AAC tourney to Mohegan Sun

[Waquoit]

I was hoping for Hartford. - LINK

 

[vtcwbuff]

Just a guess but it wouldn't surprise me if the Sun sweetened the pot a bit. I suspect a good percentage of the tournament fans will take advantage of some of the Sun's other attractions and that gave them an edge over the XL center. I'll probably go to every game. It's a 5 minute drive for me.

Now if only UConn would choose the Sun Arena over the XL Center for their off campus games . . .

 

[EricLA]

I'm sure there will be some lively discussion on this - it's a longer drive for the folks in Fairfield county. But it works for me as my parents live in Colchester so... it will be an easy drive. and lots of places to eat on the way so we don't have to pay $$$ for the food at the Mohegan Sun. Not sure how many restaurants they have at the Casino.

 

[pppggg]

Let's see if I have this right. Plenty of free parking, easy access to the venue without going thru the casino if that's waht you want to do, many places to eat, places to have a drink or 2 if you want to, free entertainment in the Wolf Den and you can if you choose, play the one armed bandits. Just the parking and acces to the venue is enough of a reason to chose the Mohegan Sun. Add the hotel access in the area and it's a no brainer.

Maybe the next move for the Huskies is to move their off campus games to the Sun.

 

[CL82]

Let's see if I have this right. Plenty of free parking, easy access to the venue without going thru the casino if that's waht you want to do, many places to eat, places to have a drink or 2 if you want to, free entertainment in the Wolf Den and you can if you choose, play the one armed bandits. Just the parking and acces to the venue is enough of a reason to chose the Mohegan Sun. Add the hotel access in the area and it's a no brainer.

Maybe the next move for the Huskies is to move their off campus games to the Sun.

Won't happen but it is a good choice for the WBBT. I'm glad we kept it in state.

 

[freescooter]

If I recall they were actually the preferred venue for the Big East last time around but several of the Catholic Schools balked so they went back to the XL. This actually makes some sense as Connecticut is really the center of womens basketball. Wouldn't have made much sense to move it to Houston or somewhere...

 

[RadyLady]

harder for me to get to this venue...

 

[pppggg]

Won't happen but it is a good choice for the WBBT. I'm glad we kept it in state.

I forgot to mention that Geno has resturants in the Sun. Had a killer Philly Steak and Cheese before the Rush Concert. As for the off campus games, money talks. We will see what the future holds, espeically after the tourney.

 

[vtcwbuff]

I'm sure there will be some lively discussion on this - it's a longer drive for the folks in Fairfield county. But it works for me as my parents live in Colchester so... it will be an easy drive. and lots of places to eat on the way so we don't have to pay $ for the food at the Mohegan Sun. Not sure how many restaurants they have at the Casino.

Eric- The casino has a wide range of restaurants from fine dining to food courts. Geno's Pub has good bar food, there's a Pepe's Pizza and a Bobby Flay's Burger Palace. All of those are very reasonably priced. IMO the main advantage of the Sun Arena over the XL center is the restaurants and parking.

 

[HuskyFan1125]

Sounds good to me!

 

[ASweet3781]

Excellent news if true.

With the loss of competition in conference I could not see myself going to Hartford for that tournament. XL is a dump. I can and will absolutely go to the tournament at Mohegan. The arena is very nice and new and it's a great atmosphere. And everything from the restaurants and activities are right there on scene. Oh yeah and free parking. Most of the tournament crowds in recent years have been around the 9000-9500 fan mark and that's the size of the Mohegan arena. Plus its great for those Husky fans down in southeast CT and Rhode Island who haven't been able to make it to Hartford in recent years.

No brainer.

 

[Wonkster]

.
I'm a little surprised to just discover that Uncasville is 10 miles closer to Westport than Storrs is, at least from my driveway. Why did the trip seem so damned long the last time I drove there?

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

I'll attend as many games as possible...I have family in the area, and much prefer it to Hartford.

 

[vtcwbuff]

.
I'm a little surprised to just discover that Uncasville is 10 miles closer to Westport than Storrs is, at least from my driveway. Why did the trip seem so damned long the last time I drove there?

Did you go through Maine?

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Folks - if you read the article - it still isn't definite.

The Women's coaches endorsed it, the men's coaches haven't endorsed anything for the men's tournament, and the league is going to decide by conference call at some point AND THEN negotiate with the venues.

Or so the article says.

That said, it sounds like Mohegan Sun is "first choice" all around.

 

[rocky rococo]

If they're planning on having hoops there for the long-term, Sun has to bite the bullet and buy a jumbotron for the arena.

 

[Wonkster]

Did you go through Maine?

LOL! The roadway seemed so desolate. It was really dark, too.

(Yes, Mr. Wonkster, that's because it was night time! Remember - we're not recruiting you!)

 

[Wonkster]

If they're planning on having hoops there for the long-term, Sun has to bite the bullet and buy a jumbotron for the arena.

I'll bet the price of a Jumbotron has dropped steeply compared to when they first opened the facility. If they buy one, I hope they don't get a puny one - I want to see something spectacular!

