Coaches Differ On Changes To OVC

JacksonSun.com

http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20121024/SPORTS/310240018/NCAA-BASKETBALL-Coaches-differing-opinions-OVC-divisions

This season will mark a year of change in the Ohio Valley Conference as the league will go to two divisions because of Belmont’s arrival.

The addition of Belmont brings the conference to 12 teams, and they will be split into a pair of divisions – East and West.

While the conference tournament format hasn’t changed, the method of how teams qualify for the postseason has.

Eight teams will make it into the tournament with the same format it’s had the past two seasons: The top two seeds get a double bye to the semifinals, the third and fourth seeds get a bye to the quarterfinals and the fifth through eighth seeds play in the first round to see who advances to play Nos. 3 and 4.

The top two seeds who will get the bye will be the top teams in each division. After that, the teams will be seeded based on conference records. So it’s possible for one division to have five or six teams in the tournament with the other one having two or three.

UT Martin women’s head coach Kevin McMillan said he understands the method of the tournament format but isn’t the biggest fan of qualifying for it.

“With the number of teams we have in the league now, not everybody wants to play everybody twice, McMillan said. So now we’re in a situation where you play five teams twice and six teams once apiece, and we could have a bad situation when it comes tournament time if we have ties for the last spot.”

Coaches Differ On Changes To OVC

JacksonSun.com

http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20121024/SPORTS/310240018/NCAA-BASKETBALL-Coaches-differing-opinions-OVC-divisions

This season will mark a year of change in the Ohio Valley Conference as the league will go to two divisions because of Belmont’s arrival.

The addition of Belmont brings the conference to 12 teams, and they will be split into a pair of divisions – East and West.

While the conference tournament format hasn’t changed, the method of how teams qualify for the postseason has.

Eight teams will make it into the tournament with the same format it’s had the past two seasons: The top two seeds get a double bye to the semifinals, the third and fourth seeds get a bye to the quarterfinals and the fifth through eighth seeds play in the first round to see who advances to play Nos. 3 and 4.

The top two seeds who will get the bye will be the top teams in each division. After that, the teams will be seeded based on conference records. So it’s possible for one division to have five or six teams in the tournament with the other one having two or three.

UT Martin women’s head coach Kevin McMillan said he understands the method of the tournament format but isn’t the biggest fan of qualifying for it.

“With the number of teams we have in the league now, not everybody wants to play everybody twice, McMillan said. So now we’re in a situation where you play five teams twice and six teams once apiece, and we could have a bad situation when it comes tournament time if we have ties for the last spot.”