NCAA $

[Akronite]

Does the NCAA benefit financially from the post-season games? Could it be that Akron was snubbed because they felt that our 5500 seat JAR wouldn't make them enough money and the larger schools, even if lesser teams, would make them more cash??

[GoZips]

I work in Troy, MI.Ann Arbor is a 45 minute drive away. Thus, last Tuesday I attended the UofM vsUtah State NIT men's game.There were 3100 souls at the game. The smallest paid attendance at Crisler Arenain its entire history.I paid ten dollars for a floor seat next to the Utah State bench.If the NCAA is looking to make money, scratch Michigan off the party list.

[ziptrumpet87]

There were only about 2100 at the Akron-Temple game last year if I remember correctly. We would have packed the place if we had hosted it!

[skip-zip]

Ziptrumpter.....this point came up last year too.Who assumes that the "major conference" school will draw more people if they host an NIT game? In fact, the opposite could be true since the bigger schools probably aren't happy that they did not get into the NCAA tournament, so the fans proabably don't respond very positively to an NIT invitation. I actually think that the number of people at the Temple game was even much lower than that, but I could be wrong. But either way, Akron would have surely far-surpassed that number.

[blueandgold]

In the NIT the mid-major team should host the game. Mid-majors are excited to be in any post season tournament for the exposure, whereas the so called "big" schools or BCS schools don't care and will have poor fan support.

[GoZips88]

In the NIT the mid-major team should host the game. Mid-majors are excited to be in any post season tournament for the exposure, whereas the so called "big" schools or BCS schools don't care and will have poor fan support.

Yep, almost posted the same thing yesterday. NIT isn't what we wanted but I think we would have done OK putting butts in seats at the JAR. I wonder if any of the bigger schools the committee has in mind would decline if they were < better sit down for this one> asked to play on the road?! "We play at home in front of an apathetic crowd or we don't go!" mentality. Wouldn't surprise me ...

[FMR]

Does the NCAA benefit financially from the post-season games?

The NCAA bought the NIT because they (NCAA) were being sued by the NIT. Instead of settling, they just bought the competition. The NIT use to be THE tournament until the NCAA and CBS combined to make it into what it is today.So the NCAA can subsidize the NIT with all the cash it makes from March Madness. (NIT) Going from 40 to 32 teams this year made for interesting pairings. Only two BCS schools traveled the first round, NC State to Drexel and Alabama to UMASS. I am sure you all remember how hard it was going to Philly last year on Tuesday (right after the MAC Tournament) and playing in Omaha on Thursday. The travel for the team was brutal. The NIT is set up for the home team to win.http://www.cstv.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_cho...df/2007-Bracket

[Balki Bartokomous]

The NCAA bought the NIT because they (NCAA) were being sued by the NIT. Instead of settling, they just bought the competition. The NIT use to be THE tournament until the NCAA and CBS combined to make it into what it is today.

funny how anti-trust laws never come into play.

[KNCLZip]

The NCAA bought the NIT because they (NCAA) were being sued by the NIT.  Instead of settling, they just bought the competition.  The NIT use to be THE tournament until the NCAA and CBS combined to make it into what it is today.

funny how anti-trust laws never come into play.

It's because the NCAA is "non-profit".....yeah, something like that.

[GoZips88]

For whatever it's worth, here are attendance figures for the first two rounds of the NIT. * NICE (not) showing by some of the B©S schools (Georgia, Michigan, Clemson-twice, Flori-duh State).* Syracuse is just crazy for their basketball team with awesome turnouts both games. NIT record crowd for the second-round game.* Drexel (Philadelphia, PA; 11,000 students) averaged 2133 fans for 12 home games. Some nice wins on the road during the regular season, sorry we had to leave you out of the Big Dance, and thanks for making $1.98 for the NCAA in your NIT home game.* I'd like to think Akron would have had a decent showing somewhere in the 4000-5000 range (middle of the pack), MAYBE a sellout at 5500? We traveled well to Detroit twice for football and seemed to draw well for the Can't and Miami games at The Q in the MAC tournament this year. We're a pretty hungry fan base with so little post-season play over the years.* NIT Round 1 ATTENDANCEFresno State 78 @ GEORGIA 88 2,031NC STATE 63 @ Drexel 56 2,499Austin Peay 51 @ AIR FORCE 75 2,718 Utah State 58 @ MICHIGAN 68 3,114East Tenn State 57 @ CLEMSON 64 3,150Toledo 61 @ FLORIDA STATE 77 3,295Hofstra 71 @ DEPAUL 83 4,056Alabama 87 @ UMASS 89 (OT) 4,207SAN DIEGO ST 74 @ Missouri State 70 4,234Appl State 59 @ MISSISSIPPI 73 4,696Mississippi Val St. 63 @ MISSISSIPPI ST. 82 5,501Delaware State 50 @ WEST VIRGINIA 74 6,458MARIST 67 @ Oklahoma State 64 7,507Providence 78 @ BRADLEY 90 (OT) 8,304Vermont 57 @ KANSAS STATE 59 8,596South Alabama 73 @ SYRACUSE 79 16,832NIT Round 2Mississippi 68 @ CLEMSON 89 3,650Georgia 52 @ AIR FORCE 83 5,698Bradley 72 @ MISSISSIPPI ST. 101 5,733Michigan 66 @ FLORIDA STATE 87 6,033Massachusetts 77 @ WEST VIRGINIA 90 7,146Marist 62 @ NC STATE 69 8,400DEPAUL 70 @ Kansas State 65 13,340San Diego State 64 @ SYRACUSE 80 26,752 (NIT record)

