A UConn Guide to the Big East | Page 4 | The Boneyard

A UConn Guide to the Big East

BFieldHusky said:
Just added/renewed 3,000 season ticket sales since last Friday. We will be fine.
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Wow people really don't want to miss the last season in the American. Hope they don't nosedive too much next season.



(Relax, I'm kidding.)
 
AllAbout5 said:
Isn’t the arena called “Wintrust Arena?”
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No, it was the Link, CenturyLink Center or something like that before. Rabid fan base, but tough to hate. They are very nice people. Cintas (Xavier) is smaller but great. Hinkle has some historical magic to it. It’s more of a big gym, but still seats 8-9k iirc.

You’ll still fill the upper deck at gtown, probably at SHU as well. Georgetown’s fan base took a huge hit with realignment/JT3 forgetting how to build a roster.

SJU attendance seemed to come back in a big way last year. The Dunk always rocks. Nova is Nova. You’ll always play them at Wells Fargo, I assume. You know what nattys do for attendance. Marquette is consistently strong. Depaul has a nice, new arena, but they’re still DePaul.
 
CL82 said:
Wow people really don't want to miss the last season in the American. Hope they don't nosedive too much next season.



(Relax, I'm kidding.)
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Just use one of these :rolleyes:
 
A UConn guidebto the Big East

Syracuse ain’t there. Pitt? Nope. Louisville? Uh-uh. West Virginia. Nay. Miami? BC? No and No. Notre Dame? Gonzo.

So who is there? Well St Johns. You know the place that has to virtually beg a D2 guy to coach the team. There is some team from Nebraska called the Blue Jays. Yeah, really. And Butler. Remember how good they were when Brad Stevens was there? Yeah he isn’t there anymore. Georgetown. JT is long gone and his kid is too. Like us they are trying the nostalgia route with Ewing. LOL. And don’t forget Xavier. Yeah there coach is now At Louisville, but they might be good. And Providence. I think they’ve gotten better but can’t really tell since they don’t have to play the good teams, you know, the ones that used to be in the Big East but aren’t any more. And there 1-done tournament play kinda supports that view I think.

Great tv coverage though. On FS 1. Well the big games are. Yeah that channel between Home Shopping and Booktv. Almost as many people watch the games as go to them. Almost as many as watch Booktv I’m told. The others are in FS 2. LOL, yeah really.

Let’s just say UConn fans, this ain’t your father’s Big East Conference. It is a league of eh programs whose best days are behind them, save Villanova. Small regional schools save Georgetown, with modest academics and even more modest visions.

Now if we can just figure out this Y2K thing everything will be great.
 
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Zissou said:
UConn fan base is large, no doubt. But where does it rank in “best fan bases”? Not largest, but best. Do you think UConn will be at capacity for any home games next year?
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Yeah I’m aware quantity does not equal quality, but the UConn fan base in many ways is underrated nationally imo.

And yes, there will capacity crowds for Florida, Memphis and possibly Wichita State and UC
 
A UConn guidebto the Big East

Syracuse ain’t there. Pitt? Nope. Louisville? Uh-uh. West Virginia. Nay. Miami? BC? No and No. Notre Dame? Gonzo.

So who is there? Well St Johns. You know the place that has to virtually beg a D2 guy to coach the team. There is some team from Nebraska called the Blue Jays. And Butler. Remember how good they were when Brad Stevens was there? Yeah, they aren’t that good anymore. Georgetown. JT is long gone and his kid is too. Like us they are trying the nostalgia route with Ewing. LOL.
 
freescooter said:
A UConn guidebto the Big East

Syracuse ain’t there. Pitt? Nope. Louisville? Uh-uh. West Virginia. Nay. Miami? BC? No and No. Notre Dame? Gonzo.

So who is there? Well St Johns. You know the place that has to virtually beg a D2 guy to coach the team. There is some team from Nebraska called the Blue Jays. Yeah, really. And Butler. Remember how good they were when Brad Stevens was there? Yeah he isn’t there anymore. Georgetown. JT is long gone and his kid is too. Like us they are trying the nostalgia route with Ewing. LOL. And don’t forget Xavier. Yeah there coach is now At Louisville, but they might be good. And Providence. I think they’ve gotten better but can’t really tell since they don’t have to play the good teams, you know, the ones that used to be in the Big East but aren’t any more. And there 1-done tournament play kinda supports that view I think.

