Final Word on MAC Basketball Tournament

The final word is in on the MAC Basketball tournament. Here is what the Council of Presidents decided.

• Two more years for the men's and women's tournaments at the Q.
• However, only eight teams will advance.
• Studies will begin to determine how separate sites might work starting in 2012.

This has been discussed already. I don't have any problem with this approach, and I hope that separate sites can be part of the long-term future.

Also, the MAC took some cost cutting measures:

• No conference printed media guides (although the guides will be available on line)
• no men’s and women’s basketball media days and luncheon
• a minimum one-year moratorium on student-athlete gifts at the 23 sponsored MAC championships.

I don't really understand the third one, but the first bullet is a trend that is spreading through college sports, and in the interests of fairness, I like the idea of the entire conference taking that step at once.

As for the media days for basketball, I guess I am surprised there was enough cost in there to make it worth cutting, but certainly if something had to go, there was not a huge benefit out of it.