ADVERTISEMENT

Cinderella FF ratings vs Blue Blood FF

I’d be interested to know what viewership was like for the entire tournament.

Also if you read the thread his numbers weren’t right. It was a decline but not nearly as large.

I’m going to sound like an old man but my problem is with the time of the game starting so late. It being a snooze fest from the start didn’t really help.
 
Last year’s Final 4 was as good as it gets. This year’s was about as boring as it gets. FAU vs SDSU was a good game though.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: FireballZ
I despise seeing Cinderella teams in the FF as well. Great story in first rd and a nice “no stoppin Coppin” story in sweet 16 is fine on occasion too but give me the good programs in the finals.


The problem here though is I really don’t think these teams were your typical Cinderella underdogs. These teams were as talented as any team. This isn’t VCU 60 minutes if chaos flukish wins, these teams took it to the blue bloods.


I just think with the transfer portal, college hoops has as much parity as ever and the traditional blue blood dominance is a thing of the past. Both these programs would do more than fine in any conference.
 
I despise seeing Cinderella teams in the FF as well. Great story in first rd and a nice “no stoppin Coppin” story in sweet 16 is fine on occasion too but give me the good programs in the finals.


The problem here though is I really don’t think these teams were your typical Cinderella underdogs. These teams were as talented as any team. This isn’t VCU 60 minutes if chaos flukish wins, these teams took it to the blue bloods.


I just think with the transfer portal, college hoops has as much parity as ever and the traditional blue blood dominance is a thing of the past. Both these programs would do more than fine in any conference.
Agreed. And when I think Cinderella, it’s the small schools that we’ve never heard of. Saint Peter’s, Coppin State, Valpo. SDSU and FAU have higher enrollments than half the ACC.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JS School
Agreed. And when I think Cinderella, it’s the small schools that we’ve never heard of. Saint Peter’s, Coppin State, Valpo. SDSU and FAU have higher enrollments than half the ACC.
Yes, SDSU didn't feel like a band of lovable overachievers with an interesting backstory.
 
Agreed. And when I think Cinderella, it’s the small schools that we’ve never heard of. Saint Peter’s, Coppin State, Valpo. SDSU and FAU have higher enrollments than half the ACC.
honestly, i think its time that we get away from 8 or 9 bids from traditional power hoops conferences with teams who are under .500% in conference and start giving more at large bids to the mid major conferences...

with parity what it is, the 8th and 9th team from the big 10 or big 12 arent better than some of these mid major teams.. the days of some of these conferences only having one quality program is over.. it's a shame that the old school way of thinking about these programs deserving that many bids is silly and outdated..
 
  • Like
Reactions: Drew1208
I'm shocked San Diego State got as far as it did with that lack of offense. I'm a broken record with this, but they've been playing rugby the entire tournament. I knew they were cooked when they had to play a team that could both match their physicality and was a lot more talented.

Two pretty lame championship games this year when you think about TCU vs Georgia and San Diego State vs Uconn. But, you know, I'll take it. I honestly don't care to watch the same teams every year. If Alabama plays Ohio State in the national championship this coming season, I won't turn it on. If Duke plays Kansas, I won't turn it on. Yankees vs Dodgers? No thanks.

I guess there is some middle ground when you have teams like Baylor from a few years ago who are both non-traditional and the best in that given season. But I still dig the upsets.
 
Down 29 percent, as I predicted. A large drop off

Somewhere on a message board UNC fans are saying “see, see we told you. Leave UNC out and no one will watch!!!!”

Meanwhile, the committee left UNC out and more people watched the first weekend this year than any tournament in history. Ratings records were set.

Obviously when multiple blood bloods and high profile teams and large universities lose to small universities, viewership will drop as the tourney progresses. And that’s what happened. Hardly a bold news flash.
 
  • Like
Reactions: FireballZ
i just feel like the line between blue bloods and mid majors is blurry, to the point of almost being non-existent.

When in football, it's as clear and distinguishable as ever.
 
I'm shocked San Diego State got as far as it did with that lack of offense. I'm a broken record with this, but they've been playing rugby the entire tournament. I knew they were cooked when they had to play a team that could both match their physicality and was a lot more talented.

Two pretty lame championship games this year when you think about TCU vs Georgia and San Diego State vs Uconn. But, you know, I'll take it. I honestly don't care to watch the same teams every year. If Alabama plays Ohio State in the national championship this coming season, I won't turn it on. If Duke plays Kansas, I won't turn it on. Yankees vs Dodgers? No thanks.

I guess there is some middle ground when you have teams like Baylor from a few years ago who are both non-traditional and the best in that given season. But I still dig the upsets.

San Diego State had to be the worst offensive team I've ever seen in the Final Four. They didn't have one legitimately good offensive player. Really though, they had 1 really good "on-paper" win. They beat Alabama. Upsets happen. Beyond that, beating Charleston, Furman, Creighton, and FAU isnt a murderer's row.
 
San Diego State had to be the worst offensive team I've ever seen in the Final Four. They didn't have one legitimately good offensive player. Really though, they had 1 really good "on-paper" win. They beat Alabama. Upsets happen. Beyond that, beating Charleston, Furman, Creighton, and FAU isnt a murderer's row.

