Oklahoma City and Tulsa Discussed As Potential Hosts For American Athletic Conference Tournament

[Drew]

Original story regarding Tulsa: TU Sports: Tulsa reportedly being considered for site of AAC basketball tournament


New article: American Athletic basketball tournament may look to Midwest in future

Quoted from new article:

In its first season of membership in the American Athletic Conference, Wichita State fans will trade a trip to St. Louis for a trip to Orlando for the men’s basketball conference tournament.

The geography might even out for Shocker fans as soon as 2019.

Wichita State athletic Darron Boatright said the American is considering awarding the tournament to a Midwest site in the future. Oklahoma City’s Chesapeake Energy Arena emerged as a topic of informal talks last week at conference meetings in Florida. Tulsa’s BOK Center was also mentioned as a possible home.

“There was very positive discussion about giving it a test run for a year or two where it’s more accessible for institutions to drive,” Boatright said. “There was nothing voted on, nothing specific. Oklahoma City was discussed directly. Tulsa came up a time or two.”

Five schools are within 500 miles of Oklahoma City or Tulsa — Wichita State, Tulsa, SMU, Memphis and Houston.


The American held its first tournament in Memphis. It alternated between Hartford, Conn., and Orlando since and is scheduled for Orlando’s Amway Center in March.

The 2017 championship game between SMU and Cincinnati in Hartford drew a crowd of 6,856 fans. The tournament largest crowd was 8,117 for a Connecticut-Cincinnati semifinal. Quarterfinals involving Memphis, Central Florida, SMU and East Carolina drew 1,844 fans. In 2016 in Orlando, tournament attendance averaged 7,774 fans.

“The attendance has been a concern and remains a concern,” Boatright said. “If we’re going to brand ourselves as a ‘Power 6’ conference then every aspect of our conference needs to look like it.”

The tournament’s Sunday time slot on CBS leads into the NCAA selection show in 2018. Some of the audience tuning in for the bracket reveal will watch the final minutes of the American championship game. A half-full arena is not a good impression.

 

[walkrightier]

It's literally mind-blowing that the AAC is considering Tulsa and Oklahoma City, but not New Orleans. Literally, unbelievable...

 

[FartMan69]

 

[UCDaveD]

God this conference is a joke.

 

[Drew]

I really think Philly or Dallas needs to get consideration in addition to New Orleans. Even putting it in Charlotte where theres tons of ECU alumni and driveable for ECU/UCF/Temple and accessible for others with the hub airport would be fine with me. Tulsa (NO WAY) and OKC (Extremely meh) do nothing.

 

[FartMan69]

At this point I think it'd make more sense to rent out a high school gym for family and friends. Charge to stream the thing and I'm sure you'd make up the loss of 50 ticket packages you would sell at an NBA arena.

 

[CL82]

“The attendance has been a concern and remains a concern,” Boatright said. “If we’re going to brand ourselves as a ‘Power 6’ conference then every aspect of our conference needs to look like it.

...and nothing says Power 6 like a conference tournament in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

I love the Oklahoma: COME SEE FOR YOURSELF embedded ad.

 

[thatguyed]

If I go to TripAdvisor, will I find out where to go for the best squirrel surprise casserole?

 

[NowInStorrs]

I was at the AAC tourney in Orlando and it was sad. UConn had a solid turnout for it being so far away (the large majority of fans were UConn fans). There were a couple stray Cincy, Temple, and Memphis fans and a few local UCF fans. I may have seen a couple Houston and Tulane shirts as well but literally only a couple of them. It was pretty pathetic looking around at the mostly empty stadium. It's not like tickets were that cheap either, which probably drove away a lot of the UCF fans who might have shown up just because.

Something needs to be done about the conference tournament and a consistent location would probably help to establish some semblance of tradition. An easy and cheap travel destination is probably a good bet. A city with some basketball interest would be good too. Just spitballing here but why not Nashville, New Orleans, Charlotte, or Philadelphia? I'd be remiss to have it in Dallas or Cincinnati but those are probably better cities to have it in than what is being discussed here. If they want to do Florida, maybe Tampa would be a better spot. Orlando has so much competing for entertainment that the AAC tournament probably gets a bit drowned out in the noise.

 

[gampelcrazies]

I've said this many of times. This tournament should be played at Mohegan.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

That 8,000 number for the UConn Cincinnati semi in Hartford is probably the most pathetic thing in the entire article.

 

[Chin Diesel]

You can make a case for OKC. Tulsa? Not so much.

OKC is an NBA city, has a 1m+ metropolis and (whether Yankees want to admit it or not), is considered a major market in the midwest. It's in the same category as a Kansas City or St. Louis.

