Eeyore wrote:
>There are two problems with this.  If you assume that it's possible that
Michigan
>and Michigan State might both miss the tournament some year, as Minnesota and
>Wisconsin did this year, you'll see tumbleweeds blowing through Van Andel, or
>Munn, or Yost.  The other part is that at these sites, you still have some
of the
>advantages of home ice for the local teams, namely a favorable crowd.  For this
>advantage to accrue to the same schools year after year is not a good
thing.  It
>makes it tough to be Wisconsin or Minnesota, and any conceivable scenario like
>this will never be fair to places like North Dakota, to say nothing of
Denver and
>Colorado College.
 
I assume that Van Andel is the Grand Rapids Arena.  Remember that you also
have ND, Ferris, W.Mich close by and BG a bit further.  That's a large fan
base to draw from when you count in UM & MSU.
 
>The West Regional is in Minneapolis next year.  Barring significant improvement
>by the Gophers or Badgers (or perhaps SCSU), it has the potential to another
>flop.  If this happens two years in a row, I doubt you'll see the regional back
>out here.  So then we're left with just lower Michigan, and the your scenario,
>until the fates conspire to make a couple tank there, too.
>
And Denver/CC fans were wondering when a trip to Denver might be in order.
On second thought, those are 2 teams that might get a good crowd if they are
seeded in the west.  They seem to head east a lot though.
 
There is no perfect solution and the one the NCAA will go with is going to
be the one that generates the most $$$$.
 
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