Me two. I just wish they'd do away with the triple bye.

If a team cannot finish in the Top 4 in the MAC regular season standings, then they just aren't a very good team that year and haven't earned much more than a participation ribbon going into the tourney. The MAC is a one-bid conference, so setting up the byes the way they do rewards teams for their body of work over the season.

There's no truth to your statement. look at the difference between the 4 seed and the 5 seed last year-

Overall record
4 seed: 20-11
5 seed: 21-10

Conference record
4 seed: 12-6
5 seed: 11-7

Division record
4 seed: 6-4
5 seed: 6-4

Cross division record
4 seed: 6-2
5 seed: 5-3

Record vs top 2 seeds
4 seed: 0-2
5 seed: 1-3

Last year the difference between the 4 seed and the 5 seed came down to which 2 cross divisional opponents each team played twice because of the change from 16 to 18 conference games. The 4 seed played #5 and #12 twice, the 5 seed played #1 and #2 twice. With the uneven conference schedule its absurd to say that the gap between 4 and 5 is justified.

Btw, this year the current 5th seed is 1 game behind the #1 seed and is 3-0 vs the top 3 seeds, hardly a team that "isn't very good that just deserves a participation ribbon."

I'm not prepared for it to be the year 2023. That's not a real year. It's a science fiction setting.

There are 32 conferences in NCAA Div 1 men's basketball, of those 32 conferences-

- only 2 conferences divide their teams into Divisions- MAC and OVC.
- only 4 conferences have 12 teams- MAC, OVC, Pac12 and Big Sky.

Of the 3 conferences with 12 members the number of conference games played is- OVC(16), MAC(18), Pac12(18), Big Sky (20).

Here's the tournament format for the other 3 conferences-

OVC- just like current MAC tournament but 4 rounds instead of 5 because only top 8 teams are invited.
Pac12- just like previous MAC tournament with 4 rounds, all 12 teams invited, top 4 seeds get a single bye.
Big Sky- top 6 teams only, 3 rounds, no byes.

The problem with the current MAC tournament structure is that it doesn't work with the uneven 18 game schedule for a 12 team conference. Both the OVC and the Pac12 understand this and avoid mixing an uneven conference schedule with a tournament with significant advantages given to the higher seeds.

The solution for the MAC is to go with one or the other and not try to mix and match.

I like this a lot better than the way it's done now. My ONLY problem with it (and the current format) is it kind of eliminates the four game Wed or Thurs.

I miss the 4 straight games days in Cleveland. It was a very fun day when that happened. This year I'd probably go up there for the four game day even if Ohio wasn't there.

But I also have no major issue with the current double/triple bye system. Not married to the idea, and won't argue with those that say it's excessive, but It's a nice big reward for a good conference record. Maybe some day as a conference we'll be good enough that we won't want to punish the 5-12th best teams. But I'm not holding my breath, and until then I'm OK with stacking the deck for the good teams.

I'd also be in favor of dumping the last couple teams as Ruck suggested too. (Shame it would be us at this point).

I'd agree if you live in town but it's not worth a 3:20 drive if you don't have a dog in the fight.

Not today with all of this snow but on a dry day from my house on the east side of Athens to the East Ninth Street exit in Cleveland driving the speed limit is 3:20.

I wasn't accounting for people following the speed limit.