Where is College Basketball really headed?

[Smitty10]

The new rules that the BCS or Big 6 or Big 5 conferences pushed through prior to the start of this season along with the way the committee went absolutely berzerk loading up the haves with undeserved Tournament entries and seeds, I have to ask, is this the end of College Basketball as we know it? Are they preparing us for the New college basketball. Was this kind of a statement to the A10 that you better not get used to 6 spots, nor 4 spots anymore. We are tapering you down to 1 or 2 spots a year?

I just cannot see how this helps even the large conferences. College basketball is the great game it is with the following it has because just about every locality in the nation has a possibility of their hometown schools getting on the national stage and the Davey's slaying the Goliaths. Yes, this new direction has worked for College Football because there never was the alternative and College Football is a more expensive game all the way around for every college to be able to compete.

If the Big Bullies of College basketball get what they want they will have to have a majority of the country changing their allegiances to more centralized Colleges. But basketball already has that and it's called the NBA. I'm not an NBA fan, but I'll guarantee you this, I will pick an NBA team and get my basketball fix before I will ever get interested in an Ohio State or any other of the Haves because that's my only way to have an interest in a possible champion. I have a feeling I'm not alone.

College basketball is my favorite game to follow because of the way it's been and no way will they keep my interest if they relegate the Daytons, Miami's, Davidsons, St. Joes etc to 2nd or 3rd class status where we are all fighting for the same little bit of scraps to get in to the minimal at large positions they will allow us to have, if even that.

The NCAA committee made a statement yesterday. Pretty much a microcosm of they way the supreme court has ruled in recent years. Big Corporations are more important and get preferential treatment over individual rights. Anything that's good for big business(Big 5 or 6 conferences) overrides what's good for the little man(the rest of college basketball).

I've suspected this has been going on in other sports for sometime, sacrificing fairness for the almighty dollar. Baseball did it with the interleague play. The A10 in a small way did it when Dayton played X twice a year because of rivalries. As a fan, I want to see everyone on a level playing field. That's how true champions are identified.

Yes, we're in the dance, and if you follow the money you know why we were a play-in game in our hometown. Nobody on this earth will convince me that we were really the last team in. We were put in that spot on the list probably before they filled in the rest of the bottom half seeds. Dayton as last team in so we can get a huge crowd for the first 4 and have an explanation why we couldn't move them up a notch to avoid it.

Some here try to make it look like they did us a favor based on our match ups and the home-game advantage that playing in Dayton and Columbus will bring. When all is said and done it may work out that way but anybody that believes that was the NCAA committees intentions, please see me about some swampland in Florida I've got for sale.

[Sea Bass]

An NCAA without the power 5 conferences is end game. Football will cause the fracture but basketball will move as well. The Big5 will have their own end of the year tourney to crown a champion and they won't have to share any of the money.

[Flyer68]

Where is it headed? To quote Watergate - "follow the money."

[DaytonDecibelDungeon]

Originally Posted by Flyer68 Where is it headed? To quote Watergate - "follow the money."

[Smitty10]

Originally Posted by Sea Bass An NCAA without the power 5 conferences is end game. Football will cause the fracture but basketball will move as well. The Big5 will have their own end of the year tourney to crown a champion and they won't have to share any of the money.

One of the points I was trying to make is that maybe that's the short term result, but if they destroy college basketball as it is today, or at least yesterday, wouldn't they destroy the overall money coming into the game and lower the interest in the game as a whole?

Let's say the Dodgers, Yankees, RedSox, Cardinals, Rangers, Angels, Giants and Tigers said "We are the true kings of baseball, we bring in the money. America focuses on us and not little teams like the Reds, Brewers, Pirates, Indians etc... Therefore, we are going to make our own playoff system and only the 8 of us will have a chance for the real world series."

Could anybody see a financial advantage to those teams for doing that? I don't, I see baseball's income pool shrinking as a whole and eventually dying.

[Sea Bass]

Originally Posted by Smitty10 One of the points I was trying to make is that maybe that's the short term result, but if they destroy college basketball as it is today, or at least yesterday, wouldn't they destroy the overall money coming into the game and lower the interest in the game as a whole?

I think the Power 5 could get a ton of money for a single elimination tournament at the end of the year and generate nearly as much interest as the NCAA does right now. The large majority of the fans follow schools from those 5 conferences.

