A10 expands BB championships

[Rhody74]

http://www.atlantic10.com/genrel/052313aah.html

[ATPTourFan]

So we officially can make plans for Brooklyn next March.... Not that it was in doubt.

[reef]

I like this a lot, I think all teams should go

[rambone 78]

My guess is, the bottom 2 teams will have a play-in game to start the tourney.

We won't be in that one!

[ATPTourFan]

I didn't have a problem with lower teams being excluded. I think that adds more excitement to the end of the season for the teams in the lower third of the A10.

[Blue Man]

I didn't have a problem with lower teams being excluded. I think that adds more excitement to the end of the season for the teams in the lower third of the A10.

that was actually my biggest problem with the A10. Think of it this way - if suckass state from west nowhere bumf@$kville in the southern western northernland athletic conference gets an auto bid, and all of the teams in that conference have an equal shot at going to the tourney...even as a 16 seed...than every team in a conference like the A10 should have the opportunity.

St. Bonnies - 118
Albany - 141
NW St - 142
Pacific - 145
Southern - 156
Montana - 160
JMU - 165
Western KY - 174
URI - 189
LIU Brooklyn - 191
NC A&T - 221
Liberty - 249

The fact that Liberty, NC A&T, LIU, WKY, JMU, Montana, Southern, Pacific, NW St, and Albany got into the tourney and St. Bonnies didn't even have the opportunity to play for it is wrong.

Keep in mind I'm not saying that Rhody or the Bonnies would've made it through the A10 tourney this year, but the fact that you don't even give them a chance - and all of those teams from those shitty, terrible conferences have more of a shot to make it than all of the teams in the A10 is a travesty and goes against the very idea of what makes the NCAA tournament so special.

[RF1]

This makes it certain the team closest to Barclays (Fordham) will always play in the tournament there.

Of more note, the change to an 18 game conference schedule will likely affect URI more. URI already has a tough time putting together an OOC schedule (see this upcoming year where we are still trying to add four games as an example). As most power conferences move to expanded league schedules, OOC scheduling for teams like URI will get even more difficult. This move means less OOC games need to be scheduled.

[Rhody4324]

I don't like every team making it to Brooklyn. It added another layer of excitement late in the year when the bottom five or six were fighting to stay alive. It was the closest thing American sports has to relegation, and I'll miss that.

As far as an 18-game conference schedule it definitely hurts us quite a bit. It'll make it harder for us to schedule more marquee programs.

[ATPTourFan]

[reef]

Way to go Thorr Bjorn !!

[rodfromcranston]

I think Jim Baron would have loved this option.
It's like giving a trophy to everyone in little league.
So, schlub programs like Fordam can do shit all year and still in their mind, have a shot to go to the NCAAS.
I don't like it.

[ATPTourFan]

Right. Conf play should mean something. I don't think the 13th team in a conf should have ANY chance of getting lucky for just one weekend and get to the Dance.

Relegation system in soccer keeps things fresh and motivation strong.

[reef]

A team ranked 13 or lower would have no prayer anyway