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TrueCoug

Changes in MWC BBall tourney

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I love having the tournament in Vegas. I'll be heading down tomorrow night. Some of my past posts have complained about UNLV's homecourt advantage, but after much consideration I definitely think the T&M Center is the best short-term option for the tournament from a financial and entertainment standpoint. We'vealready hashed and re-hashed the topic of UNLV getting to play tournament games on their home floor. The debate should'nt be whether or not UNLV has an advantage, because we all know (UNLV fans included) that there is a definite advantage. And until the contract with the T&M Center ends, our complaining won't do anyhing.

So this topic is to discuss ways the MWC could decrease the amount of home court advantage UNLV has until the tourney moves into the new NBA arena. Some of my ideas might already be in place but here is what I came up with.

1) UNLV should have to use the visitors locker rooms at the T&M center. This will take away from their normal routine and mix things up a little.

2) During the game the UNLV bench should have to sit where the visiting team usually sits. Again, this will take away a slight amount of their comfort of playing at home.

3) UNLV's assigned basket for the first half should be on the opposite side of where it usually is during the regular season. ( I don't know if all teams do this, but at BYU the Cougars always start every game going towards the East basket.)

4) If it's feasible and not costly, any attempt to remove UNLV signs, banners, or on-court logos should be made. This might be one of my least favorite ideas because I don't know how much of a difference it would make. But its still something that crossed my mind so I thought I'd write it down. I know nothing about the process of placing logos on hardword floors. If it wasn't too hard I think they should replace the UNLV logo with a MWC logo etc.

5) They should adjust the lighting of the building slightly either by dimming or brightening the lights. Each arena has it's own unique lighting so this would also make the court feel more neutral for UNLV.

6) Attempts to adjust the sight lines should be made. This could involve hanging numerous MWC banners, or banners from each school around the general sight line areas of the arena. An article in the Salt Lake Tribune quoted players as saying they feel comfortable on their home courts because of the sight lines and familiarity of the general appearance of the arena.

7) I may be wrong, but I was at the tourney last year and it seems like the guy who announced the starting lineups during the championship game was UNLV's normal guy. I may be remembering wrong, but I seem to remember his voice showing enthusiasm when UNLV scored, and then he sounded neutral when BYU scored. Again, I may just be "misremembering".

These are just a few ideas I had. I just tried to think of simple things that would take UNLV away from their normal routines etc. I know some of these ideas may sound strange but they are just supposed to be minor changes that may or may not change the home "comfort" level of UNLV. I think that any little change helps make the court more neutral. Obviously UNLV will always have the support of their fans and there's nothing you can do about that. But that's fine with me. Any thoughts on whether or not these changes would be beneficial? Any of your own ideas?

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Why should UNLV be penalized because the conference picks them to host the tournament? If Denver, with 3 teams in the conference fairly close, wasn't such a failure they could still be hosting. You shouldn't penalize UNLV because Las Vegas does the best job of hosting the tournament.

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I love having the tournament in Vegas. I'll be heading down tomorrow night. Some of my past posts have complained about UNLV's homecourt advantage, but after much consideration I definitely think the T&M Center is the best short-term option for the tournament from a financial and entertainment standpoint. We'vealready hashed and re-hashed the topic of UNLV getting to play tournament games on their home floor. The debate should'nt be whether or not UNLV has an advantage, because we all know (UNLV fans included) that there is a definite advantage. And until the contract with the T&M Center ends, our complaining won't do anyhing.

So this topic is to discuss ways the MWC could decrease the amount of home court advantage UNLV has until the tourney moves into the new NBA arena. Some of my ideas might already be in place but here is what I came up with.

1) UNLV should have to use the visitors locker rooms at the T&M center. This will take away from their normal routine and mix things up a little.

2) During the game the UNLV bench should have to sit where the visiting team usually sits. Again, this will take away a slight amount of their comfort of playing at home.

3) UNLV's assigned basket for the first half should be on the opposite side of where it usually is during the regular season. ( I don't know if all teams do this, but at BYU the Cougars always start every game going towards the East basket.)

4) If it's feasible and not costly, any attempt to remove UNLV signs, banners, or on-court logos should be made. This might be one of my least favorite ideas because I don't know how much of a difference it would make. But its still something that crossed my mind so I thought I'd write it down. I know nothing about the process of placing logos on hardword floors. If it wasn't too hard I think they should replace the UNLV logo with a MWC logo etc.

5) They should adjust the lighting of the building slightly either by dimming or brightening the lights. Each arena has it's own unique lighting so this would also make the court feel more neutral for UNLV.

6) Attempts to adjust the sight lines should be made. This could involve hanging numerous MWC banners, or banners from each school around the general sight line areas of the arena. An article in the Salt Lake Tribune quoted players as saying they feel comfortable on their home courts because of the sight lines and familiarity of the general appearance of the arena.

