Welcome to The Holy Land of Hoops

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/19644292/madison-square-garden-move-proves-tricky-big-ten

One of the key assets that we retained was MSG. Trememdous job by the folks negotiating that exit at that time. Great foresight.

I think it's going to be really interesting if the Big Ten has a great NCAA tourney in '18. Things are so copy cat in the world of sports.

If the B1G is to successfully plant a flag in NYC and at MSG, it will not occur overnight, nor will it happen in a single season. Attendance figures next year will be interesting for sure between the two tournaments, but the B1G also has two very weak men's basketball programs in the east (Penn State and Rutgers). It will be up to Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, Iowa and Maryland to travel very well and stay for multiple games. The B1G brand is still very much Midwestern-centered, but - in time - can develop into an East coast-based league as well. If Penn State and Rutgers could turn it around in basketball, history says otherwise, it would go a long way towards that goal. Maryland already has the prestige and reputation.

stever20 wrote:I think it's going to be really interesting if the Big Ten has a great NCAA tourney in '18. Things are so copy cat in the world of sports.

So are you saying they will move it up a week the next year in Chicago or Indy? I can't see that happening.

Interesting to see the comments from the coaches. Fottball teams get a month or more off before bowl games, yet no one complains.

Whenever there is a proposal for a national championship football tournament - during intercession - the impact on academics is always raised as an objection. But in this case of disruption to the schedule, there was not a single comment about the impact on academics - positive or negative.