MBB: Landmark Conference

[Pat Coleman]

We did in last year's tournament preview.
http://www.d3hoops.com/playoffs/men/2010/tournament-preview

I did with my 2011 projection -- note that I put Franklin and Marshall at Virginia Wesleyan and I would have put Scranton at Rochester if the Rochester women weren't hosting.
http://www.d3hoops.com/playoffs/men/2011/2011-mbb-projection.pdf

I did on Hoopsville on Sunday night. Every time someone asked where their team might go in the tournament we made a point to tell them that in addition to the places we listed, it could be anywhere within 500 miles.

[ronk]

  The changes that u asked 4 last year page is not available; if geographic diversity was one of them, then I forgot about it.
  Could be anywhere within 500 miles is different from it's going to be more than 100 miles 4 sure.

[Pat Coleman]

It is available -- I posted that one over about 20 minutes ago. Refresh and try again.

[ronk]

Well, it's not evident to me reading that page; maybe, if one reads between the lines with adequate background info. Some explicit communication would have been clearer.

[Pat Coleman]

Well, it's not evident to me reading that page; maybe, if one reads between the lines with adequate background info. Some explicit communication would have been clearer.

That's fine. I did cite two other examples, too, however -- my 2011 tournament projection and Sunday night's Hoopsville.

[LustyLarryintheToilet]

i like how Pat proudly boasts about one of the few things he got right in his projection!

[LustyLarryintheToilet]

It has been years in the making... the COACHES are asking for these changes... and requesting that it not be so regional. This isn't a regional tournament like the ECAC that then takes the winners places them in the Final Four... this is as national tournament as the men have seen in all the years I have covered d3 basketball. This is the best bracket by far in spreading teams out and giving us as balanced a series of games as they can.

Didn't realize putting a national tournament needed to have a statement at the beginning of the season telling people that it would be a NATIONAL tournament and there was a very good chance teams were going to travel.

Please get off your NATIONAL tournament soapbox.  You cant say its a National tournament, then say, oh, teams are limited by a 500 mile rule.  Like i've been saying, if you want to send Scranton to St. Louis, or Minneapolis, that's a different story then sending them a few hours north. 

[LustyLarryintheToilet]

It has been years in the making... the COACHES are asking for these changes... and requesting that it not be so regional.

there are only 2 plausible reasons coaches are asking for these changes:

1.  Coaches like to travel and want to take their players to new and exotic places that are less than 500 miles away, like Mahwah, NJ in the winter.  The problem is with pre-season and mid-season tourneys, coaches already get to do this.

2.  Coaches in difficult regions were sick and tired of playing difficult first round games.  Yes, for the love of God, get me out of my region if it means i avoid another top team til the Sweet 16. 

My guess is 90% of the coaches are in the 2 category.  For the record, i have no problem with point 2, just come out and say it and dont mask it with the idealistic travel BS. 

[Pat Coleman]

Larry:

It's the truth. It's clear you don't want to hear it but it's the truth. Now it's officially time to move on and quit your ax-grinding.

[LustyLarryintheToilet]

Larry:

It's the truth. It's clear you don't want to hear it but it's the truth. Now it's officially time to move on and quit your ax-grinding.

Pat i dont have an ax to grind, but again me and others here are not sheep.  We dont accept things as "the truth" just because you say so. 

[Pat Coleman]

You keep repeating the same things over and over. That's ax-grinding in our book. I think it's time to move on.

To be clear, you actually don't accept anything.

[ronk]

Pat,
  Let me state my misunderstanding in a different way: I can c that it's possible now 2 have an east-east(Middlebury-Amherst) or west-west(Whitworth-Stevens Point) final or that the Mid-Atlantic has a pod in 3 of the 4 bracket quarters, or that Va.Wesleyan would have to fly to Williams 4 the sectional. What I didn't realize was that the pods themselves would no longer be regional 4 the 1st weekend; that one would now be traveling 150 miles at least by design rather than by constraints. Hope this makes my view clearer.

[LustyLarryintheToilet]

Likewise the Ursinus-Scranton 2nd round NCAA game that year(2003). Scranton won by 2 @ Scranton and it was held there because Ursinus didn't put into host. That was a strong Ursinus team and the home court was probably the deciding factor.
 The NCAA has eliminated those clashes now in favor of geographical diversity. I say save it for the sectional weekend; get the best of both worlds.

I do remember that controversy, and i'm the scranton game was another amazing experience.  That was a really good Ursinus team.  And you are 100% right, the way to make things more "diverse" would be to mix and match the 4 team pods in the sectional round.

[NEPAFAN]

You keep repeating the same things over and over. That's ax-grinding in our book. I think it's time to move on.

To be clear, you actually don't accept anything.

Hey,

It provides good fodder for Hoopsville at the very least.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

But ronk... this isn't new... as I pointed out before, two years ago Richard Stockton hosted a regional that had Amherst as a visitor along with RPI... it was pointed out that same year Gettysburg (CC Champs) were sent to Wooster, Ohio... Virginia Wesleyan played at Widener where Salem State faced off against Rochester Tech... Brandeis traveled to F&M (!)... Medaille traveled to John Carroll where also Brockport State made a trip... Hope traveled to Wheaton to play UW-Platteville... here is a link to the bracket: www.d3boards.com/playoffs/mbbbracket2009.pdf (it's a PDF).

Last year... VWC, Richard Stockton, and SUNY-Purchase all traveled to SMC for the first round... Oneonta State traveled to Merchant Marine... Clark traveled Albright which also saw RMC make the trip north... Albertus Magnus beat William Patterson in NJ in the first round and in the same pod DeSales beat MIT... Lycoming traveled down to Eastern Mennonite along with Wilmington... UW-Whitewater traveled to Wooster... Johnn Carroll was sent to Guilford along with Maryville... Brandies was sent to St. John Fisher... Rutgers Newark was sent to Middlebury... link: www.d3boards.com/playoffs/mbb-bracket2010.pdf

This isn't new... it may be the first time your specific teams have experienced a longer trip... but this is not new.