Border Battle Tournament

[TractorApp]

A tournament, either early season or Holiday time, between teams from NC and SC seems to make a lot of sense. I wonder why it does not exist. I would see it played in Charlotte and involve four NC teams and 4 SC teams. Teams would play two games on a weekend and both opponents would be from the other state. Each school would play one Power 5 opponent and one Mid-Major opponent.

Here's the way I see it starting Year 1:

Day 1:

App vs. Winthrop
UNC vs. USC
Davidson vs. Clemson
NCSU vs. Furman

Day 2:

App vs. Clemson
Davidson vs. Winthrop
UNC vs. Furman
NCSU vs. USC

Benefits:
1. These are the type games fans of all these schools want to see. It creates excitement and should assist efforts to sell more tickets to home games for the Mid-Major opponents. Maybe tie these tickets into the App season ticket package to help drive sales.
2. Gives teams exposure in the largest media market in the Carolinas. Exposure not only drives ticket sales but attracts recruits.
3. All teams get a taste of a tournament like atmosphere early in the season.
4. ESPN would love this and would pay for it.
5. For the Power 5 schools, it would give their alumni and fans, that are not able to buy season tickets, an opportunity to be able to see their teams play in person.
6. Charlotte business community would love this and likely provide financial support to make this happen. Corporate sponsorships should be easy to come by.

Year two could involve other teams. Replace App with ECU, Davidson with Charlotte, UNC with Wake, NCSU with Duke, etc. The only issue I can think of is only two Power 5 schools in SC.

Any thoughts on this? I think Mid-Majors would support it. What objections do you anticipate from the Power 5 schools?

[appdaze]

I don't think there would be all that much revenue for an early season tournament where the negatives out weigh the positives for the p5. Imagine if unc lost to Furman right out of the gate. Unc doesn't want that on their record. The revenue split between the schools probably wouldn't even pay for the expenses of running the tournament as you won't have sellout crowds for ncsu vs app.

It's all going to come down to money. You could try this same thing with Florida Georgia. Oklahoma and Texas. New York and Massachusetts. Tennessee and Kentucky. Etc. There just isn't enough money in it or it would already be happening.

[EastHallApp]

Think you are looking at this too much from the App/mid-major perspective. I don't think there would be much interest from the P5 side in this. They already play in much higher-profile national holiday events. I don't think their fans, nor TV, have any interest in seeing them play smaller schools, least of all on a neutral court.

[appfanjj]

No P5 would do this. There are zero benefits in it for them. I would like to see us in the Charleston tournament.

[appfanjj]

Would also like to see an annual game with Davidson.

[scatman77]

Won't happen with uncheat, USC, Clemson, and NCSU in the mix. There was a mid-season weekend tournament (so to speak) years ago before USC pulled out of the ACC. I forget what it was called but the NC teams played the SC teams on one day and swapped opponents the next day. Both games were counted non-conference. After USCs bone-head move to leave the ACC the weekend was dropped.

[BambooRdApp]

Won't happen with uncheat, USC, Clemson, and NCSU in the mix. There was a mid-season weekend tournament (so to speak) years ago before USC pulled out of the ACC. I forget what it was called but the NC teams played the SC teams on one day and swapped opponents the next day. Both games were counted non-conference. After USCs bone-head move to leave the ACC the weekend was dropped.

North/South Double Header may have been the name I attended the games once as a young kid. UNC, State, Furman, Citadel. State and UNC did not play each other.

[Stonewall]

Won't happen with uncheat, USC, Clemson, and NCSU in the mix. There was a mid-season weekend tournament (so to speak) years ago before USC pulled out of the ACC. I forget what it was called but the NC teams played the SC teams on one day and swapped opponents the next day. Both games were counted non-conference. After USCs bone-head move to leave the ACC the weekend was dropped.

North/South Double Header may have been the name I attended the games once as a young kid. UNC, State, Furman, Citadel. State and UNC did not play each other.

Prior it was State and UNC against SC and Clemson , the 1960s as I recall .It was the North/South Double header in the Chrome Dome.

