What about the importance of a postseason? Conference tournaments reward the teams who are peaking at the right time. And, more importantly, the games are exciting-not to mention significant. Harvard's upset over Penn last month was thrilling, but what does it mean at this point in the year? Had the game come in the context of a league tournament, then it might have actually meant something.
While Penn and Princeton may have the advantage over the course of an entire season, any Ivy League team can still win on any given night.
That's exactly why Penn and Princeton fear a postseason tournament. But for the sake of Ivy basketball, that is something the league must exploit. In terms of NCAA performance, the league could do no worse than it does now. Anyone can go to the tournament and lose, which is all Penn has done the past two years.
On the other hand, the league has everything to gain from a postseason tournament. Conference tourneys produce more tested, battle-ready teams and provide much more momentum going into the NCAA Tournament.
Consider this example--in the three years before the Big Ten started playing a conference tournament in 1998, the record of its member teams competing in the NCAA Tournament was 10-17. In the three years since, that record has jumped to 35-17.
In terms of exposure, a championship tournament translates into instant publicity.
Take a look at the Patriot League. The conference is only ten years old and is 0-9 all-time in the NCAA Tourney, but the league is making strides thanks to its postseason tournament. This year, the league had all of its tournament games televised, including the championship game, which was carried by ESPN. That type of national coverage is what attracts the blue-chip recruits.
When it comes to competing with the top-tier level schools in major college basketball, the Ivy League is already at a disadvantage because it does not award athletic scholarships. Adopting a postseason conference tournament is one way that the league can compete with the other major athletic conferences, as well as bring about long-term parity among its eight member teams.
So who needs a conference tournament?
The Ivy League does. Badly.