2013 Division III NCAA Tournament

[frank uible]

Does being a side show at Atlanta beat being a centerpiece at Salem?

[ziggy]

Does being a side show at Atlanta beat being a centerpiece at Salem?

That's a matter of perspective. I'm guessing the Amherst and UMHB players and fans did not feel like a side show on bit. To the college basketball fan at large and the national media, it probably was. To that I would say the side show is leaps and bounds better than irrelevance. Division III and II were part of the public consciousness in a way that has not been matched by tournaments past.

[commish]

FWIW - Just a quote from someone who was there ...

Though his Crusaders came out on the short end of the score, Mary Hardin-Baylor head coach Ken DeWeese felt strongly about continuing to play for the DIII title in such locales. So much so, in fact, that after reporters in the postgame news conference had finished with their questions, DeWeese asked to get on his "soapbox."

"NCAA was great," he began. "If this format does not become permanent, we're not doing the service for the student-athletes in the Division II and Division III levels that we possibly can. This is the greatest atmosphere in the world. If we don't, I think we're slighting our student-athletes.

"The experiences these guys have had, the way the NCAA people and the city of Atlanta have treated us, it is something each team should have an opportunity to aspire to get to. For Division II and Division III in college basketball, this is the best thing that's ever happened."

[AndOne]

Does being a side show at Atlanta beat being a centerpiece at Salem?

Frank----

Aside from what I suspect are very much right on point posts from Ziggy and Commish above, why don't you address letters to the basketball teams at Amherst and UMHB and ask them 2 questions:

1. Did you feel like a sideshow in Atlanta.
2. Was your experience in Salem any more enriching than the feeling you were left with in Atlanta?

They are the only people with the answers that really matter. 

[frank uible]

So it's settled. Salem should be scuttled as soon as feasible.

[Ralph Turner]

I have re-assessed this from an ASC-Centric perspective.

Having the Elite8 and Final 4 games at "neutral site" Salem helps the ASC.

We have the best chance of getting home games thru the first three rounds.

In the 16 years of the ASC participation in D-III, the men have never hosted in the second weekend.  This gives them the best shot at neutralizing the geographical disparities.

Go for it!

[frank uible]

If certain colleges or conferences find themselves in the minority and sufficiently object to this new reality, then they can decline to participate - possibly like NESCAC does in football. They will survive as will the majority without them.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

What can't be answered is how much of that crowd was there for the novelty of it and how much would return each year if the option were available.  How much of that crowd was there because Phillips Arena is right across the street and right in the middle of NCAA festivities?

how much of that crowd is going to travel to Salem?

I guess all I'm asking is would people be as impressed with the turnout if only 4,000 showed up in Dallas or Houston?


....and for all I know they might get more in Dallas or Houston.

The best chance for success (as defined as a large crowd) is to make it easy on the people in town for the DI Final Four. This was accomplished in two important ways this weekend: free admission and the proximity of the two venues.

The NCAA could offer free admission no matter where the game is played but they have no control over where the buildings are within the host city. The fact that the Georgia Dome and Philips Arena are adjacent to one another likely played at least a small role in the overall attendance number.

I see Indianapolis and Houston as opportunities to replicate the experience, but Arlington is not set up as well. I know it was mentioned that UT-Arlington is only a couple miles away but even that distance is likely to keep some neutral butts out of the seats.

They'll still stay in Downtown Dallas hotels and drive out to the stadium.  There's not enough rooms near the football stadium to house an event like this.  They could play downtown and still have lots of people around.

I also suspect, as (if) the tradition builds, that more people will show up.  Why not bring your HS team or your youth team down to watch some free championship basketball?

[Pat Coleman]

Hixon said similar nice things about the experience in Atlanta in his postgame news conference but also took pains to note that the format as it stands doesn't work and needs to be changed.

[frank uible]

If the NESCAC football season ran for 5+ months as the NESCAC basketball season does, the NESCAC Presidents would throw a hissy fit.

[AO]

I really don't think you have to change the schedule.  Making 2 teams wait 3 weeks to play in the title game is not a big deal.   The final two teams are always going to have the depth to get a good run during practice.  Plus, you give fans and families a better opportunity to make travel arrangements.   Don't listen to Tom Petty, waiting is the easiest part.

[Greek Tragedy]

If the tickets were free, was it general admission/sit where you want?

[gordonmann]

Sort of.

Certain areas of the arena were closed, like the upper bowl and one section reserved for the coaches attending the NABC conference.

There was a designated section for each team's fan section and the fans were initially concentrated on one side of the court for television purposes.  But beyond those parameters, I think people could sit where they wanted.

[Andy Archibald]

I absolutely loved having the game in the same location as the D1 Final Four. Although i have never been to a championship game in Salem, i cant imagine how the atmosphere could compare to the D1 location. Getting to go downtown and visiting Bracket Town, catching the Braves game on Saturday night made it one awesome weekend.

I sure hope the NCAA can find a way to make this the norm going into the future!

Also, it was great finally getting to meet Pat before the game started.

[Greek Tragedy]

Hopefully I've corrected my mistakes.  If not, please inform me!

CONF	TEAM	REC
NESCAC	Amherst	5-0
ASC	MHB	4-1
CCIW	NCC	4-1
MIAC	St. Thomas	4-1
CSAC	Cabrini	3-1
NESCAC	Middlebury	3-1
CAC	St. Mary's	3-1
NESCAC	Williams	3-1
MIAA	Calvin	2-1
E8	Ithaca	2-1
CCIW	IWU	2-1
NEAC	Morrisville	2-1
ODAC	RMC	2-1
ODAC	VWC	2-1
NWC	Whitworth	2-1
NCAC	Wooster	2-1
MACC	Alvernia	1-1
LAND	Catholic	1-1
USAC	CNU	1-1
ASC	Concordia-TX	1-1
SUNYAC	Cortland St.	1-1
CC	Dickinson	1-1
UAA	Emory	1-1
NCAC	Ohio Wes.	1-1
SUNYAC	Plattsburgh St.	1-1
LEC	RIC	1-1
UAA	Rochester	1-1
WIAC	Stevens Point	1-1
UAA	Wash. U.	1-1
CCIW	Wheaton	1-1
WIAC	Whitewater	1-1
NEWMAC	WPI	1-1
GNAC	Albertus Mag.	0-1
NATHCON	Aurora	0-1
SAA	Centre	0-1
CCC	Curry	0-1
MACF	Delaware Valley	0-1
IIAC	Dubuque	0-1
NECC	Elms	0-1
MASCAC	Fitchburg St.	0-1
LL	Hobart	0-1
ODAC	HSC	0-1
NAC	Husson	0-1
OAC	Marietta	0-1
NEWMAC	MIT	0-1
UMAC	Northwestern	0-1
AMCC	P.S. Behrend	0-1
NJAC	Ramapo	0-1
ODAC	Randolph	0-1
SCIAC	Redlands	0-1
HCAC	RHIT	0-1
NJAC	Rutgers	0-1
SLIAC	Spalding	0-1
NEWMAC	Springfield	0-1
MWC	St. Norbert	0-1
PrAC	St. Vincent	0-1
CUNYAC	Staten Island	0-1
E8	Stevens	0-1
SKY	SUNY-Purchase	0-1
HCAC	Transylvania	0-1
SCAC	Trinity	0-1
CAC	Wesley	0-1