 

[Buckaroobanzai]

Mohegan Sun is no panacea. In my view, restaurants in Hartford compare favorably to the overpriced fare available @ the casino. And the casino is located in the middle of nowhere. If you acknowledge that a majority of the fans attending the early round games are of a more mature vintage, I question whether they will traipse out to the boondocks to see mediocre WBB and then have to make late night return trips on roads that are unlighted. Beyond that, the new management @ XL promises major improvements. And the complaints about parking are overblown. At XL, we parked across the street @ the Saints lot for ten bucks - big whoop! In sum, having the Big East tournament @ XL was a success. I see no reason for the AAC to abandon a location that has proven its worth.

 

[DaddyChoc]

I'm sure there will be some lively discussion on this - it's a longer drive for the folks in Fairfield county. But it works for me as my parents live in Colchester so... it will be an easy drive. and lots of places to eat on the way so we don't have to pay $ for the food at the Mohegan Sun. Not sure how many restaurants they have at the Casino.

dining listing

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Mohegan Sun is no panacea. In my view, restaurants in Hartford compare favorably to the overpriced fare available @ the casino. And the casino is located in the middle of nowhere. If you acknowledge that a majority of the fans attending the early round games are of a more mature vintage, I question whether they will traipse out to the boondocks to see mediocre WBB and then have to make late night return trips on roads that are unlighted. Beyond that, the new management @ XL promises major improvements. And the complaints about parking are overblown. At XL, we parked across the street @ the Saints lot for ten bucks - big whoop! In sum, having the Big East tournament @ XL was a success. I see no reason for the AAC to abandon a location that has proven its worth.

Daddy Choc lives 5 min from the XL and can understand his POV. You live where?

 

[Waquoit]

Daddy Choc lives 5 min from the XL and can understand his POV. You live where?

His/her points don't speak for themselves?

 

[vtcwbuff]

Mohegan Sun is no panacea. In my view, restaurants in Hartford compare favorably to the overpriced fare available @ the casino. And the casino is located in the middle of nowhere. If you acknowledge that a majority of the fans attending the early round games are of a more mature vintage, I question whether they will traipse out to the boondocks to see mediocre WBB and then have to make late night return trips on roads that are unlighted. Beyond that, the new management @ XL promises major improvements. And the complaints about parking are overblown. At XL, we parked across the street @ the Saints lot for ten bucks - big whoop! In sum, having the Big East tournament @ XL was a success. I see no reason for the AAC to abandon a location that has proven its worth.

The Sun is located approximately midway between Hartford, New Haven, Providence and Springfield. Access from all of those cities, save Providence, is by limited access, 4 lane highway. Free parking is at the venue and valet parking is available. The casino has a large restaurant selection with a wide price range. Prices are competitive with local restaurants. IMO the arena is a better place to watch a game than either Gampel or the XL.
Just to pick a nit - the AAC isn't abandoning anything.

 

[pinotbear]

His/her points don't speak for themselves?

His points are inaccurate. There is a wide variety of food @ the casino, from high-end steakhouse & formal Italian to Johnny Rocket's and Krispy Kreme. "Middle of Nowhere" is a subjective opinion - 10 minutes or so to Norwich and New London, less than an hour to Hartford, New Haven, Providence. The roads are extremely well-lit, too much so in my subjective opinon (remember, casinos attract large numbers of folks of a "more mature vintage", so, they know the issues involved.) Suburban "mature vintage" folks might feel safer in the "boondocks" as opposed to central city at night, too. I draw little comfort in the new management of the XL promising "major improvements", and BB's perspective that complaints about parking are
"overblown". I find parking in Hartford to be a pain in the butt. I've worked it out through the years, going to various games, but, it's a pain. The traffic patterns aren't real user-friendly either, particularly in the dark.

I do agree that the Big East tourney has been successful there, generally. I do not know what the financial factors are, using one facility as opposed to another. I do think that it would be easier to fill Mohegan Sun, and there would be a lot more for folks to do in the facility itself.

 

[freescooter]

Mohegan Sun is no panacea. In my view, restaurants in Hartford compare favorably to the overpriced fare available @ the casino. And the casino is located in the middle of nowhere. If you acknowledge that a majority of the fans attending the early round games are of a more mature vintage, I question whether they will traipse out to the boondocks to see mediocre WBB and then have to make late night return trips on roads that are unlighted. Beyond that, the new management @ XL promises major improvements. And the complaints about parking are overblown. At XL, we parked across the street @ the Saints lot for ten bucks - big whoop! In sum, having the Big East tournament @ XL was a success. I see no reason for the AAC to abandon a location that has proven its worth.

Let's be honest here. Other than UConn, the early round games of the old Big East were pretty much mediocre womens basketball, too. And with the exception of Notre Dame in recent years, It was UConn and the 11 dwarfs, the last few years UConn, Notre Dame and the 10 dwarfs...Louisville's recent Final four trips not withstanding, they are not even close, not even on the same planet really with UConn . They lost the national championship game by 33, and it could have been 50 if Geno had wanted it to be 50. While there isn't a Notre Dame in the new league, its probably equal otherwise. A few of the games might be entertaining.