Horizon League Changes Men's Basketball Tournament FormatJuly 25, 2002
MILWAUKEE - The Horizon League Executive Council passed a proposal that will change its 23-year old Men's Basketball Championship Tournament format from a single site to multiple sites for the first time since 1982 when the League was known as the Midwestern City Conference. The new format also gives the top two teams in the field a bye into the semifinals for the first time since 1994. While the format change will not go into full effect until the 2004-05 season, gradual changes will begin immediately with UW-Milwaukee (2003) and Butler (2004) still holding hosting rights should they finish among the top three during their respective years as scheduled host. If either school finishes in fourth place or below during the respective years in which they are scheduled to host, then they will need to advance to the second round in order to maintain hosting rights. Originally scheduled for March 7-9 and 11, the 2002-03 Tournament will begin Tuesday, March 4 with first round games being hosted by the fourth, fifth and sixth seeds. The second and semifinal rounds will be played Friday, March 7 and Saturday, March 8, respectively, at UW-Milwaukee should the Panthers either finish first, second or third in the standings or advance to the second round. The championship game will be played Tuesday, March 11 at the home of the highest remaining seed, or by UWM should the Panthers advance to the Final. Under the Tournament's "pure" format, which will begin in 2004-05, the event would begin on a Tuesday with three first round games matching teams seeded four through nine with the fourth, fifth and sixth seeded teams hosting their respective contests. Friday and Saturday games will feature the second and semifinal rounds to be played at the site of the regular season champion. Should that No. 1 seed advance to the championship game, it will continue to serve as host. If the No. 1 seed is upset, then the championship game moves to the site of the highest remaining seed. "We are extremely excited about the change in our Men's Basketball Tournament format," said Commissioner Jon LeCrone. "This was a proposal that was met with wide acceptance throughout the League and everyone involved from coaches to student-athletes to administrators." "Not only is it rewarding teams for finishing in the top half of the standings, but also gives those teams playing in the first round and the championship game the opportunity to play in front of large crowds, which will make the student-athlete experience much greater."
A similar scenario with Butler in the place of UW-Milwaukee will take place in 2003-04.
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