Mayer: Why Not Expand the Crossroad Classic?

The Crossroads Classic, being played this weekend, was a fantastic idea that went very well last year and looks to build on that success this weekend. We will have coverage from the Classic game between Indiana and Butler. Notre Dame will face off against Purdue as well. The four schools kicked off the first year of the double header held at Bankers Life Fieldhouse last year with Indiana defeating Notre Dame and Butler sneaking past Purdue.

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To think it took this long for someone to come up with a day where the major Indiana college basketball teams meet to play at the NBA arena in Indianapolis is surprising. After all, this is the "basketball state". Yes, most would say that Indiana is known for its high school hoops, but what fan of basketball would not want to see the Hoosiers, Boilermakers, Bulldogs, and Fighting Irish square off in a rotating double header at the home of the Pacers each year. (Although, it should be noted that the rotation is not complete because IU and Purdue avoid playing each other due to their mutual conference). It's as simple as it is brilliant, especially with all four teams making significant strides or having a national presence in recent years.

My questions is this: Why limit the Crossroads Classic to just four teams? There is tremendous basketball being played all across the Hoosier State and I would be extremely surprised if other schools wouldn't jump at the opportunity to get in on the fun at Bankers Life. Not only that, but there are some really good teams other than the "big four" that would give fans plenty of reason to make the Crossroads Classic a two day event.

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Now, I don't want to leave any schools out, but the writing is on the wall which squads would be a perfect fit to expand and enhance the college basketball derby in Indy. Those teams are: Indiana State Sycamores, Ball State Cardinals, IUPUI Jaguars, and Evansville Purple Aces. Think about it, a two day event would bring in fans from every corner of the state in a celebration of Indiana college basketball.

My first choice would be to make this a tournament which would just be too much fun. The seedings would be based on rank and/or record (with power of conference a factor). Unfortunately, this might not be a realistic option due to the high amount of scrutiny and detail placed on every team's scheduling in college basketball. It's fun to think about though.

I propose a two day event and two "brackets" within the Classic. The first bracket would be IU, Purdue, Butler, and Notre Dame while the newcomers Indiana State, Ball State, IUPUI, and Evansville would make up the second bracket (Since Indiana State and Evansville both reside in the Missouri Valley Conference, the second bracket would act similarity to the first with those two schools not matching up). Taking a realistic approach and understanding ticket sales and TV ratings drive sports, the two bracket system is the best option.

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In regard to scheduling, both brackets would play on Saturday and Sunday which would ensure that all teams are able to play in front of a sizable crowd. Let's pretend that the expansion took place this year (Scheduling would be altered before hand with knowledge of the Classic. ISU already played Ball State and actually plays IUPUI this weekend) So, let's keep Saturday's already scheduled game of IUPUI and Indiana State as the opener followed by IU vs. Butler. Sunday would start with Ball State vs. Evansville followed by Purdue vs. Notre Dame.

It's a pretty simple set up and would only make the Crossroads Classic more entertaining and inclusive for all of  Indiana. Of course, this really does pale in comparison to an eight team seeded tournament. When discussing the idea with Jeremiah Johnson, who you all know from his time at WTWO and current work at Fox59, he came up with the best proposal of all. The eight team tournament taking place to open the season at Lucas Oil Stadium using the half stadium configuration. That's something I'll be day dreaming about for a while.

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