If it were up to me, the tourney would rotate between New Orleans, Memphis and Orlando. No competition from other conferences, easy flights for all teams in the conference and enough stuff for fans to do over 3-4 days.

 

[Chuck]

Nobody is going to this tournament unless: i) it's in their backyard; ii) it's within 2 hours of them (by car) and their team has a shot at the championship; or iii) the league significantly improves and there are 4 top 20 caliber teams, one of which is top 10.

There is no city that is close enough for the majority of teams to get fans to, there are no fantastic traveling fanbases that would go to another city (even a New Orleans), and there are no teams (even current UConn) that will bring random fans to an arena.

 

[Jerry1714]

...and nothing says Power 6 like a conference tournament in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Tulsa and Kansas City are roughly the same size (city pop.), and Kansas City is the host to the Big 12 tournament, you know a power conference. Oklahoma City is bigger than Kansas City.

The AAC does not want it played in an empty dump of an arena, ie. Hartford. I do not blame them for trying to put it somewhere which will sell out and if Tulsa, SMU and WSU are good it will sell out there.

 

[HuskyHawk]

...and nothing says Power 6 like a conference tournament in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

If we are honest, playing in the dump that is XL in Hartford isn't exciting for anyone either, and certainly isn't a "P5" level venue.

 

[Jerry1714]

I think putting it in OKC is a good idea.

Easy drive from WSU and Dallas, and obviously Tulsa.

 

[CL82]

Tulsa and Kansas City are roughly the same size (city pop.), and Kansas City is the host to the Big 12 tournament, you know a power conference. Oklahoma City is bigger than Kansas City.

The AAC does not want it played in an empty dump of an arena, ie. Hartford. I do not blame them for trying to put it somewhere which will sell out and if Tulsa, SMU and WSU are good it will sell out there.

If we are honest, playing in the dump that is XL in Hartford isn't exciting for anyone either, and certainly isn't a "P5" level venue.

Entirely fair points. It's a long way, both literally and metaphorically, from MSG though.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Tulsa and Kansas City are roughly the same size (city pop.), and Kansas City is the host to the Big 12 tournament, you know a power conference. Oklahoma City is bigger than Kansas City.

The AAC does not want it played in an empty dump of an arena, ie. Hartford. I do not blame them for trying to put it somewhere which will sell out and if Tulsa, SMU and WSU are good it will sell out there.

This is very misleading. KC is quite a bit bigger than OKC as an overall metro area (2m to 1.2m). It is just split across two states, while OKC is one sprawling city with minimal separately incorporated suburbs. KC is the #30 MSA and OKC is #41 (behind Providence).

 

[UCDaveD]

The XL being a dump doesn't make Tulsa a good choice.

 

[Jerry1714]

This is very misleading. KC is quite a bit bigger than OKC as an overall metro area (2m to 1.2m). It is just split across two states, while OKC is one sprawling city with minimal separately incorporated suburbs. KC is the #30 MSA and OKC is #41 (behind Providence).

Yea, KC seems to doing funny numbers with its metro area. The area the KC metro area comprises is almost two times the square miles of the state of CT.

 

[Jerry1714]

The XL being a dump doesn't make Tulsa a good choice.

It makes it a better choice. A much better choice. And its not just the XL being a dump, good luck attracting fans to CT in early March. At least in Tulsa or OKC you can be outside and go play golf while you are there.

 

[BlueMAB]

In no order: Philly, Memphis, Hartford/Mohegan, Orlando.

The tickets are too expensive. The teams are generally unimpressive and have no history. There's not a lot the league can do other than get better.

 

[Northbound]

If I go to TripAdvisor, will I find out where to go for the best squirrel surprise casserole?

Possibly, I will say that Elmer's BBQ in Tulsa is pretty damn good as is White River Fish Market and there is a bunch of good up-market food there (there is/was a lot of oil money there and those folks are well traveled and have pretty high expectations) and OKC has Bricktown which can be fun for a night. I spent between two and three days a week in Tulsa (day trip via SWA from KC) for 5 years - I hate the heat, but besides that it's not horrible place to watch hoops and drink and eat for a couple of days - are there better places for a conference touney hell yes, but Hartford isn't one of them.

Every other school has said the same thing about having the tourney Hartford as we're saying about having it in Tulsa/OKC and they aren't wrong.

New Orleans, Charlotte, Philly, and I guess Memphis

 

[UCDaveD]

It makes it a better choice. A much better choice. And its not just the XL being a dump, good luck attracting fans to CT in early March. At least in Tulsa or OKC you can be outside and go play golf while you are there.

There are other options, you know? It's not just Tulsa or CT.

NO
Philly
Memphis
Charlotte
Houston
Even Dallas would be better.