Ivy League Meets Today...

Chris '03 · December 08, 2006, 10:14:59 AM

[quote billhoward]A playoff increases the odds of two Ivy teams going to the tournament: the playoff winner and the regular season champ which, if upset in the playoffs, will argue it also deserves a shot since it's as good as the third-best team in another conference that got three bids.
[/quote]

I call bull. When's the last time the Ivy champ would have made it as an at large team? It's not about deserving when it comes to conferences like the Ivy. It's about numbers. Show me the Ivy team with RPI in the low 30s lately. The Ivy League is a one bid conference. The only thing a tourney improves is the chances of the NIT more regularly inviting an Ivy team.

As for location, it's almost a no brainer that it would be the Palestra (I can see the Princeton fans bitching now)unless they took the Patriot League's style and the highest seed hosted the whole thing. Which would mean the Palestra half the time anyway...

Jeff Hopkins '82 · December 08, 2006, 11:41:01 AM

[quote Chris '03][quote billhoward]
As for location, it's almost a no brainer that it would be the Palestra (I can see the Princeton fans bitching now)unless they took the Patriot League's style and the highest seed hosted the whole thing. Which would mean the Palestra half the time anyway...[/quote]

Unless they took the approach of ECAC hockey and put it somewhere geographically central, which does push it closer to NYC. If not, MSG, then maybe the meadowlands, or at worst Hartford. It's not like they need a host school to serve as trainers and deal with lots of gear.

nyc94 · December 08, 2006, 12:21:42 PM

[quote Jeff Hopkins '82][quote Chris '03][quote billhoward]
As for location, it's almost a no brainer that it would be the Palestra (I can see the Princeton fans bitching now)unless they took the Patriot League's style and the highest seed hosted the whole thing. Which would mean the Palestra half the time anyway...[/quote]

Unless they took the approach of ECAC hockey and put it somewhere geographically central, which does push it closer to NYC. If not, MSG, then maybe the meadowlands, or at worst Hartford. It's not like they need a host school to serve as trainers and deal with lots of gear.[/quote]

Does anyone the financial arrangement it takes to use a large arena like MSG or the Meadowlands? I can see that the Big East tournament sells out and that the Garden gets a cut of that plus maybe more because of the TV money. But what are we paying for the use of the Garden when we play BU next year? The game will obviously not come close to selling out and the prices can't be that high either (right?).

Chris '03 · December 08, 2006, 01:12:12 PM

[quote nyc94]
Does anyone the financial arrangement it takes to use a large arena like MSG or the Meadowlands? [/quote]

That's just it. I can't imagine a tournament will generate enough revenue to rent out an A or B level pro arena to make it worth it. Is the idea of Ivy hoops in front of a 20% of capacity crowd at the dumpy Hartford Civic Center even that appealing?

If they want to tinker with a tournament, maybe they should try a preseason tournament in November or January (MLK weekend maybe? minimal missed class time) on a campus site. They might even be able to tie it to an NIT berth. Obviously it won't have the juice of an all or nothing post season tourney, but it could be some gauge for how successful it could be without screwing up a season trying. I think the worst case would be to go to a tournament for 2-3 years, decide it doesn't work, and scrap it again.

Trotsky · December 08, 2006, 04:38:07 PM

They're just going to go to a 128-team NCAA tourney eventually, anyway, so I say have an Ivy Tourney for the auto bid. I'm sure the conference can deliver at least one team with an RPI in the top 100, most years.

billhoward · December 10, 2006, 01:35:04 PM

An Ivy tournament would not generate the numbers of the Big East tournament, not even if all the bankers from Penn and brokers from Princeton got the day off to attend. Or it would be Thursday-Friday-Saturday at 9 and 11 am. Just wishful thinking. Once Newark gets its hockey rink built downtown, that'd be an option and only 20 minutes from Manhattan.

Al DeFlorio · December 11, 2006, 01:58:58 PM

[quote billhoward]Once Newark gets its hockey rink built downtown, that'd be an option and only 20 minutes from Manhattan.[/quote]
Hey, if they play on ice we might have a shot. **]

jtwcornell91 · December 11, 2006, 02:38:36 PM

[quote Al DeFlorio][quote billhoward]Once Newark gets its hockey rink built downtown, that'd be an option and only 20 minutes from Manhattan.[/quote]
Hey, if they play on ice we might have a shot. **][/quote]

Baskiceball?

billhoward · December 13, 2006, 06:11:33 PM

[quote CornellFan]...to discuss March Madness. Will the Ivy League add a conference tournament?

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/07/sports/ncaabasketball/07ivy.html?em&ex=1165640400&en=3da5c760d02a3662&ei=5087%0A[/quote]

At the urging of the Dartmouth athletic director, the resolution will read that if there is a tournament, the host site be sensitive to Indians. Otherwise Dartmouth boycotts.