Regular season champion vs tournament champion

[bjhracer]

A lot of debate has been going on on who should receive the automatic bid.  What are your thoughts? I know the tournament is a money maker and is here to stay but sometimes one bid leagues do not send their best representative.  

The way the OVC tournament is now the 1 and 2 seeds both recieve double byes.  No real advantage for the conference champion.  My solution is make the conference tournament double elimination for the champion.  This way a team that does not win the regular season title has to beat the champion twice to recieve the automatic bid.  This I feel rewards the regular season champion and still leaves a path to the tourney for a team that may have struggled a little in the regular season.  

Thoughts?

[Rem007]

I suggest we either go back to the way things used to be like in the 80's and have the championship final four on the Regular Season Conference champions home floor and also get rid of this East/West BS.  It is just one league for christ sake.  We are not the SEC.  If the champion of the regular season does not host the final four of the tournament then do not even have it and just crown the champion into the tournament.  Then it puts an end to all these shenanigans.

This Nashville thing blows and then I do not have to see Vince Gill's fat grill again because next time I will punch him in the face.  lol

I mean this isn't rocket science.   :clap:

[BigD21]

That's one of the more comical things I've read on here.  I don't think any school will go for a separate set of rules for one team vs the others.  Rem nailed it.  I'm fine with teams having a chance to play they win in but it should have to be done on the champs turf.

[Rem007]

what is comical?  The fact that I want to punch Vince Gill in the face and then steal Amy Grant away--I will totally c%ckblock him at the concessions next time.  Anyway, did you see the atmosphere at the Valpo game tonight?  Horizon final was decided on the winners floor.  The way it should be.  Fitting for a champion.  Belmont and Vince Gill IMO were not champions until the other night.  We were the real champions of the conference.

[bjhracer]

It a problem with nearly all one bid leagues.  The OVC makes money with it in Nashville.  They are not going to go back to campus sites, especially if they keep getting the Mini for next to nothing and sell $30 tickets to 5000 Racer fans.  

I was just suggesting something that actually gave the regular season champion an advantage and also gave a path to the tourney to the other members.  Just getting rid of the tournament altogether isnt going to happen.

[Rem007]

Well then WTF does the Horizon do it that way and many others.  Like I said, it is time to grow a set of nuts and tell the OVC to pound sand.  Being nice just does not seem to work here and that is what I call the definition of insanity--doing $hit over and over and wanting a different result.  We are the OVC period and lets finally show some sack and flex that muscle and not the muscle that is Vince Gill's big fat head.

[victorisgod]

I know this would never happen, but what about a 3-game playoff for the final two teams. The regular season champ automatically makes the final, and the other 7 teams play for the other spot. Seeds 2 & 3 get a bye. 4 vs. 7, 5 vs. 6. Lower seed after the 1st rd plays the 2, and the best seed plays 3. Those winners play for the chance to go to the final vs. the regular season champ in a 3-game playoff.

I'm thinking outside the box, and I think a playoff for the championship would be kinda cool. We already finish 8 days before Selection Sunday as it is.

[bjhracer]

Thats the way I was thinking, outside the box,  I didnt mean to sound comical.  Like VIG said we already finish a week early.  Why not make the tournament more fun and ensure our league sends the best representative.

[Rem007]

I hate to say it but it is NOW officially time to bounce.  If we do not get in Sunday then to me this is our final curtain call to get the F out of this league while we can.  We need to be in a league that values its teams and market the league towards being a 2-3 bid league.  Butler did it and so did VCU and I see nothing happening down there in Nashville.  As an expert in marketing and branding an item(used to work for Makers Mark brand management), the people in Nashville bring absolutely nothing to the table and when you have incompetent management then it is a loss cause.  I relate this to the fall of Blockbuster.  Those morons running it laughed at Netflix and saw no reason to change their brand.  They could not see the future and think out of the box.  Well, now where are they at?  These are similar to the political corporate pukes in Nashville and the ones running this league(I think there might have been an anonymous email to these morons by the way that professionally called them out on the morons they are).  If I was our president and AD, I would say to CP, we got your back and we are bouncing to a 2 bid league that sees the future.  Oh and by the way, here is a 10 year contract with out clauses out of the YING-YANG that basically will almost steal your first born if you leave.  lol   I hope we have the set of nuts to do what is right before it is too late and bring Belmont while we are at it.  No offense to other OVC schools but hit hard while the brand is HOT.

[bentonracer]

Leaving the OVC takes money with all the travel expenses. The university doesn't have the extra money to make this happen so we are not going anywhere anytime soon.

[apsufan82]

The OVC will not move from the Muni and will not have tourneys on the regular season champs home floor. Period. Will not happen.

And FYI, most of you know this, but I hate the Muni as much as the next person.

