MBB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[woosterbooster]

I was speaking of the $10 price.  And, yes, I understand that for the semis you get to see two games.  Furthermore, if those games are at Wooster, I'll still be going.  Still, I contend that it's a bit pricey, and that it will no doubt keep a certain percentage of possible attendees from coming.

[ScotsFan]

Anybody NOT going to a game tonight because of the $7?  If the answer is no, then no, it's not too steep.  

I wasn't talking about tonight's game being too steep.  If I don't go tonight it's because I don't want to deal with the cold and snow.  Not because of the cost of the ticket which is only a dollar more than what Wooster charges for regular season games.  

I was talking about the $10 they will be charging for the semis and finals.  And while I will still pay the $10 if Wooster wins tonight, there are a lot of casual fans that might choose to stay home or go to a high school game instead because, they too feel $10 might be asking a tad much for a D3 basketball game.  And judging from last year's attendance for a Witt/Woo NCAC final of just over 2000, I'd say that is a pretty accurate assessment.  

EDIT:  WB beat me to the punch... 

[wally_wabash]

$7 for one game is fine, but $10 for two games is over the line?  Come on guys...I know you're better at math than that. 

There's no way this can be a shock to long time Wooster fans.  Before the season even starts, if you're a Wooster fan, you KNOW that Wooster will be hosting a quarterfinal game and there's an awfully good chance that they will be hosting the last two rounds as well.  You also know that the league office makes you pay to watch these games.  So if you're a Wooster die-hard, you're probably gonna want to squirrel away $20 bucks for tournament time...can use the extra few bucks to get yourself a soda between the two semifinal games.   

[woosterbooster]

$7 for one game is fine, but $10 for two games is over the line?  Come on guys...I know you're better at math than that. 

There's no way this can be a shock to long time Wooster fans.  Before the season even starts, if you're a Wooster fan, you KNOW that Wooster will be hosting a quarterfinal game and there's an awfully good chance that they will be hosting the last two rounds as well.  You also know that the league office makes you pay to watch these games.  So if you're a Wooster die-hard, you're probably gonna want to squirrel away $20 bucks for tournament time...can use the extra few bucks to get yourself a soda between the two semifinal games.   

As you certainly well know, there is a large segment among any team's fan base that could care less about the first game of doubleheaders, the game not involving their home team.  That's the case in the early season tournaments at Wooster, where the crowd for those initial contests is probably only 20-25% the size of the nitecap.  This remains true for the NCAC semifinals, although perhaps the percentage of attendance at the early game increases.  So the fact that there will be two games, for the majority of fans, is irrelevant.  It's $10 to see Wooster play, and for some, that's a bit of money these days.

Luckily for me, when talking $10, that's not a factor.  But for everyone, there is a line in the sand, somewhere, that they either can't afford to cross or choose not to on principle.  For me, it's professional baseball.  (I could care less about the NFL and NBA)  They've pretty much priced me out of their market.  I'll go to a couple of games a year, but at $40-$50 and up for a decent seat, being a regular attendee, which I would love, is out of the question.

[wally_wabash]

If Wooster fans don't want to take advantage of the full $10 session on Friday, that's their choice.  I just don't think there's a legitimate gripe there.  This ticket policy has been used by the league for a number of years now...it's not a surprise and it's not egregiously priced, else they wouldn't be able to sell any tickets. 

[ScotsFan]

If Wooster fans don't want to take advantage of the full $10 session on Friday, that's their choice.  I just don't think there's a legitimate gripe there.  This ticket policy has been used by the league for a number of years now...it's not a surprise and it's not egregiously priced, else they wouldn't be able to sell any tickets. 

I won't be going to the first game and you're right, it's my choice.  I'm personally not going to raise a fuss over the cost of the tickets.  But I'm also more than a casual fan and I'm usually going to these games sans the family.  I'm simply pointing out that casual fans might see $10 as a bit steep.  Especially when you factor in those that would like to bring their entire families.  If I took my family, we're talking in excess of $40 once you add in food and drinks for everyone.  And that might be a bit more than what many people are willing to shell out for a D3 basketball game in these tough economic times. 

As I said, I think last year's low attendance figures for a Witt/Woo final (over 1/3 smaller than an average Witt/Woo game) pretty much validifies what I'm trying to convey.  You may not think it's that much of a difference, but you are more than an average fan of D3 basketball. 

[smedindy]

Same thing with the D-3 playoffs. Paying for tickets means less fans.

[ScotsFan]

Looks like I was wrong about CPI not providing video for tonight's game.  A video link has been added on Wooster's website:

#8 Allegheny at #1 Wooster, 7:30pm --  Live stats  Video  Audio

Looks like wsf will be able to watch the game from the warmth of the South Carolina beaches after all!   

And even more reason for me to probably just stay home and watch the game in front of the fire!   

[wally_wabash]

Charging for these games probably prices out the casual fans, but I don't think the league office is particularly concerned about jamming the house for these tournament games.  I won't even pretend to know what it costs the league to put on this tournament and how much of that cost is offset by the gate revenue, but they seem to have set a price point that makes sense for them, the casual fan and arena atmosphere be damned. 

[smedindy]

Does the NCAC foot the bill for the transportation, food and lodging for the tournament? That may be a big factor in the price point. With fuel costs increasing, if the NCAC foots the bus bill, that could be the reason for the increase.

[pennstghs]

I'll provide my recap from the interesting Wittenberg/Denison tilt tonight, hopefully the Witt of the first 7/8ths of the season shows up instead of the past week

[David Collinge]

I'll provide my recap from the interesting Wittenberg/Denison tilt tonight, hopefully the Witt of the first 7/8ths of the season shows up instead of the past week

Maybe the middle 5/8ths.  The first 2/8ths were pretty sucky too.

OWU is hammering Hiram so far, leading by 19 and shooting an unreal 74% as halftime approaches.  At the half: OWU 52, Hiram 34.

[David Collinge]

OWU advances to the semifinals with a 100-85 victory over Hiram.  The Bishops cooled off in the second half and managed to hit just 67.2% for the game.   

[David Collinge]

Is anyone besides me unable to access the Wooster audio broadcast?  I haven't been able to get it for at least the past few games, and I wonder if it's my HP POSvilion.

[wooscotsfan]

At the Half:  Wooster 33  Allegheny 30

Justin Hallowell leading Wooster with 8 points and Devone McLeod is leading the Gators with 11 points.

Scots had 12 turnovers in the half which is too many...offsetting their 56% shooting in the half.