On Sun, 27 Mar 1994, David Parter wrote:
 
> Jack McDonald (DU Athletic Director) writes:
>
> [snip]
>
> > With the fair to poor attendance at the league championhips, I think
> > it is time that college hockey begin to consider ending the season two
> > to three weeks after the basketball (men's and women's) Final Four.
>
> Nicholas Strangas writes:
>
> [snip]
>
> Last year, the tournament was moved up -- 1 or 2 weeks. The first week
> was gained by going to the regional format, and the second (if I
> remember correcly) by eliminating the week off between the last league
> tournament and the start of NC$$ play. How did the Phinal Phour end up
> the same weekend as basketball again?
>
> Which would be better? After the basketball tournament or before/during
> the early rounds?
>
> If the hockey season was all 1 week earlier, then the league
> tournaments would be the weekend before the basketball tourney starts,
> the regionals would be the first weekend of basketball, and the Phinal
> Phour would be a week before the basketball finals.
>
 
  It seems to me that the hockey people have scheduled the tournament
(at least the last few years) so that the Championship Game can be played
on the Sunday between the Hoops Final Four and the Title Game (and end
up on ESPN to boot). This seemed like a good idea to me, especially since
I getting my undergrad in "non-hockey country" (IU).
  However, since it seems that college hockey is on the upswing, esp.
by being on Prime and getting into non-traditional markets. (A friend of mine
told me she saw the CCHA finals in Charlotte when she was home for spring
break.) Plus, ESPN succeeded in getting Opening Day of baseball season moved
from Monday to Sunday, so I presume they won't be televising next week's
Champ. Game (unless it's moved to the afternoon).
  My two cents would say to have the tourney before the basketball tourney
starts. In theory, hockey is in the same boat as the women's hoops tourney
in terms of getting exposure. I have heard arguments that they wanted to
have "febraury madness" to try and get more tv and not compete with their
male brethern. I don't know if it would be pheasible to move up the start
of the hockey season to do this, but I think after March Madness would be
even worse, due to start of baseball and NBA/NHL playoffs.
 
And, as an IU graduate and current BGSU student, my total tanking of both
basketball and hockey pools is off-set by both Michigan teams being
elminated within an hour of each other.
 
mark coale