As we all know the Sweet 16 is "The Greatest show on earth" and is a great venue for the end of the year. But as the NCAA has its March madness tournament and NIT, would it be a good idea for high school to have an alternative to the sweet 16 as well for teams who came up just short?

 

Think about this. Take the region runner ups from all 16 regions and let them play in an alternative tournament. No state championships awarded, but an opportunity for good teams who play in tough regions like the 7th, 9th , and 11th to get one more chance to showcase their talent.

 

It could be kind of like consellation games to the sweet 16. Play it over a 4 day period and hold it before the sweet 16 begins. (I believe each team gets a week before their first sweet 16 game?)

 

IMO this would be great for high school basketball. It would give us fans another chance to see some of the top teams from around the state go at it one last time.

 

Also all of the revenue generated from it could go toward a scholarship to be awarded at the sweet 16 or be donated to a charity. I doubt the KHSAA would ever sanction something like this but its worth thinking about.

I like this idea!!

KIT ------> good thinking!!! :thumb:

I like the concept. IMO, it would have to be scheduled so as not to conflict with the Girls Sweet 16.

I like the concept. IMO, it would have to be scheduled so as not to conflict with the Girls Sweet 16.

 

It could be a 4 day event then for both the boys and girls side. A week long of basketball.

 

Play the girls side the 8th, 9th,10th ,and 11th, with the state tournament beginning the 12th.

 

Play the boys side the 15th, 16th, 17th, and 18th with the state tournament beginning the 19th.

 

On Saturday, there would be 8 games with 8 teams advancing. Then Sunday there would be 4 games with 4 teams advancing. Tuesday 2 games and the championship Wednesday night before the state tournament begins. It would be a great way to lead up to the state tournament.

Not feasible from a scheduling standpoint. You couldn't start the girls on the 8th as most regions have the girls finals that night. Likewise, you couldn't start the boys on the 15th as that would be the night of the girls' state championship. No way the KHSAA would allow that. Also, you'd have some boys regional semis and finals going on the same time as this alternate girls state tournament. If a school had a girls team in this alternate tournament and a boys team playing in a regional semi or final, where do you think the fans are going to go? I'm not sure many coaches or players would be too motivated to play in such an event anyway after losing in a regional championship game.

Scheduling is always a concern, but I think it is very douable. People see how much the All A is enjoyed and great basketball played I may add. The right corporate sponsorship on this could make it quite a sucess IMO

I don't doubt that there would be interest, but I just don't see it being feasible from a scheduling standpoint. You can't push the Sweet 16s back becasue there is no way the spring sports can start any later than they already do.

I think this is a great idea. It can use some tweaking, but I love it!

I stated in my opening post that the khsaa would never sanction something like this. I just threw it out there though as a possible addition leading up to the tournament.

We do have an alternative to not going to the Sweet 16, ......it's called baseball practice!

We do have an alternative to not going to the Sweet 16, ......it's called baseball practice!

 

It's not an alternative to not going to the sweet 16. It is an event that could be hosted leading up to the sweet 16 to give area fans another opportunity to see some of the best teams who didnt make the sweet 16 go at it one last time.

I stated in my opening post that the khsaa would never sanction something like this. I just threw it out there though as a possible addition leading up to the tournament.

 

I could see definite potential as an invitational-type tourney. I would even think it would be good to expand it beyond the runners-up and make it a 24- or 32-team event, with the next group of teams coming from an average of the various computer rankings and BGP rankings of the other also-rans. Play more than one game a day to speed it up (this is done in most of your holiday invitationals) and avoid conflicts with the boys and girls.

You have your Sweet 16 -- why not call this the Sour 16?...:banana:

You have your Sweet 16 -- why not call this the Sour 16?...:banana:

We may have a winner.