Winter Athletic Excellence & Campus Enthusiasm at the USNWR Top 30 National Universit

College Search & Selection
21

<p>Alexandre,
Perhaps part of the problem with your perception is when the games are played in northern climates. Your school, U Michigan, does not play its home opener until March 19 and yet final exams start less than a month later. The team continues to play, however, and won’t finish its regular season until mid-May and then longer if it makes the post-season. With a schedule like that, it’s easy to see how students wouldn’t get too involved with the team. </p>

<p>Clearly, the weather is better in the Sunbelt and schools in those regions have a big weather advantage. All have already been playing home games for over a week, eg, UCLA and U Virginia opened at home on 2/23, U North Carolina and Rice opened at home on 2/26, Vanderbilt opened at home on 2/27. It's spring in these areas. </p>

<p>I'm not sure how you measure popularity, but I think national TV coverage is worth something. I’m sure that ESPN feels that it is a popular sport and I suspect that U Michigan students and fans would get pretty excited if their team made it to the College World Series and they could watch it on national TV or maybe even travel to Omaha for the games. If you don’t believe me, then I suggest you talk with some folks from either U North Carolina or Rice, both of which were there last season. </p>

<p>As for the dollars and cents, no question that there is not much revenue in any college sport outside of football and basketball.</p>

22

<p>That's the point I am making Hawkette, college Baseball, like college Hockey, is a regional sport. Popular at schools like Arizona, FSU, Miami, UCLA, UNC, UVa etc.., but hardly noticed at schools like the Ivies, Michigan, Northwestern, OSU, Wisconsin etc... I am sure weather plays a huge part in this.</p>

<p>And in terms of television, neither Baseball or Hockey regular season games are televised nationally. They are regionally on ESPN and ESPN 2, but you won't see them on regions where the sport is not popular. Of course, the World Series and Frozen Fours will be televised nationally, but that's an entirely different story.</p>

23

<p>There are only two college sports: football and spring football camp</p>

24

<p>alexandre,
I see your point, but I have a hard time calling a sport played by 293 colleges as regional. Perhaps in terms of the college fan interest in every region of the country, but the sport of baseball is at least played on nearly all Division I campuses while hockey is played on very few. </p>

<p>ucbchemegrad,
You have obviously never been down Tobacco Road. Basketball is the pre-eminent sport and has been for decades. And now the women's game is getting more popular as well so expect to see Duke and U North Carolina women on TV and in the Final Four more often. I think those schools would like to have stronger and more consistently competitive football teams, but it has not happened.</p>

25

<p>Hawkette, the difference is, in almost all campuses where it is played, Hockey is very popular. That is not true of Baseball. Like I said, in most Midwestern and Northeastern campuses, Baseball is about as popular as Swimming or Gymnastics. So allow me to rephrase my statement. Popularity for college Baseball and college Hockey are regional.</p>

26

<p>Hawkette,
Basketball is my least favorite sport.</p>

<p>Regarding baseball, when I was at Berkeley, no one I knew went to a baseball game down the hill at Evans Diamond. Even though the stadium is situated right behind Haas Pavillion on campus and is very convenient. </p>

<p>Baseball's not as popular in college for several reasons:
1. More frequent series games seems to limit importance.
2. CWS doesn't take place until June, when most students are out of class.
3. CWS always takes place in Omaha.
4. The ping of a metal bat doesn't sound right.
5. The college season overlaps with spring training and opening season for MLB...where more interest lies.</p>

27

<p>Hawkette ... I am a die-hard basketball groupie and I personally believe the best in person sports atmospere, by far, is college hockey ... I am biased as I was an undergrad at Cornell. At the schools where hockey is big the games are terrific to attend ... just the sports exitement I believe you advocate.</p>

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<p>Compare:
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/31/Cbaseball.PNG%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/31/Cbaseball.PNG&lt;/a>
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/ff/Chockey.PNG%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/ff/Chockey.PNG&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

29

<p>I'm not knocking hockey. You have made these points before and, frankly, I think it was your comments about your Cornell experiences that led me to include hockey as part of this thread. But I know the sport has limited appeal as it is only contested by 8 of the USNWR Top 30. </p>

<p>Congrats to Cornell on winning the men's Ivy basketball title. I am sure that was a lot of fun for the students and will give them a shot at the big boys later this month in the NCAA tournament. It is such events that I am pointing to as nationally meaningful and which have a positive impact on a college campus. It's fun and it is additive to the undergraduate experience.</p>

30

<p>You know, I think hockey may be a revenue sport here. MAY be. Not sure.</p>

31

<p>arbiter,
Cool charts/maps. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.</p>

32

<p>The major college conferences have completed their Women's basketball tournaments and they are gearing up for their men's tournaments this weekend. Going into the final weekend before the NCAA tournament fields are set, here are the latest winter standings involving colleges ranked in the USNWR Top 30 national universities. </p>

