POLL What are your thoughts on conference tournaments?

[PhilSimms11]

For the big boys (ACC, Big XII, Big East, Big Ten, etc.) it's irrelevant, but for the 1-bid leagues this is a huge deal. They're fun to watch, but they can be disastrous for teams that ran the table in their conference or otherwise finished first and then get upset, choke, or however you want to phrase it. Then, it's off to the NIT, CBI, CIT, AT&T, IHOP, or YMCA for them.

The Ivy League now has a 4-team playoff. Currently, it looks like this with two games left:
Penn (11-1)
Harvard (10-2)
Yale (7-5)
Cornell (5-7)
Columbia (5-7)
Princeton (4-8)
Brown (4-8)
Dartmouth (2-10)

Cornell/Columbia split their season series. I assume they would have a 1-game playoff to see who gets that 4th spot if they're tied.

 

[ericd7633]

I love them. I'm glad every conference has them. I like that the historically 1 bid leagues give their regular season cha.p the best possible path to winning, whether it be with home court advantage or multiple byes.

Also, the odds of anybody from a 1 big league running the table is extremely rare.

 

[Fountain City Blues]

Money grab and nothing more. Competition wise they’re a joke and I usually advocate for rotating lesser used players in there, especially in the early rounds.

 

[BrockForBroglio]

The winner of a 20 game conference season should be crowned conference champs and be in the NCAA tournament. There are too many variables in a conference tournament that can have a middle of the road conference team getting hot and winning then that team goes to the NCAA to get their ass kicked in the first round. And, as stated in the post above, it all about the money.

 

[Ickey Shuffle]

Top 8 teams with the top 4 getting a bye. The bottom feeders shouldn't even get an opportunity. Pretty cut and dry.

 

[jontaejones]

In an objective sense, I would say do away with them all together. In a lot of cases, you're playing teams you've already played twice a third time. Sometimes you're playing the last team you just played to end the regular season. It doesn't really add anything, and I'll be honest, I really don't give a sh@t if Nova wins the BET or not, I just don't want them to lose early.

And also, mid-major teams that dominated their regular season don't get to go to the tourney. That sucks as everybody knows.

That said, going to a full day of BET games is one of the best sporting events ever. It's a lot of fun and the atmosphere is really cool.

 

[jontaejones]

Money grab and nothing more. Competition wise they’re a joke and I usually advocate for rotating lesser used players in there, especially in the early rounds.

It also gives injured players time to get back in the groove. Which is good.

I really think all things considered, most major program coaches would 'like' to win, but really do not care.

March Madness: How did the last 25 national champions do in their conference tournaments?

 

[tducey]

They're fun, I went with top 8 teams in each conference should make them.

 

[Myles]

Top 8 teams with the top 4 getting a bye. The bottom feeders shouldn't even get an opportunity. Pretty cut and dry.

How would that work? If 4 got a bye, then the other 4 would play each other which would leave 6 teams left. Would the top 2 get 2 byes?

 

[PhilSimms11]

How would that work? If 4 got a bye, then the other 4 would play each other which would leave 6 teams left. Would the top 2 get 2 byes?

One of the conferences that did that this season is the Ohio Valley. The top-2 seeds get a double bye and seeds 3-4 get a 1-round bye.
5th vs 8th--winner vs 4th
6th vs 7th--winner vs 3rd

1st vs 4th/5th/8th
2nd vs 3rd/6th/7th

Championship

If the top-2 seeds win one game they'll face each other in the Championship. It reduces, but does not eliminate, the possibility of the regular season champ being dethroned.

I also like the idea of not having every team in the tourney. 8 is a good cut off if they're going to do it. Take the ACC for example...Pittsburgh went 0-18 in conference play and 8-23 overall. That's a 15-team league and they damn sure don't deserve to play for an auto bid. On the flip side, there's the Atlantic Sun. It's only 8 teams overall. So Carolina Upstate (7-25, 2-12) is in the cellar in that one. They don't deserve a chance to fluke their way in either. The top-4 would suffice there like the Ivy League does it.

