wh49er Wrote:  It wouldn't matter where it was held if we were a 3-4 bid league. I probably made the trip to El Paso if I knew the Niners had a chance of winning. We all need to focus on the quality of our basketball programs.

I disagree. The MWC will likely only get two schools in the dance and their conference tournament has sick crowds. Last night looked totally full for New Mexico and Fresno St and it was a quarterfinal!

Granted, the games are being played in Las Vegas. I'm not sure any city in CUSA can compete with Vegas but New Orleans probably comes close.

I look at it from the opposite perspective. Because of the fact that CUSA is a one bid league, it makes it that much more important that the Conference tournament be in a tourist city on a neutral floor. For most of us, this IS the tournament.

There is a big difference in fan support between CUSA and the MWC. Look at the attendance numbers and you will see that the MWC has 6-7 teams that average more than 8k for their home games. They really support basketball and have a long tradition of strong basketball teams in the MWC. That is why their attendance is so strong. Having the tournament in basketball crazy Las Vegas doesn't hurt either.

(03-14-2014 11:41 AM)stanman505 Wrote:  

(03-14-2014 10:51 AM)Fitbud Wrote:  

(03-14-2014 08:56 AM)wh49er Wrote:  It wouldn't matter where it was held if we were a 3-4 bid league. I probably made the trip to El Paso if I knew the Niners had a chance of winning. We all need to focus on the quality of our basketball programs.

I disagree. The MWC will likely only get two schools in the dance and their conference tournament has sick crowds. Last night looked totally full for New Mexico and Fresno St and it was a quarterfinal!

Granted, the games are being played in Las Vegas. I'm not sure any city in CUSA can compete with Vegas but New Orleans probably comes close.

I look at it from the opposite perspective. Because of the fact that CUSA is a one bid league, it makes it that much more important that the Conference tournament be in a tourist city on a neutral floor. For most of us, this IS the tournament.

There is a big difference in fan support between CUSA and the MWC. Look at the attendance numbers and you will see that the MWC has 6-7 teams that average more than 8k for their home games. They really support basketball and have a long tradition of strong basketball teams in the MWC. That is why their attendance is so strong. Having the tournament in basketball crazy Las Vegas doesn't hurt either.

This is surprising to me since CUSA was sold to us as a basketball conference.

I always thought that MWC was a football conference and CUSA was a basketball conference.

The logic given to us locally was the UTEP was a basketball school and therefore better suited for CUSA than MWC.

This information pretty much puts that theory on it's head.

Nashville and Charlotte make the most sense. Problem is they have the SEC and ACC respectively. Other central options could include Memphis, Birmingham, Atlanta... Biloxi and NoLa are a bit far for the east and Fla teams, but its better than El Paso. Or we could rotate and do Norfolk/VB, Jacksonville, Nashville and San Antonio.

El Paso will always be in the rotation. Probably once every three years.

Wall of Academic Excellence

(03-14-2014 02:47 PM)mistabinks Wrote:  El Paso will always be in the rotation. Probably once every three years.

I would rather have a central location than somewhere like El Paso. Maybe Dallas or San Antonio would be a better Texas choice, to get more schools with easier access.

(03-14-2014 03:56 PM)Ole Blue Wrote:  

(03-14-2014 02:47 PM)mistabinks Wrote:  El Paso will always be in the rotation. Probably once every three years.

I would rather have a central location than somewhere like El Paso. Maybe Dallas or San Antonio would be a better Texas choice, to get more schools with easier access.

I have no doubt a central location will get a shot. I doubt it will ever go to a neutral spot. Still, there is little doubt that it will be back in El Paso in three years if not sooner.

No dog in the hunt but uptown Charlotte is a no brainer. They will start rotating the acc out of greensboro some with the new teams in the acc.

(03-14-2014 12:24 PM)Fitbud Wrote:  This is surprising to me since CUSA was sold to us as a basketball conference.

I always thought that MWC was a football conference and CUSA was a basketball conference.

The logic given to us locally was the UTEP was a basketball school and therefore better suited for CUSA than MWC.

This information pretty much puts that theory on it's head.

CUSA hasn't been a basketball conference since UL, Marquette, St. Louis, DePaul, and Cincinnati left. The potential was there to remain somewhat of a basketball conference but Memphis killed that hope by completely dominating CUSA until they left.

(03-13-2014 11:16 PM)Thegoldstandard Wrote:  Southern Miss is submitting a bid to host at Biloxi

it's a no brainer.....should have it there on a rotational basis....

I'd love to visit the area.