Changes to sports

[jp the roadgeek]

Bring back the jump ball in mens' college basketball.  No more possession arrow that only rewards the defensive team 50% of the time.  It's fine in the womens' game where there's not as much contact and jumping, but the men should do it. 

[Roadgeekteen]

Bring back the jump ball in mens' college basketball.  No more possession arrow that only rewards the defensive team 50% of the time.  It's fine in the womens' game where there's not as much contact and jumping, but the men should do it.

I agree! I've been watching college bball for a few years and still don't understand the possession arrow. It's so lame when two players are fighting for the ball and for one team, it turns out just being like a turnover.

[thspfc]

Get rid of conference tournaments in college basketball. NCAA tournament autobids go to regular season champs. It's stupid that a team from a small conference can dominate all year, but one bad game in the conference tourney denies them a bid in favor of a team that might as well have intentionally lost all their games in the regular season. Make the games matter.

[hbelkins]

Get rid of conference tournaments in college basketball. NCAA tournament autobids go to regular season champs. It's stupid that a team from a small conference can dominate all year, but one bad game in the conference tourney denies them a bid in favor of a team that might as well have intentionally lost all their games in the regular season. Make the games matter.

I can relate, especially for the mid-major conferences that will only get one team in the tournament. It's hard for me to believe that the Ohio Valley Conference tournament in Evansville is going to be a big revenue producer.

My alma mater just won the OVC regular season championship outright since 1984. Morehead State has made a couple of NCAA tournaments in the intervening years, and the Eagles were lucky enough to win both the regular season and conference tournament championships in '84 after winning the OVC tournament the year prior, but it's entirely possible this year that the team could slip up in the tournament and then not even get an NIT bid.

Surely the TV money the OVC will get paid for  the championship game being on one of the ESPN channels can't bring in THAT much money to justify a conference tournament.

[Roadgeekteen]

Get rid of conference tournaments in college basketball. NCAA tournament autobids go to regular season champs. It’s stupid that a team from a small conference can dominate all year, but one bad game in the conference tourney denies them a bid in favor of a team that might as well have intentionally lost all their games in the regular season. Make the games matter.

I disagree. Conference tournaments give fans of meh/bad teams something to cheer for in the end of the season. Without them a game between 2 middling mid major teams in one bid leagues in Janurary would mean jack shit. Also if a mid major has a VERY good year which would make the tournament anyone as an at large, it gives smaller conferences an ability to get 2 teams in when they wouldn't normally. See Richmond and Davidson last year.

[NWI_Irish96]

Get rid of conference tournaments in college basketball. NCAA tournament autobids go to regular season champs. It's stupid that a team from a small conference can dominate all year, but one bad game in the conference tourney denies them a bid in favor of a team that might as well have intentionally lost all their games in the regular season. Make the games matter.

I disagree. Conference tournaments give fans of meh/bad teams something to cheer for in the end of the season. Without them a game between 2 middling mid major teams in one bid leagues in Janurary would mean jack shit.

There is a proposal to expand the NCAA tournament to 96 teams and guarantee each conference two bids. One each to the regular season and tournament champs. If the same team wins both, the 2nd place regular season team gets the second bid.

[Big John]

^^ Didn't the NIT a couple of years ago grant an automatic spot to regular-season winners who lost in the conference tournament?

[Roadgeekteen]

^^ Didn't the NIT a couple of years ago grant an automatic spot to regular-season winners who lost in the conference tournament?

It still does.

[CoreySamson]

^^ Didn't the NIT a couple of years ago grant an automatic spot to regular-season winners who lost in the conference tournament?

It still does.

Yes, but;

There is a proposal to expand the NCAA tournament to 96 teams and guarantee each conference two bids. One each to the regular season and tournament champs. If the same team wins both, the 2nd place regular season team gets the second bid.

this. ^^^

My team has dominated its conference all year but if they screw up in the conference championship, then no March for them.

[thspfc]

Get rid of conference tournaments in college basketball. NCAA tournament autobids go to regular season champs. It's stupid that a team from a small conference can dominate all year, but one bad game in the conference tourney denies them a bid in favor of a team that might as well have intentionally lost all their games in the regular season. Make the games matter.

I disagree. Conference tournaments give fans of meh/bad teams something to cheer for in the end of the season.

That's a fair point, but the negatives outweigh the positives.

Without them a game between 2 middling mid major teams in one bid leagues in Janurary would mean jack shit.

It means even less as is because neither of the teams can do anything in the regular season that gives them a chance to make the tournament. Besides fight for a marginally better seed in the conference tournament, but in the end, it doesn't matter who is the 4 seed and who is the 5 seed if the 5 seed is better at basketball. With autobids for regular season champs, those teams would have hope alive that they could make the tournament by winning x number of x remaining games.