7) I may be wrong, but I was at the tourney last year and it seems like the guy who announced the starting lineups during the championship game was UNLV's normal guy. I may be remembering wrong, but I seem to remember his voice showing enthusiasm when UNLV scored, and then he sounded neutral when BYU scored. Again, I may just be "misremembering".

These are just a few ideas I had. I just tried to think of simple things that would take UNLV away from their normal routines etc. I know some of these ideas may sound strange but they are just supposed to be minor changes that may or may not change the home "comfort" level of UNLV. I think that any little change helps make the court more neutral. Obviously UNLV will always have the support of their fans and there's nothing you can do about that. But that's fine with me. Any thoughts on whether or not these changes would be beneficial? Any of your own ideas?

1. Already happens, in fact they can't even use the visitors locker rooms.

2. Matter of seeding. UNLV was on the visitors bench during the Championship game last year.

3. Ditto

4. Already happens, save the banners in the rafters.

5. OK, why not.

6. OK, why not

7. You want to replace ++++ Calvert? You and about 18,000 Rebel fans. Start a petition. (edit to say: The ++++ signs you see to the left are a mans name, you know the shorter version of Richard. Stupid sensor)

To further lessen the impact of UNLV playing on their home floor the team is forced to practice at Valley High School the week leading up to game time, and they stay in a team hotel.

"This is not Nam. This is bowling. There are rules." - Walter Sobchak

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Why should UNLV be penalized because the conference picks them to host the tournament? If Denver, with 3 teams in the conference fairly close, wasn't such a failure they could still be hosting. You shouldn't penalize UNLV because Las Vegas does the best job of hosting the tournament.

I see what you are saying but I didn't think any of my ideas were penalizing UNLV. I thought these changes would simply allow UNLV to feel and be treated like they were just any other team at the tourney

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1. Already happens, in fact they can't even use the visitors locker rooms.

2. Matter of seeding. UNLV was on the visitors bench during the Championship game last year.

3. Ditto

4. Already happens, save the banners in the rafters.

5. OK, why not.

6. OK, why not

7. You want to replace ++++ Calvert? You and about 18,000 Rebel fans. Start a petition. (edit to say: The ++++ signs you see to the left are a mans name, you know the shorter version of Richard. Stupid sensor)

To further lessen the impact of UNLV playing on their home floor the team is forced to practice at Valley High School the week leading up to game time, and they stay in a team hotel.

Thanks for the info. In my original post, I admitted that I didn't know if some of my ideas have already been implemented or not. Turns out that most of my ideas are already in place. Oh, and about #4, I think it would be a huge headache to take down the banners in the rafters. Those aren't a problem at all. If anything, it shows the other MWC fans in attendance what their team should aspire to achieve. Again, thanks for the info.

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No sweat man, and in thinking about it, every tournament they stick the UNLV fans in the end zone, never in the middle. Even in the WAC. I wonder if they do that for a reason, or is just the luck of the draw. Personally I like the end zone view. You can watch the plays develop, but I know a ton of UNLV fans that hate the seating arrangements.

"This is not Nam. This is bowling. There are rules." - Walter Sobchak

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If we are going to keep the current system of allowing everybody in, here is my dream Mountain West Tournament format which rewards regular season play more but still gives everybody a chance of advancing to the NCAA Tournament:

Tuesday

Session 1

Women's First Round

Game 1 (2:30): Women's 4 vs. Women's 9

Game 2 (5:00): Women's 5 vs. Women's 8

Game 3 (7:30): Women's 6 vs. Women's 7

Wednesday

Session 2

Men's First Round

Game 4 (2:30): Men's 4 vs. Men's 9

Game 5 (5:00): Men's 5 vs. Men's 8

Game 6 (7:30): Men's 6 vs. Men's 7

Thursday

Session 3

Women's Second Round

Game 7 (12:00): Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2

Game 8 (2:30): Women's 3 vs. Winner of Game 3

Session 4

Men's Second Round

Game 9 (6:00): Winner of Game 4 vs. Winner of Game 5

Game 10 (8:30): Men's 3 vs. Winner of Game 6

Friday

Session 5

Women's Semifinals

Game 11 (12:00): Women's 1 vs. Winner of Game 7

Game 12 (2:30): Women's 2 vs. Winner of Game 8

Session 6

Men's Semifinals

Game 13 (6:00): Men's 1 vs. Winner of Game 9

Game 14 (8:30): Men's 2 vs. Winner of Game 10

Saturday

Session 7

Women's Championship Game

Game 15 (1:00): Winner of Game 11 vs. Winner of Game 12

Men's Championship Game

Game 16 (4:00): Winner of Game 13 vs. Winner of Game 14

To me the single biggest advantage of this format would be that it would give our bubble teams a chance at an extra win in the tournament. Hopefully we could get to the point where our 4th and 5th place teams are considered bubble teams and this would allow each of them to get an extra win before facing each other in the tournament.

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1. Already happens, in fact they can't even use the visitors locker rooms.

