2013 Division III NCAA Tournament

[iwufans]

Only 500 fans? I thought the attendance looked light, but hoped the fans were all sitting on the opposite side of the camera.  We have had at least half that ourselves.  Were folks choosing to wait until Atlanta???  As fans who have visited the Final Four in Salem several times, I can tell you it is an enjoyable experience that we always look forward to.  We enjoy walking into arena and seeing the championship banners hanging.    We enjoy the drive through the mountains, the warmer weather, the friendly reception and friendly southern welcome we receive.  We can't wait to go back.   As far as name recognition...how many outside of D III realize there is another level of besides I and II?   As fans of Division III how can you NOT be aware of Salem.   I guess you are aware of anything as much as you choose to make yourself aware.   

[Mr. Ypsi]

Only 500 fans? I thought the attendance looked light, but hoped the fans were all sitting on the opposite side of the camera.  We have had at least half that ourselves.  Were folks choosing to wait until Atlanta???  As fans who have visited the Final Four in Salem several times, I can tell you it is an enjoyable experience that we always look forward to.  We enjoy walking into arena and seeing the championship banners hanging.    We enjoy the drive through the mountains, the warmer weather, the friendly reception and friendly southern welcome we receive.  We can't wait to go back.   As far as name recognition...how many outside of D III realize there is another level of besides I and II?   As fans of Division III how can you NOT be aware of Salem.   I guess you are aware of anything as much as you choose to make yourself aware.

Fixed it for you!

The vast majority of fans don't know squat about d2.

[Pat Coleman]

Only 500 fans? I thought the attendance looked light, but hoped the fans were all sitting on the opposite side of the camera.  We have had at least half that ourselves.  Were folks choosing to wait until Atlanta???

It's believed that's part of it.

[sac]

Only 500 fans? I thought the attendance looked light, but hoped the fans were all sitting on the opposite side of the camera.  We have had at least half that ourselves.  Were folks choosing to wait until Atlanta???

It's believed that's part of it.

No one ever brought it up but there really wasn't a team in Salem that's known for traveling fans.

Didn't 6 teams have to fly into Salem? 

[woosterbooster]

Just out of curiosity, exactly what does it mean, anyway, to put in a "bid" to host an event such as this?

I'm asking because a couple of weeks ago a friend and I were talking about the DII Women's Elite Eight being held so far away in San Antonio.  Both being fans of a very good Ashland team, we would have gone had it been closer.  At any rate, he seemed to believe that the people who "bid" and got the tournament actually "bid" a dollar amount to get it, the money going to the NCAA.  I said I was pretty sure that it didn't work that way, but I don't really know.  Anybody know, without going into major detail or revealing state secrets, how it does work?  Is it the same for all divisions?

[FCGrizzliesGrad]

I believe most are simply decided by the better team hosting assuming they filed the papers before the tournament to host. Not sure how they choose different championship sites or the early round sites in men's D1 but they tend to be the same handful of places just rotated around (or with Salem the same every year)

[Greek Tragedy]

Only 500 fans? I thought the attendance looked light, but hoped the fans were all sitting on the opposite side of the camera.  We have had at least half that ourselves.  Were folks choosing to wait until Atlanta???

It's believed that's part of it.

No one ever brought it up but there really wasn't a team in Salem that's known for traveling fans.

Didn't 6 teams have to fly into Salem? 

I actually brought it up earlier, I guess it got lost in the shuffle...or no one is listening to me!         

And John Gleich mentioned the absence of the ODAC teams, potentially raising the attendance had one made it.

Another thing about the attendance...

What is the history of support for the schools that were in the Elite 8?  Do they travel well?  It seemed when Point went the year Williams and Amherst played each other in the semi-final, Amherst had half the amount of fans Williams did. 

What about MHB, Middlebury and St. Mary's?  How as Cabrini's support last year or when St. Thomas won it the previous year?  I know IWU travels well, but what about NCC?

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Of course it also helps attendance if you get a school with 10,000 undergrads to Salem.  Cabrini's got 1600 and only recently have they made serious attempts to build a strong athletics program.  St. Mary's is about the same size, plus with one of their best players injured didn't have a ton of prospects to win the weekend.  And those are the two closest schools.

MHB was very far from home, as was St. Thomas.  The three NESCAC schools combined have about the same enrollment as the Tommies.

I've never taken NCC fans as those who travel a great deal.


I'm not sure the prospects for attendance were all that great.  To me it's much more about making the experience a positive for the players.  I know the all-star participants were all gushing about how much they enjoyed what Salem put on for them.

[Pat Coleman]

And St. Mary's played at 2:30 on a Friday afternoon, to boot.

[Ralph Turner]

I guess what I want is reassurance that we will view this experiment as "Been there, Done that and T-shirts are on sale from the NCAA (at a discount) while supplies last".

Was it worth having 8 teams go to Salem?

Was it worth having 30 first round teams to host?

Did we blow the travel budget?

Does the long drawn out process run counter to the philosophy of D-III?

[AO]

Did we blow the travel budget?

Does the long drawn out process run counter to the philosophy of D-III?

The whole concept of a national tournament runs counter to the philosophy of D3 in the minds of many of the D3 presidents.

[Pat Coleman]

Probably true among some portion, but not all of the 25% that voted in favor of continuing to explore D-IV or a subdivision of D-III.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

I guess what I want is reassurance that we will view this experiment as "Been there, Done that and T-shirts are on sale from the NCAA (at a discount) while supplies last".

Was it worth having 8 teams go to Salem?

Was it worth having 30 first round teams to host?

Did we blow the travel budget?

Does the long drawn out process run counter to the philosophy of D-III?

From what I have gathered... 8 teams in Salem was a huge hit to the point that many entities are looking into hosting the Elite 8, Final 4 and then the championship in the future.

30 first round hosts? Not sure that is something people love considering the two byes got two weeks between games... but I am not positive this wouldn't be explored if the Elite 8 weekend moves froward.

Didn't blow the travel budget. There were only two flights in the first rounds, Salem was exempt.

Lots of things tend to fly in the face of the D3 philosophy... thus if they EVER wanted to move the D3 title game to the D1 Final Four (and I doubt they will), they will probably move the entire season to adjust for the drawn out nature of the tournament this year.

[woosterbooster]

From what I have gathered... 8 teams in Salem was a huge hit to the point that many entities are looking into hosting the Elite 8, Final 4 and then the championship in the future.

Dave, didn't you just say a few days ago, in response to one of my posts, that no one else had as yet stepped up and offered to supplant Salem as the host for DIII basketball?  Are you now saying that, if it were to continue to be an eight-team event, an Elite 8 with a Championship game, that there are other places with new-found interest in doing so?  If this is so, I see that as hopeful news.

[Ralph Turner]

Thanks, Dave. That was the insightful informative answer for which I was hoping.

Moving the season back a week would help D3football.com wind down a bit.

Moving back 2 weeks would take Thanksgiving out of play.