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Username Post: 2019 Ivy Tournament at Yale?
TheLine 
Professor
Posts: 5597

Age: 60
Reg: 07-07-09
06-01-18 10:37 AM - Post#257520    
    In response to Tiger69

I'll state my opinion again before leaving the thread, not because I disrespect differing opinions (I have great respect for for Tiger69, SRP, sparman, bradley, HARVARDDADGRAD, etc.) but because I see no merit in continuing. I agree largely with PF10 that there's not any more to be said. And I too was reluctant to weigh in at all as it's the same people offering the same opinions. Which I'm now also guilty of.

1) I was vociferously against an Ivy tournament going back to the beginning of conversations about it. At the time it was Penn and Princeton voices vs. the rest of the league. mrjames posted an article way back when that opened my eyes - it made a compelling argument that the winner of the conference 14 game championship was not necessarily the team most likely to excel in the NCAA's. It didn't entirely sway me at the time but it did catch my attention.

2) I kept an open mind the 1st tournament year. I found myself caught up in the drama of which team would land the fourth bid. It made every game matter. It didn't hurt that my 2 teams were in the hunt, but I also noticed how hard other teams (Dartmouth, looking at you in particular) were also playing. I thought the tournament itself was a great success for the league - well played games throughout. It changed my opinion.

3) Besides voices on this board, who is against a tournament? I've haven't heard any. Have any of those of you who are well connected heard anything negative? If no, then those of you who want to turn back the clock are in a distinct minority about this. I'm particularly skeptical of old people forcing their opinions onto the younger generation. I resented it when I was younger and promised myself not to become a bitter know-it-all old man. Although many would say I haven't been entirely successful avoiding bitter old man syndrome, I believe I've been more successful at it than others have been!

4) I acknowledge there are logistical issues for a tournament that the league is going to have to work through because there's only one on-campus arena that checks off all boxes and it's unfair to make that the permanent home. I think we're going to have to be patient. Right now I'd favor rotating the tournament across all campuses provided that's feasible - let's see how next year goes. Having the tournament at the #1 seed's home court has some merit though it probably requires the league to split into separate men's and women's tournaments (and what happens if the same college is 1st seed for both?) . A neutral court has its own issues - I'm not sold on Bridgeport or Mohegan being better venues than on-campus arenas.

5) My opinion stems a lot from being a very proud owner of a Columbia degree and a proud follower of Lions basketball - sometimes to the annoyance of my Penn basketball friends. I've attended more games at Levien than the Palestra for the last few years. I like that the tournament has put more on the line for B-C-C-D games - that's good for the league IMO.

6) I'm not sure whether I'm going to be hit with any gratuitous accusations (LO - looking at you) but I'm unlikely to return to respond. I don't feel like I have to justify my opinion any more than I already have. I hope we know each other well enough to not always question motivations. I understand the feeling of those who do not like the conference tournament and respect your opinion . I just happen to disagree. No hard feelings.

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