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The downsizing (and de-tournamenting) of the Barclays Center Classic

From Barclays Center web site. Clock to enlarge.
Something a little odd appeared when I checked out the 2017 Barclays Center Classic, a fifth annual college basketball event.

The first two games, on November 24, will, for the first time, not be held at the arena but rather the Steinberg Wellness Center at Long Island University Brooklyn (which is, of course, an arena partner).

That's a nice venue, but it only seats 2,500 people. That night, Barclays is holding an apparently more impressive college basketball event, the NIT Season Tipoff.

Indeed, there are schedule conflicts and, as noted by SBNation's Chris Dobbertean, there are also games at the Gallagher Center in Lewiston, NY.

Update: Also note this from the Daily Gopher:
Of course, the scheduling geniuses appear to have over-extended themselves.
You see, the Brooklyn Nets are in town this week, and play a home game on Friday morning. The NIT Season Tip-Off is also hosted at Barclays Center, with games on Friday evening. Where were the first two Barclays Center Classic games scheduled for? Friday night at Barclays Center. WEIRD. GophNYC pointed this out in a FanPost not long ago, and Blogging the Bracket also thought this was a noodle scratcher.
No longer a tourney?

Even more oddly, the Barclays Center Classic is apparently no longer a tournament. The schedule listed on the web site (above) already lists the Saturday matchups at Barclays, with the two top-ranked teams, #25 Alabama and #14 Minnesota, scheduled to play each other. What if one loses in the first game?

Wrote Dobbertean 11/16/17, "For the first time, and for unclear reasons, the hosts’ bracket won’t be an actual tournament in 2017, only a pair of predetermined showcase doubleheaders."

Perhaps that's because fans would rather see the better teams match up. That said, isn't the point of tournaments that any team, on any given Friday or Saturday, can rise to the occasion?

A quick recap of the Barclays Center Classic:
  • 2012: Two games in one night, followed by games at campus sites
  • 2013: A tournament, four games over two days
  • 2014: A tournament, four games over two days
  • 2015: A tournament, four games over two days
  • 2016: A tournament, four games over two days

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