Also if a mid major has a VERY good year which would make the tournament anyone as an at large, it gives smaller conferences an ability to get 2 teams in when they wouldn't normally. See Richmond and Davidson last year.

It's very rare that small conferences get multiple bids. Most consider the power conferences to be the Big Ten, SEC, ACC, Big 12, Big East, and Pac-12. The WCC, AAC, Mountain West, and A-10 typically receive multiple bids, which would be unlikely to change with no conference tournament. None of the remaining 22 conferences received multiple bids in 2022. Only one of 21 did in 2021.

[Roadgeekteen]

^^ Didn't the NIT a couple of years ago grant an automatic spot to regular-season winners who lost in the conference tournament?

It still does.

Yes, but;

There is a proposal to expand the NCAA tournament to 96 teams and guarantee each conference two bids. One each to the regular season and tournament champs. If the same team wins both, the 2nd place regular season team gets the second bid.

this. ^^^

My team has dominated its conference all year but if they screw up in the conference championship, then no March for them.

The Summit League is very weak. They currently have a strong at-large resume at the moment that could put them in if they lose in the Summit League tournament. But if they lose in the tourney, they will have a quad 3 loss (to SDSU) or maybe even a lower quad loss. If conference tourneys went away every single other Summit League team would be playing for nothing at this point, as ORU would have clinched the at large bit like a month ago. Also for neutral fans conference tournaments are very exciting- for small conferences, it's like March Madness starts a week early. I do totally get the argument aganist them though- in Womens BBall, UMass tied for the A10 regular season title with Rhode Island. It would be very annoying to see them randomly lose to the 8th seed and miss the tournament, and sometimes I wish that we would just play one game against Rhode Island to see who makes it to March. But if I was a fan of another non UMass/URI A10 team, I would want a chance to pull off upsets and make March.

[thspfc]

Get rid of conference tournaments in college basketball. NCAA tournament autobids go to regular season champs. It's stupid that a team from a small conference can dominate all year, but one bad game in the conference tourney denies them a bid in favor of a team that might as well have intentionally lost all their games in the regular season. Make the games matter.

I disagree. Conference tournaments give fans of meh/bad teams something to cheer for in the end of the season. Without them a game between 2 middling mid major teams in one bid leagues in Janurary would mean jack shit.

There is a proposal to expand the NCAA tournament to 96 teams and guarantee each conference two bids. One each to the regular season and tournament champs. If the same team wins both, the 2nd place regular season team gets the second bid.

As much as I don't like the idea of nearly half the D1 teams getting in, that proposal makes sense if they're hoping to balance the conferences a little more and increase engagement (and therefore $$$) for mid-major teams. That would be 52 teams, or 54% of the field, receiving autobids as members of non-power conferences (44 of which would be members of conferences that are typically single-bid as of now). The path to the tournament would become a lot easier for mid-major schools, who currently have it the hardest. That would draw a lot of recruits to mid-majors from power conference schools - but, likely, only middling to below average power conference schools who often find themselves fighting for an at-large with a close to .500 record. The blue bloods would still get the top players, and with less competition within the conference, their dominance would probably increase. Is that what we want?

And 64 is perfect anyway.

[thspfc]

^^ Didn't the NIT a couple of years ago grant an automatic spot to regular-season winners who lost in the conference tournament?

It still does.

Yes, but;

There is a proposal to expand the NCAA tournament to 96 teams and guarantee each conference two bids. One each to the regular season and tournament champs. If the same team wins both, the 2nd place regular season team gets the second bid.

this. ^^^

My team has dominated its conference all year but if they screw up in the conference championship, then no March for them.

If conference tourneys went away every single other Summit League team would be playing for nothing at this point, as ORU would have clinched the at large bit like a month ago.

As I said above, they're not playing for anything right now as is. There's nothing they can do in the regular season that gives them a chance to make the tournament. It's either win the conference tourney or they're out. And here's why regular season autobids are better: that's how it's been for them the entire season. No amount of regular season success (beyond going undefeated or nearly undefeated, which is extremely hard to do in basketball) will get them in the tournament. If there were regular season autobids, even the bad teams would have that to play for for the majority of the year. And let's not act like it would be the only sport where teams get eliminated from postseason play before the season is over; that happens in every professional league and college football.

[Big John]

And 64 is perfect anyway.

already overdoing it at 68.

[Roadgeekteen]

^^ Didn't the NIT a couple of years ago grant an automatic spot to regular-season winners who lost in the conference tournament?

It still does.

Yes, but;

There is a proposal to expand the NCAA tournament to 96 teams and guarantee each conference two bids. One each to the regular season and tournament champs. If the same team wins both, the 2nd place regular season team gets the second bid.

this. ^^^

My team has dominated its conference all year but if they screw up in the conference championship, then no March for them.