Great tv coverage though. On FS 1. Well the big games are. Yeah that channel between Home Shopping and Booktv. Almost as many people watch the games as go to them. Almost as many as watch Booktv I’m told. The others are in FS 2. LOL, yeah really.

Let’s just say UConn fans, this ain’t your father’s Big East Conference. It is a league of eh programs whose best days are behind them, save Villanova. Small regional schools save Georgetown, with modest academics and even more modest visions.

Now if we can just figure out this Y2K thing everything will be great.
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freescooter said:
A UConn guidebto the Big East

Syracuse ain’t there. Pitt? Nope. Louisville? Uh-uh. West Virginia. Nay. Miami? BC? No and No. Notre Dame? Gonzo.

So who is there? Well St Johns. You know the place that has to virtually beg a D2 guy to coach the team. There is some team from Nebraska called the Blue Jays. And Butler. Remember how good they were when Brad Stevens was there? Yeah, they aren’t that good anymore. Georgetown. JT is long gone and his kid is too. Like us they are trying the nostalgia route with Ewing. LOL.
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Yawn. Can’t wait for your posts waxing nostalgic for our last games against ECU and Tulsa this year
 
Zissou said:
UConn fan base is large, no doubt. But where does it rank in “best fan bases”? Not largest, but best. Do you think UConn will be at capacity for any home games next year?
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Have to win again it's that simple. When you win 4 NC's in 15 years people get spoiled rotten and it was us. Hell from the 89-90 season which led to Huskymania UConn ws in FF's, Elite 8's and a couple Sweet 16s were habit and that's what every fan wants to extend a successful season as long as the magic can keep going. Now try a NC, then a round of 32 to 3 seasons under .500 the fans can't be expected to fill houses with a run like that. Expectations will be up this year a little and even more as the players Hurley needs arrive here. It should be just in time to be competitive in the NBE first year and then impact the league thereafter. If it goes that way the crowds will pour in to see you guys, PC, GTown everyone. We know Butler, Creighton and the others too and expect great games again night in night out. Will bring the fun back really looking forward to it!
 
Zissou said:
The original 4 were Providence (Gavitt), St. Johns, Georgetown, and Cuse. They invited the others in for formation of the conference. Seton Hall, UConn, and BC accepted invites and were part of the first season (7 teams).

Rutgers turned down an initial offer as it felt closer to its Eastern Eight affiliation with Penn State. The eastern Eight at the time was Villanova, Duquesne, Penn State, West Virginia, George Washington, Massachusetts, Pittsburgh, and Rutgers.

Holy Cross was considered and there were discussions. They may or may not have been formally invited, but they did not have the interest and did not join.

Villanova joined in time for the start of the 2nd year, leaving the Eastern Eight for the new Big East. Villanova was a credible Div 1A football at the time (see Howie Long).

The formation of the Big East created a conflict for Penn State. JoePa floated forming a football centric eastern conference, but Cuse and BC prevented that by preferring to stay in the newly formed Big East. Without being able to pull them away, Penn State's back-up was to ask to join the Big East. The Big East was a basketball centric conference, and with Penn State's request they considered the expansion. Some thought Pitt would be a better basketball partner, and most thought that they should invite only one of the two rivals. Pitt was chosen over Penn State and joined in the conference's 4th year.
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Wasn't Holy Cross approached to be part of the original group, and when they said no then UConn was approached instead? I'm pretty sure HC was a very early target.
 
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John said:
Wasn't Holy Cross approached to be part of the original group, and when they said no then UConn was approached instead? I'm pretty sure HC was a very early target.
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Nope, both HC and UConn were part of the original plan.
 
Guapo said:
Yeah I’m aware quantity does not equal quality, but the UConn fan base in many ways is underrated nationally imo.
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Realizing that there will be a bump in UConn interest, I'm going to rate the fan bases just off of the top of my head with no research.

1. Marquette
2. Creighton
3. Nova
4. Xavier
5. Providence
6. UConn
7. St Johns
8. Butler
9. Georgetown
10. Seton Hall
11. DePaul

I should pull up the home attendance for last year, but I didn't.
 
Zissou said:
Realizing that there will be a bump in UConn interest, I'm going to rate the fan bases just off of the top of my head with no research.

1. Marquette
2. Creighton
3. Nova
4. Xavier
5. Providence
6. UConn
7. St Johns
8. Butler
9. Georgetown
10. Seton Hall
11. DePaul

I should pull up the home attendance for last year, but I didn't.
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Based on what?
 
