UAF cancels BP Top of the World basketball tournament
Originally published Tuesday, July 1, 2008 at 6:32 p.m.
Updated Wednesday, July 2, 2008 at 1:27 p.m.
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Stumble It!FAIRBANKS -- The University of Alaska Fairbanks athletic department has canceled the BP Top of the World Classic NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament.
The cancellation is a result of a change in NCAA rules governing college basketball tournaments and the resulting bidding wars taking place between events, according to a UAF news release.
“The decision to cancel this year’s tournament was not of our making or of our choice,” said Brian Hove, tournament director. “The escalation in appearance fees precipitated by the 2006 NCAA rule change has effectively priced the Classic out of the market.”
Prior to 2006, there were only 10 certified pre-season basketball tournaments in the country, including the Classic and Anchorage’s Great Alaska Shootout. A rule change in 2006 opened the door for any institution to host a multiple-team event. The 2007 NCAA schedule featured 45 such tournaments, with more planned at schools all over the country this year.
UAF athletics director Forrest Karr said that the growth in tournaments greatly changed how much schools were being paid to participate in tournaments.
“We have worked diligently to sell teams on the Alaskan experience, but the landscape has changed,” Karr said. “It is now nearly impossible to find a school that will travel to Fairbanks when they can take a bus ride to a neighboring university and receive a game guarantee of $100,000, or more in some cases.”
Karr said that the decision was not an easy one to make.
“Many people reviewed the current climate and, unfortunately, nobody can justify spending university general fund money or student fee dollars to entice seven Division I schools to participate in a tournament,” he said. “The Classic has been self-sustaining and we felt it needed to continue operating on a fiscally responsible basis.”
The eight-team tournament featuring seven NCAA Division I teams and the NCAA Division II host Alaska Nanooks was scheduled for Nov. 20-23 at the Carlson Center.
The first Top of the World Classic was held in 1996. The tournament has attracted many top NCAA Division I schools including teams from major conferences and top mid-major schools — Alabama, Baylor, Butler California, Clemson, Colorado, Gonzaga, Nebraska, New Mexico State, Oklahoma, Oregon State, Providence, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Northwestern, Villanova, Virginia, Washington, Washington State and Wisconsin.
The Nanooks are the only Division II school that has ever won an eight-team Division I tournament. That happened in 2002 when they defeated Wisconsin-Green Bay, Nebraska and Weber State
Community Discussion
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UAF should eliminate all sports eXcept rifle. Its just not working.
It would make too much sense for them to transform to a technical college and specialize in Arctic sciences and winter sports.
Well this is just great! Way to go Forest!
It is not Forest's fault. Blame the NCAA for changing the rules and greedy schools who want $100,000 to travel to Fairbanks. You will see the same problems with the Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage now that ESPN has pulled the TV contract.
Your exactly right Tempus. It's like Nick Nolte said in Blue Chips...... It's all about money! God_ _ _ _ Money!
Times have changed, folks. Big, famous, successful schools are going to tournaments where they get media coverage. They need to bolster their NCAA tourny chances.
Alaska is going to "get the stiff one." The games, if they even get televised, will be on later than anyone in the lower 48 can watch.
Low ratings = little chance to get the powerhouse schools anymore.
Don't blame Forrest...
Maybe BP can promise them other schools oil in exchange for players to come to Fairbanks.
Unfortunately, I see the end of Div. I basketball tourneys in Alaska. I LOVE college basketball, but for all the reasons stated, it is going away I bet.
DITTO vote for BigMike.
But Mike! If they eliminated the ski program, all the drunken Scandanavians that can't hack it in their own country wouldn't come here on exchange!
I never did think the athletic program worked at UAF and now with the cost of travel up the enrollment will drop. Sports at UAF have always been a subsided program.
Chris, those "drunken scandanavians" as you call them who "can't hack it in their own country" are some of the nicest people I have ever met. You take the time to sit with one of them and you'd see they have no time to do anything but study and practice. Also, as an example, Vahur Teppen, a UAF skier is also on his national team for Estonia and one of the best collegiate skiers in this nation. He and Marius Korthauer landed on one of the All Academic teams. I'm not sure "drunken scandanavians" is quite the right word to use when describing these athletes that work their butts off year round.
You will have to forgive Chris. I have a feeling that his experience as a resident assistant in years past has tainted his view of UAF athletes.
Has it not? ;)
Shame about the tournament, though. UAF (and Alaska) athletics needs every possible positive outlet for public relations.
With a 50-100% increase in travel cost (remember UAF pays all of its travel and a fair amount for team (all hockey and TOW basketball to come up) how will athletic be able to survive?
I went to UAF when all the sports were intramural. Anyone could participate and everyone did. We realized we were a different University with more graduate students at that time than undergraduate students. We did not miss the pseudo amateur college sports of the outside. Only competitive sport at that time was the rifle time and that was just fine. Look at the cost of travel as a good thing and let UAF concentrate on being the small quality University that it is capable of being.
Get ready, everbody. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Next to go will be the volleyball program, then the basketball programs (no wonder Karr didn't hire Sokaitis, try explaining that to him.) After that will come the coup-de-gras, the dismantling of the hockey program. Karr just needs to figure out how to sell that one to the public and then he will have his wish of an academic-only institute of higher learning. But he's already laid the groundwork for that since UAF has become the whipping boy for the rest of the conferences and we probably won't notice anyway. Oh well, we'll just satisfy ourselves with the myriad other activities available to Fairbanksans in the winter...
This is all too bad! Aside from Turkey Day, the TOW Classic has been something I've looked forward to in November since it's inception! Now I guess I'll be spending Thanksgiving in A-town this year to get my college basketball fix! Yet another sad day to be a Nanook fan! :-(
allen
With the Shootout losing its television contract and therefore getting NO national exposure, it will likely dry up very quickly as well. That is unless our legislature decides that they should underwrite the tourney and pay the gurantees for teams to come up. After all it is for the children
And what's wrong with drunken Scandinavians, anyway?
My heart is not breaking over this.
There is a serious dearth of entertainment in Fairbanks come winter, and by November it's great to have something new to do. I was looking forward to TOTW, as we saw some GREAT games last year. Big bummer.
I realize that the womens tournament is no Top of the World however you could check out their North Star Invitational... that'll be one of your chances to see the new coach in action!!!! So have no fear ... still plenty to do!!!!!!!
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