RebKell's Junkie Boards

[ripleydc]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dc-sports-bog/wp/2015/04/07/does-womens-college-basketball-need-more-vegas/

[beknighted]

I don't love this idea, but I don't hate it, either.

The men's Sweet 16 weekend is a big weekend in Vegas, because it's a huge betting weekend, and it could raise the profile of the event. Airfare to Vegas usually is pretty cheap, too.

I wouldn't put the Final Four there, though - it sells well and should move around the country.

[pwhite66]

Like the idea; love the big picture, out-of-the-box thinking behind it.

I just wonder how many of powers-that-be REALLY want to shake things up enough to actually consider something like this, and how many talk about change but in their heart-of-hearts actually prefer things pretty much the way they are.

If this idea gains traction, I think we'll find out.

[beknighted]

Just playing this out:

1. You'd probably need 2 venues, although I suppose it's possible to do it with one.

2. The Thomas & Mack Center probably is too big - it holds 17k. I don't know what else is in Vegas, though.

3. Timing the games is kind of tricky because Vegas is on Pacific time. Figuring 4 games on the first and second days, ending at 11:00 Eastern, you'd have to start sometime in the morning in Vegas, maybe as early as 10:00. If you're willing to have the last games end at midnight Eastern, maybe you can start at noon. The regional finals are easier, obviously.

4. One way to make this work is to let people buy single-game tickets and pick and choose the games they want to attend. Otherwise, it's not really that much better than having the regionals at separate sites. Picking and choosing would be a lot of fun.

[dtrain34]

Vegas is overdosed on arenas: T&M where MWC men and women play, MGM Grand where the Pac-12 men play, Orleans where the WCC and WAC have both men's and women's tournaments. Plus there's another one being built right now.

I'd love to see a line on the women's games -- though I guess with no true potential blockbuster pro salaries to preserve, the women might be more susceptible to fixers if the NCAA still worries about stuff like that. I wanted to buy a souvenir betting slip on my favorite team to win in the WAC WBB tourney but the sports books had no line on any women's games.

The only real negative I can see is the same one people use to point out why they think Miami and Tampa don't draw too well in MLB. People in FLA are supposedly burned out on baseball after spring training. Unless the conferences were persuaded to move their events elsewhere, the Sweet 16 might seem like something superfluous even though the level of play would obviously be higher. Not sure teams would travel enough fans to make it work with a low turnout by locals, though I guess the "usual suspects" fans could plan in advance with little fear of being eliminated the first weekend.