[Smitty10]

Originally Posted by Sea Bass I think the Power 5 could get a ton of money for a single elimination tournament at the end of the year and generate nearly as much interest as the NCAA does right now. The large majority of the fans follow schools from those 5 conferences.

It might seem that way. I haven't really done this, but has anybody talked with Power 5 fans and asked them about their feelings on removing the little guy out of the picture. Do they care? Are they all for it? Or would being the king over a few give them more satisfaction over being the king over the masses, just less opportunities to do so?

It just seems to me that they are positioning themselves to be formatted as something that already exists, but with less talent, and that's the NBA.

[IndianaFlyer]

Originally Posted by Sea Bass I think the Power 5 could get a ton of money for a single elimination tournament at the end of the year and generate nearly as much interest as the NCAA does right now. The large majority of the fans follow schools from those 5 conferences.

You may very well be right, but I don't agree with that as a fan. Most of us have a team we follow, but after rooting for my team, I am most interested in seeing the little guy take on the giants. I really believe that is the interest for the causal fan, the fan who watches college basketball only at tournament time. If they lose the casual fan, that has to effect the TV money in the long run.

[rollo]

If you speculators would join UDPride+, from the keyboard of Chris R you'd know exactly what Tim Wabler had to say last week in Brooklyn about a possible break away by the Big 5 and the future of everything related to UD hoops...

...just sayin.

	Chris Rieman CHRIS RIEMAN, PUBLISHER Founder and publisher of UDPride.com. Writer, photographer, videographer, coder, grip, comedian, auto aficionado, and lifelong Flyer fan.

	Tim Wabler TIM WABLER Current Director of Athletics for the University of Dayton. Took over for Ted Kissell on Jan. 1, 2009, and brings considerable experience and leadership in athletics. Assistant AD for many years and a former standout baseball player for the Flyers, Wabler has Dayton roots and understands the unique paradigm that makes Flyer athletics and the city of Dayton a tremendous relationship.

[Smitty10]

Originally Posted by rollo If you speculators would join UDPride+, from the keyboard of Chris R you'd know exactly what Tim Wabler had to say last week in Brooklyn about a possible break away by the Big 5 and the future of everything related to UD hoops... ...just sayin.

I just retired last year and stock market has plummeted the last couple weeks. I will have to walk blindly through this forum until such time as Pharmaceuticals and other industries bounce back.

	Chris Rieman CHRIS RIEMAN, PUBLISHER Founder and publisher of UDPride.com. Writer, photographer, videographer, coder, grip, comedian, auto aficionado, and lifelong Flyer fan.

	Tim Wabler TIM WABLER Current Director of Athletics for the University of Dayton. Took over for Ted Kissell on Jan. 1, 2009, and brings considerable experience and leadership in athletics. Assistant AD for many years and a former standout baseball player for the Flyers, Wabler has Dayton roots and understands the unique paradigm that makes Flyer athletics and the city of Dayton a tremendous relationship.

[The Gem]

Originally Posted by rollo If you speculators would join UDPride+, from the keyboard of Chris R you'd know exactly what Tim Wabler had to say last week in Brooklyn about a possible break away by the Big 5 and the future of everything related to UD hoops... ...just sayin.

I will join Rollo in shilling for pride plus. I joined for that reason and the article he speaks of is worth $5. Rollo, you can hit up Chris for the commission on the sale.

	Chris Rieman CHRIS RIEMAN, PUBLISHER Founder and publisher of UDPride.com. Writer, photographer, videographer, coder, grip, comedian, auto aficionado, and lifelong Flyer fan.

	Pride Plus PRIDE PLUS Premium subscription forum of UDPride for fans wishing to support the Web site's long-term viability. Those who sign up for one-, two-, or three-year subscriptions not only do their part to keep all of UDPride's features and content ongoing, but also receive access to the Pride Plus discussion forum where rumor, recruiting, discussion, surplus photo/video, and early-bird news and information are published. Pride Plus is the Publisher's way of saying "thanks" for supporting everything we do with a financial gift. Prospective subscribers should take part as an affirmation of our mission and product standards, not solely as a way to receive insider information. Revenue from Pride Plus subscriptions go to support all efforts of UDPride.

	Tim Wabler TIM WABLER Current Director of Athletics for the University of Dayton. Took over for Ted Kissell on Jan. 1, 2009, and brings considerable experience and leadership in athletics. Assistant AD for many years and a former standout baseball player for the Flyers, Wabler has Dayton roots and understands the unique paradigm that makes Flyer athletics and the city of Dayton a tremendous relationship.