[Cro-Magnon App]

I know the North/South doubleheader went into the 80s. In the late 70s, Furman beat a highly-ranked UNC team (I think Al Daniels led that Furman team), and UNC didn’t like that at all. SC and Clemson had pulled out years before. The attendance started dwindling and I don’t remember what else caused it’s demise. I attended it a few times.

[McLeansvilleAppFan]

Won't happen with uncheat, USC, Clemson, and NCSU in the mix. There was a mid-season weekend tournament (so to speak) years ago before USC pulled out of the ACC. I forget what it was called but the NC teams played the SC teams on one day and swapped opponents the next day. Both games were counted non-conference. After USCs bone-head move to leave the ACC the weekend was dropped.

North/South Double Header may have been the name I attended the games once as a young kid. UNC, State, Furman, Citadel. State and UNC did not play each other.

I picked up Michael Jordan’s autograph when he was a freshman at this event. I had no idea who he was.

[spacemonkey]

Great idea..I wish I would have thought of it.

I would stick to mid majors but have 8 teams in a Thursday thru Sunday round Robin the first two days and then create winners bracket and loser bracket the last two days. Get the strength of schedule up for the better teams and have enough teams to sell enough tickets to make it worth putting on.

Davidson
ECU
Winthrop
College of Charleston
Wofford
App
UNCW
UnCc
Furman
Uncg
Unca
Furman
Nc central
Nc a&t


Everyone is within driving distance...Greensboro or Bojangles coliseum.

We could invite them all and set up a tournament based on who was interested. If it is four you could play a round Robin. Invent the tournament structure each year based on schools interested.

[McLeansvilleAppFan]

With the ACC moving to Charlotte I think Greensboro would do a great job of this.

[BambooRdApp]

Won't happen with uncheat, USC, Clemson, and NCSU in the mix. There was a mid-season weekend tournament (so to speak) years ago before USC pulled out of the ACC. I forget what it was called but the NC teams played the SC teams on one day and swapped opponents the next day. Both games were counted non-conference. After USCs bone-head move to leave the ACC the weekend was dropped.

North/South Double Header may have been the name I attended the games once as a young kid. UNC, State, Furman, Citadel. State and UNC did not play each other.

I picked up Michael Jordan’s autograph when he was a freshman at this event. I had no idea who he was.

I was at that event. No one knew who he was.. we were able to see the team walk from entrance to locker room. I was focused on Worthy and Perkins as they were the experienced guys.

[Stonewall]

Not likely , but what could happen as it has been kicked around , is a four team -two day event around the Holidays at a neutral but destination type site ...

[McLeansvilleAppFan]

Not likely , but what could happen as it has been kicked around , is a four team -two day event around the Holidays at a neutral but destination type site ...

We have Stameys across from the Greensboro coliseum? Is that destination enough?

[Stonewall]

Think "West"

[BambooRdApp]

Asheville?

[bigdaddyg]

Not likely , but what could happen as it has been kicked around , is a four team -two day event around the Holidays at a neutral but destination type site ...

We have Stameys across from the Greensboro coliseum? Is that destination enough?

Many years ago me and a buddy bought tickets to the first round games of the NCAA tournament at Greensboro (one nights games). We watched the first one then walked over to Stameys and at BBQ then went back for the next game. The first game was Duke v some awful team so it was packed and our seats sucked but half the crowd left for the next game and we moved to half court.

A multi day tournament with team's suggested above would be great and well attended. They used to play the tournament of champions in Charlotte when I lived there and it was usually pretty good. One year they had UNC, Arizona (Sean Elliot team) and two other strong teams. It was usually pretty good.

[bigdaddyg]

Not likely , but what could happen as it has been kicked around , is a four team -two day event around the Holidays at a neutral but destination type site ...

We have Stameys across from the Greensboro coliseum? Is that destination enough?

[Cro-Magnon App]

I picked up Michael Jordan’s autograph when he was a freshman at this event. I had no idea who he was.
[/quote]
I was at that event. No one knew who he was.. we were able to see the team walk from entrance to locker room. I was focused on Worthy and Perkins as they were the experienced guys.
[/quote]

MJ attended ASU’s summer basketball camp in the late 70s. I think Fred Lynch brought him in with some boys from Wilmington. Nobody noticed. Then he “got good.”