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Commentary: Horizon League format heightens interest

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By Kyle Nagel, Staff Writer 9:08 PM Saturday, January 28, 2012

After a pair of wins on Friday night, the Wright State and Detroit men’s basketball teams remained tied for sixth place in the Horizon League.

To some, a battle for sixth place might not seem particularly hot. The struggle for first place is always more exciting, and it’s tight in the Horizon League, where seven teams entered Saturday’s games within two games of first place.

But even if WSU, Detroit or other teams end up on the verge of that sixth-place spot, it will still make for an important race to those teams.

This is one of the reasons I like the Horizon League tournament format, or at least most of it.

The league plays its tournament games at its schools’ arenas, and the No. 1 seed hosts the quarterfinals and semifinals. The highest remaining seed hosts the final.

But to the teams not battling for first place, spot No. 6 can be important to their seasons. Seeds Nos. 3-6 host first-round games, with the winners advancing to the quarterfinals.

Because those first-round games are played on short turnarounds — from Saturday’s regular season finales to the first round on Tuesday — the traveling team is at a disadvantage. So for the schools trying to shake off seasons they hoped had finished better in the standings, a league tournament victory is a move in that direction.

The league tournament has a drawback, waiting between Saturday to Tuesday to play the final (necessary to get it on TV), but the first-round hosting for four teams keeps those later-season games interesting.

WSU, Detroit or other teams could make charges closer to the top. If not, spots 3-6 are big.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7389 or knagel@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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