SU Chancelor speaks on move to ACC

[arnie3]

It's in the news section of Syracuse.com and I'm inept at uploading it here. Basically Cantor says that SU was approached by the ACC, along with 10 other schools for acceptance. She pitched Swofford on SU playing "home games' against duke and UNC at the Garden rather than the Carrier Dome. I read this on the SU board where they are going ballistic about having to travel to NYC to see home games. Go to syracuse.com or our opponent board to retrieve. Sorry.

 

[metsfan2323]

That's crazy if true. The carrier dome is one of the great all time venues for college basketball. I guess you need to kiss NorthCarolina but to get into the ACC.

 

[uc1974]

They're relegating themselves to serfdom although they won't be poor serfs. Duke fears playing BB in an opponent's "gym" and it looks like the Cuse has prostituted itself if they intend to play Duke at the Garden. They must expect to charge big bucks, too, as the Garden has over 10,000 fewer seats. Wow, a high paid ho'.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

Wow, the ACC is really forcing them to play Duke and UNC at the Garden? Sheesh, Boeheim must be up a wall with this stuff. Are they going to force them to play all home football games at the Meadowlands too? Could you imagine Calhoun ever singing off on such an agreement? Noooooo.

 

[ctchamps]

For Cuse the decision to join the ACC was not about sports imo. The school leadership always had the hots for the Duke leadership. The move for Syracuse was relationship driven first and academics second. The athletic issue was a distant third. It was why they wanted to leave on the first move.

For Pitt it was the opposite. It was a reflex jump based on fears of what the loss of WV would do to BE football. It was athletic driven.

So if SU agreed to play in MSG it doesn't surprise me one bit.

 

[CTGoonie]

Is it too late for SU to back out and return to the BE?

 

[WestCoastHusky]

So, ACC approached SU first and used that fear line "if you don't join, someone else will" strategy. I am sure they did the same for Pitt. Now we just want to know what went behind the scenes between ACC and the ESPN. Amount of damage to this move will depend on what kind of TV package BE can land if there is still a BE left after this predatory raid.

 

[wpackzac]

Clarified.

http://blog.syracuse.com/orangebasketball/2011/09/home_sweet_dome_boeheim_gross.html

 

[arnie3]

I think this poster on the SU board summed it up best:

And with this, our better days are likely behind us. I have the same feelings as Jake, Bees and others who have posted their displeasure. While Ithaca talks about survival, I'm not interested in surviving, I'm interested in thriving.

Tell me how we are going to thrive in the ACC compared to our history in the Big East. I don't see it. Moving games out of the Dome - are you kidding me$#@! We're the Syracuse Orangemen not the NYC Orange! We lose our home court advantage for some very difficult games and gain what?! Another game(s) for NYC alumni to attend? I know alums are a key group that any President needs to keep happy but there are other ways to have SU play in the Big Apple without giving up home games. If Cantor really wants to live in NYC, apply for a job down there and get the hell out of Syracuse.

To Bees point that the potential division set-ups will likely result in not facing the Duke and North Carolinas very often means we'll be joining a basketball conference that is much less attractive than the current or original Big East.

How all of this affects recruiting is up in the air right now - it certainly does not help us in any battles we have with Duke or North Carolina. I'd imagine it will be a net negative as the impact of moving games decreases overall attendance at home.

We have been asked to give up more and more during Cantor's and Gross's time here. Neither appear to be very strong negotiators. When will it end and how might we view their era in 10+ years? That remains to be seen.

I hope I'm wrong and the next 10+ years are great ones for SU hoops. I do think we'll have a better 10 years in football (not saying much of course) and the rest of our sports programs should be OK. Regardless, I'll still be cheering on my Orangemen, just not as often at big games in the Dome

 

[metsfan2323]

Is it too late for SU to back out and return to the BE?

Great question. Maybe the first team the new Big East should recruit is Syracuse. Seriously, maybe its not too late to save the conference. It requires leadership and vison. Does the Big East have any?

 

[jordoo]

She was mistaken Gross and JB have just come out and said they would never play bball conference home games anywhere but the Dome.

