I think one of the points of hosting at the site of the regular season champs is to guarantee a good turnout in the event. If your team is the favorite coming into an ILT at home, the venue is likely going to get crowded
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Love your opinions but this might be the worst one ever. So if the menâs and womenâs teams both finish 2nd-3rd and have the overall best record, they host all the tournaments. menâs and womenâs? Ugh.
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Thatâs correct⌠under that plan, Harvard would get to host next year. They were the only school to have its menâs and womenâs teams at Ivy Madness in Ithaca.
I didnât think many would like this idea, but I know many (myself included) hate the idea of not knowing where the tournament will be held a week before Ivy Madness begins.
I donât think we can/should compare Ivy basketball to baseball or any other sport that has a playoff series⌠different animal⌠the attendance for hoops far exceeds all others.
So, as others have pointed out, having the venue at the regular season winner creates logistical issues for those who need/want to make plans weeks/months in advance.
In addition, having the men and women at the same venue is a huge plus for fans of both the menâs and womenâs teams.
Palestra38: thanks for sharing the link to the Inquirer article. It makes sense to go back to the Palestra for its 100th and then to move to a neutral court. I still think the Barclays Center should be tried. Harvard and Yale had over 15,000 for the inaugural Rivalry on Ice mid-season game in 2014 - maybe others know the attendance figures for subsequent games involving Harvard, Yale and, at least once, Cornell. Iâd guess Joe Tsai will be helpful and I donât see why basketball canât draw a good crowd in downtown Brooklyn. This talk of getting only 3500 there is absurd.
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Iâm still not over that game at Lehigh. And yes it was packed. The Penn-Yale playoff at Lafayette in 2002 was standing room only.
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Itâs tough to compare the attendance of the playoff games pre Ivy Madness vs the annual tournament we have now. Frankly, itâs not as unique/special anymore so people are less likely to go.
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They couldnât sell out high school sized gyms the last couple of years. A pro arena would be 3/4 empty.
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Not necessarily. The Prudential Center upper deck can and has been curtained off, as my good pal, AI (no, not that one) describes:
"Yes, the upper deck (200 level) of the Prudential Center can be curtained off for events to create a more intimate atmosphere. The venue frequently uses a discreet black curtain system to close off the upper level, reducing capacity and focusing the event on the lower bowl and mezzanine-level boxes.
Key Details on Curtaining and Configuration:
- Lower Bowl Only Capacity: When the upper deck is curtained off for an âEnd Stage Lower Bowl Onlyâ configuration, the capacity is reduced to approximately 6,844.
- Concerts and Sports: This configuration is commonly used for concerts, basketball games, and other events that do not require full arena capacity to make the space feel full and loud.
- The âRockâ Experience: Without the upper deck, the arena feels more intimate, focusing attention on the lower bowl/floor, as seen in set-ups for high-profile basketball games."
6844 would be an ideal capacity for Ivy madness, and everyone could attend the entire event. Remember, the Ivy Final got almost 500,000 viewers early in the day on a Sunday. The interest is there if the promotion is right and some combination of Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Princeton, Penn and Cornell are in the Tournament.
Letâs also remember that Josh Harris, a Penn grad, controls the Pru Center
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Same thing with the Barclay Centerâseats about 8000 with the upper bowl curtained off. Also controlled by an Ivy grad (Joe Tsai of Yale). So the idea of using one of these two arenas is not so far fetched.
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The Superdome would be good.
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The A-10nused to use Barclayâs with the upper deck closed. It still felt empty, and those are bigger schools, some of whom (Dayton. VCU) travel very well. I would be happy if we tried a neutral site, but I think too small is preferable to too big, and I think we may be over-estimating the draw.
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What about Fairfield? Thatâs a nice arena, holds 3500 and has a parking garage.
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Monmouth holds 4100 and is at the Shore
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Outstanding!!
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I was at the a-10 qtrs few years ago. You could have sat anywhere you wanted. Couldnât have been more than 3k in the house. For solid mid-major programs.
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I disagree. A-10 cannot draw flies. Did you see any of their tournament in Pittsburgh this year? Nobody there. Itâs just too spread out and like many other mid-major conferences, all the natural rivalries have been destroyed by higher level conferences poaching their teams. The Ivies, say what you will about them, have significant alumni bodies in the Northeast and the rivalries are real. If you put the ILT at a place where people can stay nearby for a couple of days, it will do better than the A-10
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Iâm okay with any of these venues mentioned as long as itâs planned in advance. In fact, I was already looking into Airbnbâs in the Hanover area. But, Iâm not unhappy about not having to drive 5+ hours each way from NJ (where I have family). The Palestra should be fun. Last time I was there, it was only 60 years old 
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âBetter to have tried and failed than to have never tried at all.â
Conversation between Brown/Columbia/Cornell/Dartmouth/Harvard/Penn/Princeton/Yale alumni friends: âHey, letâs go to the Ivy tournament game in Morningside Heightsâ (or your choice of non-NY venues) versus âHey, letâs go to Barclays for the Ivy tournament game.â There is just no comparison - itâs ridiculous to suggest that there is. If a hockey game can attract 15,000 to MSG, the League can draw a decent crowd to Barclays for Ivy Madness.
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What about âHey, letâs go to Barclays for the Ivy tournament gameâ or âHey, letâs go to AT&T in Dallas for the Ivy tournament, a Van Halen concert after the first night and incredible BBQ.â Dallas has 2 airports, a zillion hotels and plenty of parking.