(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.

Historically speaking, unless you are the SEC, ACC etc, A large percentage of fans who attend a conference basketball tournament are retirees. Adults who no longer have full time jobs they have to negotiate time off for, who no longer have kids at home that they have to keep occupied, and like taking small vacations together as a couple.

Someone like WKUG is a great example of the type fans a conference brings in to the tournament. He travels to WKU games all the time, and is going to spend the entire tournament at one place.

The thing people don't understand is, there's very little chance we will be able to attract younger fans to our conference tournament simply because none of us have the jobs that we can just take a week off to go to a basketball tournament. Especially if we intend to take time off for football and other sports. Student attendance requires schools to be on Break, so scratch that. That leaves it imperative that we fire up locals about the games. Simply put, we're never going to be able to do that in New Orleans. Even trying is foolhardy. We're not the SEC, we're not even the Missouri Valley or the MAC, both established basketball centric leagues that have been able to make an event out of their tournaments. We'd be far better off not trying to emulate them, but forging our own path.

I will admit, the format next year is the best chance at getting fans. Just 4 teams over a weekend at Smoothie King, so its easier to get folks there, but then there's the entire of issue of traveling on short notice, so who knows.

Maybe the problem is simply our fans. But, when I see over 10k packing an arena in Evansville, IN (neutral site), last night, for the Ohio Valley tournament final there has to be a better alternative to playing in an empty arena in New Orleans. I doubt the Smoothie Center works much better, unless a team with a big fanbase (not sure who fits that description) and relatively close proximity knows, at least, a couple of week in advance that they will be a one or 2 seed (highly unlikely).

I think New Orleans is a great location. I like that it's moving to Smoothie King Center next year. Much higher profile location. If the Sun Belt does decide to move it, it needs to be another destination/vacation location.

In terms of attendance, it will be impossible to convince fans to book a long weekend trip to a non destination city to possibly watch their team get bounced in the first round. At least in New Orleans or as someone else suggested Orlando, if your team gets bounced early you have a lot of other entertainment options to occupy the rest of your vacation.

We're also not a major basketball conference, so trying to generate as much fan interest as a major conference is going to be tough.

(03-10-2019 12:21 PM)TXSTRiverBobcat Wrote:  I think New Orleans is a great location. I like that it's moving to Smoothie King Center next year. Much higher profile location. If the Sun Belt does decide to move it, it needs to be another destination/vacation location.

In terms of attendance, it will be impossible to convince fans to book a long weekend trip to a non destination city to possibly watch their team get bounced in the first round. At least in New Orleans or as someone else suggested Orlando, if your team gets bounced early you have a lot of other entertainment options to occupy the rest of your vacation.

We're also not a major basketball conference, so trying to generate as much fan interest as a major conference is going to be tough.

_____________________________________________

There you go.

It was fine in Hot Springs. A small tourist town with stuff to do for a couple days in the spring. The arena wasn't the best but for us it was good enough. Also, the town was fully behind it. The tournament helped the small businesses and the locals were interested enough to come watch a game or two.

The problem with New Orleans is that it is a big city and we are a mid major conference. I hate being realistic but I don't know we are going to get butts in the seats at New Orleans. If you want good attendance for a mid major conference tourney, you got to take it to a smaller town like Hot Springs or Biloxi.

Would it be possible to have half bracket be played at #1 seed's court and the other half played at #2 seed's court? Then championship game at highest seed? You'd take away some of the automatic byes but #1 and #2 would get pretty weak teams in round 2.

Georgia State host
Tuesday #8 vs #9
Wednesday winner vs #1
Wednesday #4 vs #5
Thursday winners

Georgia Southern host
Tuesday #7 vs #10
Wednesday winner vs #2
Wednesday #3 vs #6
Thursday winners

Saturday or Sunday - highest seed host championship game

(03-11-2019 10:13 AM)MobileBama1 Wrote:  Would it be possible to have half bracket be played at #1 seed's court and the other half played at #2 seed's court? Then championship game at highest seed? You'd take away some of the automatic byes but #1 and #2 would get pretty weak teams in round 2.

