2015 AAC Tournament Location: Hartford, CT

[HuskyNationJE]

The women used that this past year and may do so again. I think it seats less than 10K and probably isn't big enough to host the men's tournament.

Bummer. That would have been an awesome place to have it just for the easy access, hotel rooms and other stuff to do between games.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I suppose it is good for us since UConn fans can attend, but it won't be a hit. Nobody else is coming. The simple reality is that the other teams in this conference don't really care. I'm sure some folks from Cinci, Memphis and maybe Temple will come to Hartford, but not in big numbers. I don't think we'll see many from the other schools. If they are going to travel, it will be for the NCAAs. Can you imagine anyone from USF or Tulane coming to Hartford in the winter to watch thier team lose in round 1?

 

[amory]

Selfishly, I love this. But objectively, it's a really bad choice. Hartford is no fun.

Cool that it's gonna be in Orlando the next 2 years, maybe Dallas will get it sometime down the line if the American Airlines Center will host.

 

[Dogdeacon]

West Hartford Center, the Basketball Hall of Fame, the casinos and downtown Hartford attractions/dining/bars should all be featured on a program and in an email blast as well as on the AAC web site. The best way to get people to come to town is to spell everything out for them so they know how they will spend their time there.

I can have a blast in Greater Hartford for about a week before I get tired of it. A long weekend is a piece of cake, especially when there is a big event going on. I used to bring friends from Boston and New York to Hartford for games, concerts etc. and they'd always comment on how much fun it was and ask "why does Hartford have such a bad reputation?" The real answer was that in the morning the bustling party scene would be gone and downtown would be deserted. Hartford will have no problem providing a good venue over the weekend but the people need to be told how to get to West Hartford as well. In fact, a bus that stops at the Mark Twain house, Blue Back and WHC and loops back to the XL downtown every 30 minutes would be a great idea.

As someone who was in Memphis for the AAC tourney this year, this surprises me not at all. The AAC had an option to bring it back to Memphis, but the attendance was so miserable that I can't imagine they'd seriously consider it. Outside of the Memphis game, which itself was not nearly sold out (scarcely occupied above the lower top deck), the attendance was abysmal. I had seats in the upper terrace and I only sat there during the Memphis game, because they closed the entire upper level for all the other games due to poor ticket sales. Some of the games had maybe 500 people there, it was an embarrassment.

Even outside of UConn games, it would be difficult to pull as poorly as the tourney did when it was in Memphis, so this decision makes sense. It's really a shame for the conference, because Memphis has a beautiful arena, it's a nice location given Beale St. right next door, it's a reasonably drive for most of the conference members etc., even if UConn is never going to draw well there.

In Hartford the situation will be the opposite.... I hope these upgrades do something to spruce up the arena, because it's going to be tough to compare to the beautiful FedEx Forum, and if they're not significant we're not going to want to showcase that embarrassment of a venue to the world in prime time.

Agree, I was in Memphis as well and for whatever reason the tourney didn't sell. There was no 2nd draw after Memphis. Too bad, it is a great town and if Beale St had been packed with fans from all the teams it could have been awesome.

Hartford doesn't surprise me as a remedy to this Memphis debacle (and reward/capitalize on Huskies success), but I don't think for a second that too many folks are coming from far away to spend a long weekend in Hartford. It is going to be a drive to games and back home for 90% of the arena.

 

[Sea Goat]

AAC: "If we give them the conference tourney maybe they'll stick around?!?!"

Nice try Aresco, but it won't work. However, it looks like we have to be there through at least next season. So - what the hell...

 

[Husky1972]

Yes, the Hall of Fame is just 30 miles to the North. By tournament time, just 30 miles to the East will be a shiny new building, with a shine new Hall of Honor room, with a shiny new trophy in it, sitting among three others.

Any self-respecting college basketball fan will most humbly want to make the trek to this Mecca, as it is likely the only chance most fans from the other teams in this conference will ever have the chance to behold such a sight in person.

 

[Uconn77Duke74]

Any team that wins that wins the NC can have the AAC tournament the next year in their hometown. I'm fine if this is the new system.

 

[HawkHusky]

- Husky

I'm not going to bump the thread. We can discuss it here.

Is having the Tournament in Hartford more or less bull as having it in Memphis or MSG?

I think UCONN earned the right.

 

[UofMemphis]

Fans didn't fill up Madison Square Garden for the early games either.

Why try and spin this as some negative about Memphis? I see this as the AAC cashing in on UConn historic NCAA run and fan enthusiasm...didn't over 150k show up for the parade?

Memphis has hosted 7 conference tournaments since 2005

 

[Husky25]

Why try and spin this as some negative about Memphis? I see this as the AAC cashing in on UConn historic NCAA run and fan enthusiasm...didn't over 150k show up for the parade?

