Regional Sites announced for 2021, 2022 | The Boneyard

Regional Sites announced for 2021, 2022

Albany 2021. Bridgeport 2022. Spokane for both years....

Greensboro 2022

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Spokane must throw one heck of a regional weekend experience to get the bid for both years. There are at least a dozen schools/cities that could host a regional out here in the western geographical area of the country. Las Vegas could throw one heck of a regional. Four D1 conferences already hold their post season tournaments there every year. See my thoughts below on holding regional games in Las Vegas.
 
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We will not be eligible to play in Bridgeport in 2022 as they have UConn and Fairfield as hosting.
 
Scoop said:
Spokane must throw one heck of a regional weekend experience to get the bid for both years. There are at least a dozen schools/cities that could host a regional out here in the western geographical area of the country. Las Vegas could throw one heck of a regional. Four D1 conferences already hold their post season tournaments there every year.
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Except we don't know if anyone out West is actually bidding. Fresno was a disaster, IMO.
 
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The HEB Center in Cedar Park, TX is like 5 miles from my house!

I think the NCAA is confident that Texas or Baylor could pack a lot of fans there and one will likely be sent to Cedar Park (NW Austin suburb); and, if A&M is sent, too, that could help even more.
 
southie said:
Except we don't know if anyone out West is actually bidding. Fresno was a disaster, IMO.
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You have a point. We don't know how many of those potential sites are putting in bids.
 
ZachCT12 said:
We will not be eligible to play in Bridgeport in 2022 as they have UConn and Fairfield as hosting.
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I don't think that's how it works. I think a host team can play in that regional as long as its not their home arena.

Never realized that Idaho (not Gonzaga) was the host for the Spokane Regional.
 
If Lexington KY couldn't do much as a host I don't have great hope for Cinci.

Are Southern sites not bidding or did their bids stink? There really should be more regionals down there.
 
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I have no idea what it takes to get a bid for a regional but I do think WBB needs to be very strategic about where it places regionals because of attendance.
 
vowelguy said:
If Lexington KY couldn't do much as a host I don't have great hope for Cinci.

Are Southern sites not bidding or did their bids stink? There really should be more regionals down there.
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I guess it depends on what you consider "southern". Not sure I see a problem.

Greensboro, NC has regionals in 2019 and 2022.

Dallas has a regional in 2020. And, so does Greenville, SC.

Austin has a regional in 2021.
 
MSSportsGuy said:
I have no idea what it takes to get a bid for a regional but I do think WBB needs to be very strategic about where it places regionals because of attendance.
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Absolutely!!! A comment, then a question.......... From a business viewpoint, I would imagine that the two most important factors in determining the site of a regional is the ambiance of the arena, and can they finish in the black. What ancillary events/attractions can they feature that weekend that will make the attendees want to come to the next regional? In the recent past, we've seen some very poor attendance numbers at some regionals, especially when none the local schools were not featured.

Does any one know the criteria for submitting a bid to host a regional? What are the duties/responsibilities of the hosts? Is it financial, or do they also provide people volunteers/paid staff to work the event?.
 
Scoop said:
Absolutely!!! A comment, then a question..... From a business viewpoint, I would imagine that the two most important factors in determining the site of a regional is the ambiance of the arena, and can they finish in the black. What ancillary events/attractions can they feature that weekend that will make the attendees want to come to the next regional? In the recent past, we've seen some very poor attendance numbers at some regionals, especially when none the local schools were not featured.

Does any one know the criteria for submitting a bid to host a regional? What are the duties/responsibilities of the hosts? Is it financial, or do they also provide people volunteers/paid staff to work the event?.
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I have no idea what the criteria is but I think it's important to consider placing them in a large, metro area where travel is easier for the fans to get there. Greenville, SC is actually a very nice little town and has grown considerably in the last decade. However the air travel there would be problematic for fans who aren't in the Georgia/Carolinas areas. I also feel that way about Greensboro.

Attendance is likely down because of cost and the availability of TV coverage online, plus the obvious fact it remains a niche sport. Connecticut has a tremendous amount of support from their fans but it also helps to have regionals in relative close proximity to the school. The geography of the west makes for more long journeys to tournaments.
 
