Colton’s Corner: The Sun Belt needs to rethink the Basketball Tournament

The Sun Belt has a problem with their basketball tournament.

Mainly, the location at which it is held.

Since moving both the Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments from New Orleans, where the tournament was held from 2014-2019, the Sun Belt has hosted the basketball championships in Pensacola, Florida at the Pensacola Bay Center since 2021.

Despite the Bay Center not hosting any college basketball teams, just the minor league hockey team the Pensacola Ice Flyers, Sun Belt Commissioner Keith Gill felt moving the conference tournament to Pensacola from New Orleans was 'to build on the rich basketball history across our men’s and women’s programs in the Sun Belt. It was important to find a home for our championships where we could grow and create new traditions for our entire membership. Pensacola is an energized community that has embraced our conference and already is a premier destination for Sun Belt fans and alumni.”

Despite the move, it has not been sunny side up.

One of the glaring issues the Sun Belt faces with the tournament being in Pensacola is the location.

While the drive is short for some, mainly South Alabama and Southern Miss, Pensacola is still a long distance drive for other members in the conference like Texas State, App State, James Madison and Old Dominion, to name a few.

While location is never going to be perfect, this is a conference stretched from San Marcos to Norfolk, Virgina. It feels like more can be done to help alleviate some of the travel issues.

A glaring issue that has been put into focus recently is production, or the lack of it, rather.

In the first round game featuring Texas State and Old Dominion with the game tied at 74-74, the Monarchs appeared to have won the game with a miracle half court.

The call was overturned with the Monarchs not getting the ball off in time as both Texas State and ODU went into overtime. The Bobcats would go on to win the game.

But that moment wasn’t what everyone was talking about.

While the people in attendance were filled with excitement, the audience and the commentators were met with confusion.

It turns out the commentators were not even in Pensacola for the game. They were in New Orleans watching the game like many others.

To add more to the problem, the game clock on the broadcast was not synced up.

So instead of ODU having a last second shot with seconds remaining, both the audience and the commentators saw the Monarchs throw up a shot with about five seconds remaining.

It’s not unusual to have a broadcast crew not be in the same location as the game and be forced commentate on it on the stream. It became somewhat normal during the COVID-19 pandemic. But for a conference trying to pride itself as one of the high end mid-majors in all of college athletics, the bush league quality of the broadcast is unacceptable, especially for a conference hosting their basketball tournament where more eyes are on the product.

Which brings us back to the location – Pensacola.

If the Sun Belt Conference can’t afford to have announcers in the arena to broadcast games live, why have the tournament in Pensacola?

With the Sun Belt Conference headquarters being in New Orleans, doesn’t it make sense to move everything back where the tournament once was?

Yes, now you face the issue of making the majority of the Sun Belt East schools make an even further trip for the conference play.

So what is the solution? In terms of location, the Sun Belt Conference should consider rotating the basketball tournament to different locations.

On even years, the tournament could be hosted in New Orleans, and then odd years it would hosted in Pensacola.

The next step is the structure of the tournament itself.

While I am mainly for a conference tournament, where the top ten teams qualify, I don’t think the Sun Belt nor the members want to move away from all teams having a chance at winning the tournament.

If we are not changing the number of teams, then the conference needs to change where each round needs to be hosted.

With the tournament having first round, second round and quarterfinal games with all 14 teams, move the first round and second games on campus with the quarterfinals, semifinals and championship game at the host sites.

The schools hosting can provide their own broadcasts of the games instead of worrying about sending someone else while allowing students and alumni a chance to see their school one final time in person.

All in all, if the Sun Belt wants to be taken seriously, it’s time for them to put their money where there mouth is.

cmcwilliams @sanmarcosrecord.com Twitter: @ColtonBMc