[Sea Bass]

"The Notre Dame athletic director says there is currently a “cultural divide” in college athletics, one that may make the traditional version of conference realignment look like a game of jacks.

Swarbrick isn't necessarily advocating upheaval, just defining the future. The legal, moral and collegiate pressures may make it inevitable for a semi-pro division of college athletics to emerge.

“There's going to be Congressional intervention [in college athletics] or there's going to be more than one intercollegiate athletic association ….” he said.

“You don't like these set of rules? Go play in that association.”

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoot...c-associations

[Alberto Strasse]

is headed wherever College Football wants it to go. Under the umbrella of the NCAA Football is the primary business.

[UD90]

Originally Posted by rollo If you speculators would join UDPride+, from the keyboard of Chris R you'd know exactly what Tim Wabler had to say last week in Brooklyn about a possible break away by the Big 5 and the future of everything related to UD hoops... ...just sayin.

OMG - Am I really quoting Rollo After finding the BSU cheerleaders pic he's earned it.

This true - Wabler has been talking about this possibility for a couple years. "Our competition is not the Big East it's the GT's, Ole Miss, Alabama's of the world."

	Chris Rieman CHRIS RIEMAN, PUBLISHER Founder and publisher of UDPride.com. Writer, photographer, videographer, coder, grip, comedian, auto aficionado, and lifelong Flyer fan.

	Tim Wabler TIM WABLER Current Director of Athletics for the University of Dayton. Took over for Ted Kissell on Jan. 1, 2009, and brings considerable experience and leadership in athletics. Assistant AD for many years and a former standout baseball player for the Flyers, Wabler has Dayton roots and understands the unique paradigm that makes Flyer athletics and the city of Dayton a tremendous relationship.

[frisco flyer]

Interesting read from an Andy Katz article about an ESPN survey of non-power5 coaches.

College coaches talk postseason format change in ESPN survey

College basketball coaches outside the Power 5 conferences are fearful of a breakup or a disruption of the current NCAA tournament format, an ESPN survey showed...

[Fudd]

Are most college basketball fans really power five fans? I would be surprised if that was the case. Most of the power five fans seem to be mostly obsessed with football. They might watch basketball occasionally, but their hearts are with football. Can you imagine how bland an end-of-year tournament would be with only the power five participating? Basketball is one of those sports where you just don't know who is going to be good during recruiting. That makes it hard for the power five to really dominate. There are always going to be very, very good teams outside the power five. That would make a power five tournament a joke.

[FlyerGuyer]

Originally Posted by Fudd Are most college basketball fans really power five fans? I would be surprised if that was the case. Most of the power five fans seem to be mostly obsessed with football. They might watch basketball occasionally, but their hearts are with football. Can you imagine how bland an end-of-year tournament would be with only the power five participating? Basketball is one of those sports where you just don't know who is going to be good during recruiting. That makes it hard for the power five to really dominate. There are always going to be very, very good teams outside the power five. That would make a power five tournament a joke.

Texas vs. Arizona State and Clemson vs. Illinois. Whoopie! Can somebody hit the snooze button? It would effectively zap the magic out of March Madness, but if they can make money from it, I doubt they care much about that. #$$$

[UDBrian]

Originally Posted by IndianaFlyer You may very well be right, but I don't agree with that as a fan. Most of us have a team we follow, but after rooting for my team, I am most interested in seeing the little guy take on the giants. I really believe that is the interest for the causal fan, the fan who watches college basketball only at tournament time. If they lose the casual fan, that has to effect the TV money in the long run.

I agree with this but many 'fans' are simply sheep that will watch whatever the networks put on tv. There aren't many who will argue in favor of the current format because they want their pockets lined. I think FIFA is a good example of where college sports are headed.

[Alberto Strasse]

Under the umbrella of the NCAA college football drives the economy. The BCS football schools spend huge sums of money chasing the Financial Rainbow... the National Championship. The budgets need to be sustained and the programs who participate need to be rewarded in the
selection processes for other sports including Men's basketball. Think of it as an Affirmative Action Program for football participants. Add to that a player financial stipend program which favors the major football conferences and it is plain to see that the playing surface for college basketball has changed dramatically. This is a very tough time to be President of UD or on the board of Directors. Visionaries are needed. There is much at stake.