Feb. 17, 2004

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. (www.lafayette.edu) - The Patriot League will have two significant changes for the 2004-05 Men's and Women's Basketball season, including opposite sites for regular-season games and the return of the League's post-season tournament to campus facilities, it was announced today by Executive Director Carolyn Schlie Femovich.

"The Patriot League administrators and coaches have undertaken a broad review of men's and women's basketball to include regular-season competition and post-season tournament format," Femovich said. "The change to opposite sites beginning with the 2005 regular season will allow both men's and women's games to be scheduled as the premiere event. Games will be scheduled at times most conducive to fan support."

The primary change in the regular-season will be the elimination of doubleheaders. Next year's schedule will have the men's and women's teams playing at opposite sites. This change will enable institutions to accommodate both the men's and women's teams equally in regard to game times and practice schedules. The league believes it is also advantageous for fans because they'll have a home game, either men's or women's, on every League playing date.

The current regular-season schedule format, which includes four "travel partner" weekends (Friday/Sunday) and plays 12 of 14 League games on weekend, will continue for the 2004-05 season with some slight modifications. The League's Council of Presidents believes this format minimizes missed class time for student-athletes and is most cost-effective.

The change for the post-season is the return of playoffs to campus sites. The new split tournament format will reward the top two teams from the regular season, who will host a four-team "tournament" for the right to advance to the League Championship game. The women's quarterfinal and semifinal games will be played on Thursday and Saturday while the men's contests will be scheduled for Friday and Sunday. The Championship games will still be played on the home court of the highest-remaining seeded team on the following Wednesday (women) and Sunday (men).

"We believe the League Tournament at The Show Place Arena has been successful in many ways the past two years and anticipate another excellent tournament again this year," Femovich said. "However, the coaches and administrators of the League feel strongly that returning to campus sites for tournament play will reward a strong regular-season performance. It will also allow more students and fans to have easy access in supporting their teams in post-season play. The excitement of playing in front of large supportive crowds will create the kind of tournament atmosphere that our teams deserve," she said.