The Big East almost surely will do away with the double-bye format at its conference tournament.
Beginning with the 2011 tournament, no team will have a bye, with the No. 1 seed playing the No. 16 seed and so on down the line.
Coaches are concerned that teams with the double-bye lose momentum. West Virginia, which won this season’s tournament, was the only team with a double bye to get to the semifinals.
The coaches and athletic directors asked the league to supply more information regarding how the format change would affect the distribution of revenue, ticket allotment, and television coverage.
The athletic directors are expected to vote on the change in about a month. University presidents have the final say, though they almost surely will follow their athletic director’s vote.