MBB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[countyroad]

Any idea of the cost of providing a video feed using the technology used by the benchmark schools?

[ScotsFan]

All-tournament team:

Ian Franks, Wooster (MOP)
Bryan Wickliffe, Wooster
Clayton Black, Wittenberg
Chris Sullivan, Wittenberg
Nick Curosh, Wabash
Tim Brady, OWU

One or two curious selections there, if you ask me.  Of course, I didn't see the games.

I'm not sure which of the two picks puzzled you, but I'm guessing that Wickliffe may have been one. They take into account the first round games, and if it wasn't for Wickliffe's effort late in that game, we'd be talking about the biggest upset in NCAC history instead of who Wooster might host in the first round. The Gators have a bright future. I believe their entire starting lineup returns next season.

It would be nice to see defensive efforts rewarded for all-tournament selections.  Warnes did a heckuva job the last 2 nights in shutting down Brady on Friday after Brady was coming off a good offensive performance against Hiram and then turning around and shutting down Sullivan after he was coming off a career performance against Wabash.  

But, you can't really argue Wick's selection after he kept Wooster's tournament alive on Tuesday vs. Allegheny.

[old scot]

I don't even work at Wooster, Old Scot. I went off because it is hit and run posts like yours that are immensely inaccurate (and riddled with spelling errors) that drag down this board lower than it already is. And your obsession with an insignificant media guide is also quite bizarre.

I never said people shouldn't be upset. I would be upset, and the way KiltedBryan expressed his disappointment without making you know what up as the cause of it was the mature way to approach it.

If you read any of my follow up posts, which apparently you didn't, you'd know the underlying reasons why this happened, and what you might be able to do to help. If this is as big of a deal as it must have been for you to make your post, then you'll do something. If not, then it obviously wasn't important enough to warrant your response in the first place.

So if your not a Woo employee, how do you know so much about the colleges inter politics? If you get your info 2nd and 3rd hand, we all know how that changes.
You must be an english teacher.Your always on me about my speling or spellen or speeling ......... heck with it.

[Pat Coleman]

Any idea of the cost of providing a video feed using the technology used by the benchmark schools?

Ustream is absolutely free to use. There would be some cost if you need to purchase a camera or if you need to upgrade the bandwidth in the gym (that part I think Wooster is fine on) or find a laptop that's good enough. Actually, for home games, a desktop computer would provide more power and would be portable enough, I'd think.

You could pay to use another service, but Ustream is acceptable, at least.

[Wabash2011]

So the committee has all the data in front of them.  Is it a rule they follow all the numbers or is it only there to help them make a decision?  If not a rule would the fact that Mac Petty is retiring help Wabash's chance?  Just asking, personally I am not optimistic at this point.

[David Collinge]

The committee is required to use the primary and secondary selection criteria (win %, SOS, etc.) to make their decision.  The rules do not stipulate how those criteria are used (i.e. weighted), but they are not supposed to deviate from the criteria for reasons of reputation or nostalgia.  If Wabash gets a bid, it'll be because the criteria are being weighed in their favor.

[Wabash2011]

The committee is required to use the primary and secondary selection criteria (win %, SOS, etc.) to make their decision.  The rules do not stipulate how those criteria are used (i.e. weighted), but they are not supposed to deviate from the criteria for reasons of reputation or nostalgia.  If Wabash gets a bid, it'll be because the criteria are being weighed in their favor.

Thanks David

[wooscotsfan]

Some possibilities on teams that Wooster could find in its section of the NCAA bracket:

Marietta (OAC - Pool A)
Hope (MIAA - Pool A)
Bethany (PRAC - Pool A)
Manchester (HCAC - Pool A)
LaRoche (AMCC - Pool A) - may get shipped East?
Centre (SCAC - Pool A) - may stay in the South?
Benedictine (NATHC - Pool A) - may stay in the Midwest?

