SMF idea for a College Basketball Opening Day

[Sean Miller Fan]

Veterans Day. No games before Veterans Day or whatever the federal holiday observance of it is if it falls on Saturday or Sunday. A good portion of America is off work or school that day so you can do some day games and work in home games for Army, Navy, and Air Force. I'd also bring back the 24 Hours of College Hoops for this.

Midnight: Pac 12 game
2AM: Big West or WCC game
4AM: Hawaii home game
6AM: NEC, MAAC, AE, etc
8AM: basically the same
10AM: maybe like CAA or SoCon

Then at noon, you start with big games and run them to midnight. I feel like college basketball needs a jolt in November. It probably has the least anticipated start of any major American sport.

As we know, MLB starts on a weekday afternoon and ESPN has done a nice job with the NHL opening with a weekday afternoon game. This year Seattle hosted a game at 1:30 PM on a Tuesday (4:30 eastern). We need more of a grand opening for college hoops.

 

[MorningCoffee13]

That would push the season forward one week and with the inevitable expansion of the tournament it’s more likely basketball would begin on Halloween or something.

One thing g to consider is that as long as CBS has the contract the tournament will NEVER occur during the same weekend as The Masters. And the progressive folks in Augusta will never allow that sacred weekend to change. They did it for covid and it’s essentially like nobody in golf accepts that result as equivalently legitimate because of how the course played.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

That would push the season forward one week and with the inevitable expansion of the tournament it’s more likely basketball would begin on Halloween or something.

One thing g to consider is that as long as CBS has the contract the tournament will NEVER occur during the same weekend as The Masters. And the progressive folks in Augusta will never allow that sacred weekend to change. They did it for covid and it’s essentially like nobody in golf accepts that result as equivalently legitimate because of how the course played.

People forget the season used to start the week before Thanksgiving but ONLY for the PreSeason NIT games. So there were like 8 games that entire week. Then, Thanksgiving Week, everyone else started. Those Maui Invitational and Great Alaska Shootout games were those teams first games of the season. Then, they moved the season up to the week before Thanksgiving. For example, this was our first game dates during Howland/Dixon:

2000: Nov 17
01: Nov 16
02: Nov 23 (Pete opening)
03: Nov 14 (one of those MSG Coaches vs Cancer tip offs)
04: Nov 20
05: Nov 19
06: Nov 12 (special Maggie Dixon game)
07: Nov 9
08: Nov 14
09: Nov 13
10: Nov 8 (1st College Bball game of season because it was NIT)
11: Nov 11
12: Nov 9
13: Nov 8
14: Nov 14
15: Nov 13 (Japan Gonzaga)
16: Nov 11
17: Nov 10
18: Nov 6
19: Nov 6
20: Nov 25 Covid
21: Nov 9
22: Nov 7
23: Nov 6
24: Nov 4

 

[MorningCoffee13]

People forget the season used to start the week before Thanksgiving but ONLY for the PreSeason NIT games. So there were like 8 games that entire week. Then, Thanksgiving Week, everyone else started. Those Maui Invitational and Great Alaska Shootout games were those teams first games of the season. Then, they moved the season up to the week before Thanksgiving. For example, this was our first game dates during Howland/Dixon:

2000: Nov 17
01: Nov 16
02: Nov 23 (Pete opening)
03: Nov 14 (one of those MSG Coaches vs Cancer tip offs)
04: Nov 20
05: Nov 19
06: Nov 12 (special Maggie Dixon game)
07: Nov 9
08: Nov 14
09: Nov 13
10: Nov 8 (1st College Bball game of season because it was NIT)
11: Nov 11
12: Nov 9
13: Nov 8
14: Nov 14
15: Nov 13 (Japan Gonzaga)
16: Nov 11
17: Nov 10
18: Nov 6
19: Nov 6
20: Nov 25 Covid
21: Nov 9
22: Nov 7
23: Nov 6
24: Nov 4

But evidence shows they have been starting earlier for about a decade. So that trend in and of itself is unlikely to change. Then add another weekend to the tournament and it most certainly won’t change.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

But evidence shows they have been starting earlier for about a decade. So that trend in and of itself is unlikely to change. Then add another weekend to the tournament and it most certainly won’t change.

The tournament isnt going to expand an extra weekend. If anything, they are going to expand by 8 teams and just have more of those "First Four" type games so the NCAAT calendar will remain the same.

You are right that nobody is going to use this idea of a College Basketball Opening Day but they should. People get excited about the start of seasons in all the other sports. For college hoops, they seem to sneak in the start of the season without telling anyone. Nobody cares, nobody goes to these November games. That's why I think that if you put Veterans Day in people's head as the start date and play some day games, it could gain traction. Like I said, a lot of people dont have work or school that day, so a 10AM or noon or 2PM game between Pitt and Ohio State (for example) would be a big deal for people all over the country to watch since its either watch that or The Price is Right.

 

[TD_6082]

The tournament isnt going to expand an extra weekend. If anything, they are going to expand by 8 teams and just have more of those "First Four" type games so the NCAAT calendar will remain the same.

You are right that nobody is going to use this idea of a College Basketball Opening Day but they should. People get excited about the start of seasons in all the other sports. For college hoops, they seem to sneak in the start of the season without telling anyone. Nobody cares, nobody goes to these November games. That's why I think that if you put Veterans Day in people's head as the start date and play some day games, it could gain traction. Like I said, a lot of people dont have work or school that day, so a 10AM or noon or 2PM game between Pitt and Ohio State (for example) would be a big deal for people all over the country to watch since its either watch that or The Price is Right.

Football totally overshadows the sport until conference play begins in January.

Last year was the first time I was in forever that I was the least bit excited about November college basketball. And I'm 99.9% sure that had more to do with a 3-9 football team than anything offered by college basketball.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Football totally overshadows the sport until conference play begins in January.