[GP1]

Of course it is about money. The answer is so clear I'm surprised we did not pick up on it before. Something became clear to me after reading GoZips88's post and seeing the match ups. Most of the posts are about Akron not getting a home game in the NIT. I'm most pissed that we didn't even get an away game, but now I think I understand why. Here it goes.Nobody is going to tell me that Vermont, South Alabama, Marist, Austin P., Hofstra, East TN State, App. State and MS Valley State are better than Akron. All of them had to play on the road the first round. Few of them stood a chance of winning a first round game (only Marist did). Akron DID stand a good chance of winning a first round game and that's why they were not allowed in the NIT.If Akron wins a first round game, along with Marist winning, it throws off the favorable home schedule for the other "big name" teams. I think Akron could go on the road and beat a couple of the home teams in the second round and that is the last thing the NIT wants. Akron winning would prove that more mid majors belong in the NIT and they don't want that. They want to allow the above mentioned teams in, have them get their asses kicked so they can say, "See, mid-majors don't belong in our tournament." It will justify them excluding more mid majors next year and give the perception the NIT is better than what it really is.If they can create the illusion the NIT is better than what it is, they will draw bigger crowds and make more money over time. They need the big schools with the big arenas continue the illusion.I came up with this idea on the spur of the moment and it is not completely thought through. Feel free to disagree or add to it.

[FMR]

I came up with this idea on the spur of the moment and it is not completely thought through. Feel free to disagree or add to it.

Thanks GP1, I would like to add a couple of comments.

Nobody is going to tell me that Vermont, South Alabama, Marist, Austin P., Hofstra, East TN State, App. State and MS Valley State are better than Akron.

The fear of the mid-majors of going from 40 to 32 teams was exactly what happened to UA, they got left out. So a part of the "deal" the NIT (NCAA) struck with the Mid-Majors was to give automatic bids to the regular season conference champions (those who did not win their tournament and go dancing). UA, by virtue of scheduling in the tougher Eastern half, was second behind Toledo. Although they only had an 18-14 record, their league record was higher, they got the automatic bid for the Conference.You should begin to see the patern that is setting up for the future for Mid-Majors. If you are not the Tournament or Regular season Champion, you stay home.With the BCS conferences, Missouri Valley and CAA dominating the selections, and the "proven" Mid-Majors of Gonzaga and Butler (Nevada will fade away again) there are not enough spots left to keep everyone happy.If we stay in the MAC, we will be faced with this every year. There are only two solutions to this problem:1. Win the Conference Tournament every year and we are in.2. Get out of the MAC and into a conference with multiple bids.

[GP1]

So a part of the "deal" the NIT (NCAA) struck with the Mid-Majors was to give automatic bids to the regular season conference champions (those who did not win their tournament and go dancing).

Is this really a rule for the NIT? I have no idea.

[FMR]

Is this really a rule for the NIT?

Straight out of the NIT Manual...General Principles for Selection, Seeding and BracketingThe NIT selection committee will abide by the following principles: At no point in the process shall a member vote for a team the individual has represented as a coach, athletics director or commissioner. All votes will be by secret ballot. Among the resources available to the committee are computer rankings, head-to-head results, chronological results, Division I results, non-conference results, home and away results, results in the last 10 games, polls and the coaches' regional advisory committee's rankings. The regular-season champion of any NCAA Division I conference (as determined by the conference's tie-break protocol) not otherwise selected to the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship will secure an automatic qualification to the National Invitation Tournament. The committee shall select the best available teams to fill the NIT field. There is no limit on the number of teams the committee may select from one conference. It really makes for good reading...http://www.nit.org/about-nit/selection-procedures.html

[Captain Kangaroo]

Of course it is about money. The answer is so clear I'm surprised we did not pick up on it before.

Like I said earlier last week…the BCS has worked its way into basketball. The big schools are tired of sharing their $$ with us "little" guys. ESPN wants Clemson/Mississippi. ESPN doesn't want Akron/Northern Iowa, regardless of whether of not the brand of basketball is better.Utah and Boise State proved they can compete at the highest level in football. Butler/George Mason/K.e.n.t. have done the same in basketball. But they needed to be pretty much flawless to get there. The NCAA will use these select teams as the poster children for how fair the existing systems are. That's laughable. The MAC needs to call a spade a spade and make a big stink. Mack Roades does too. The traditionally black schools made a big stink about always playing in the NCAA Tourney "Play in" game. Next season, I guarantee the SWAC won't be in that game. Or, the tourney will expand to 4 "play in" games. Either way, because they bitched, the system will be fixed to accommodate them. If the NCAA goes to 4 "play in" games, it may help our cause a bit. It will be interesting to see how that plays out.

[RowdyZip]

for what it's worth...drexel's gym, and i do mean GYM, seats only 2,700. How is this division 1 basketball?

[GoZips88]

for what it's worth...drexel's gym, and i do mean GYM, seats only 2,700. How is this division 1 basketball?

Whoops! Thank you RowdyZip. I forgot to check seating capacity before I ripped on them. My apologies to the board and to Drexel.

[exexec]

I just saw that the NCAA was paid 6 BILLION $$$$ for the rights to telecast the tourney. Since the NCAA is a non profit where does that 5 bil$$$$$$ or so go to??? ( took out a small amt for exexc salaries)