Big East Women’s Basketball Tournament moving to Mohegan Sun

[ConnecticutBB]

Try to book 2 rooms for the tournament at several of the hotels in the area that offer shuttles to the casino.....NOT a room to be had.

 

[hoopsfan22]

At least the players will be used to playing on that court.

 

[DefenseBB]

Well, I have written about this many times and for a recap, you can see the stark numbers between the BigEast in Chicago and The American at Mohegan below. I am just glad they were able to move the tournament for this coming year. That said, I also hope with many more east coast schools (Providence, St.John's, Seton Hall, Villanova) that more fans will attend. The good news is ANY conference with UConn will have better attendance and even The American ranked 2nd in their Tournament Attendance over the past 5 years. ​

5 Yr	w/Loc	2020​	2019​	2018​	2017​	2016​
Conf	Session	Chicago	Chicago	Chicago	Milwaukee	Chicago
BigEast	Day1S1	3,956	1,852	1,950	2,132	1,741
BigEast	Day2S2	2,407	2,068	1,991	2,815	1,884
BigEast	Day2S3	2,010	2,164	2,147	1,922	2,234
BigEast	Day3S4	2,372	1,853	2,192	2,511	2,131
BigEast	Day4S5	2,340	2,407	2,264	3,166	1,620
BigEast	Total	13,085	10,344	10,544	12,546	9,610
BigEast	Average	2,617	2,069	2,109	2,509	1,922
Conf	Session	Mohegan	Mohegan	Mohegan	Mohegan	Mohegan
AAC	Day1S1	3,972	3,959	1,380
AAC	Day1S2	4,400	3,217	4,599	4,446	4,480
AAC	Day2S3	5,763	5,939	3,392	5,513	7,033
AAC	Day2S4	4,860	3,243	6,804	4,559	5,071
AAC	Day3S5	5,677	5,872	6,033	6,491	6,821
AAC	Day4S6	5,430	6,001	7,501	6,488	7,073
AAC	Total	30,102	28,231	29,709	27,497	30,478
AAC	Average	5,017	4,705	4,952	5,499	6,096

 

[MSGRET]

That's great news. I was wondering if the Catholic schools in the BE would object to the tourney being held at a casino.

There are a lot of church goers that visit the casinos out here in Vegas. Las Vegas has more churches per capita then any other city in the US.

 

[dogged1]

There are a lot of church goers that visit the casinos out here in Vegas. Las Vegas has more churches per capita then any other city in the US.

So, does that mean "Sin City" has a lot of repentant people?

 

[j66kicker]

There are a lot of church goers that visit the casinos out here in Vegas. Las Vegas has more churches per capita then any other city in the US.

Do wedding chapels count?

 

[DefenseBB]

Here's a quick recap of the Conference Tournament attendance for the past 5 years, sans Big12.

Conf	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	5 Yr Ave	Rank
SEC	6,442	4,597	6,453	5,160	4,189	5,368​	1
AAC	5,017	4,705	4,952	5,499	6,096	5,254​	2
PAC12	5,690	4,235	4,760	6,220	4,596	5,100​	3
BigTen	4,958	3,830	4,744	4,631	5,640	4,761​	4
ACC	5,216	5,976	4,954	3,101	3,669	4,583​	5
BigEast	2,617	2,069	2,109	2,509	1,922	2,245​	6

 

[MSGRET]

Do wedding chapels count?

Yes, they are considered a religious domain.

 

[DEpup]

Well, I have written about this many times and for a recap, you can see the stark numbers between the BigEast in Chicago and The American at Mohegan below. I am just glad they were able to move the tournament for this coming year. That said, I also hope with many more east coast schools (Providence, St.John's, Seton Hall, Villanova) that more fans will attend. The good news is ANY conference with UConn will have better attendance and even The American ranked 2nd in their Tournament Attendance over the past 5 years.

