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Post Season Tournament First Game Info...

P

PBP

Active member
Congrats to the ISU women and the seniors for a big win on Senior Day! Now it's on to the tournament for the 11th straight year.

Here is the opening game info:

Thursday, March 13
Idaho State (#5 seed) vs. East. Washington (#4 seed)
Engelstad Sioux Center
Grand Forks, North Dakota
Pregame show approximately 6:10 PM Pocatello time
Tipoff approximately 6:30 Pocatello time

Remember this is the 3rd game of the day, if either of the first two games run long, the start time of the ISU game will be pushed back.

Other two opening round games:

#2 So. Utah vs. #7 Sacramento St. 1:30 Pocatello time
#3 Montana vs. #6 Montana St. 4PM Pocatello time

ISU game(s) can be heard on KISU 91.1 or through Stretch Internet via http://www.isubengals.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; or you can watch the game at Big Sky TV (It will not have my audio however just FYI.)

Friday semi-finals will be played at 4PM and 6:30PM Pocatello time
Saturday championship game is at 2PM Pocatello time.


PBP
 
I heard ISU is bussing to this????

Would they have flown if they knew weeks before where the tournament would be? Or is this a case of pinching pennies?
 
Sin City Spudhead said:
I heard ISU is bussing to this????

Would they have flown if they knew weeks before where the tournament would be? Or is this a case of pinching pennies?
Click to expand...

If true, that is a 16 hour bus ride.
 
Team did bus. Left Tuesday about 11AM. Got to Bismark, N.D. about 1AM Central time last night. Left Bismark this morning to get to Grand Forks about 3 1/2 more hours.

It is my understanding that the team did want to fly and ISU was willing to provide the funds however the travel agency or the airline could not get the entire team to Fargo at the same time.

It would have to be done in multiple flights at different times and then you have to figure out how to get the team members into Grand Forks (which is about an hour away). Logistically it was apparently a real issue.

Also some members of the team (injured players, redshirt freshmen, preferred walk on's) would not have been able to go because of the issues of limited seats available on those flights and the cost.

Just another reason in my opinion why the Big Sky Conference needs to move the men's and women's tournaments to a single or duel neutral sites. It's not fair for the players that some can fly and others have to bus. But this is not on ISU... they tried to fly.

I was told by two other head coaches (not Seton) that the conference needs to go to a neutral site. One coach said they are going to start lobbying their A.D. hard to try to bring this about. The other brought up an interesting factoid to me that the Big Sky is the only conference west of the Mississippi that continues to have post season tournaments at the location that wins the regular season. Just FYI.

PBP
 
Depends on your point of view.

Some advocate larger cities. Examples would be Spokane, Seattle, Portland, Boise, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Las Vegas for example.

Others think a smaller neutral site type city which would appreciate the tournament and money it would bring to the area would be best. And a smaller type location might draw better too. Examples might be Reno, Billings, Great Falls, Twin Falls, Fresno. Although with smaller cities you could have the same travel problems that you have now getting to places like Flagstaff and Grand Forks.

I'm just glad the conference is putting together a think-tank /white paper on the issue of neutral sites. I just hope they look at this issue completely and with an open mind and not just do something to say they did it but never really considered changing anything.

Time will tell I guess.
 
I definitely can see the advantage of a neutral site. But then again, it would probably be somewhere that would make it tough for Bengal fans to attend. I cannot wait to watch the next Women's Big Sky championship game in Reed Gym and taking this possibility away would not make me happy as a fan. I like North Dakota as a team but admitting them to the league because of both the distance and the inconvenience (Portland and Sacramento are a long way way but both are easy to get there by plane) made little sense.
 
Spud:

If you think going to No. Dakota is tough, what happens if Alaska-Anchorage comes into the league in a few years? :shock:

PBP
 
In a tournament situation you never know how things might make an impact...so just FYI.

Eastern Washington isn't supposed to get to N.D. until about 10PM Central Wednesday night. They didn't practice today (at least in N.D.) and will only get 30 minutes for a shoot around on Thursday.

The bigger news is Montana who was supposed to arrive around Noon Central Wednesday from Denver into Fargo. One problem...the Denver flight was overbooked and they were not allowed on. (Montana State was which I'm sure ruffled a few Montana feathers...) Don't know when Montana is now getting in but they missed their practice time today in N.D. and like Eastern will only have a :30 minute shoot around scheduled for Thursday.

As hard as it was to make this bus trip, Seton in the end may wind up looking like a genius because his players will at least be able to get a good night's rest Wednesday and did have their full :90 minute practice Wednesday and will have their :30 minute shoot around Thursday.

We'll see what happens and how it all turns out.

PBP
 
One possibility for the future is to do what the Big Sky volleyball tourney does. It is not ideal but the winner of the regular season one season, hosts the tourney the next year (I think that is correct). This is again not ideal but it does allow for both advanced planning for travel and the possibility of good crowds seeing the home team play.
 
Spud:

That's a possibility although just FYI, the conference is getting rid of that format for volleyball starting this year.

PBP
 
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