 

[arnie3]

How can she be mistaken when that was part of SU's pitch to the ACC for acceptance? At this point it really doesn't matter what Gross (who helped Cantor) or JB say. It was part of the negotiations according to the SU chancellor. Even Swofford alluded to it.

 

[WestCoastHusky]

I say screw the Orange and let's schedule more of our games in the NYC. We should be more NYC's team than the Orange. We will play the Johnnies there but why not RU and Seton Hall too?

 

[Adios]

Too bad BE basketball destroyed the potential we had with BE football.

 

[CL82]

Is it too late for SU to back out and return to the BE?

Great question. Maybe the first team the new Big East should recruit is Syracuse. Seriously, maybe its not too late to save the conference. It requires leadership and vison. Does the Big East have any?

I doubt it can happen but I toy with the idea. What if someone pitched a NEW all sports conference to the NBC with say Connecticut, Cuse, Pitt, Maryland, USF, UCF, Louisville, BCU, Rutty, Cinci, TCU and WVU and NBC. desperate for product and total households, offered a 20 million per school deal? Would the ACC schools move? Probably. Would NBC offer the deal? Probably not. You have to think that there is a way to at least take a shot at a deal and get around ESPN's prohibition on negotiation with a little creativity.

[end day dream]

 

[arnie3]

Here's "Jim Boston's" advice to the posters on the SU board:

First, I'm not attacking your move to the ACC as it makes financial sense as it did when BC moved to the ACC, but I wanted to share my experience as a BC basketball season ticket holder.​

I shared BC bball season tickets with another fan for almost 20 years. We bought the tickets because we were huge Big East basketball fans and it was easy to buy Big East tourney tickets through BC. We had great seats and we were very content. We never had a problem finding friends or relatives to join us for the UConn, Syracuse, Villanova, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Providence, and St. john's games. (Pitt being good at basketball is very recent as they weren't very good when they first joined the BE.). When the BE added VT, Miami, and Rutgers, those games became the hard conference games to get friends and family interested in attending. My wife saw more of these teams than any other BE school.​

BC does not have strong basketball fan support, but the fans came out for the big BE games.​

When BC went to the ACC, the first year everyone was excited to see Duke and UNC, until we realized they wouldn't be coming very often. You get Duke and UNC at home a little over 1x per year. Year 1, only Duke showed up. Asking friends to go to games was almost impossible as there was no interest in seeing most of the ACC schools. They all said, call me when either Duke or UNC are coming.​

We dropped our season tickets after the first year in the ACC. Looking at BC's attendance, I would we weren't alone. The move to the ACC was not for basketball.​

Look at this year's home schedule: UNH, Penn St, BU, Stony Brook, Bryant, Sacred Heart, Harvard, URI, Clemson, VT, Wake Forrest, Miami, NC St, Florida St, Duke, and Georgia Tech. Would you buy a season ticket to that? Would you go to Greensboro over NYC for the conference tourney? Neither would I.​

Here are some recommendations that you need to force upon your AD: You can not move a Duke or UNC game to MSG period. Clemson, VT, Miami, move them wherever you what. Schedule traditional rivals like Villanova, Georgetown, UConn, St. John's every year. Even try for home and homes in a given year. It will keep up fan interest and increase your schedule strength. Push for an ACC tourney in the Northeast every 4 years. If the BE doesn't fold, which it probably won't, it won't be in MSG, but it could be in Brooklyn, or how about Syracuse?​

Good luck as I think Syracuse basketball will do well in the ACC. I'm not so sure about Pitt as they have lived off NY talent and they won't be playing much in NYC in the future.​

And here is a SU poster's suggestions:​

A few things Cuse can do:

1. SJU every year at MSG
2. GTown home and home every year (ask for 3k guaranteed Cuse seats)
3. Get UConn in the ACC (obviously the ACC needs to do it)
4. Nova on schedule every year home and away (for recruiting)
5. Occasionally schedule a few other former BE schools (mostly guarantee games)
6. With UConn (or Duke,Pitt or UNC) a two game made for TV day in NYC, Philly or DC vs two other schools​

 

[Robertelamin]

There is zero chance Cuse plays home games against UNC or Duke at MSG. Maybe some turd programs like BC or FSU but are they really gonna make their fanbase travel 6 hours? no.