If conference tourneys went away every single other Summit League team would be playing for nothing at this point, as ORU would have clinched the at large bit like a month ago.

As I said above, they're not playing for anything right now as is. There's nothing they can do in the regular season that gives them a chance to make the tournament. It's either win the conference tourney or they're out. And here's why regular season autobids are better: that's how it's been for them the entire season. No amount of regular season success (beyond going undefeated or nearly undefeated, which is extremely hard to do in basketball) will get them in the tournament. If there were regular season autobids, even the bad teams would have that to play for for the majority of the year. And let's not act like it would be the only sport where teams get eliminated from postseason play before the season is over; that happens in every professional league and college football.

In many conference tournaments, seeding is important. Many conferences have instituted double byes for teams who do good in the regular season to make it easier for their top teams to make it. So the best team in the conference would have to play 2 fewer games in the conference tournament to win it than the worst team.

[thspfc]

^^ Didn't the NIT a couple of years ago grant an automatic spot to regular-season winners who lost in the conference tournament?

It still does.

Yes, but;

There is a proposal to expand the NCAA tournament to 96 teams and guarantee each conference two bids. One each to the regular season and tournament champs. If the same team wins both, the 2nd place regular season team gets the second bid.

this. ^^^

My team has dominated its conference all year but if they screw up in the conference championship, then no March for them.

If conference tourneys went away every single other Summit League team would be playing for nothing at this point, as ORU would have clinched the at large bit like a month ago.

As I said above, they're not playing for anything right now as is. There's nothing they can do in the regular season that gives them a chance to make the tournament. It's either win the conference tourney or they're out. And here's why regular season autobids are better: that's how it's been for them the entire season. No amount of regular season success (beyond going undefeated or nearly undefeated, which is extremely hard to do in basketball) will get them in the tournament. If there were regular season autobids, even the bad teams would have that to play for for the majority of the year. And let's not act like it would be the only sport where teams get eliminated from postseason play before the season is over; that happens in every professional league and college football.

In many conference tournaments, seeding is important. Many conferences have instituted double byes for teams who do good in the regular season to make it easier for their top teams to make it. So the best team in the conference would have to play 2 fewer games in the conference tournament to win it than the worst team.

But the teams that are in contention for those byes are the teams that would be in contention for the NCAA bid throughout the season . . .

[Roadgeekteen]

^^ Didn't the NIT a couple of years ago grant an automatic spot to regular-season winners who lost in the conference tournament?

It still does.

Yes, but;

There is a proposal to expand the NCAA tournament to 96 teams and guarantee each conference two bids. One each to the regular season and tournament champs. If the same team wins both, the 2nd place regular season team gets the second bid.

this. ^^^

My team has dominated its conference all year but if they screw up in the conference championship, then no March for them.

If conference tourneys went away every single other Summit League team would be playing for nothing at this point, as ORU would have clinched the at large bit like a month ago.

As I said above, they're not playing for anything right now as is. There's nothing they can do in the regular season that gives them a chance to make the tournament. It's either win the conference tourney or they're out. And here's why regular season autobids are better: that's how it's been for them the entire season. No amount of regular season success (beyond going undefeated or nearly undefeated, which is extremely hard to do in basketball) will get them in the tournament. If there were regular season autobids, even the bad teams would have that to play for for the majority of the year. And let's not act like it would be the only sport where teams get eliminated from postseason play before the season is over; that happens in every professional league and college football.

In many conference tournaments, seeding is important. Many conferences have instituted double byes for teams who do good in the regular season to make it easier for their top teams to make it. So the best team in the conference would have to play 2 fewer games in the conference tournament to win it than the worst team.

But the teams that are in contention for those byes are the teams that would be in contention for the NCAA bid throughout the season . . .

Not always. In the A10 womens basketball, the top 4 seeds in the conference get a double bye. UMass, URI, Fordham, and St Louis. UMass and URI went 14-2 in conference, Fordham and St. Louis went 10-6. Both Fordham and St. Louis upset URI and UMass respectivly in exciting games. These wins were crucial in getting both teams a double bye. Without the tournament, the upsets would have little meaning as both teams would be eliminated from March already. Also, only sending the regular season winner would be very unfair to Rhode Island, who finished with the same record as UMass and tied the season series. The two teams were declared co regular season champs. UMass got the 1st seed in the conference tournament off of a tiebreaker. This would put UMass in the tournament and Rhode Island at home over a tiebreaker, even though both teams went 24/23-5 and 14-2 in A10 play. Obviously different senarios will come up every year in every conference. Also these are college kids not pros, and for the seniors it's nice to just have more games for them to play before they graduate.