Last year was the first time I was in forever that I was the least bit excited about November college basketball. And I'm 99.9% sure that had more to do with a 3-9 football team than anything offered by college basketball.

Yes it does. College basketball starts at the worst possible time with the NFL and College Football sucking all the oxygen out of the room. Then you also have the NBA and for more niche fans, the NHL, MLS, and EPL going on. This is why I say college basketball needs ONE DAY to call their own. Give them one day when nothing else is on, at least in the morning and afternoon and make it like a mini-March Madness. Then everyone can go back to forgetting about college hoops until January

 

[TD_6082]

Yes it does. College basketball starts at the worst possible time with the NFL and College Football sucking all the oxygen out of the room. Then you also have the NBA and for more niche fans, the NHL, MLS, and EPL going on. This is why I say college basketball needs ONE DAY to call their own. Give them one day when nothing else is on, at least in the morning and afternoon and make it like a mini-March Madness. Then everyone can go back to forgetting about college hoops until January

Haven't they tried a 24 hours of college hoops before?

Was that at the start of the season?

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Haven't they tried a 24 hours of college hoops before?

Was that at the start of the season?

It was the 2nd game for teams.....on a Tuesday.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Like I said, a lot of people dont have work or school that day, so a 10AM or noon or 2PM game between Pitt and Ohio State (for example) would be a big deal for people all over the country to watch since its either watch that or The Price is Right.

The Price is Right would crush that game in the ratings.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

The Price is Right would crush that game in the ratings.

Yea but the goal isnt to beat The Price is Right. Its to give college hoops fans an opening day-type experience that the other sports have. And also to promote the beginning of the season. No one knows when college hoops begins. If you do this Opening Day idea, ESPN could promote it during their football broadcasts. "College Basketball Opening Day" is Wednesday beginning at 12:01 AM with Gonzaga vs Houston. Also some big matchups are Pitt and Ohio State at 10 AM, UConn takes on Syracuse at noon, and Kansas hosts Iowa at 2.

 

[TD_6082]

The college hoops season begins on January 2nd.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Yea but the goal isnt to beat The Price is Right. Its to give college hoops fans an opening day-type experience that the other sports have. And also to promote the beginning of the season. No one knows when college hoops begins. If you do this Opening Day idea, ESPN could promote it during their football broadcasts. "College Basketball Opening Day" is Wednesday beginning at 12:01 AM with Gonzaga vs Houston. Also some big matchups are Pitt and Ohio State at 10 AM, UConn takes on Syracuse at noon, and Kansas hosts Iowa at 2.

College basketball's "opening day experience" is just fine for actual college basketball fans. Gimmicks on November 11 are not going to make March Madness fans tune in to college basketball on a random Wednesday in November.

Unless Drew Carey is there giving out big prizes during the timeouts. Pitt Plinko would draw the audience any day of the week.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

College basketball's "opening day experience" is just fine for actual college basketball fans. Gimmicks on November 11 are not going to make March Madness fans tune in to college basketball on a random Wednesday in November.

Unless Drew Carey is there giving out big prizes during the timeouts. Pitt Plinko would draw the audience any day of the week.

Its not going to make March Madness tune in but it would make you or me tune in. As big of college basketball fans that some of us are, we pretty much ignore the sport besides Pitt games until football is over. Also, if this became a tradition, then after a number of years, the casual sports fan would associate Veterans Day with the start of college hoops and the folks off that day would know those games are on TV all day.

Regular season college basketball needs some juice.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Its not going to make March Madness tune in but it would make you or me tune in. As big of college basketball fans that some of us are, we pretty much ignore the sport besides Pitt games until football is over. Also, if this became a tradition, then after a number of years, the casual sports fan would associate Veterans Day with the start of college hoops and the folks off that day would know those games are on TV all day.

Regular season college basketball needs some juice.

It wouldn't make me tune in, because I am a college basketball fan so I already tune in.

If you ignore basketball until after football season is over you might be a lot of things, but a big college basketball fan is not one of them.

 

[MorningCoffee13]

The tournament isnt going to expand an extra weekend. If anything, they are going to expand by 8 teams and just have more of those "First Four" type games so the NCAAT calendar will remain the same.

You are right that nobody is going to use this idea of a College Basketball Opening Day but they should. People get excited about the start of seasons in all the other sports. For college hoops, they seem to sneak in the start of the season without telling anyone. Nobody cares, nobody goes to these November games. That's why I think that if you put Veterans Day in people's head as the start date and play some day games, it could gain traction. Like I said, a lot of people dont have work or school that day, so a 10AM or noon or 2PM game between Pitt and Ohio State (for example) would be a big deal for people all over the country to watch since its either watch that or The Price is Right.

An extra weekend is coming. Count on it.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

An extra weekend is coming. Count on it.

If they add enough teams they will have to.

But it's coming by moving everything up a week, not by moving everything back a week.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

An extra weekend is coming. Count on it.

There isn't enough support for an entire extra round. They'll add 8 teams to go to 76, which will be just more Dayton games.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Another idea for Veterans Day if College Basketball doesn't use my idea to use the day as the official start date: have an ACC Tip-Off Marathon on Veterans Day with 9 ACC vs ACC games on ACC Network

10AM: Team who finished 18th last year hosts

Noon: Team who finished 17th last year hosts

2PM: Team who finished 16th hosts

4PM: Team who finished 15th hosts

6PM

7PM (on ESPN): Duke plays someone or leave them out if the Champions Classic is around this time

8PM

10PM: SMU hosts

Midnight: Cal or Stanford hosts

I think the early college basketball season needs some of this quirkiness. Too many cupcake games and games played in hotel ballrooms in front of 200 people.