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CIAA Tourney making changes
Lut Williams
BCSP Editor
Fans attending the CIAA Basketball Tournament at the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, N.C. from February 23-27, 2010 can expect a few changes to the format but plenty of the same excitement and action that has made it one of the biggest draws in all of college sports.
Chowan University has been added to the CIAA fold meaning there will be
11 teams competing for the men's and women's hoops
titles. Getting a total of 20 games in thru the five days of
play 10 games on both the men's and women's sides
required some tweaking of the schedule.
Also this year, the CIAA Tournament television package will undergo some changes with the two men's semifinal games airing live on TV One and the men's final to air live on ESPNU. ESPN Plus will carry the women's final. ESPN Classic has televised the men's semifinals since 2005 with ESPN2 carrying the men's final.
"We realize every year we have to do something different to keep the tournament fresh," said CIAA Commissioner Leon Kerry of the week-long event which draws record crowds and generates over $38 million for the local economy.
"The TV landscape is constantly changing," Kerry noted. "It's a struggle for a Div. II conference (like the CIAA) to find space on the networks. The Div. I conferences are flooding the market and you can expect to see more of that in the future.
"TV One is an African-American destination spot and we thought it would be perfect as a host for our games. ESPN2 wanted to tape delay our finals so I decided to go with ESPNU."
This year, the top five men's and women's teams in conference play will get first-round byes, leaving six teams to vie in opening round games.
The tournament will begin play on Tuesday, Feb. 23 with three women's opening round games at 5, 7 and 9 p.m. The Wednesday Feb. 24 format features five games, two women's quarterfinal games at 1 and 3 p.m. and three men's opening round games at 5, 7 and 9 p.m.
For the first time, women will get to play on Thursday, completing their quarterfinal games on the morning of Feb. 25 with games at 8 and 10 a.m. The men will then play four quarterfinal games at 1, 3, 7 and 9 p.m.
The women's semifinals are set for 1 and 3 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 26 with the men's semis to follow at 7 and 9 p.m.
Another change is in the championship game line-up for Saturday night, Feb. 27. The men's title game will be contested first at 6 p.m. The women's final is set to begin at 9 p.m. Kerry said to expect more tweaking of the schedule and changes as both Lincoln (Pa.) and Winston-Salem State join the conference and play in the tournament next year.
What hasn't changed this year is the outstanding line-up of free and open to the public off-the-court activities.
The CIAA Ford Fan Experience runs from Wed., Feb. 24 thru Friday, Feb. 26 at the nearby Charlotte Convention Center and will feature artists such as JOE, Yolanda Adams, K-Jon, Melanie Fiona, Laurie Izibor and Ginuwine along with cooking shows, displays and vendor booths from a variety of corporate and service companies.
The Steve Harvey Morning Show will be live Friday from the Convention Center beginning at 6 a.m.
The McDonald's Super Saturday at the arena includes a free concert beginning at 9 a.m. starring Laurie Ann Gibson and Bow Wow. En Vogue hosts a Championship Concert beginning at 5 p.m.
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