[thspfc]

^^ Didn't the NIT a couple of years ago grant an automatic spot to regular-season winners who lost in the conference tournament?

It still does.

Yes, but;

There is a proposal to expand the NCAA tournament to 96 teams and guarantee each conference two bids. One each to the regular season and tournament champs. If the same team wins both, the 2nd place regular season team gets the second bid.

this. ^^^

My team has dominated its conference all year but if they screw up in the conference championship, then no March for them.

If conference tourneys went away every single other Summit League team would be playing for nothing at this point, as ORU would have clinched the at large bit like a month ago.

As I said above, they're not playing for anything right now as is. There's nothing they can do in the regular season that gives them a chance to make the tournament. It's either win the conference tourney or they're out. And here's why regular season autobids are better: that's how it's been for them the entire season. No amount of regular season success (beyond going undefeated or nearly undefeated, which is extremely hard to do in basketball) will get them in the tournament. If there were regular season autobids, even the bad teams would have that to play for for the majority of the year. And let's not act like it would be the only sport where teams get eliminated from postseason play before the season is over; that happens in every professional league and college football.

In many conference tournaments, seeding is important. Many conferences have instituted double byes for teams who do good in the regular season to make it easier for their top teams to make it. So the best team in the conference would have to play 2 fewer games in the conference tournament to win it than the worst team.

But the teams that are in contention for those byes are the teams that would be in contention for the NCAA bid throughout the season . . .

Not always

Usually.

[Poiponen13]

There should be college judo and boxing.

[triplemultiplex]

Major water polo league, there should be a one. It would have promotion and relegation and 12 teams without conferences or divisions.

I agree that there should be a league, but if there are only 12 teams, they can all be at the same level.

Captain Archer would approve.

[NWI_Irish96]

Major water polo league, there should be a one. It would have promotion and relegation and 12 teams without conferences or divisions.

I agree that there should be a league, but if there are only 12 teams, they can all be at the same level.

Captain Archer would approve.

If they're not all at the same level, wouldn't some of them drown?

[SP Cook]

College basketball, IMHO.

- The jump ball should at least start the second half.  They have been doing this for 30 years and it still seems unnatural.

- It is patronizing that women's basketball has quarters rather than halves like the men do.  Like they need an extra break.

- The play in games for the NCAA tournament are stupid.  The original deal was they took the bottom four conferences and made them play off for 2 spots, because there was this supposed limit on the number of automatic bids.  No one watched, so they broke it up to two nights and added two more games where four big conference losers play for two spots.  Just go with 64.  That eliminates four big conference losers (two of the teams playing for the 11 seed, and two teams that get bumped because every conference gets a full equal place).  Too bad.  Win more games next time.

- Bring back the regional to the regionals.  Yes, they have to move a few teams to balance things out, but do that with the big teams.  Smaller conference champions need to be placed near to their locations.

- Ideas about expanding to 96 and such are just greed.  The idea that they will take more "mid-majors" is a load of crap.  They will always take another loser from a big name conference.  Heck, they are talking about taking the entire Big 12 conference this year.  Teams barely with a .500 record.  A joke.  Reminds me of the old Louisville coach Denny Crum who would always moan about all the great teams he lost too.  Billy Packer finally had enough and said that he could get the worst team in the country and lose to the very same teams Crum lost to. 

- All of the "bracketology" nonsense should not be taken seriously.  Most of these guys just fill out brackets based on past results.  None of them could tell you one thing about more than the top 30 of so teams.

- Baseball should go back to Opening Day being on the Monday the final game of the NCAA tournament was played.  It had symmetry. 

[Big John]

^^ I don't know how breaks are allotted in women's basketball but men's basketball has a break every 4 minutes.

[Roadgeekteen]

^^ I don't know how breaks are allotted in women's basketball but men's basketball has a break every 4 minutes.

The WBB quarter breaks are not long breaks, they are like quarter breaks in other sports like NFL/NBA.

[thspfc]

Don't support the 96 either, but . . .

The idea that they will take more "mid-majors" is a load of crap.

If there's two autobids for each mid-major conference, then no, it's not a load of crap.

They will always take another loser from a big name conference.  Heck, they are talking about taking the entire Big 12 conference this year.  Teams barely with a .500 record.  A joke.

Hear me out: 1), they're not going to take the entire big 12, and 2), what if they're, oh I don't know, trying to pick the 68 best college basketball teams in America?

You know what is actually a joke? Rewarding teams for playing chicken schedules. It blows my mind that some people seriously believe that a, for example, 22-8 team from the worst conference is better than a 17-13 team from the best conference. It's harder to beat good teams than it is to beat bad teams. And if you don't take that into account, you're essentially rewarding teams who play cupcakes and punishing teams who play competitive games.