Memphis has hosted 7 conference tournaments since 2005

Exactly where in the post that you quoted did I mention Memphis? I quoted a post referring to the XL Center and I mention MSG in mine. I've been to many an early round Big East Tournament game throughout the 2000's at MSG on Wednesdays and Thursdays where the lower bowl was barely full and hardly anyone in the upper levels.

Memphis gets slighted here enough (I've probably done it myself), you certainly don't have to look for negative implications where there are none to be found.

 

[UofMemphis]

Exactly where in the post that you quoted did I mention Memphis? I quoted a post referring to the XL Center and I mention MSG in mine. I've been to many an early round Big East Tournament game throughout the 2000's at MSG on Wednesdays and Thursdays where the lower bowl was barely full and hardly anyone in the upper levels.

Memphis gets slighted here enough (I've probably done it myself), you certainly don't have to look for negative implications where there are none to be found.

I meant to quote another post, my bad.

http://csnbbs.com/thread-681514.html

Doesn't appear that Memphis was an overwhelming hit. Besides if it were, why change venue?

 

[BlueMAB]

Why try and spin this as some negative about Memphis? I see this as the AAC cashing in on UConn historic NCAA run and fan enthusiasm...didn't over 150k show up for the parade?

Memphis has hosted 7 conference tournaments since 2005

I was there a month ago. The problem isn't Memphis, it's the conference.

 

[Husky25]

I didn't slight Memphis. "Memphis fans" did. I just linked it and made an observation of fact.

I meant to quote another post, my bad.

 

[Ewekon]

Memphis for a 4 or 5 day stay is infinitely more fun than Hartford. Attendance sucked but it is one of Americas great music and southern cooking cities. Thrilled it will here tho.

 

[gampelcrazies]

I am going to be honest I went to the AAC tournament and I thought Memphis sucked.

 

[ASweet3781]

Not a huge fan of this move.

I think playing in the conference tournament on a neutral court can serve as excellent preparation for the NCAA's. It certainly did for us in all our deep runs. Playing on our home court? With SMU likely the only other top 20 team in the league next year? Hopefully it will be a useful exercise run for the real tournament. But I worry it won't be.

 

[Fishy]

The AAC wasn't happy with Memphis.

Not sure why, but apparently they had no chance at the tournament this year.

I would have given Philly a shot, but what do I know.

 

[BoatShow]

Why try and spin this as some negative about Memphis? I see this as the AAC cashing in on UConn historic NCAA run and fan enthusiasm...didn't over 150k show up for the parade?

Memphis has hosted 7 conference tournaments since 2005

300k is over 150k, yes

 

[UC Billy]

To chime in with my 5 smart phones it is my belief that this is a desperate move by the AAC to attract one thing, FANS and increase revenue. Uconn draws and we can be assured if our Huskies were to get knocked out in the early round the DUMP will be empty for every subsequent game. Do I like the choice, YES. But I am being biased because I will be there just to watch the games and see our Huskies.

How I remember the old days when Morehead State was in the NCAA tourney and it was held in Hartford. I believe it was the first game and one side of the old Civic Center chanted, We Want, while the other side chanted More Head

 

[huskyjawz]

I am going to be honest I went to the AAC tournament and I thought Memphis sucked.

What cities do you like?

 

[UofMemphis]

I am going to be honest I went to the AAC tournament and I thought Memphis sucked.

what didn't you like?

 

[gampelcrazies]

what didn't you like?

After the 2nd day there really wasn't much to do. I think they should do it in Florida but that's my opinion

 

[John]

I wonder what a ticket package will cost? We sit in the low 200s for the regular season at XL, so I'm thinking those types of seats or even in the 100s. Wonder also if season ticket holders will get some sort of discount and first crack at the Tourny packages?

 

[Husky25]

I wonder what a ticket package will cost? We sit in the low 200s for the regular season at XL, so I'm thinking those types of seats or even in the 100s. Wonder also if season ticket holders will get some sort of discount and first crack at the Tourny packages?

It actually crossed my mind to purchase season tickets or a mini plan in order to get "preferential treatment." Something tells me that it won't work that way necessarily. I'd bet allotments will be sold based on donor class as opposed to ticket purchases.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

I love that fact the tourney will be in Hartford next year. There are several things to do in the surrounding area. That said, if you can't have fun in Memphis you should probably just crawl into a 6x6 hole and call it a career.

The bigger reality is conference tourneys rarely, if ever, sell out the majority of their games. We have a tilted perspective because we had the best tourney played in the best venue for years. It was also an easy place for most conference members to travel. And while memories always tend to remember the positive, the early rounds of the BEAST Tourney weren't always at capacity. The issue is simple, if your team is a real contender and you are a die-hard fan, you will probably try to save your money for the NCAA Tourney. Now that we are in a conference that is so geographically diverse, I doubt any location will draw large crowds.