ASUN Basketball

[Colonel Since '65]

I watched the last two OVC tournament games and am now watching the ASun finals. I have to keep reminding myself that “The ASun is not a step along the way. The ASun is a destination”. Apparently the destination is a tournament final being played in a high school gym. What does this make the conference look like?
There may be a bigger crowd at today’s game than at last night’s OVC finals, but Evansville’s Ford Center had big OVC logos at center court and on the side—instead of a hat in a little gym.
Obviously I am not a fan of this tournament plan. Any thoughts?

[EKU05]

I watched the last two OVC tournament games and am now watching the ASun finals. I have to keep reminding myself that “The ASun is not a step along the way. The ASun is a destination”. Apparently the destination is a tournament final being played in a high school gym. What does this make the conference look like?
There may be a bigger crowd at today’s game than at last night’s OVC finals, but Evansville’s Ford Center had big OVC logos at center court and on the side—instead of a hat in a little gym.
Obviously I am not a fan of this tournament plan. Any thoughts?

The way the ASUN does it makes less sense from a promotional standpoint(for multiple reasons), but it makes more sense from a competitive standpoint. I guess it depends what you value. I miss the feel of the OVC tournament too sometimes.

[Lion1983]

The ASUN is currently looking to have all Championships at a neutral site.

For basketball, when they decided to do it, it was too late to do.

I have heard they are considering having the semi finals and Championship game only in basketball a neutral site. Huntsville is the last place I heard at the VBCC.

They have moved to a neutral site for Softball this year.

[EKU05]

The ASUN is currently looking to have all Championships at a neutral site.

For basketball, when they decided to do it, it was too late to do.

I have heard they are considering having the semi finals and Championship game only in basketball a neutral site. Huntsville is the last place I heard at the VBCC.

They have moved to a neutral site for Softball this year.

Semis and finals only at a neutral site is what the OVC did back in the early 2000s back when I first started following EKU. They changed it at least a decade back to more of a stepladder format that is entirely at a neutral site. It used to be Nashville every year, but now they've switched to Evansville.

[ohcolonel6]

The OVC Tournament was fantastic when I first arrived my freshman year in 2006. Opening round was played at higher seed, then semi finals and finals were at Bridgestone Arena (Nashville Preds).

Then it got worse and we were at Nashville Municipal Auditorium which was an awful awful awful venue. Glad it then switched to Evansville.

For the ASUN, I am okay with higher seeds hosting throughout. That guarantees the home school will pack the gym in a lot of ways. A neutral site can be empty and make it look worse.

We will see what the future holds. The ASUN wasn’t the conference I think we thought we were getting into. Schools have left for greener pastures. Also, in doing so we lost so many rivalries. Morehead & Murray, both gone. It sucks. I haven’t found that rivalry again yet. Austin Peay still remains, but there were so many rivals in the OVC. I hated the move to the ASUN as we were a charter member if memory serves for the OVC.

It feels odd watching us play in the ASUN every year. And I know it’s been 3-4 years now.

[EKU05]

We will see what the future holds. The ASUN wasn’t the conference I think we thought we were getting into. Schools have left for greener pastures.

The football aspect of things hasn't panned out obviously, but we landed on our feet with the UAC.

I think the basketball league is pretty good, and other than losing Liberty the losses haven't been too substantial there.

[Colonel Since '65]

You make some good points favoring this tourney layout. If played in Huntsville the crowd at the finals would have been much smaller. I’m watching the NEC finals being played at #2 seed Merrimack. Smaller gym than Stetson’s, but completely full and loud. As 05 said, it depends on what you value.

[Colonel Since '65]

Incidentally #6 seed Wagner beat Merrimack to win the NEC and will take a 16-15 record to the dance, undoubtedly taking one of the Dayton spots.

[EKU05]

Incidentally #6 seed Wagner beat Merrimack to win the NEC and will take a 16-15 record to the dance, undoubtedly taking one of the Dayton spots.

They will get one of those spots almost certainly, but it shouldn't bump anyone out of the field since the NEC was only going to get one bid regardless. It probably bumps someone else into the round of 64.

[Colonel12]

The big question is what to do with Indiana State