They were a less talented Dixon/Howland Pitt team. If the games were officiated like they were in the regular season, their party would have ended a few rounds ago. Their whole team might have fouled out with ten minutes left in the first half.
 
Somewhere on a message board UNC fans are saying “see, see we told you. Leave UNC out and no one will watch!!!!”

Meanwhile, the committee left UNC out and more people watched the first weekend this year than any tournament in history. Ratings records were set.

Obviously when multiple blood bloods and high profile teams and large universities lose to small universities, viewership will drop as the tourney progresses. And that’s what happened. Hardly a bold news flash.
Big L
 
I didn't watch because I know the championship game would be boring.
Me too. Plus I hate UConn and didn't want to watch their celebration. Watched the whole Pirate game and then watched Monday Night Raw wrestling.
 
People want first round upsets and big ticket final fours. There were no big ticket players in general this year and the blue bloods all wet their pants early on.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ski11585
People don't want to start watching a basketball game at 9:30 on a Monday the east coast either. San Diego St has zero appeal either. Feel like a west coast community college with no high flying offense. FAU would have been a little more interesting. Hard to believe Uconn has such a small following. I feel Gonzaga gets more attention as a quirky small school yet Uconn has 5 national championships since 1999.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Zepley09 and Pitt79
People want first round upsets and big ticket final fours. There were no big ticket players in general this year and the blue bloods all wet their pants early on.
I actually liked UCONN when Calhoun was there. Not under Hurley though.

And as others have noted, game's too late. I ain't staying up that late unless it's for the NBA playoffs.
 
Agreed. And when I think Cinderella, it’s the small schools that we’ve never heard of. Saint Peter’s, Coppin State, Valpo. SDSU and FAU have higher enrollments than half the ACC.
Enrollment means little in hoops (see Villanova or Gonzaga). League does..FAU has been division 1 for less than 30 years and from a one bid league..maybe not a cinderella but definitely not a prince charming either...
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Fredact
SD State has been something like 30-2, 23-4, 23-8 and 32-7 this year. So it is not like they are some newbie. Hell the year Covid shut it down, they were trending for a 1 seed.
 
  • Like
Reactions: FireballZ
I’d be interested to know what viewership was like for the entire tournament.

Also if you read the thread his numbers weren’t right. It was a decline but not nearly as large.

I’m going to sound like an old man but my problem is with the time of the game starting so late. It being a snooze fest from the start didn’t really help.
The women's game was on at 3:30pm Sunday, put the men's right after that, tip off at 7:00pm, that would be so much better more people would watch. More people might even have parties like for the Super Bowl.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Atlanta Panther
People don't want to start watching a basketball game at 9:30 on a Monday the east coast either. San Diego St has zero appeal either. Feel like a west coast community college with no high flying offense. FAU would have been a little more interesting. Hard to believe Uconn has such a small following. I feel Gonzaga gets more attention as a quirky small school yet Uconn has 5 national championships since 1999.

Been saying for years, it needs to start at 8 or 8:30, not 9:30. The West Coast doesn't watch college sports (or any sports). Now, this year, it worked out because SDSU was in it but how many times is there going to a Pacific time zone team in the final? And its not like they cant watch it at 5 or 5:30 their time. Same goes for the CFP. 90% of the college basketball fanbase is in the Eastern and Central time zones.
 
Been saying for years, it needs to start at 8 or 8:30, not 9:30. The West Coast doesn't watch college sports (or any sports). Now, this year, it worked out because SDSU was in it but how many times is there going to a Pacific time zone team in the final? And its not like they cant watch it at 5 or 5:30 their time. Same goes for the CFP. 90% of the college basketball fanbase is in the Eastern and Central time zones.
Why does college sports, football and basketball have this obsession with Mondays? I'd rather play it Sunday at 7pm. How about the college football championship on the Sunday before the Super Bowl at 6pm on a day that doesn't have any real football on TV anymore?
 
Everyone watches the first weekend because of their bracket sheets. The teams don’t matter then.

As for The champ game, having SDSU and UConn is like the college football D2 champ game, or maybe the XFL championship. Really have to be a fan of the sport to commit to that.
 
Why does college sports, football and basketball have this obsession with Mondays? I'd rather play it Sunday at 7pm. How about the college football championship on the Sunday before the Super Bowl at 6pm on a day that doesn't have any real football on TV anymore?

It has to be Monday because you need the semis on a Saturday for the all-day buildup. Monday is also a great TV night since most people are home. When the CFP expands, I would like to see the final be played the week before the Super Bowl on a Sunday around 6.
 
It has to be Monday because you need the semis on a Saturday for the all-day buildup. Monday is also a great TV night since most people are home. When the CFP expands, I would like to see the final be played the week before the Super Bowl on a Sunday around 6.
Monday at 9:20pm has never been great for people that would need to be at work at 7am Tuesday. Over the years I've only watched those games in full if I really had some interest, like if I could win an office pool or if I wanted to see a big upset or liked a certain team. At the moment, I think I watched the one Gonzaga was in, because they had a chance for an unbeaten season. The Monday Night CFP I think I watched the one tOSU won in 2015? Since then, they all blend together just usually Bama, Georgia, Bama, Clemson, same old/same old so who cares? But if those games where on Sunday at 6pm, I'd watch them. They could still play the semis on a Saturday and the Championship on a Sunday, you can play basketball 2 straight days. I remember playing in tournaments where we played 4 games in one day, it's not football, they are physically fit enough to do it.
 