MSSportsGuy said:
I have no idea what the criteria is but I think it's important to consider placing them in a large, metro area where travel is easier for the fans to get there. Greenville, SC is actually a very nice little town and has grown considerably in the last decade. However the air travel there would be problematic for fans who aren't in the Georgia/Carolinas areas. I also feel that way about Greensboro.
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Like Albany? :rolleyes:
 
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Scoop said:
Absolutely!!! A comment, then a question..... From a business viewpoint, I would imagine that the two most important factors in determining the site of a regional is the ambiance of the arena, and can they finish in the black. What ancillary events/attractions can they feature that weekend that will make the attendees want to come to the next regional? In the recent past, we've seen some very poor attendance numbers at some regionals, especially when none the local schools were not featured.

Does any one know the criteria for submitting a bid to host a regional? What are the duties/responsibilities of the hosts? Is it financial, or do they also provide people volunteers/paid staff to work the event?.
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My assumptions are the criteria involves around the city/town and surrounding area having a certain number of hotel rooms; airport for sure; guaranteed number of ticket sales; the arena having a minimum seating capacity, and the arena meeting specific media requirements.
 
This idea has been floated before by Mechelle Voepel. Because some of the regionals don't draw well or show a profit, I wonder how much interest could be generated by having all 12 games of the 2nd weekend (regionals) played in one location like Las Vegas.

The NBA summer games are played on the UNLV campus at the Thomas & Mack Arena and The Cox Center which are adjacent to each other. These two arenas are connected by an indoor walkway. During the summer games, fans could walk back and forth to view games being played simultaneously. That being said, there are other venues (like the Mandalay Bay Events Center where the Aces Play) that could be used to host some of the games. All the games do not have to be played at UNLV, but if they were, it would extremely fan friendly to have all the games at one site.

They played 8 games a day during the summer league beginning at 1:30 pm, with the last game starting at 7:30 pm. The same number of games played the 1st round of the regionals. The games could be staggered over 4 days or 2 (Thurs-Fri & Sat-Sunday, or Friday & Sunday). All attending members of the electronic and print media can be accommodated easily with no problems. The arena has been acommodating large groups of media for various events for years.

It would be a long trip for the folks coming from the eastern part of the country, but you would get to see every game in the round of 16 in person. The folks in the mid-west and western part of country would not be inconvenienced too much.

Four Division one conferences hold their post season conference tournaments in Las Vegas every year. There are enough venues to accommodate all four conferences at once. Las Vegas has plenty of hotel rooms, restaurants, The airport is across the street from the campus, ground transportation is never a problem. There's also a myriad of Casinos and stage shows operating nightly for your entertainment. There are lots of other things to do besides gamble your hard earned $$$ away.

Helicopter tours of Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon for starters. I've taken the Grand Canyon helicopter tour. They have tours that you simply fly over the canyon. There other tours that take you to a landing pad 3,200 feet (975 meters) below the rim where you will enjoy a picnic with a Champagne toast. It's breath taking. An experience you won't forget. The helicopter tours are not cheap, but it's a fast (the best) way to see the Canyon if you've never seen it.

I attended this years NBA summer games in Las Vegas. It has become the place to be for NBA fans across the country. NBA Summer League Breaks Attendance Records In Most Successful Year Yet. I met, chatted with and drank some beer in the concourse between games with fans from all over the country. Every team that participates is guaranteed 5 games. then the playoffs begin. Games are played back to back all day. All the coaches and GM's of the participating teams attend, as well as a lot of the veteran players.

It's open seating, except on the floor. Those seats are reserved for coaches, GM's team officials and VIP's. There were a lot of folks there the whole week. If Las Vegas can host the Summer League Games, they can host the round of 16 games with ease. Fly into town, get a nice hotel room for 4 days, You can get a shuttle ride (a cab, Uber/Lyft) to the arena. Purchase a single tournament ticket good for all 4 days, and you're set.