[cowboyracer43]

Eastern Kentucky, Eastern Illinois, Tennessee-Martin, Murray and Belmont are all in the post-season.  Next question: Who is not? SIUEdwatdsville, Southeast Missouri, Morehead, Austin Peay, Tennessee Tech,  Tennessee State and Jacksonville State.  Sad to say but the OVC and its administration had nothing to do with the failures of those seven to qualify for the post season.  60 some years ago, Morehead was a regular guest at the Big Dance, having even been a Final Four team (sorry Western, Morehead's history does not reveal a Dance DQ.) TTech was a dancer in the 1963 dance party under Coach Johnny Oldham,  and, and, moving on . . .) Back when the Big Dance was a one bid/conference affair, either Western or Murray took the stage -- until Western bolted the OVC.  Middle and Austin Peay shared the dance floor with Murray -- until the NCAA opened its doors to allowing regular season champs to join conference tourney winners at the dance.  After that it seems no teams were eliminated during the first 30 games of the season.  Oh, sorry, I forgot.  Correction:  No teams outside the SWAC and OVC were eliminated during the first 30 games of the season.  I say return to the practice in vogue before it was possible to have two (or more) dancers per conference.  No OVC post-season tourney.  If the OVC tourney is a money-maker, simply ask Murray fans to send a $90.00 donation to the OVC -- the price of three tickets.  Murray fans would save on transportation, meals, drinks and motel/hotel costs. (What was advertised? $300.00/night?) I also say get rid of the divisional format and have just one conference.  If a 20 game season is just too much, then reduce it to 14 by inviting 4 teams to find another playground.  Since many teams from Tennessee have been happy with relocating, perhaps the invitation should go to East Tennessee, Middle Tennessee, oops correction. JaxState (who aspires to the SunBelt already) TSU, TTech,  and another volunteer would fit my thinking.  Then, if expansion is again taken seriously, we should look to, of all places, the Ohio River Valley.  If there are folks who really like the OVC tournament, perhaps a Christmas tourney.  I know, I know.  We tried that and filled the Louisville Convention Center every session, every year -- except when a different city was selected.  Oh. Christmas Tourney wins/losses would not count in conference standings.

[Racer2112]

Hey everyone, I'm new to the boards. So hi!

Is there any reason we can't flip the rewards for who gets the NCAA bid vs the NIT bid? I think the OVC should put the team in NCAA that has the best chance to make a run and promote our conference. In my mind, that would be the team who has shown consistent excellence over the course of the season, not over the course of a weekend.

[Rem007]

Eastern Kentucky, Eastern Illinois, Tennessee-Martin, Murray and Belmont are all in the post-season.  Next question: Who is not? SIUEdwatdsville, Southeast Missouri, Morehead, Austin Peay, Tennessee Tech,  Tennessee State and Jacksonville State.  Sad to say but the OVC and its administration had nothing to do with the failures of those seven to qualify for the post season.  60 some years ago, Morehead was a regular guest at the Big Dance, having even been a Final Four team (sorry Western, Morehead's history does not reveal a Dance DQ.) TTech was a dancer in the 1963 dance party under Coach Johnny Oldham,  and, and, moving on . . .) Back when the Big Dance was a one bid/conference affair, either Western or Murray took the stage -- until Western bolted the OVC.  Middle and Austin Peay shared the dance floor with Murray -- until the NCAA opened its doors to allowing regular season champs to join conference tourney winners at the dance.  After that it seems no teams were eliminated during the first 30 games of the season.  Oh, sorry, I forgot.  Correction:  No teams outside the SWAC and OVC were eliminated during the first 30 games of the season.  I say return to the practice in vogue before it was possible to have two (or more) dancers per conference.  No OVC post-season tourney.  If the OVC tourney is a money-maker, simply ask Murray fans to send a $90.00 donation to the OVC -- the price of three tickets.  Murray fans would save on transportation, meals, drinks and motel/hotel costs. (What was advertised? $300.00/night?) I also say get rid of the divisional format and have just one conference.  If a 20 game season is just too much, then reduce it to 14 by inviting 4 teams to find another playground.  Since many teams from Tennessee have been happy with relocating, perhaps the invitation should go to East Tennessee, Middle Tennessee, oops correction. JaxState (who aspires to the SunBelt already) TSU, TTech,  and another volunteer would fit my thinking.  Then, if expansion is again taken seriously, we should look to, of all places, the Ohio River Valley.  If there are folks who really like the OVC tournament, perhaps a Christmas tourney.  I know, I know.  We tried that and filled the Louisville Convention Center every session, every year -- except when a different city was selected.  Oh. Christmas Tourney wins/losses would not count in conference standings.

Cowboy--it is time to leave man.  I hate to say it but if Nashville cannot fix the problem then we control our own destiny instead of them.  This to me is the way to go.

[bjhracer]

Leaving the OVC takes money with all the travel expenses. The university doesn't have the extra money to make this happen so we are not going anywhere anytime soon.

I do not think leaving the OVC would cost any additional money.  Yes teams spend more in a better conference but they also get much more in revenue from the conference.  Last season Murray's athletic revenue was 13 million, probably the highest in the OVC.  SIU a mid level MVC member had a revenue of 20million.  That is 7 million more.  Are you saying it will cosr more than 7 million to travel just to put a little extra gas in the bus or purchase flights??  

I just do not see the cost arguement.