2. Matter of seeding. UNLV was on the visitors bench during the Championship game last year.

3. Ditto

4. Already happens, save the banners in the rafters.

5. OK, why not.

6. OK, why not

7. You want to replace ++++ Calvert? You and about 18,000 Rebel fans. Start a petition. (edit to say: The ++++ signs you see to the left are a mans name, you know the shorter version of Richard. Stupid sensor)

To further lessen the impact of UNLV playing on their home floor the team is forced to practice at Valley High School the week leading up to game time, and they stay in a team hotel.

These are all good ideas. The only advantage UNLV should have is the one that they have earned by being a good team, which they have done this year.

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If we are going to keep the current system of allowing everybody in, here is my dream Mountain West Tournament format which rewards regular season play more but still gives everybody a chance of advancing to the NCAA Tournament:

Tuesday

Session 1

Women's First Round

Game 1 (2:30): Women's 4 vs. Women's 9

Game 2 (5:00): Women's 5 vs. Women's 8

Game 3 (7:30): Women's 6 vs. Women's 7

Wednesday

Session 2

Men's First Round

Game 4 (2:30): Men's 4 vs. Men's 9

Game 5 (5:00): Men's 5 vs. Men's 8

Game 6 (7:30): Men's 6 vs. Men's 7

Thursday

Session 3

Women's Second Round

Game 7 (12:00): Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2

Game 8 (2:30): Women's 3 vs. Winner of Game 3

Session 4

Men's Second Round

Game 9 (6:00): Winner of Game 4 vs. Winner of Game 5

Game 10 (8:30): Men's 3 vs. Winner of Game 6

Friday

Session 5

Women's Semifinals

Game 11 (12:00): Women's 1 vs. Winner of Game 7

Game 12 (2:30): Women's 2 vs. Winner of Game 8

Session 6

Men's Semifinals

Game 13 (6:00): Men's 1 vs. Winner of Game 9

Game 14 (8:30): Men's 2 vs. Winner of Game 10

Saturday

Session 7

Women's Championship Game

Game 15 (1:00): Winner of Game 11 vs. Winner of Game 12

Men's Championship Game

Game 16 (4:00): Winner of Game 13 vs. Winner of Game 14

To me the single biggest advantage of this format would be that it would give our bubble teams a chance at an extra win in the tournament. Hopefully we could get to the point where our 4th and 5th place teams are considered bubble teams and this would allow each of them to get an extra win before facing each other in the tournament.

I believe this is the West Coast Conference's format as well. Then again, the 1 and 2 seeds lost.

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1) UNLV I think the locker room is a mute point because it doesn't really change anything as both lockerromms in the T&M are relatively the same. But if you feel it will make it more neutral then I'm all for it)

2) UNLV sits where they need to sit for them being ranked I think the best thing we could hope for is to have them switch the side of the court so that it changes it up a bit and moves UNLV on a different vantage point. (IE have benches on north instead of the south).

3) Once again like the first one it's assigned to them and if you feel they need to have that basket be change in the name of fairness I'll all for it.

4) IThe T&M is striped from just about everything but the banners and I don't think it's worth removing the banners for the MWC tournament. I don't think they are as intimidating as some would assume.

5) If you feel this will change it and make it more nuetral then they could give that a go if you want.

6) I don't know if the MWC would go through all this trouble but if you can convince them to in the name of fairness by all means go ahead and do it.

7) I think the announcer should be a completely neutral party but maybe that was one of the stipulations in the contract with the MWC to have it hosted here. But hey it can't hurt anything.

Alot of people complain about the advantage and I admit as a UNLV there is one, but alot of people don't know how big or small it is. I've seen some horredous claims thrown around on alot of boards about this. Heres some FYI

1. UNLV has to stay in a hotel room so they don't get the "home cooking" just like every other team in the league it's league mandated that the tourney host must do so.

2. They can't pratice at the T&M either just like every other team they are delegated a spot to practice.

3. UNLV's student section and alumni still have to buy tickets like everyone else the problem comes when teams lose they give the tickets to the other teams fans.

I don't think they haven't thought of any other options that have been instilled to make it less of advantage. I do feel if possible that the MWC should move the band over to the other side (where the press currently sit).

The measure of true greatness isn't what you did but by how people remember you.

unlv.jpg

Basketball:

NCAA Championship: 1 (1990)

Final Four's : 4 (1977, 1987, 1990, 1991)

Elite Eights: 5 (1977, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991)

Top 5 All time winning percentage.

Current leader in streak for most games with a concencutive 3 point field goal.

Football:

Undefeated in bowls (3-0)

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1) UNLV I think the locker room is a mute point

The word is moot, not mute.

Mute refers to a person who cannot or will not speak. "The MWC remained mute on the incompetence of the officiating crew."

Moot - irrelevant or unimportant. "Whether UNLV enjoys a homecourt advantage is a moot point."

He might have been saying "shut up" about it. :D

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