 

[Myles]

I don't really care if it is fair or not. I like all teams in it. Bore games to watch. I got to watch Rutgers beat Indiana last night. Gotta love that.

 

[The Derski]

I didn’t realize people actually had issues with conference tournaments.

Maybe it’s because they have to go to places like Kansas City instead of Vegas.

 

[The Derski]

So Myles agrees with me but facepalms me because...?

 

[Deep Creek]

In an objective sense, I would say do away with them all together. In a lot of cases, you're playing teams you've already played twice a third time. Sometimes you're playing the last team you just played to end the regular season. It doesn't really add anything, and I'll be honest, I really don't give a sh@t if Nova wins the BET or not, I just don't want them to lose early.

And also, mid-major teams that dominated their regular season don't get to go to the tourney. That sucks as everybody knows.

That said, going to a full day of BET games is one of the best sporting events ever. It's a lot of fun and the atmosphere is really cool.

What JJ said. But I'm not a fan of CCGs in football either. I think conferences should be small enough to play true double round robins in hoops and a round robin in football. Decide it over the course of a season.

 

[Hitman Hart]

lmao, on every level of basketball in this country, you have to win a tournament to be crowned champion.

yet CBB fans have a problem with conference tournaments, which also happen to be more fun than your average tournament. so weird.

 

[Hitman Hart]

also, in an era where almost every high major conference has unbalanced conference schedules, conference tournament is a nice way to settle who is #1.

 

[PhilSimms11]

NIT, make room for Big South regular season champ UNC-Asheville (21-12) and MAAC co-champs Rider (22-9) and Canisius (21-11).

 

[huskers1217]

I hate them with a passion right now m

But top 8 is good

 

[PhilSimms11]

There's now a 3-way tie for that 4th and final spot in the Ivy League---Columbia, Cornell, Princeton (5-8).

 

[douggie]

It's relevant if that's what your team needs! How did the Last 25 National Champions do in their respective tournaments?

Year- School---- Conference result[/B]
2017- North Carolina- Lost, ACC semifinals
2016- Villanova------- Lost, Big East finals
2015- Duke ------------ Lost, ACC semifinals
2014- UConn----------- Lost, AAC finals
2013- Louisville-------- Won Big East
2012- Kentucky-------- Lost, SEC finals
2011- UConn ----------- Won Big East
2010- Duke------------- Won ACC
2009- North Carolina--- Lost, ACC semifinals
2008- Kansas----------- Won Big 12
2007- Florida----------- Won SEC
2006- Florida----------- Won SEC
2005- North Carolina --- Lost, ACC semifinals
2004- UConn------------ Won Big East
2003- Syracuse--------- Lost, Big East semifinals
2002- Maryland--------- Lost, ACC semifinals
2001- Duke------------- Won ACC
2000- Michigan State--- Won Big Ten
1999- UConn------------ Won Big East
1998- Kentucky---------- Won SEC
1997- Arizona------------ No tournament
1996- Kentucky ---------- Lost, SEC finals
1995- UCLA -------------- No tournament
1994- Arkansas---------- Lost, SEC semifinals
1993- North Carolina----- Lost, ACC finals

*From 1998-2011, it was very smart to put your faith in teams that performed in the conference tournament.

*Of the 14 national champions in that time, all but four went the distance in their conference tournaments.

*Since then, things have really turned around. The last four champions all fell in their conference tournaments.

*Overall in this 25-year span, 11 of the 23 participating national champions were also conference-tournament champions.

*What about just reaching the finals in your conference? Only seven of the 23 national champions since 1993 that participated in a conference tournament were bounced prior to the championship game.

*But no team since 1993 has fallen short of the semifinals, so be wary of a team that is upset early on.

*North Carolina doesn't sweat ACC tournament losses at all: In the Tar Heels' four regular season championship seasons since 1993, they have zero conference-tournament titles and only reached the finals once.

*Duke, on the other hand, has won the ACC tourney in three of its last four national championship years, with only the most recent featuring an ACC loss.