How would an expanded b-ball tournament affect the Frozen 4?

[talon]

The Frozen Four is ten days after the regional finals, they moved it back a few years ago because the Frozen Four didn't have to compete for media attention against the Final Four. If they expand to 96 teams, wouldn't that add an extra weekend to the tournament? would they start the tournament one week earlier? or push the Finals back one week?

If they push the basketball finals back a week, would they then move the Frozen Four back to where it was less than a week after the Regionals?

[bignick33]

Wouldn't they just play the first round of play-in games on the Tuesday before the traditional start of the first round? Why add a whole week just to accommodate play-in games?

[bcsoxfan12]

Wouldn't they just play the first round of play-in games on the Tuesday before the traditional start of the first round? Why add a whole week just to accommodate play-in games?

I agree....the only logical solution if the NCAA decides to expand would be to tack the extra games on the beginning of the tourney…..then again the NCAA and logic sometimes don’t go together

[Unchesco]

They've announced that the new format would fit in the footprint of the existing format. No added weelend.

[1981Eagle]

I think that they should expand the Frozen Four. I hate this single elimination. I think all the games should be best two out of three in the entire NCAA hockey tourney.

[flyingelvii]

I think that they should expand the Frozen Four. I hate this single elimination. I think all the games should be best two out of three in the entire NCAA hockey tourney.

Way too big of a commitment for arenas, fans, and schools. Plus these kids are supposed to go to class every once in a while.

[talon]

I wouldn't mind seeing the hockey tournament go to more than 16 teams. When you look at how many 3/4 seeds actually advance each year, it's clear that teams on the bubble actually have legit shots to win the tournament.

[1981Eagle]

I think that they should expand the Frozen Four. I hate this single elimination. I think all the games should be best two out of three in the entire NCAA hockey tourney.

Way too big of a commitment for arenas, fans, and schools. Plus these kids are supposed to go to class every once in a while.

There is a week and a half between the final 8 and FF. Surely, they have enough time to do best 2 out of 3's. Time to study? Have you seen College baseball schedules? Now those leave no time to study. 2 out of 3's in NCAA tourney hockey is nothing compared to that.

[totheights]

I wouldn't mind seeing the hockey tournament go to more than 16 teams. When you look at how many 3/4 seeds actually advance each year, it's clear that teams on the bubble actually have legit shots to win the tournament.

16 out of 58 teams already make it. Its already a huge percentage.

I like it how it is.

[bignick33]

I think that they should expand the Frozen Four. I hate this single elimination. I think all the games should be best two out of three in the entire NCAA hockey tourney.

Is your entire existance predicated on fucking up the TV value of NCAA athletics? You must really hate the status quo/the cabal!

[flyingelvii]

I think that they should expand the Frozen Four. I hate this single elimination. I think all the games should be best two out of three in the entire NCAA hockey tourney.

Way too big of a commitment for arenas, fans, and schools. Plus these kids are supposed to go to class every once in a while.

There is a week and a half between the final 8 and FF. Surely, they have enough time to do best 2 out of 3's. Time to study? Have you seen College baseball schedules? Now those leave no time to study. 2 out of 3's in NCAA tourney hockey is nothing compared to that.

But why would Worcester want a potentially unfilled stadium when it can be making money by hosting the AHL team or some random concert/event. Having at the schools would be cool but, again, how would it be structured? Start on Thursday with two games on two days and a rest on Saturday? When do you play the second-round match? Having 2 out of 3 basically turns the games into a many-week affair and kills any excitement of having some event like a Frozen Four all in one area. It'd suck to win the first two games and wait around about three days if the other side goes three games and then play another three games over four days. That's nine consecutive days away from school/campus. Far too much.

Also, comparing the CWS to potential changes in hockey is inapt as well because the toll taken on the majority of the team in a hockey game is far greater than that in a baseball game. They couldn't do an Omaha deal, it'd have to be something stretched out over 3 weeks minimum and that is far too much for such a niche NCAA sport.