The tournament is fun and you really can't change it now. But it really doesn't crown a true champion. It is the team that is the hottest in March. Maybe give the #1 & #2 seeds more byes to prevent some upsets? Have them jump right in to the Sweet 16? I just can't get excited about a 4th place (or whatever) Big East school being called the "National Champ".
 
It looked like the court was way too small to contain the girth that was playing on it. Not exactly the "best guards win" type of thing we're used to seeing in the tournament.
i noticed this in the last few title games. i think it's the low camera angles, i kid you not. i know the point you are making but in title games, at these larger dome venues, the cameras are usually on the sides on the ropes and at a lower angle so the court looks skinnier? Like there is less room..

It's weird but then you get a higher camera angle and all of a sudden the court doesnt look as skinny. it's always the title games too, moreso than just a typical basketball game cause they already have the multiple camera infrastructure in place..


if you ever go to a game and sit court side, you notice it more. the court seems tiny and there is no room to maneuver for these guys..
 
The tournament is fun and you really can't change it now. But it really doesn't crown a true champion. It is the team that is the hottest in March. Maybe give the #1 & #2 seeds more byes to prevent some upsets? Have them jump right in to the Sweet 16? I just can't get excited about a 4th place (or whatever) Big East school being called the "National Champ".
The truth is "Champion" has nothing to do with being "Best Team" or else the 1985 Nova team wouldn't be champs or the 6th seed 2005 Steelers, or any of a number of teams that beat the subjective best teams in the objective playoffs, personally I hate it when the best team actually wins :) I actually think when the lower ranked teams take out everybody's favorite best, are the greatest moments and I love when it happens. I hate it when the #1 seed wins, unless of course they're my favorite team :) A true champion is whoever wins the games defined to be deciding a true champion. Being subjectively better isn't a champion.
 
The truth is "Champion" has nothing to do with being "Best Team" or else the 1985 Nova team wouldn't be champs or the 6th seed 2005 Steelers, or any of a number of teams that beat the subjective best teams in the objective playoffs, personally I hate it when the best team actually wins :) I actually think when the lower ranked teams take out everybody's favorite best, are the greatest moments and I love when it happens. I hate it when the #1 seed wins, unless of course they're my favorite team :) A true champion is whoever wins the games defined to be deciding a true champion. Being subjectively better isn't a champion.
on the flip side, it makes the regular season pretty much irrelevant. no right or wrong, people like what they like..

it's different, 64 teams in, well 68 if you count the play-in game. teams from the big 12 and sec being under .500% win percentages in conference making the tournament. it's like an all inclusive event and well, people love it because like you said, it's different from playoff systems that reward regular seasons.

we can all love it or hate it but the truth is, we all watch it.
 
on the flip side, it makes the regular season pretty much irrelevant. no right or wrong, people like what they like..

it's different, 64 teams in, well 68 if you count the play-in game. teams from the big 12 and sec being under .500% win percentages in conference making the tournament. it's like an all inclusive event and well, people love it because like you said, it's different from playoff systems that reward regular seasons.

we can all love it or hate it but the truth is, we all watch it.
I guess to me the regular season is like 30 TV Shows that are TO ME just stand-alone events, that I like to watch, I really don't care if they lead to anything beyond that day, I just want to see Pitt put on a good show and hopefully win THAT DAY, I don't care at all if it's relevant to anything beyond the moment.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Zeldas Open Roof
I guess to me the regular season is like 30 TV Shows that are TO ME just stand-alone events, that I like to watch, I really don't care if they lead to anything beyond that day, I just want to see Pitt put on a good show and hopefully win THAT DAY, I don't care at all if it's relevant to anything beyond the moment.

true, but then people can't complain when only 2000 show up for a Tuesday 9pm tipoff against Boston College when there isn't a whole lot on the line for it
 
The tournament is fun and you really can't change it now. But it really doesn't crown a true champion. It is the team that is the hottest in March. Maybe give the #1 & #2 seeds more byes to prevent some upsets? Have them jump right in to the Sweet 16? I just can't get excited about a 4th place (or whatever) Big East school being called the "National Champ".

I think everyone knows that the tournament rarely produces the best team. UConn looked really good in this tournament but who did they beat? If we go by the last regular season coaches' poll, they beat #18 SDSU, #16 Miami, #9 Gonzaga, unranked Arkansas, #19 SMC, and unranked Iona. Nice wins but not a ton of heavy lifting there. The same can be said about SDSU's path. The tournament is great and all but I dont watch it to see who the best team is. I know that most times, the best teams will get upset. But that's the fun. If they played it again next week, the Final Four could be Pitt, Alabama, Purdue, and Iona. So much randomness.
 
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT