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I believe you guys have doubleheaders, right? I think we've discussed this before and I'm drawing blanks on what you guys said you preferred or did not prefer. Anyhow...

Here's an article about mirror scheduling and what some of those inside the SLC are thinking. This article features the UTSA BKB coaches and the SLC Commish.

The final verdict is attendance is dropping. Seven of the mens' teams and seven of the womens' teams have seen the fall. I think things will develop over time. How they do, that's up in the air and for us to see as it goes...
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Basketball: Mirror reflecting mixed SLC turnouts
Web Posted: 02/16/2006 12:00 AM CST

Clint Hale
Express-News Staff Writer

When she coached Texas A&M women's basketball in the Southwest Conference, Lynn Hickey initially preferred scheduled doubleheaders. The format, Hickey said, enabled her team to establish a fan base by opening for the men, playing before thousands who otherwise might not have been there.

As the SWC women's programs began to draw their own fans, the conference switched to a mirror-scheduling format, in which men and women's teams played conference games at opposing sites.

"It made sense to start with doubleheaders, then move to a mirror schedule," Hickey said. "It was the only way we were ever going to get any support."

Now, as the athletic director at UTSA, Hickey is witnessing a similar progression.

The Southland Conference, which had featured doubleheaders, switched to a mirror schedule this season. And the impact has been felt.

Through Monday, seven of 11 women's teams and seven of 11 men's teams have experienced an attendance drop. Included among those with decreased turnout are both UTSA teams, with the men down 547 fans per game (34.5 percent) and the women down 555 (45.6 percent) from last season.

While the UTSA men are struggling to secure a berth in the eight-team SLC tournament, the women are competing for the conference title. Even so, the men draw 1,543 fans per game in conference, compared to 662 for the women.

But, according to conference officials, if women's attendance grows under the new scheduling system, so too would the SLC's standing among fellow NCAA Division I conferences.

"We have a Division I format now," said SLC commissioner Tom Burnett, citing the Ohio Valley and Southwestern Athletic as the only Division I conferences that play doubleheaders. "It's a fairly common system."

One that, despite an average decrease of 143 fans per game this season for SLC men and 153 for women in conference play, receives near-unanimous support from those involved.

That holds particularly true for women's teams that play as the featured attraction, rather than as an opening act. The UTSA women, for instance, play the only game at the Convocation Center tonight against first-place UT-Arlington.

"We still need more support than we're getting, but this helps," UTSA forward Katie Sandefur said. "Last year, there might have been more people there, but a lot of them were showing up in the second half because of the men's games."

Many fans, because of later tipoff times, were also leaving in the second half of men's games.

Last season, most SLC men's weekday games started at 7:30p.m. or later, depending on how long the preceding women's game lasted. This season, no SLC men's games start after 7:05p.m.

"I love it," said UTSA coach Tim Carter, whose team plays tonight at UT-Arlington. "The fans aren't having to spend five hours out here, and the women get what they want. Plus, we're able to get families home before 10:30."

Carter, whose team played four of its first seven SLC games out of state, won't experience similar scheduling hindrances. Starting next season, the SLC — which will become a 12-team conference with the arrival of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Central Arkansas and the departure of Louisiana-Monroe in July — is switching to East and West divisional alignments.

UTSA will play in the SLC West, along with five other Texas-based universities. SLC teams will play 10 divisional and six non-divisional games next season, meaning the Roadrunners at most will play three out-of-state games in conference, excluding the SLC tournament.

According to Hickey, the victories en route to that tournament — and not scheduling — will, in time, determine fan base for SLC games.

"A team's success has a lot to do with it," she said. "People want to support a winner."

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/stories/MYSA021606.1C.LOC.BKCsouthland.attendance.1787ab2c.html

Well since you asked, I am in favor of the mirror scheduling on a purely selfish basis. Since I drive from Little Rock for the games I often leave with about 5-10 minutes to go in the men's game and listen to the rest of the game on the radio just to get home at my "bedtime". On the other hand, with the double header format I get two games (or most of two games) for my trip.

However, I really believe that at this point our program, and it sounds like many others in the SLC, would benefit from the double header format with greater attendance, lower travel costs, and lower operating costs by having to open the Farris Center less often.

I do believe attendance will suffer dramatically, probably more for the women because regardless of our past success with the women, more people would rather see the men play if they continue winning and improving, which I believe they will.

I think it's dumb for conferences like the Southland to roll with the mirror format. There's more travel expense involved and it's a big pain to keep up with both teams. Obviously you can't be at both games, and you'd have to sit at one game with an Archie Manning headset on to listen to the other while you watch. It doesn't split your fan base exactly in half, but it does divide it and in most cases really hurts the women's program. Of course, that's the least concern for a lot of people.

I also don't like Thursday and Saturday games. That leaves you with a five-day gap after the Saturday game. I like Wed.-Sat a little better.

Or you could do women on Wed.-Fri. and men on Thu.-Sat. that way you get four nights of basketball action and, while travel expense and all that is still the same, you can at least follow both teams a little easier.

I think doubleheaders are a better route, whether it's "Division I" or not. What's best for the SEC, Big 10, Big XII, etc. isn't necessarily what's best for the SLC, Sun Belt, OVC or whatever.

Another thing about all this that will further kill UCA's attendance is that people are going to be adjusting to paying higher ticket prices ... so they're going from paying what ... $8 (?) now for two games, to having to pay $15 or so for just one ... and do that twice a week. If people have to pay more but are still getting two games, that's one thing. Doubling up the price and getting half the game is going to turn a lot of people off for a while. They may or may not come back around, but a lot of people are going to be extremely cool to the idea at first.

Attendance at UCA ain't just great anyway, and this sure isn't going to help.

The only bright side is that games end a little bit earlier. I'm young and single so this one doesn't really bother me at all. I don't mind a game ending at 10:00 or later in Cleveland, Miss. and then rolling back to Conway immediately afterward. I guess others have different vantage points on that, though, and understandably so.

Well said.

I probably hate change more than anyone, but I am willing to give this thing a chance.

I personally do not like having doubleheaders...it just makes for a long night for us old farts. A single game will give me time to get home and soak my dentures before going to bed.

I think it is too early to tell if this thing is going to work. I kind of agree with King on ticket prices, paying $15 or so twice a week, most likely will not fly.

Burly Bear

I know I'm the minority here, but I'd rather keep double headers too, even though that likely wont happen starting off. King brought up a good point by saying, what is good for the SEC, Big Teneleven, etc...is not always the best for these smaller conferences.

But I'd like to see the double headers remain for people like myself and my family who travel a great distance to watch the games. If they keep double headers, I am able to watch both teams play now in the current format. That keeps me from having to study the schedule to figure out which game, men or women, I'm going to have to try to come in for just to watch only one team play.

Also as mentioned, we all know our attendance hasn't been great traditionally, although the Henderson game I made it in for was a great crowd from what I was used to in my time at UCA, so obviously the numbers are going up, the band or students NEVER bothered to show up for either the Bears or Sugar BEars when I was in school, so maybe the attendance thing is headed in the right direction, especially with the higher profile teams we will be facing from here on out.

I think the money issue will be big too. I agree with King about how the raise in ticket prices might affect things in the early going. Especially if you are only going to get one game against some non-conference patsie early on.

Well I rambled on way too much, at least more than I had planned on doing...

We're going to be the non-conference patsie.

I hadnt planned on bringing that one up yet!

FYI...

SLC had a rule where you could play up to four non-Div I opponents in BKB. The rule changes next year, though don't keep your hopes up. It was supposed to have changed this past year!

The rule will be changed to two non-Div I opponents, I believe...