Penn State Behrend (If they are Pool C)
Hanover (If they are Pool C)
Wittenberg (If they are Pool C)
Wabash (If they are Pool C)

The NCAA usually will not match teams from the same conference until the 3rd round.  The NCAA will select the highly ranked teams to host in the 1st/2nd round.  Among the first group of 7 teams above, Marietta and Hope have the best chance of hosting in addition to Wooster.

So, two possible 1st/2nd round pods could be:

Penn State Behrend at Wooster (Host team)
Manchester vs. Bethany

Witt or Wabash vs. Marietta (Host team)
Hanover vs. Hope

The disclaimer is that the matchups will depend on who gets all the Pool C bids nationally and how the NCAA can then fill out the brackets while minimizing the potential travel costs (bus rides if less than 500 miles).  Recall that the NCAA shipped a Pool C team (Wisconsin Whitewater all the way to Wooster last year).

[AndersDY]

The NCAA usually will not match teams from the same conference until the 3rd round.  The NCAA will select the highly ranked teams to host in the 1st/2nd round.  Among the first group of 7 teams above, Marietta and Hope have the best chance of hosting in addition to Wooster.

Ha, sorry I had to chuckle at that section. At least for those of us who observe the MIAA, that isn't the case. I'm pretty sure that of all the times Calvin and Hope made the same tournament, the only time they didn't meet within round 1 or 2 was 1995 when they each lost the first game (and would have met in the second round, I believe). In 2005, Albion and Calvin were split far enough to meet in the Elite 8, but that was the exception to the rule. I think that is part of the limitation from placing your conference on a peninsula though so this consideration may hold more true for OH teams. 

Hope's women would theoretically get preference in hosting before the men would get it. They did lose their last game, but that was also only their second loss. Based on resume alone, I wouldn't expect the men to host if the women are passed over. That is a reason it's nice to have the shiny new arena, but it isn't as if tCOW can't seat nearly as many people as Hope can. As usual, if we can't play at home, I'll be hoping for a reason to road trip down to Wooster.

[pennstghs]

I hope that Witt gets a bid to the tournament, just for the sake for all of the turmoil and injuries they've had to overcome this year, it'd be a fitting end.

I was in attendance Saturday night up at Wooster, while it was a very competitive game, Wooster's outside shooting and driving to the hoop kept Witt at bay and Wittenberg not shooting as well as the night before was def. the key factor.

While I don't think it had a direct outcome on the game, the officiating was subpar at best, very inconsistent i'd say. Especially on the touch fouls as one time down it'd be a foul and the next time down it'd be nothing. I think that's why Coach Brown was assessed with a technical very early in the game (well deserved I will say, however his point at being pissed was valid at the same time)

Good luck to Wooster in the tourney, hopefully you can have a filled gym for the NCAA as Saturday I was suprised to not have a sellout. If Witt can join you guys, maybe we'll have a Witt/Wooster IV.

[woosterbooster]

Good luck to Wooster in the tourney, hopefully you can have a filled gym for the NCAA as Saturday I was suprised to not have a sellout.

Just from eyeballing the Wooster crowds over the last few years, my impression is that attendance at Timken has been slowly dropping.  Now, this year, no doubt some rough weather and the inconvenience of having to use the back entrance are certainly factors.  Still, for whatever reasons, even against Wittenberg in a tournament final, there was not a packed house.  The bulk of Wooster fans have always been older, and it just might be that as those people get even older and begin not to come, they are not being replaced.

[kiltedbryan]

Good luck to Wooster in the tourney, hopefully you can have a filled gym for the NCAA as Saturday I was suprised to not have a sellout.

Just from eyeballing the Wooster crowds over the last few years, my impression is that attendance at Timken has been slowly dropping.  Now, this year, no doubt some rough weather and the inconvenience of having to use the back entrance are certainly factors.  Still, for whatever reasons, even against Wittenberg in a tournament final, there was not a packed house.  The bulk of Wooster fans have always been older, and it just might be that as those people get even older and begin not to come, they are not being replaced.

Or, as Breckinridge noted in his pregame, the $10 a ticket might have had something to do with it (more expensive than the NCAAs will charge). Plus the $5 for students, though I understand that the Wooster President's Office subsidized entrance for students so that they only had to pay $1. A similar thing happened last year, where the NCAC final was not a full house.