Zissou said:
Realizing that there will be a bump in UConn interest, I'm going to rate the fan bases just off of the top of my head with no research.

1. Marquette
2. Creighton
3. Nova
4. Xavier
5. Providence
6. UConn
7. St Johns
8. Butler
9. Georgetown
10. Seton Hall
11. DePaul

I should pull up the home attendance for last year, but I didn't.
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Silly

Friday or Saturday night in the MSG BET, there’s none like us.
 
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Pudge said:
Silly

Friday or Saturday night in the MSG BET, there’s none like us.
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You haven't been around for a while. The last few years have been pretty great.
 
Zissou said:
Fans showing up and actively supporting the team.
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Just based on gut or...?

I would also caution against using raw attendance numbers to measure this.
 
Gavitt saw the potential at UConn before anyone else.
 
Guapo said:
Just based on gut or...?

I would also caution against using raw attendance numbers to measure this.
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Gut, watching the games, seeing how the fans travel, NYC BET every year, etc. I went to Nova at UConn two years ago, but only watched the MSG neutral site on TV last year. I do go to a lot of games.
 
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here's a primer to xavier fans:

think of that all boys catholic high school and how obnoxious those kids are and multiply by 1000.
 
Zissou said:
Gut, watching the games, seeing how the fans travel, NYC BET every year, etc. I went to Nova at UConn two years ago, but only watched the MSG neutral site on TV last year. I do go to a lot of games.
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That’s fine. Just as long we acknowledge that you’re not basing this on any real statistical analysis.

I will say this to expand on what I meant by UConn fandom being different by nature of it being a flagship state school; UConn, and it’s athletic department, are woven into the fabric of the state’s culture, especially in greater Hartford and the northern and eastern part of the state, in a way that a tiny religious school cannot be in their respective cities. It’s difficult to explain unless you’ve lived it.

And thats not to take anything away from Villanova and the other schools and their fans. I’m very excited to be in a conference with teams with real fanbases again.

But, for lack of a better phrase, in Connecticut “it just means more.”

(And I acknowledge that this is also a gooey gut based response ;) )
 
Guapo said:
That’s fine. Just as long we acknowledge that you’re not basing this on any real statistical analysis.

I will say this to expand on what I meant by UConn fandom being different by nature of it being a flagship state school; UConn, and it’s athletic department, are woven into the fabric of the state’s culture, especially in greater Hartford and the northern and eastern part of the state, in a way that a tiny religious school cannot be in their respective cities. It’s difficult to explain unless you’ve lived it.

And thats not to take anything away from Villanova and the other schools and their fans. I’m very excited to be in a conference with teams with real fanbases again.

But, for lack of a better phrase, in Connecticut “it just means more.”

(And I acknowledge that this is also a gooey gut based response ;) )
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44406


The Top 60 are 8,000+ average attendance. This doesn't tell the whole story but it is relevant. Nova plays on campus to an always sold out 6,500 crowd, and averages up with its games at WFC (Sixers arena).

Seton Hall and DePaul don't make the Top 60, but neither do big state schools like various P5 teams (and FSU).
 
Guapo said:
I will say this to expand on what I meant by UConn fandom being different by nature of it being a flagship state school; UConn, and it’s athletic department, are woven into the fabric of the state’s culture, especially in greater Hartford and the northern and eastern part of the state, in a way that a tiny religious school cannot be in their respective cities. It’s difficult to explain unless you’ve lived it.
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If anyone gets this, it is a Marquette fan. In Wisconsin you have two high major MBB programs in University of Wisconsin Madison and Marquette. Wisconsin fans have the same perspective as described above. The media tends to cover the Badgers to a much greater extent. It is almost expected that if you live in WI that you are a Badger fan. This is infuriating to MU fans and has created a fierce rivalry.

However, in the end, they both have strong fan bases and the product is more exciting because of the dynamic. If you think being a state school somehow raises UConn above the rest of the conference, you may find otherwise. Where a state school has pure numbers of alumni and a general presence, the smaller private colleges usually have a much more engaged (as a percentage) following.
 
I feel more confident in my gut ranking after looking at the numbers!
 
Zissou said:
I feel more confident in my gut ranking after looking at the numbers!
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Ask St Johns old coach Jarvis (they wouldn’t have a Saturday game anymore because it wasn’t a home game so many of us showed up) and Tom Izzo about UConn at MSG. No one travels better there than UConn in the Big East period, new or old league. We need to win again as well as get some solid rivalries going again which will happen. Then maybe we allow Huskymania to return.
 
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