Valpo sign?

[Stl VU Fan]

Stl VU & rlh,

You guys are class acts! That's all I have to say...you guys are gracious toward our success this week! Kudos for pulling for the Mid-Con in general...

Thank you. Several ORU fans that I don't even know talked with me all through the tournament, and they were really nice. It makes a big difference.

[valpo92]

"A neutral court that is in the middle of schools would gain no money for the conference. Where as the tourney in tulsa, will have many fans buying tickets."

As a VU alum and fan that lives in Tulsa, Im on the same page as

Stl VU Fan...the fact its here...in ORU's back yard, is a non issue for me too...

THIS IS A GREAT PLACE for the tourney!!!

(plus the UMAC is only 3/4 of mile from my home...)

Now if Valpo can just figure out how beat ORU here...

[rlh]

As I've mentioned in the past, I personally would like to see the higher seeds host the first round at least in the tournament, but barring that, Tulsa is far and away the best site we've had. Actually let me amend that, not necessarily the best site (Ft. Wayne, Moline and Kansas City were good sites) but Tulsa is the best run tournament of the 10 I've experienced. However, the question will always remain about having a tournament in someone's hometown. Is that fair, is it not? It all depends on perspective. I think too much is made of it, but the crowd certainly can make a difference and for that it probably isn't fair. We got criticized all those years because we were too close, in truth, Western Illinois should have won at Moline, they are only 60 miles away, while we are 200. We beat them twice in the championship game as I remember.

It could be that those Valpo teams were just better than anyone else, just as this year's ORU team is just better than the rest of us. All this talk about where the tournament is held takes away from the championship that is earned by the kids. I don't want Valpo's championships diminished and ORU's shouldn't be either. Now I'm off the airport...see you next year

[ManiacAlum]

Sorry, my argument was pretty unfounded, I actually had no idea how far Valparaiso is from Fort Wayne. I understand those Valpo students being frustrated. I was in the Maniacs when we made the trip up there for the '02 tourney, and the proximity was the first thing we criticized after ORU lost...which was unfair because we lost in the semis to IUPUI. Valpo was clearly the class of the conference that season, as they have been for years.

I also remember playing UMKC in the first round at Kemper in '03 and '04. Again, the distance from campus was what we blamed..even though, I think Valpo beat UMKC in the semis both years. Those teams were simply better than ours...Either way, we had a great time in both cities. I agree that the hometown, neutral court, is a great idea that should be continued no matter where its played. Its a great atmosphere and a lot of the teams fans travel pretty well either way...(of couse, it may be a little easier for me to admit that after we FINALLY got over the hump and are going to the tourney!

[hawaee1]

The only misconception of the UMAC is that were

a mid-major tourney playing in a high school gym.

People don't realize that the UMAC is better then

anything most mid-con schools have. Was it a 2 or

3 year agreement at UMAC? If so can Tulsa bid

again or does the mid-con like to spread the tourney

around every couple years?

[tmh8286]

Was it a 2 or

3 year agreement at UMAC? If so can Tulsa bid

again or does the mid-con like to spread the tourney

around every couple years?

My understanding is that the Mid-Con awards bidding locations two years to host the tournament.

The Tulsa Sports Commission has already been awarded the tournament again for the next two years, so at that point Tulsa will have hosted it for four years. I would imagine that they will bid for it again after that.

I read an article on one of the other message boards in which the Mid-Con commissioner said there was consideration of making Tulsa the permanent home of the Mid-Con tournament. I don't know how likely that would be, but they are at least considering it.

I've heard a LOT of positive feedback about Tulsa and the tournament from many different people.

[Stl VU Fan]

The only misconception of the UMAC is that were

a mid-major tourney playing in a high school gym.

People don't realize that the UMAC is better then

anything most mid-con schools have.

The Valpo fan I sat with for the entire tournament was disappointed to hear last year that it was at a high school gym, until he got here and saw it, at which point he was duly impressed, as I have been (I had a chance tp visit the UMAC with TD last year during our final regular season weekend at the Mabee Center) and I had seen pictures of the inside on the web).

You're right, though. A lot of non-tulsa fans probably heard "high school" gym and immediately assumed it was beneath us. Their loss.

[tmh8286]

[i read an article on one of the other message boards in which the Mid-Con commissioner said there was consideration of making Tulsa the permanent home of the Mid-Con tournament. I don't know how likely that would be, but they are at least considering it.

From today's Tulsa World "Mid-Con Tournament Men's Day in Review":

News and notes

Hospitality: Mid-Con officials have been so impressed by their reception in Tulsa for a second straight year that the city might become permanent host.

"There's been a lot of discussion on it, and we're going to talk about it in our joint council (athletic directors and senior women's administrators)," said Mid-Con commissioner Tom Douple.

The league is already committed to the Tulsa Sports Commission for another two years. Bids for the 2009 tournament won't be taken until the summer of 2007 "and then we can make some decisions about what we're going to do next," Douple said. "

[orumom]

At either Ft Wayne or Moline the floor was over the ice for the local hockey team. Which ever city it was, I would prefer we not use that facility again. Players were falling because ofthe wet floor.