Tourney time! Not really..

(BETHELEHEM)- Sitting in the Hotel Bethlehem, this Historic hotel where JFK once stayed, the Navy Midshipmen Mens Basketball team just returned from its shoot around at Lehigh University.

Now in a lot of tournament settings, there was a Patriot League Official there to make sure that the Mids only took their alotted 60 minutes because you know there are eight teams, and everybody has to get an hour, oh wait, not here.

The league plays all its tournament games at the site of the highest seed. Thus, a sterile atmosphere, as it feels like just another regular season game on the road in the Lehigh Valley, yeah, hey, back up the Northeast Extension again to go to Lafayette Saturday right?

There is just something different about a tournament. Navy has great facilities. So does Bucknell. There are some places in the league where you couldn't host, I.E. Colgate, because there wouldn't be enough hotel rooms without going to Utica or Syracuse. But, league officials and other schools would complain about coming to Navy as they did in the 90's or going to Bucknell, sighting, ummmmm home court advantage!

It would be great to have all 16 teams, yes, mens and womens, all in the same city. The A-10 has found at home in Atlantic City! People would come to a destination city.

I bet the Palestra would be cheap to rent at this time of year and we know Philadelphia does an awesome job with big events, Hello Army-Navy, ring a bell?

The kids could get a chance to play in one of basketball's great venues. More important, we would have a tournament environemnt. How about the Hershey Arena or the TD Waterhouse Center in Wilkes Barre? Casino right down the street, lots of hotel rooms and city that would give you the focus and make you fell wanted and special to be there. You want neutral court, Ill find you a neutral court.

Not to mention, look at the disruption it costs when hosting other events. Bucknell is hosting the EIWA's and Womens quarterfinal action, so, sorry Navy, we have to play you Monday since we can't staff all of these activities properly. change your hotel reservations, bus schedule, class schedule etc. If you had hoops on a neutral court, we wouldn't have that issue.

The quality of the tournament has gone down hill since we left the traditional tournament setting. Like #7 Lehigh beating #2 Navy in 99 at Army when Navy shot how's this for ironic for a Patriot League School, 17-76!

The underdog has a much better chance to be competitive on a neutral court. Did you know Bucknell is a 16-point favorite at home tonight against Army, and Colgate is a 14-point dog on the road tonight at American? Sounds like they have a big chance, and yes I know Army is the only team to beat Bucknell, but that was at West Point.

It's time to take the tourney back to a for a lack of better word, TOURNAMENT. Ive been at conference tournaments before at the BIG EAST, CAA, and ACC and Patriot League. Today doesn't feel like that. There is nothing like hustling a coach or player to an interview room, double-lined media row, lots of people every where.

No one has brought up moving the CAA from Richmond even though, its on VCU's territory. For years the CAA had two teams in Richmond!

There wont be many folks at Stabler Arena tonight for this Quarterfinal Matchup and that's too bad. There will only be one game here tonight, and that hardly feels like a tournament.

BIG PROPS: Former Patriot League Assistants, Nathan Davis (Randolph-Macon), Joe Burke (Skidmore) and Andy Sachs (Bethany) all led their respective schools to the Division-III NCAA Tournament. For Burke and Skidmore, it will be the schools first NCAA appearence in school history.

Seventh-seeded Colgate is at second-seeded American and is the televised game on CBS College Sports with Bob Socci and John Feinstein on the call.