By contrast, I watched the end of the JCU-Marietta game, which was packed absolutely to the gills and had a tremendous atmosphere. Adult tickets $7, seniors $5, OAC students free, and non-OAC school students $2.

Wooster still had more total fans in the gym, since Timken has about twice the capacity of Marietta's gym, but I still think cost was a factor for the NCAC final.

[seinfeld]

Don't underestimate the impact the $10 ticket price is having on the NCAC Tournament attendance. For two years in a row, there was nearly 1,000 more people that showed up for the Wooster-Wittenberg regular season game at Wooster than showed up for the NCAC championship. The first meeting this year was only about 100 people short of a sellout, and this was on a night with temperatures in the single digits. To get a sense of how out of whack the ticket prices are for the NCAC Tournament, tickets for the NCAA Tournament opening two rounds at Wooster last year was $6.

[ScotsFan]

Good luck to Wooster in the tourney, hopefully you can have a filled gym for the NCAA as Saturday I was suprised to not have a sellout.

Just from eyeballing the Wooster crowds over the last few years, my impression is that attendance at Timken has been slowly dropping.  Now, this year, no doubt some rough weather and the inconvenience of having to use the back entrance are certainly factors.  Still, for whatever reasons, even against Wittenberg in a tournament final, there was not a packed house.  The bulk of Wooster fans have always been older, and it just might be that as those people get even older and begin not to come, they are not being replaced.

I can't help but think the $10 ticket price has something to do with the lower attendance figures as well.  It's hard not to think that way when a little over a month ago there was almost a full house for the regular season game and Saturday saw almost 1000 fewer fans.  But, this year's final did outdraw last year's Witt/Woo tournament final by almost 500.  I think part of the problem this time of year is that high school tournament action is also starting up.  Also, some fans were probably drawn away by the Wooster/Orrville basketball game that also took place on Saturday. 

Justin Hallowell didn't seem to mind a 'smaller' crowd:

"Every play, we feed off the energy in the crowd," said Hallowell. "It's the most fun game I've ever played in -- I'm sure they (Wittenberg) feel the same way."

By contrast, I watched the end of the JCU-Marietta game, which was packed absolutely to the gills and had a tremendous atmosphere. Adult tickets $7, seniors $5, OAC students free, and non-OAC school students $2.

I wonder if the format of their tournament helps them to keep their ticket prices down?  With the NCAC tournament, I'm assuming the conference is footing the bill for travel and lodging during the tounament?  If so, the NCAC is paying hotel stays for 3 teams starting Thursday night and one of those teams needs 2 nights of lodging expenses.  With the new format in the OAC, I don't know if they would have to pay any lodging expenses as the tournament is broken up into Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday match-ups with the higher seeds serving as hosts each round.  Maybe the NCAC could look into this and save some money in the process?

[fantastic50]

I wonder if the format of their tournament helps them to keep their ticket prices down?  With the NCAC tournament, I'm assuming the conference is footing the bill for travel and lodging during the tounament?  If so, the NCAC is paying hotel stays for 3 teams starting Thursday night and one of those teams needs 2 nights of lodging expenses.  With the new format in the OAC, I don't know if they would have to pay any lodging expenses as the tournament is broken up into Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday match-ups with the higher seeds serving as hosts each round.  Maybe the NCAC could look into this and save some money in the process?

As a fan, I like that idea, giving two teams the chance to host semifinals; it's a shame that a lot of Wittenberg fans missed seeing the great semifinal game against Wabash, because it was played at a neutral site.  On the other hand, having the two semifinals together at one site can give the event a "big time" feel, provided there is a good crowd.  More importantly, the geographic spread of the NCAC makes it tougher to adopt the Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday format.  Imagine a Wabash or Depauw team seeded #5 making three trips east (potentially Allegheny, Wooster, Witt) and back in one week (or having to miss a full week of classes to avoid busing back and forth).  For the reason of travel, I don't see the NCAC taking on that format.