[Collin Fultz]

In terms of dollars per excitement, off-seasons take the cake.

However, I voted for regionals for one specific reason...Boilermaker.

When I was a freshman at Purdue, I heard the BMR was going to be in the armory. I was in AFROTC at the time and spent a good portion of my time in said armory, so my first thought was, "But, it's way too small to hold a regional." At that point, I had only been to Midwest, Buckeye, Arizona, and WDW/Houston/Altanta for Champs. The three regionals I had attended were all in collegiate basketball stadiums.

As it turns out, the thing I was most worried about is what makes BMR such a treat. The stands are literally right on top of the field, and they are on both long sides of the field. On each side, there is about a five foot walkway, then the stands start. The crowd is awesome. Comparing the crowd at Purdue to Atlanta is like comparing the crowds at a Duke-UNC February basketball game to the crowd at the Final Four. Sure, there are more people at the Final Four game, but with the set-up in a football stadium (ironic how those stadiums are used for both examples), you lose some of the crowd atmosphere.

As it usually works out, for the finals, one alliance is cheered on by one side of the stands, and one is cheered on by the other side.

Also, as with most regionals, it's typically the same people who compete at BMR each year, leading to some good (friendly) rivalries.

Plus, now that I'm an alumnus, it gives me another good reason to go back to campus.

Five years strong. Boiler up.