<p>National Rankings according to NCAA RPI (as of March 11, 2008) </p>

<p>Rank , MEN'S DIVISION I BASKETBALL</p>

<p>2 , U North Carolina
4 , Duke
6 , UCLA
7 , Georgetown
10 , Vanderbilt
17 , Stanford
19 , Notre Dame
31 , USC
67 , Cornell
87 , Wake Forest
94 , UC Berkeley
104 , Brown
106 , U Virginia
181 , U Michigan
183 , Yale
216 , Northwestern
222 , Columbia
262 , U Penn
298 , Rice
301 , Dartmouth
308 , Harvard
331 , Princeton</p>

<pre><code> 341 Division I teams are ranked
</code></pre>

<p>National Rankings according to NCAA RPI (as of March 11, 2008) </p>

<p>Rank , WOMEN'S DIVISION I BASKETBALL</p>

<p>3 , U North Carolina
6 , Stanford
11 , Duke
14 , Notre Dame
15 , U Virginia
17 , Vanderbilt
19 , UC Berkeley
77 , U Michigan
82 , USC
89 , Georgetown
94 , UCLA
104 , Wake Forest
156 , Cornell
163 , Rice
169 , Harvard
227 , Dartmouth
245 , Northwestern
260 , Yale
292 , Princeton
298 , Columbia
313 , U Penn
328 , Brown</p>

<pre><code> 338 Division I teams are ranked
</code></pre>

<p>National Rankings voted by USA Today/ESPN (as of March 4, 2008) </p>

<p>Rank , WOMEN'S DIVISION III BASKETBALL</p>

<p>15 , Tufts</p>

<p>National Rankings according to NCAA RPI (as of March 3, 2008) </p>

<p>Rank , MEN'S DIVISION I ICE HOCKEY (59 colleges participate)</p>

<p>2 , U Michigan
11 , Notre Dame
16 , Princeton
20 , Harvard
25 , Cornell
32 , Yale
40 , Dartmouth
52 , Brown</p>

<p>RPI (as of February 4, 2008) </p>

<p>Rank , WOMEN'S DIVISION I ICE HOCKEY (34 colleges participate)</p>

<p>1 , Harvard
8 , Dartmouth
12 , Princeton
17 , Yale
21 , Cornell
24 , Brown</p>

33

<p>Well, even if UW is not in the USNews Top 30 (as it should be) we had a good fall with M's basketball winning the B10 and ranked #8/6, M's Hockey #13, W's Hockey #4 and two-time defending National Champs. Not to mention another Big 10 Indoor Track championship for the defending NCAA Indoor Champs. At UW men's hockey is a net revenue producer with 14,500 paid per game.</p>

<p>Final Four or Bust!</p>

34

<p>barrons,
Those are darn impressive attendance numbers! I checked the UW website for some of the stats and it really is a different universe and probably game environment from what is found at the hockey-playing colleges in the NE generally and the Ivies in particular. It looks like the games are a much bigger event in Madison and I'm guessing that the students love it. </p>

<p>To this non-hockey fan, I was also struck by the schools that y'all play-Robert Morris, Michigan Tech, North Dakota, St. Cloud State, etc. I'm sure these are big in the sport of college hockey, but are hardly household names for most of us. </p>

<p>Good luck to the Badgers in the postseason.</p>

35

<p>WHO’S GOING TO THE BIG DANCE??</p>

<p>March Madness is upon us this evening as the NCAA announced its brackets for the upcoming National Championships for Men’s College Basketball.</p>

<p>This is the single biggest sporting event that the NCAA puts on every year and 65 colleges are represented in the Men’s tournament. The excitement builds all season leading up to Selection Sunday (today) and the beginning of games this Thursday.</p>

<p>Among the USNWR Top 30 National Universities, there are 10 very deserving colleges with very lucky fans that will be participating in the men’s tournament. Here are those colleges:</p>

<p>MEN’S TOURNAMENT</p>

<h1>1 seed: U North Carolina</h1>

<h1>2 seed: Duke</h1>

<h1>2 seed: Georgetown</h1>

<h1>3 seed: Stanford</h1>

<h1>4 seed: Vanderbilt</h1>

<h1>5 seed: Notre Dame</h1>

<h1>6 seed: USC</h1>

<h1>14 seed: Cornell</h1>

<p>In a special match-up, Stanford will play Cornell in a first-round game on Thursday.</p>

<p>The NCAA WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT seedings and brackets will be announced on Monday. Following are the teams that have a realistic chance at a bid</p>

<p>U North Carolina
Duke
Stanford
Notre Dame
UC Berkeley
Vanderbilt
U Virginia
U Michigan
USC
Cornell</p>

36

<p>It's not often that I get to say this...GO CORNELL!!! hehe!</p>

37

<p>I actually think Cornell might win against Stanford. Wouldn't that be great fun for the folks in Ithaca!! </p>

<p>And their women's team also won the Ivies so they will be in that tournament as well when pairings are announced tomorrow. Should be a very exciting week for the entire campus. </p>

<p>Truly a banner year for the Big Red.</p>

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<p>Not a chance. Lopez will rule.</p>

39

<p>Barrons, for once, Hawkette and I are on the same camp AGAINST you. LOL! What next!</p>

40

<p>Alex,
That makes two threads in a row where we've agree...my head is spinning...what is this-the great spring thaw?? :) </p>

<p>barrons,
Sorry that I didn't include your Badgers in my list above. Congrats to them on another great season and a # 3 seed and good luck in the tournament.</p>