The Southern Conference basketball tournament will conclude tonight with a men’s championship that will have considerably fewer fans compared to the first two title games at McKenzie Arena.
UTC’s absence after getting bounced by Furman in Saturday’s quarterfinals is the biggest reason why an abundance of empty seats are expected, but attracting a quality title crowd could have been a challenge even if the Mocs had made the final. Tonight’s tip on ESPN2 will be shortly after 9 o’clock.
“We have a few concerns about the late start, but in some ways I think people will come to the game anyway because it’s a chance to go to the NCAAs,” SoCon commissioner John Iamarino said. “If we had our choice in a perfect world, we probably would not want to be at 9 o’clock, but ESPN is very up front with us, and we may not have as many options as other conferences.”
When the Southern Conference moved its championship from Saturday to Monday following the 2007 tournament in Charleston, S.C., the title game was placed in a rotation by the cable network. It was to alternate annually between a 9 and 7 p.m. tip, which it did from 2008-10.
After last year’s tournament in Charlotte, however, ESPN requested that the game start at 9 for a second straight year. So the ’09 final in McKenzie, when UTC defeated the College of Charleston, has been the only one to start at 7 under this current arrangement.