5 Yr	w/Loc	2020​	2019​	2018​	2017​	2016​
Conf	Session	Chicago	Chicago	Chicago	Milwaukee	Chicago
BigEast	Day1S1	3,956	1,852	1,950	2,132	1,741
BigEast	Day2S2	2,407	2,068	1,991	2,815	1,884
BigEast	Day2S3	2,010	2,164	2,147	1,922	2,234
BigEast	Day3S4	2,372	1,853	2,192	2,511	2,131
BigEast	Day4S5	2,340	2,407	2,264	3,166	1,620
BigEast	Total	13,085	10,344	10,544	12,546	9,610
BigEast	Average	2,617	2,069	2,109	2,509	1,922
Conf	Session	Mohegan	Mohegan	Mohegan	Mohegan	Mohegan
AAC	Day1S1	3,972	3,959	1,380
AAC	Day1S2	4,400	3,217	4,599	4,446	4,480
AAC	Day2S3	5,763	5,939	3,392	5,513	7,033
AAC	Day2S4	4,860	3,243	6,804	4,559	5,071
AAC	Day3S5	5,677	5,872	6,033	6,491	6,821
AAC	Day4S6	5,430	6,001	7,501	6,488	7,073
AAC	Total	30,102	28,231	29,709	27,497	30,478
AAC	Average	5,017	4,705	4,952	5,499	6,096

Can't argue with the facts. Thanks for the data.

 

[DEpup]

Here's a quick recap of the Conference Tournament attendance for the past 5 years, sans Big12.

Conf	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	5 Yr Ave	Rank
SEC	6,442	4,597	6,453	5,160	4,189	5,368​	1
AAC	5,017	4,705	4,952	5,499	6,096	5,254​	2
PAC12	5,690	4,235	4,760	6,220	4,596	5,100​	3
BigTen	4,958	3,830	4,744	4,631	5,640	4,761​	4
ACC	5,216	5,976	4,954	3,101	3,669	4,583​	5
BigEast	2,617	2,069	2,109	2,509	1,922	2,245​	6

I predict BE will completely take over the top spot since over half the conference will be within driving distance of the venue along NE corridor.

 

[DefenseBB]

I predict BE will completely take over the top spot since over half the conference will be within driving distance of the venue along NE corridor.

Well, given that the next 3 best schools are DePaul, Marquette and Creighton that are no where close to Mohegan, I am not so sure. SH, St.John's and PC all have terrible home attendance. I can only hope you are right but I will say, the BE will be in the top 3 even if the local schools don't improve and show up.

 

[Waquoit]

The Bible Belt has all the nudie bars.

 

[DefenseBB]

The Bible Belt has all the nudie bars.

​

 

[DEpup]

Well, given that the next 3 best schools are DePaul, Marquette and Creighton that are no where close to Mohegan, I am not so sure. SH, St.John's and PC all have terrible home attendance. I can only hope you are right but I will say, the BE will be in the top 3 even if the local schools don't improve and show up.

The margins aren't that different so if you say UConn is the force behind the AAC numbers at Mohegan, you only need hundreds from the other schools to take over the top.

 

[Zinethar]

Interesting article in the Hartford Current today which pretty much implied the move was not yet a done deal. The AD interviewed gave some resons why the move was a good choice and one of them totally caught me off guard. I think the reason was in reference to the battle the Mohegan Sun and other Connecticut casinos had with the Governor (which they seem to have ultimately won). His comment was the because it was run by a sovereign nation its rules might be more favorable for play and not at the whim of politicians.

 

[The CDR-Ret]

Well, I have written about this many times and for a recap, you can see the stark numbers between the BigEast in Chicago and The American at Mohegan below. I am just glad they were able to move the tournament for this coming year. That said, I also hope with many more east coast schools (Providence, St.John's, Seton Hall, Villanova) that more fans will attend. The good news is ANY conference with UConn will have better attendance and even The American ranked 2nd in their Tournament Attendance over the past 5 years.

