2 week hiatus between Regionals - Frozen Four

[northeastern]

I know this has prob been discussed before.. but will the NCAA ever re-consider holding the Frozen Four the same wknd as the Final 4? Its different fan bases, (we are a niche).. heck they can hold the gms at different TV time slots so as not to conflict.. but the 2 week hiatus, is it good? bad? Times have changed.. 2 wks seems a bit much.. what do you guys think?

 

[Drew S.]

Re: 2 week hiatus between Regionals - Frozen Four

I think having it same weekend as the Masters makes it even more special. By far the best sports weekend of the year.

 

[MTUHuskies]

Re: 2 week hiatus between Regionals - Frozen Four

To stir the pot that's currently being stirred on another thread, I would like to see the first round on the campus of the higher seed last weekend. This weekend could be quarter finals on the campus of the higher seeds with the Frozen Four next weekend. That would fill the bye weekend. Attendance and atmosphere would be a lot better than empty oversized rinks at neutral regional sites. First two rounds could be 2 of three, 2 game aggregate or a single game, I don't care. F4 would stay same format. I think the NC$$ would still make their money, especially if they played 2 or 3 games in the first two rounds.



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[Numbers]

Re: 2 week hiatus between Regionals - Frozen Four

I think the week off should between the conference tournaments and the regionals, for the sake of fans arranging travel to the regional games.

Or, do this:
Week 1: Round of 16 on campus
Week 2: Round of 8 at 2 sites
Week 3: Frozen Four

My idea is that the big weekend for BB tourney is Sweet 16 week, not FF4 week.

 

[SJHovey]

Re: 2 week hiatus between Regionals - Frozen Four

I know this has prob been discussed before.. but will the NCAA ever re-consider holding the Frozen Four the same wknd as the Final 4? Its different fan bases, (we are a niche).. heck they can hold the gms at different TV time slots so as not to conflict.. but the 2 week hiatus, is it good? bad? Times have changed.. 2 wks seems a bit much.. what do you guys think?

For many years it was the same weekend as the Final Four. It didn't impact either event as far as I could tell.

 

[chickod]

Re: 2 week hiatus between Regionals - Frozen Four

For many years it was the same weekend as the Final Four. It didn't impact either event as far as I could tell.

BINGO!!! I don't know why they ever changed it in the first place. As I mentioned on another thread, how many of these teams even have "competitive" Division 1 basketball programs...furthermore, what are their chances of EVER making the BB Final Four? As far as I can determine, here is the last time ANY of the current Frozen Four schools made the BB Final Four:

Providence - 1973
UMass - 1996 (which was vacated due to the Marcus Camby "gold chain" scandal)
Minn-Duluth - Never
Denver - Never

I'm sure if you went back through the majority of the Frozen Fours, you would find the same thing. Unless I'm mistaken, only ONE of the current Final Four teams even HAS a hockey team (Michigan State).

And in the unlikely event that there IS a school with teams in both, so what? To me, the two-week gap kills more momentum and interest than "competing" with the BB Final Four. For the most part (except for the "casual" fan who isn't going to attend either - which basically means if you aren't a fan of one of the participating schools), what difference does it make? That's what DVRs are for. I mean, there is NO conflict with the semi-finals, since they are on Thursday night. The only conflict would be with ONE game, the Saturday finals, which is ONE semi-final game in the Final Four. Big deal.

 

[MTUHuskies]

Re: 2 week hiatus between Regionals - Frozen Four

And in the unlikely event that there IS a school with teams in both, so what?

The only ones I remember is Michigan was in both a couple times in the early 1990s. I will watch a preseason squirt exhibition game before an NCAA bouncyball championship game so if there are any skunkhead fans out there, was it was an issue?

 

[CLS]

Re: 2 week hiatus between Regionals - Frozen Four

Regarding the interval between the Regionals and the Frozen Four, it may seem like two weeks, but it’s not even that, because under the current system, two regionals have their finals on Sunday. And the two weeks isn’t really two weeks, because the Frozen Four actually starts on Wednesday. So if you move to a nominal one week between the Regionals and the Frozen Four, here’s the worst case, which would be for a team that travels to a Regional that has its final on Sunday:

Sunday: Regional finals
Sunday night, or Monday: travel home
Tuesday: Travel to Frozen Four city
Wednesday: Practice/skate on Frozen Four rink
Thursday: Frozen Four game

And that doesn't take into account the difficulty of making the travel arrangements, and the fans who don’t attend the Frozen Four unless their team’s there. They'd have three days to get tickets, make travel and accommodation arrangements and to get to the Frozen Four city.

 

[chickod]

Re: 2 week hiatus between Regionals - Frozen Four

Regarding the interval between the Regionals and the Frozen Four, it may seem like two weeks, but it’s not even that, because under the current system, two regionals have their finals on Sunday. And the two weeks isn’t really two weeks, because the Frozen Four actually starts on Wednesday. So if you move to a nominal one week between the Regionals and the Frozen Four, here’s the worst case, which would be for a team that travels to a Regional that has its final on Sunday:

Sunday: Regional finals
Sunday night, or Monday: travel home
Tuesday: Travel to Frozen Four city
Wednesday: Practice/skate on Frozen Four rink
Thursday: Frozen Four game

And that doesn't take into account the difficulty of making the travel arrangements, and the fans who don’t attend the Frozen Four unless their team’s there. They'd have three days to get tickets, make travel and accommodation arrangements and to get to the Frozen Four city.