I would love for the Regional games to come to Las Vegas. It's only a short 3 hour drive for me. I do understand that you folks in the northeast are probably more than happy with going to the regionals in Albany or Bridgeport. I know it will probably never happen, but I sure would like them to try it at least once.
 
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southie said:
The HEB Center in Cedar Park, TX is like 5 miles from my house!

I think the NCAA is confident that Texas or Baylor could pack a lot of fans there and one will likely be sent to Cedar Park (NW Austin suburb); and, if A&M is sent, too, that could help even more.
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I'm happy about this as well. I live in Austin :)
 
Scoop said:
This idea has been floated before by Mechelle Voepel. Because some of the regionals don't draw well or show a profit, I wonder how much interest could be generated by having all 12 games of the 2nd weekend (regionals) played in one location like Las Vegas.

The NBA summer games are played on the UNLV campus at the Thomas & Mack Arena and The Cox Center which are adjacent to each other. These two arenas are connected by an indoor walkway. During the summer games, fans could walk back and forth to view games being played simultaneously. That being said, there are other venues (like the Mandalay Bay Events Center where the Aces Play) that could be used to host some of the games. All the games do not have to be played at UNLV, but if they were, it would extremely fan friendly to have all the games at one site.

They played 8 games a day during the summer league beginning at 1:30 pm, with the last game starting at 7:30 pm. The same number of games played the 1st round of the regionals. The games could be staggered over 4 days or 2 (Thurs-Fri & Sat-Sunday, or Friday & Sunday). All attending members of the electronic and print media can be accommodated easily with no problems. The arena has been acommodating large groups of media for various events for years.

It would be a long trip for the folks coming from the eastern part of the country, but you would get to see every game in the round of 16 in person. The folks in the mid-west and western part of country would not be inconvenienced too much.

Four Division one conferences hold their post season conference tournaments in Las Vegas every year. There are enough venues to accommodate all four conferences at once. Las Vegas has plenty of hotel rooms, restaurants, The airport is across the street from the campus, ground transportation is never a problem. There's also a myriad of Casinos and stage shows operating nightly for your entertainment. There are lots of other things to do besides gamble your hard earned $$$ away.

Helicopter tours of Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon for starters. I've taken the Grand Canyon helicopter tour. They have tours that you simply fly over the canyon. There other tours that take you to a landing pad 3,200 feet (975 meters) below the rim where you will enjoy a picnic with a Champagne toast. It's breath taking. An experience you won't forget. The helicopter tours are not cheap, but it's a fast (the best) way to see the Canyon if you've never seen it.

I attended this years NBA summer games in Las Vegas. It has become the place to be for NBA fans across the country. NBA Summer League Breaks Attendance Records In Most Successful Year Yet. I met, chatted with and drank some beer in the concourse between games with fans from all over the country. Every team that participates is guaranteed 5 games. then the playoffs begin. Games are played back to back all day. All the coaches and GM's of the participating teams attend, as well as a lot of the veteran players.

It's open seating, except on the floor. Those seats are reserved for coaches, GM's team officials and VIP's. There were a lot of folks there the whole week. If Las Vegas can host the Summer League Games, they can host the round of 16 games with ease. Fly into town, get a nice hotel room for 4 days, You can get a shuttle ride (a cab, Uber/Lyft) to the arena. Purchase a single tournament ticket good for all 4 days, and you're set.

I would love for the Regional games to come to Las Vegas. It's only a short 3 hour drive for me. I do understand that you folks in the northeast are probably more than happy with going to the regionals in Albany or Bridgeport. I know it will probably never happen, but I sure would like them to try it at least once.
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JEFF Walz likes idea of running everything through Vegas.
 
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southie said:
I don't think ESPN would like having all games in the Pacific time zone.
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Do we know that for sure? Maybe not. But if so, that is a logistical problem that can be resolved. Given the 3 hour time difference between the east and west coast, for the first two days, start the first games at 10:30 am (1:30 est) then every 2 hours after that. The last game would start at 5:30/8:30. Two floors means the games are simultaneously. If your team's game starts at 8:30 pm est, that's not unreasonable.

