The Division III Men’s Basketball Committee is talking philosophically about enhancing its championship.

Committee members at their July 25-27 meeting in Indianapolis debated, for example, whether the atmosphere at the finals site could be improved by staging an all-star game for graduating senior student-athletes instead of conducting a third-place game.

The Division III basketball tournament format calls for the national semifinals and finals to be played on successive nights (Friday and Saturday). The third-place game precedes the championship game.

Though committee members agreed to withhold recommendations until they obtain further feedback, they’ve already received some from student-athletes and coaches who have participated in the third-place game. Many say the contest no longer serves its original purpose of providing another participation opportunity. That may be based on pregame sentiment, however, since most of those games have been competitive.

"It seems that every year before that game the coaches and players think, ‘I don’t want to be here,’ " said outgoing committee chair Steven Larson. "But once the ball goes up, those have been some of the best games. The competitive juices start to flow."

One of the concerns committee members acknowledged with a lose-and-go-home approach is that fans probably would go with them, which would detract from the championship atmosphere.

But that concern led to another philosophical question. Would student-athletes prefer the finals to be conducted in a large facility that dwarfs the actual number of spectators or in a smaller but sold-out gymnasium?

Larson said the committee will continue to solicit input on these and other championship-enhancement issues. He said the committee may survey the membership and ask the Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for advice.

In other highlights, the committee recommended Wartburg College Athletics Director Gary Grace as the new chair.