5 Yr	w/Loc	2020​	2019​	2018​	2017​	2016​
Conf	Session	Chicago	Chicago	Chicago	Milwaukee	Chicago
BigEast	Day1S1	3,956	1,852	1,950	2,132	1,741
BigEast	Day2S2	2,407	2,068	1,991	2,815	1,884
BigEast	Day2S3	2,010	2,164	2,147	1,922	2,234
BigEast	Day3S4	2,372	1,853	2,192	2,511	2,131
BigEast	Day4S5	2,340	2,407	2,264	3,166	1,620
BigEast	Total	13,085	10,344	10,544	12,546	9,610
BigEast	Average	2,617	2,069	2,109	2,509	1,922
Conf	Session	Mohegan	Mohegan	Mohegan	Mohegan	Mohegan
AAC	Day1S1	3,972	3,959	1,380
AAC	Day1S2	4,400	3,217	4,599	4,446	4,480
AAC	Day2S3	5,763	5,939	3,392	5,513	7,033
AAC	Day2S4	4,860	3,243	6,804	4,559	5,071
AAC	Day3S5	5,677	5,872	6,033	6,491	6,821
AAC	Day4S6	5,430	6,001	7,501	6,488	7,073
AAC	Total	30,102	28,231	29,709	27,497	30,478
AAC	Average	5,017	4,705	4,952	5,499	6,096

You can definitely see when UCONN was playing: 5400+ fans each time, which is almost double any of the Big East sessions except for when DePaul was playing "at home" which was still 2000+ below the UCONN smallest total in the session in last year's final against UCF.
The USF final match-ups had much improved totals due to the excitement that match-up always generated from the pace of the action. Jose always enjoyed the fast pace, even if it meant getting destroyed by 60 points at times. "You got to play as who you are!!!" was my favorite quote from him. Games vs. USF will be the only thing I will miss by UCONN's move to the {New} Big East....
However, can't wait for the home & home vs. DePaul, as that may be the showcase for NINE solid contributors on the UCONN side: first score prediction 99-77 UCONN, as the UCONN bench can't be shutdown!!!

 

[DefenseBB]

Interesting article in the Hartford Current today which pretty much implied the move was not yet a done deal. The AD interviewed gave some resons why the move was a good choice and one of them totally caught me off guard. I think the reason was in reference to the battle the Mohegan Sun and other Connecticut casinos had with the Governor (which they seem to have ultimately won). His comment was the because it was run by a sovereign nation its rules might be more favorable for play and not at the whim of politicians.

Not sure I read that into it, my view is the decision hasn't been formally "voted on" due to COVID19, but no reasonable AD would refuse to play at Mohegan/XL Center simply due to the great support that comes with it. The more curious question for me is that the Old Big East drew significantly better numbers at XL than the AAC did at Mohegan. Here are the last 5 years of the OBE at XL. As can be seen, those numbers blew away the P5 Conference tournaments. I doubt we will see those numbers again but I do wonder if Hartford is better to get to for the larger majority of fans.

Year	2013​	2012​	2011​	2010​	2009​
Loc	XL	XL	XL	XL	XL
Day1S1​	N/A ​	7,910 ​	7,923 ​	8,708 ​	8,743 ​
Day1S2​	4,112 ​	8,071 ​	8,177 ​	8,706 ​	9,093 ​
Day2S3​	7,199 ​	8,081 ​	8,302 ​	8,924 ​	8,980 ​
Day2S4​	7,267 ​	8,148 ​	8,246 ​	8,736 ​	9,146 ​
Day3S5​	7,194 ​	8,362 ​	10,463 ​	9,862 ​	9,270 ​
Day3S6​	7,759 ​	8,661 ​	8,104 ​	8,671 ​	8,957 ​
Day4S7​	7,621 ​	8,731 ​	9,260 ​	9,334 ​	9,588 ​
Day5S8​	9,085 ​	9,227 ​	10,202 ​	10,004 ​	10,030 ​
Total​	38,926 ​	43,129 ​	70,677 ​	72,945 ​	73,807 ​
Average​	7,785 ​	8,626 ​	8,835 ​	9,118 ​	9,226 ​

 

[eebmg]

Not sure I read that into it, my view is the decision hasn't been formally "voted on" due to COVID19, but no reasonable AD would refuse to play at Mohegan/XL Center simply due to the great support that comes with it. The more curious question for me is that the Old Big East drew significantly better numbers at XL than the AAC did at Mohegan. Here are the last 5 years of the OBE at XL. As can be seen, those numbers blew away the P5 Conference tournaments. I doubt we will see those numbers again but I do wonder if Hartford is better to get to for the larger majority of fans.