Another cure for that problem is to have all east and south regional teams play first (earlier in the day) to offset the time difference. Teams in the mid-west and western regions can play in the later start times.

The last 2 days, the games could start at 12:30/3:30 and 3:30/6:30. An additional venue could be used to enable more games to be played simultaneously, but that would probably hurt attendance because of the inconvenience of traveling back and forth between sites. Every coach and every player would get to see every other sweet 16 team play in person if they chose to.

To pull this off, ESPN may have to work with the ncaa just a bit. Since it's never going to happen, what do you suggest?

ESPN would save a ton of money because of the need of only one crew of technicians to set up and monitor their broadcasting equipment. Instead of having 4 crews at 4 different venues. They would save salaries, hotel accommodations, meals and gas.

This is not my brain child, but I would like to see them try it. If it doesn't work, go back to the way it is now, games at sites with low attendance that don't show s profit. You can't please everyone.

There will be those that will not come because they feel it's too far, but then there are those that have never been to a regional game that would attend this weekend event. For the real wcbb fan, this would be Nirvana .
 
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MSSportsGuy said:
I have no idea what the criteria is but I think it's important to consider placing them in a large, metro area where travel is easier for the fans to get there. Greenville, SC is actually a very nice little town and has grown considerably in the last decade. However the air travel there would be problematic for fans who aren't in the Georgia/Carolinas areas. I also feel that way about Greensboro.
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I think you sell the size of Greensboro a little short. Greensboro has around 290,000 people. 1.5 million within a 25 mile radius.. 2 million within 50 miles... 4.4 million in a 75 mile radius.

In terms of flying in and out... Most of the major cities east of the Mississippi are a direct flight away.. .. plus Dallas has direct flights as well. . Charlotte's huge hub is 85 miles away... Raleigh's Airport is 60 miles.

So basically I'm saying ... When it comes to placing regionals in the Southeast . . You can do a whole lot worse than Greensboro .... Of course no bias on my part. :cool::p:D:(:rolleyes:
 
triaddukefan said:
I think you sell the size of Greensboro a little short. Greensboro has around 290,000 people. 1.5 million within a 25 mile radius.. 2 million within 50 miles... 4.4 million in a 75 mile radius.

In terms of flying in and out... Most of the major cities east of the Mississippi are a direct flight away.. .. plus Dallas has direct flights as well. . Charlotte's huge hub is 85 miles away... Raleigh's Airport is 60 miles.

So basically I'm saying ... When it comes to placing regionals in the Southeast . . You can do a whole lot worse than Greensboro .... Of course no bias on my part. :cool::p:D:(:rolleyes:
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lol. I know, trust me I am a former Greensboro resident (off Battleground avenue) and was living there when Duke beat the LVs in 1999. It's a great town and maybe they've added more direct routes since I left in 2003. The coliseum is nice though and the town had such a terrific atmosphere when the ACC tournament was being played.
 
MSSportsGuy said:
lol. I know, trust me I am a former Greensboro resident (off Battleground avenue) and was living there when Duke beat the LVs in 1999. It's a great town and maybe they've added more direct routes since I left in 2003. The coliseum is nice though and the town had such a terrific atmosphere when the ACC tournament was being played.
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2003? You wouldn't recognize the city now :D. The coliseum underwent renovations a few years ago... Gone are those hard green plastic seats . Replaced with wider cushioned blue seats... Huge new center court HD scoreboard ... Concessions.. Lounges... Etc.

One complaint about Greensboro that I can see is that it's not a place u can land at the airport... Get a cab to your hotel and walk to the arena. You definitely have to rent a car to get around.
 
shizam said:
I know Stockton wasn’t that great two years ago.
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Point taken. I've been to Stockton many many many times to attend University of the Pacific men's basketball games in the early 90's. It wasn't that bad then. I went back 3 years ago for a campus visit, as my granddaughter was scouting colleges to possibly attend. Boy has it changed. It looks run down, and was in serious financial trouble, teetering on bankruptcy. I'm not sure they get another bid to host anymore regionals. :confused:
 
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