Re: 2019 NCAA Tournament Thread - Regionals are the best weekend of hockey all year
The usage of neutral site locations doesn't seem to provide any more of a guarantee of a, "neutral" game environment than preventing campus sites from being used. North Dakota (not singling them out just as an example) has never had a "home" crowd in this new era of neutral sites? And how many hugely "unfair" regionals were there previously - I think pgb noted 2?
The questions are likely moot as they're not going back anytime soon if ever, but the thought crossed my mind.
I'm kind of on Slap Shot's side on this one.....
I'm not sure anyone here really has a problem with Minnesota hosting at the X, or any such arrangement, including NoDak at either Sioux Falls or Fargo. The stated rules of engagement say this:
No campus sites (You could argue this is mainly for the sake of REA in Grand Forks, and perhaps some on campus arena in the east, I am not sure)
Host institution plays at the regional it is hosting if they qualify.
Obviously, these rules are in place to do 2 things:
1- Keep the games off campus (for neutrality)
2- Make sure that the fans of the host school attend the regional if the school qualifies. This means: There is actually incentive to bid. Without the 'host plays at home' rule, there would be far fewer bids. (at least that's the assumption)
These are the rules.
What we have seen, twice in the last 5 years, is that the rules have been tweaked by the committee so that Providence College plays in their home town WITHOUT being the host school. This is, of course, a tremendous advantage. And, both times it has been as a #4 seed band team.
What this means is that the rules are actually:
No campus sites
Host schools play at home
We do anything we can to sell tickets
The fact that there is no admission of the 3rd of these is what is the irritation, I believe.
And, of course, it has led to the current complaints of unlevel playing fields.
As to Minnesota hosting at Mariucci in 2003, and playing Ferris State.....
They were the designated host.
They did the work
They were a #1 seed besides.
My opinion is that, although you could say "But what if the Gophers were the #4...." and then decide you needed a different system, I feel that this particular situation was NOT egregious, because they were a #1.
I won't speak to the Yost situation, because I am unfamiliar with it.
Yale at Bridgeport was as a #1 seed.
All of which points to these conclusions:
1- Neutrality is impossible in a situation with a niche sport
2- NCAA still wants to make money, even though it is a niche sport
3- The combination of 1 and 2 mean that campus sites are not going to be allowed (although there are reasons that it would work well)
4- The current system is a sort of 'lie', in that everyone is trying to convince themselves that is works, when it doesn't. At least as far as competitive fairness goes
5- No changes are going to happen any time soon, because creating a system which actually does what we want it to hardly exists.
For my part, I'm more than ready to turn my attention to the trip to Buffalo & the games themselves.