Georgia State host
Tuesday #8 vs #9
Wednesday winner vs #1
Wednesday #4 vs #5
Thursday winners

Georgia Southern host
Tuesday #7 vs #10
Wednesday winner vs #2
Wednesday #3 vs #6
Thursday winners

Saturday or Sunday - highest seed host championship game

I don't see how that solves the issue of attendance though. Georgia Southern fans aren't going to come out and watch unless it's a game we are playing in, and fans of the other Sun Belt schools aren't more likely to travel to Statesboro than they would be to travel to New Orleans.

The best thing to do would be to put it somewhere that would bring out the locals more than relying on fan bases to travel. Mobile does a good job of generating local interest in the DG bowl. We need something like that.

Niceville, FL, was a good choice. Sunny, spring break, retirees, not "outside" the footprint.

Home sites until the final four is not a bad idea. Let's see how it works.

It should move away from New Orleans, but I'm not sure attendance will be very good in most cities. Very few of our schools can get more than 2,000 people to show up to a home game so it's very doubtful they will travel long distance for the tourney. Finding a smaller city that will completely embrace the tournament should be job #1. That isn't going to happen in a big city like NO or Atlanta. Chattanooga would probably be a good place to start. The locals show up for basketball, the city has experience hosting athletics events, and there is a decent number of things to do there now. The arena isn't the nicest, but it isn't bad either.

Move it to Montgomery, along with baseball and the bowl game. League offices should move there are well.[/u]

(03-14-2019 01:14 PM)Usajags Wrote:  Move it to Montgomery, along with baseball and the bowl game. League offices should move there are well.[/u]

Moving the conference office out of the Superdome would be the sure-fire quickest way to lose a bowl tie-in there. Without a doubt.

Here's an out of the box idea.. Let's move it to Mobile. We could use the Mitchell Center at USA and also use the Civic Center downtown. They will need to replace the floor, but then 2 games could go on at the same time.

Chattanooga, TN
Montgomery, AL
Greenville, SC
Winston Salem, NC (if ACC is not in NC that year)
Mobile, AL
Columbus, GA


Those are some site that I feel the locals would get into the tourney.

(03-14-2019 12:22 PM)JTApps1 Wrote:  It should move away from New Orleans, but I'm not sure attendance will be very good in most cities. Very few of our schools can get more than 2,000 people to show up to a home game so it's very doubtful they will travel long distance for the tourney. Finding a smaller city that will completely embrace the tournament should be job #1. That isn't going to happen in a big city like NO or Atlanta. Chattanooga would probably be a good place to start. The locals show up for basketball, the city has experience hosting athletics events, and there is a decent number of things to do there now. The arena isn't the nicest, but it isn't bad either.

When it was played in Mobile before, the attendance was very good. I'm not advocating it being moved. Just saying. Personally, I'm against it being played in Montgomery. I think it's staying in N.O. for a while. Surprised no one has mentioned Jackson, MS, or have they?

I wonder how it’d do in Biloxi. They hosted a couple times in the early 90’s. They got a new minor league baseball team a few year ago and they’ve supported it well. I wonder what support they’d show for the Sun Belt tournament these days?

(03-15-2019 10:16 AM)Yosef Himself Wrote:  Chattanooga, TN
Montgomery, AL
Greenville, SC
Winston Salem, NC (if ACC is not in NC that year)
Mobile, AL
Columbus, GA


Those are some site that I feel the locals would get into the tourney.

As a Columbus, Ga native I don't know we would support it. Columbus views Tech on the same level as Southern, State and Troy. All those have campuses within 3 hours with Troy having around 7 campuses in that range including the main campus. It would really depend on how Southern, State and Troy fans support it. Plus I'm assuming you're talking about playing it in the Civic Center.

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Screw it, let's do it at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Free admission to those who already bought NBA tickets. Go big or go home.