[claver2010]

There is talk, given the crappy attendance of making two Super Regionals an East and a West. The problem is that would mean 6 games in 3 days which would probably make crappy ice.

I can't believe they don't point to their ridiculous price of $95 for three games as the reason why attendance sucked.

[talon]

I wouldn't mind seeing the hockey tournament go to more than 16 teams. When you look at how many 3/4 seeds actually advance each year, it's clear that teams on the bubble actually have legit shots to win the tournament.

16 out of 58 teams already make it. Its already a huge percentage.

I like it how it is.

I don't care about percentages. I care about competitiveness. Teams on the right side of the bubble often have a chance to win the Frozen Four. Teams on the right side of the bubble rarely have a chance to win the Final Four.

If you expand the NCAAs to 96, that means there will be 24 seeds per region. Assume that the 22,23,24 seeds go to the small conference autobids. Does anybody honestly expect that a 16-21 seed will ever make the Final Four? If so, how often would that happen? Once a decade? Probably not even that frequently.

But look at the hockey teams that just missed the cut this year. Would anybody have been surprised to see Maine, Michigan State, Minnesota, BU, etc. make a run if they were in it?

[1981Eagle]

I think that they should expand the Frozen Four. I hate this single elimination. I think all the games should be best two out of three in the entire NCAA hockey tourney.

Is your entire existance predicated on fucking up the TV value of NCAA athletics? You must really hate the status quo/the cabal!

No BN. I just hate to see any champion crowned because "someone got hot in one game" or the team "just had a bad game". 2 out of 3 mitigates that risk. I don't know how the logistics would work in NCAA hockey. But, I'd like to see all sports Cships be the best 2 out of 3. Examples: I would have liked to see Bama have to play a Texas with a healthy Colt McCoy. I would have liked to see Drew Brees beat the Colts again---not hapeneing. Now, you will say Fball in addition to hockey is too physically demanding to accommodate a 2/3 and that may be true. But, the NCAA does it in baseball and every major pro sport, except Fball, decides their champion in a series, usually best 4 out of 7. Would it take away fro the Super Bowl and NCAA Bball Cship hystyeria of a 1 game finale? Probably so. But, it would eliminate psuedo champions from winning because they had a good day or the other team had a bad day. That is why the pro sports use a series method. Plus, more games equals more money.

[bignick33]

I think that they should expand the Frozen Four. I hate this single elimination. I think all the games should be best two out of three in the entire NCAA hockey tourney.

Is your entire existance predicated on fucking up the TV value of NCAA athletics? You must really hate the status quo/the cabal!

No BN. I just hate to see any champion crowned because "someone got hot in one game" or the team "just had a bad game". 2 out of 3 mitigates that risk. I don't know how the logistics would work in NCAA hockey. But, I'd like to see all sports Cships be the best 2 out of 3. Examples: I would have liked to see Bama have to play a Texas with a healthy Colt McCoy. I would have liked to see Drew Brees beat the Colts again---not hapeneing. Now, you will say Fball in addition to hockey is too physically demanding to accommodate a 2/3 and that may be true. But, the NCAA does it in baseball and every major pro sport, except Fball, decides their champion in a series, usually best 4 out of 7. Would it take away fro the Super Bowl and NCAA Bball Cship hystyeria of a 1 game finale? Probably so. But, it would eliminate psuedo champions from winning because they had a good day or the other team had a bad day. That is why the pro sports use a series method. Plus, more games equals more money.

More games may equal more TV money but it equals fewer fans. To play Devil's Advocate for a moment, the problem with a playoff (I'm not saying it's insurmountable) is that fans may travel once a year to a bowl game, but they probably wouldn't travel multiple games. The winner-take-all format incentives fan travel. This is one of the best things about a bowl system. Plus, I'm not sure I see the problem with a "pseudo-champion." The best team always winning isn't necessarily a good thing because it takes the variance out of the sport and makes it boring.

[commavegarage]

If ND and Penn State were in the Hockey East all would be well.