The Great Eight
Had a few conversations on tournament design while in Boston. Tossed out one possibly new idea for the second round. For now, let's call it the "Great Eight."
Suppose the first round returns to campus sites, as many of us hope. Some have assumed that the second round would also be held at campus venues. Others have imagined two regionals, each of which would produce two FF teams. But I don't recall any previous proposal to have all 4 second round games at the same site.
True, John J. MacInnes helped us understand that an 8 Team Super Regional would be difficult-to-impossible to stage. But remember that would require 2 games for half of the participants. In other words, six games rather than four. The schedule for the Great Eight might look something like this:
Thursday: 2 Practices; 2 Locker Rooms Needed.
Friday: 2 Morning Skates, 4 Practices, 1 Night Game; 6 Locker Rooms Needed.
Saturday: 4 Morning Skates, 2 Practices, 2 Games; 6 Locker Rooms Needed.
Sunday: 2 Morning Skates, 1 Afternoon Game, 2 Locker Rooms Needed.
You might have to hold the two Saturday practices at a back-up facility. Otherwise, the above should be pretty manageable for an NHL or AHL facility.
And wouldn't this be a very appealing event from a fan point of view? 4 games in 3 days, every one of which determines a Frozen Four participant.
Top 10 Reasons The Great Eight Might Just Work:
1. Eight fanbases at the same site would go a long way toward filling up the Arena.
2. With eight teams, odds are good that you'd have some local schools. Again, all the better to fill the arena.
3. With 8 separate fanbases present, it would very difficult for one fanbase to "take over the building."
4. The Great Eight should be held in the "opposite" region of the Frozen Four. Western Frozen Four? Eastern Great Eight. And vice versa. Most fans would have good access to at least one of the two big events.
5. To win a national title, every team would have to travel outside its comfort zone for at least one game.
6. The Great Eight could be held in facilities that are smaller than the FF requires. Wouldn't it be cool to have a Great Eight in Providence or Albany?
7. Compact schedule allows fans to attend most or all of the event, missing little or no work.
8. NCAA only needs to rent 1 off-campus facility, as opposed to the current four.
9. TV only needs to set up at one site; one broadcast crew can cover the whole second round.
10. TV viewers can watch all 4 Quarterfinals with no time shifting/spoilers.
Thoughts/Reactions?
Had a few conversations on tournament design while in Boston. Tossed out one possibly new idea for the second round. For now, let's call it the "Great Eight."
Suppose the first round returns to campus sites, as many of us hope. Some have assumed that the second round would also be held at campus venues. Others have imagined two regionals, each of which would produce two FF teams. But I don't recall any previous proposal to have all 4 second round games at the same site.
True, John J. MacInnes helped us understand that an 8 Team Super Regional would be difficult-to-impossible to stage. But remember that would require 2 games for half of the participants. In other words, six games rather than four. The schedule for the Great Eight might look something like this:
Thursday: 2 Practices; 2 Locker Rooms Needed.
Friday: 2 Morning Skates, 4 Practices, 1 Night Game; 6 Locker Rooms Needed.
Saturday: 4 Morning Skates, 2 Practices, 2 Games; 6 Locker Rooms Needed.
Sunday: 2 Morning Skates, 1 Afternoon Game, 2 Locker Rooms Needed.
You might have to hold the two Saturday practices at a back-up facility. Otherwise, the above should be pretty manageable for an NHL or AHL facility.
And wouldn't this be a very appealing event from a fan point of view? 4 games in 3 days, every one of which determines a Frozen Four participant.
Top 10 Reasons The Great Eight Might Just Work:
1. Eight fanbases at the same site would go a long way toward filling up the Arena.
2. With eight teams, odds are good that you'd have some local schools. Again, all the better to fill the arena.
3. With 8 separate fanbases present, it would very difficult for one fanbase to "take over the building."
4. The Great Eight should be held in the "opposite" region of the Frozen Four. Western Frozen Four? Eastern Great Eight. And vice versa. Most fans would have good access to at least one of the two big events.
5. To win a national title, every team would have to travel outside its comfort zone for at least one game.
6. The Great Eight could be held in facilities that are smaller than the FF requires. Wouldn't it be cool to have a Great Eight in Providence or Albany?
7. Compact schedule allows fans to attend most or all of the event, missing little or no work.
8. NCAA only needs to rent 1 off-campus facility, as opposed to the current four.
9. TV only needs to set up at one site; one broadcast crew can cover the whole second round.
10. TV viewers can watch all 4 Quarterfinals with no time shifting/spoilers.
Thoughts/Reactions?
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