Year	2013​	2012​	2011​	2010​	2009​
Loc	XL	XL	XL	XL	XL
Day1S1​	N/A ​	7,910 ​	7,923 ​	8,708 ​	8,743 ​
Day1S2​	4,112 ​	8,071 ​	8,177 ​	8,706 ​	9,093 ​
Day2S3​	7,199 ​	8,081 ​	8,302 ​	8,924 ​	8,980 ​
Day2S4​	7,267 ​	8,148 ​	8,246 ​	8,736 ​	9,146 ​
Day3S5​	7,194 ​	8,362 ​	10,463 ​	9,862 ​	9,270 ​
Day3S6​	7,759 ​	8,661 ​	8,104 ​	8,671 ​	8,957 ​
Day4S7​	7,621 ​	8,731 ​	9,260 ​	9,334 ​	9,588 ​
Day5S8​	9,085 ​	9,227 ​	10,202 ​	10,004 ​	10,030 ​
Total​	38,926 ​	43,129 ​	70,677 ​	72,945 ​	73,807 ​
Average​	7,785 ​	8,626 ​	8,835 ​	9,118 ​	9,226 ​

Well, I can do Hartford. Not Mohegan.

 

[KY Card Fan]

Anybody see the article in today's New York Times? They surveyed 511 epidemiologists and infectious disease specialists and asked them when they expect to resume 20 activities of daily life, assuming that the pandemic and the public health response to it unfold as they expect. These are their personal opinions. Their answers are not guidelines for the public, and incorporate respondents’ individual life circumstances, risk tolerance and expectations about when there will be widespread testing, contact tracing, treatment and vaccination for Covid-19.

One of the questions was "When do you expect to attend a sporting event, concert or play?" Of the 511 respondents, 3% said "this summer," 32% said "within the next 3-12 months," 64% said "a year or more from now," and 1% said "never." Wow!!

This morning my three buddies and I received a full refund for our 2020 Louisville football tickets.

I've already paid my "donation" for 2020 Louisville WBB tickets. I'll let the university keep that regardless of what happens. My season ticket bill is not due until October 1. I seriously doubt that I'll be writing that check.

 

[Zinethar]

I live in western NY so like most am a Bills fan. What does that have to do with this discussion? A while ago many of their fans complained about taking their families to games to be exposed to drunken behavior of other fans. The result - a section of the stadium where alcohol is prohibited. I can see something similar as one of the early changes where sections of the stadium have less populated seating to allow social distancing and other parts with normal seating. (all this once current restrictions are lifted). Although crowds wiould be smaller they would exist. This would seem to me to be a partial solution as a compromise between those fearing exposure and those not. Also that would be a great measuring stick as to where the psyche of the country was currently.

 

[Zinethar]

Also because I'm in the "you gonna die" from the virus group I am doing everything I can to avoid contact as I begin to wander out of my mostly self imposed isolation. For me I believe that being alive and living are different propositions. I'm desiring the latter. If a vaccine is available I will be at the Mohegan Sun for the
Big East Tournament!

 

[KY Card Fan]

Also because I'm in the "you gonna die" from the virus group I am doing everything I can to avoid contact as I begin to wander out of my mostly self imposed isolation. For me I believe that being alive and living are different propositions. I'm desiring the latter. If a vaccine is available I will be at the Mohegan Sun for the
Big East Tournament!

And when a vaccine is available I will be at mid-court in the Yum! Center cheering for my Cardinals. But probably not until then.

 

[Blueberries]

Well, I can do Hartford. Not Mohegan.

I'm in eastern MA, so I don't do either easily (says the New England snob where I can get to RI, CT, NH, and ME within 1.25 hours and add an extra 45 min to give a 2 hour radius and I can add VT and NY for sure.... I'd rather go to Hartford as it's closer and I can always crash at the 'rents in gbury, but Mohegan doesn't make or break the deal for the commute value.....