MBB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[woosterbooster]

I've always wondered how that change to class basketball came about.  Was it the powers-that-be at the top who made the decision on their own, or was there some complaining down below from the small schools?  Not an Indiana person, but always thought the old way was really cool.

[Li'l Giant]

The lore of Indiana basketball is that every school had a chance to win, and compete against the big boys. That's lost now. People really cared, and the sectionals were battles of pride - or watching to see if David could slay Goliath.

How often did David actually win those games?

I can see the point you're making. But I also see the argument that even the best of the small school teams has no realistic chance to win anything. I guess because I grew up someplace with classes it seems to make more sense.

Wouldn't that be like having one big tournament for the NCAA with D3 teams playing the DI teams? I doubt anyone would really want that.

[smedindy]

Actually no. L & M - so small it doesn't exist anymore - went to the Final 8. Oregon-Davis went to the final 8. Shenandoah and Argos went to the final 4. Milan won, remember. Cloverdale went to the final 4 - so did Bainbridge. It happened!

What happened is that the smaller schools wanted trophies in their cases. Oh, they SAID it was to make things fairer and reduce blowouts. Well, guess what? The good teams still win the trophies and there are just as many blowouts.

[diehardfan]

I've always wondered how that change to class basketball came about.  Was it the powers-that-be at the top who made the decision on their own, or was there some complaining down below from the small schools?  Not an Indiana person, but always thought the old way was really cool.

My idle speculation would be about the same time they lowered the standards for the SAT. And well anything in general. Cause adversity has never helped anyone accomplish anything. 

[realist]

I grew up in MN.   In the early 60's (and before that) they did not have classes, but it does now.  In both 1960, and 1961 they had a team from Edgerton MN. win the state championship.  Edgerton is a town in SW MN and had a population of about 1,000.  It also had a public, and a private high school.
Yes, a school from a small town could win it all.  It didn't hurt Edgerton to have several players 6'6" plus, and the kids had played together since k-garden.  However, the point is well made it doesn't happen often.
On tourney site selection.  Think back to 05.  Albion in the MIAA hosted a sweet 16, and it had probably the smallest facility of the 4 teams.  Calvin with a 4,500 seat facility has hosted the sweet 16 once (00) in it's 4 trips to the final 4.. 

[David Collinge]

On tourney site selection.  Think back to 05.  Albion in the MIAA hosted a sweet 16, and it had probably the smallest facility of the 4 teams.  Calvin with a 4,500 seat facility has hosted the sweet 16 once (00) in it's 4 trips to the final 4.. 

Albion's Kresge Gym may have been the smallest of the four sectional teams, but it's big enough (1400).  I don't think site selection is ever made based on who has the best facility.  There's a go/no-go decision on the facility, and after that, the site selections are based on seeding and travel.  Anyway, Calvin (one of the teams at that sectional) was unavailable to host as they were hosting a women's sectional that weekend.

And please don't ask me to think about Albion in 2005 again! 

[sac]

Albion's Kresge Gym may have been the smallest of the four sectional teams, but it's big enough (1400).  I don't think site selection is ever made based on who has the best facility.  There's a go/no-go decision on the facility, and after that, the site selections are based on seeding and travel.  Anyway, Calvin (one of the teams at that sectional) was unavailable to host as they were hosting a women's sectional that weekend.

Don't forget though the NCAA allowed a split session in the sweet 16 games to accomodate all the Calvin and Albion fans, both games were sold out if not darn close.  Thats not a normal NCAA operation, although I seem to remember a couple other sites getting similar treatment.

[Titan Q]

Is Albion's gym smaller than Alexander Gymnasium at Lawrence (a 2006 sectional site)?  That was the smallest gym I've ever seen a sectional at, and that includes Chicago's old Henry Crown Fieldhouse.  Video below...


http://europa.iwu.edu:8080/ramgen/news/IWU_on_ESPN.rm
(start player at 2:23)

[sac]

Q--they are remarkably similar, right down to the wall on the one side of the floor.  I think Albion holds a few more people though, but not many more.

http://www.albion.edu/sports/wbasketball/kresge.asp

There is no picture of the interior on Albion's site that I could find.  If you can imagine a gym in that building, you can see its a pretty small place.


Incidently the ESPN announcer at the beginning of your story is Matt Winer who spent a few years at WOOD TV-8 in  Grand Rapids.  He was assigned to follow Hope through its tournament run in 1996, possibly 98.

[Titan Q]

The exteriors are even similar, sac...

http://www.lawrence.edu/about/tour/alexander.shtml

[smedindy]

Of course, New Castle High School's gym seats over 9,000. Yawn....

Heh...

[petewitt54]

Kentucky still has one class.  The sixteen regional winners go to Rupp Arena in Lexington to play for the state title.  Its a really great environment.

[Gregory Sager]

We're trying to get those early rounds referred to as regionals.

I'll try my best with that, but for Ohioans it might be a little tough.  The Ohio high school hoops tournament goes "sectional" then "district" then "regional" (then state/final four.)  I had to train myself to call the weekend before the D3 final four "sectionals" rather than "regionals," and that was hard enough.  Having "regional" winners advance to "sectionals" is just counter-intuitive to me. 

It's second nature for me, as in the old 32-team format the first two rounds of the D3 tourney were referred to as "regionals".

[jscwittfan]

Latest top 25 is out, and it's a mixed bag for the NCAC teams.  Wooster moves back up in the rankings, claiming the #3 spot.  However, Wittenberg, after their blowout loss to OWU, falls ten spots in the rankings to land at #16.

[gotigers]

Latest top 25 is out, and it's a mixed bag for the NCAC teams.  Wooster moves back up in the rankings, claiming the #3 spot.  However, Wittenberg, after their blowout loss to OWU, falls ten spots in the rankings to land at #16.

but is that really a suprise? i mean i expected them out of the top ten. OWU "walked" (pun intended) all over witt

reminds me of a certain national championship game that took place on jan 8. ugh that was a horrible game.