But that's a different argument and NOT the reason the NCAA did it. Do you think they give a dam about how tough it is for fans to get tickets or make travel arrangements? They see 20,000 at the Final Four and say "If they can do it, the hockey people can too." (assuming they know what hockey is...)

 

[J.D.]

Re: 2 week hiatus between Regionals - Frozen Four

If you're one of the few who travel to a regional and then go to the FF every year or something similar to that...you probably enjoy the week "off" in between. For someone like me who will be watching from home, I wish the games were today.

 

[pc88]

Re: 2 week hiatus between Regionals - Frozen Four

PC was in the Final Four in 1973 & 1987


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[Numbers]

Re: 2 week hiatus between Regionals - Frozen Four

How many Frozen Four tickets are actually available to fans of the teams involved? This is an honest question. I don't know, and I would like to know.

 

[CLS]

Re: 2 week hiatus between Regionals - Frozen Four

But that's a different argument and NOT the reason the NCAA did it. Do you think they give a dam about how tough it is for fans to get tickets or make travel arrangements? They see 20,000 at the Final Four and say "If they can do it, the hockey people can too." (assuming they know what hockey is...)

A different argument than what?
The title of this thread is "2 week hiatus between Regionals - Frozen Four" and doesn't say anything about Final Four
The base noter says:

...2 wks seems a bit much.. what do you guys think?

Whatever the NCAA’s reason(s) for the two week hiatus, it doesn’t change the fact that a nominal one week gap creates difficulties for the participating teams and their fans.

Personally, I don’t care whether the Frozen Four is on the same weekend as the Final Four. As I think you were trying to point out, (a) the gap between the hockey regionals and the Frozen Four and (b) the relative timing of the Frozen Four are two different issues. The NCAA, if they so chose, could have both a two week gap and avoid the Final Four, or neither. I chose to respond to the aspect of the issue that you apparently don’t care about.

 

[CLS]

Re: 2 week hiatus between Regionals - Frozen Four

How many Frozen Four tickets are actually available to fans of the teams involved? This is an honest question. I don't know, and I would like to know.

Sorry for the double post. In a practical sense, it doesn't matter, because for the past several years, the Frozen Four hasn't sold out, and if you're really gutsy, you could travel to the Frozen Four ticketless and you'd probably get in. You might not get to sit with the fan base.

 

[chickod]

Re: 2 week hiatus between Regionals - Frozen Four

A different argument than what?
The title of this thread is "2 week hiatus between Regionals - Frozen Four" and doesn't say anything about Final Four
The base noter says:


Whatever the NCAA’s reason(s) for the two week hiatus, it doesn’t change the fact that a nominal one week gap creates difficulties for the participating teams and their fans.

Personally, I don’t care whether the Frozen Four is on the same weekend as the Final Four. As I think you were trying to point out, (a) the gap between the hockey regionals and the Frozen Four and (b) the relative timing of the Frozen Four are two different issues. The NCAA, if they so chose, could have both a two week gap and avoid the Final Four, or neither. I chose to respond to the aspect of the issue that you apparently don’t care about.

Well, it wasn't a problem when we went. Although to be fair, these are the locations of all the Frozen Fours I have been to:
Boston
Providence
Providence
Washington, D.C.
Boston

All driving distance for me, so the only issue was getting tickets, which was no problem at all. I realize that it's not as easy for people in the Midwest/West who more often than not probably have to fly.

 

[UMD21]

Re: 2 week hiatus between Regionals - Frozen Four

I mean, if you’re trying to go the hiatus really helps. More time to plan.. people complain about the tocket prices but compare that difference to plane tickets purchased in nearly 2 weeks advance vs only a couple days in advance..
Can’t believe you would even complain about it. Logistics...

 

[redwings8831]

Re: 2 week hiatus between Regionals - Frozen Four

The only ones I remember is Michigan was in both a couple times in the early 1990s. I will watch a preseason squirt exhibition game before an NCAA bouncyball championship game so if there are any skunkhead fans out there, was it was an issue?

Michigan made both last year and it was only the 6th time it has ever happened (Michigan also in 1964, 1992, 1993 and Michigan St. in 1999 and 2001).

 

[Beantown Puck]

Re: 2 week hiatus between Regionals - Frozen Four

How many Frozen Four tickets are actually available to fans of the teams involved? This is an honest question. I don't know, and I would like to know.

Players get up to 4 but can only leave them for immediate family.

 

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: 2 week hiatus between Regionals - Frozen Four

The Frozen Four sells out (or is close to it) every year.

Whatever room there is for improvement, it exists in getting more eyes on tv screens and into the regionals.

 

[davyd83]

For many years it was the same weekend as the Final Four. It didn't impact either event as far as I could tell.

When NMU & BU went 3OT, it greatly affected ESPN getting into SportcCenter. It was the 3rd OT in four years and marked the beginning of the change to not go head to head with the Final Four. The disruption of the TV windows are the reason.