Alternative Idea to Participating in Bracketbuster

[Dallas Brave]

I think the A10 and the MVC need to work together to strengthen the basketball reputation of both leagues and protect their relative positions. For the last few years, the MVC has firmly established itslef as the premier conference outside of the BCS conferences and, this year, the A10 and the MVC are running neck and neck. But ... the landscape could change over the next few years if the MWC starts improving and some of the low-level CUSA teams improve.

I think both the MVC and the A10 would benefit from a Friday and Saturday tournament scheduled at a single site that rotates yearly between the Midwest and the Northeast. Two games on Friday night pitting the 6th and 5th place teams. On Saturday (and hopefully nationally televised), the 4th and 3rd place teams play in the afternoon and the 2nd and 1st place teams play the evening games.

A weekend event like this would be very marketable to the venue and to TV, would benefit recruiting for all schools, and (with the way the RPI formula works) would benefit the winners and have minimal impact on the losers of each game.

[JBinPeoria]

Interesting idea. What about the idea of having an A10 - MVC Challenge preseason sort of like the ACC and Big 10 do?

[Dallas Brave]

Interesting idea. What about the idea of having an A10 - MVC Challenge preseason sort of like the ACC and Big 10 do?

The benefit to doing at this time of year is that you are sure to match up the right teams so that solid value is there for each of the teams that play. Plus, you give your teams most likely for post-season play in the NCAA or NIT a nice one game tournament experience in preparation for the post-season.

[Braves4Life]

I'm all for it, especially if a bigTV contract can be lined up. This can only help both conferences.

[Dallas Brave]

I'm all for it, especially if a bigTV contract can be lined up. This can only help both conferences.

I think a single site venue each year helps market it for TV coverage. The provider only needs one camera team and one set of announcers.

Having it at a single site also allows the league offices to pre-reserve hotel space knowing that there will be six teams from each conference participating. Like the bracketbuster scheduling, which 12 teams play is determined sometime in January and the games are played in late February.

[thefish7]

I think this would basically be awesome... an A10 - MVC series. Better than the bracket buster.

[Braves4Life]

I think a single site venue each year helps market it for TV coverage. The provider only needs one camera team and one set of announcers.

Having it at a single site also allows the league offices to pre-reserve hotel space knowing that there will be six teams from each conference participating. Like the bracketbuster scheduling, which 12 teams play is determined sometime in January and the games are played in late February.

I cannot see a single site working because of the geography and distance involved between conferences. The average fan would not be willing to travel that far for something like this. I think it needs to be done like the ACC-Big 10 Challenge and to try to get an ESPNU or 360 TV contract to start and hope that enough enthusiasm and excitement is generated to get it moved to The Deuce or The Flagship in the future.

[Dallas Brave]

I cannot see a single site working because of the geography and distance involved between conferences. The average fan would not be willing to travel that far for something like this. I think it needs to be done like the ACC-Big 10 Challenge and to try to get an ESPNU or 360 TV contract to start and hope that enough enthusiasm and excitement is generated to get it moved to The Deuce or The Flagship in the future.

I agree that you would get a much better attendance if the games were played on actual home courts ... but what if each conference took turns acting as the host. For example, if the MVC hosted the tournament in St. Louis, then the venue would draw from primarily a MVC base (and SLU). In the next year, say it was in Philadelphia, it would draw most the primarily east-coast based A10 teams.

[Bravesfan]

This ideas has some potential. I like it, though the Bracketbusters are good too in that it allows teams to play on their home court. Maybe more discussion about this A-10/MVC tourney could lead to something though.