Buy Games - Dare We Hope For Competition?

[Sphinx]

On the one hand, seeing the guys in action in Europe was an unexpected treat. On the other hand, it destroyed, for me, any small attraction this year's "Buy" games might have had.

Normally I enjoy watching (and evaluating) the new team in early season games where I don't have to worry about who's going to win. It just seems that this has now been done. We have a team clearly ready for stronger competition. -- and (gulp) Mississippi Valley State is waiting in the wings. Is it too much to hope that Dan Hurley will upgrade the level of competition in the remaining early scheduling? No doubt he will schedule one or two rigorous private scrimmages , but will the team be asked to hold form through 3 or 4 more games like what we just saw?

Fear so. Hope not.

 

[YearoftheHusky]

I enjoy watching them play in any format versus any team. Are the games going to be close? Probably not. Will I still watch? Of course; I simply can’t get enough.

 

[McLovin]

Since they haven’t released the schedule yet, my thought is that they are trying to get 1 decent home opponent. But I’d assume the rest is filled with cupcakes given the away / neutral games we have vs top programs.

 

[UofCT]

On the one hand, seeing the guys in action in Europe was an unexpected treat. On the other hand, it destroyed, for me, any small attraction this year's "Buy" games might have had.

Normally I enjoy watching (and evaluating) the new team in early season games where I don't have to worry about who's going to win. It just seems that this has now been done. We have a team clearly ready for stronger competition. -- and (gulp) Mississippi Valley State is waiting in the wings. Is it too much to hope that Dan Hurley will upgrade the level of competition in the remaining early scheduling? No doubt he will schedule one or two rigorous private scrimmages , but will the team be asked to hold form through 3 or 4 more games like what we just saw?

Fear so. Hope not.

Doomed

 

[Sphinx]

Doomed

Actually I'm an optimist on that score. I've always thought it silly to believe that everyone now living is going to die when no one now living ever has.

 

[housekeys]

Normally I enjoy watching (and evaluating) the new team in early season games where I don't have to worry about who's going to win.

Clearly, you are not a Cuse fan.

 

[dennismenace]

I love what I have seen so far and the games scheduled, though many cupcakes, will allow a lot of experimentation and getting the bench a real workout. I expect the bench will again be a great part of a very deep, talented though less experienced segment of the team. I am hoping that will carry through the season including the NCAA tournament as the 2023-2024 version of the of the Husky Steamroller.

https://media.tenor.com/ePqysGKlaboAAAAC/steamroller-is-back-steamroller.gif

 

[WhereistheDove?]

I enjoy watching them play in any format versus any team. Are the games going to be close? Probably not. Will I still watch? Of course; I simply can’t get enough.

We're not that far past losing two straight to open the season against Wagner and Northeastern. I will happily take some blowouts of cupcakes to start the season.

 

[bendm]

how much money does the program spend on buy games on average?

 

[Waquoit]

The buy games don't all have to be Q4.

 

[Storrs South]

how much money does the program spend on buy games on average?

Most recent data I could find was from Hurley's first season 2018-19: $600k total.

It's generally around $90-100k per game.

 

[bendm]

Most recent data I could find was from Hurley's first season 2018-19: $600k total.

It's generally around $90-100k per game.

so that a couple million since Hurley's been here... hate to be cynical but that's an expense that doesnt need to be added to the $53 milly athletics deficit, especially when we're only getting ~$5 mill a year from the BE. can we find teams to beat up on early in the season that dont need a paycheck?

 

[McLovin]

so that a couple million since Hurley's been here... hate to be cynical but that's an expense that doesnt need to be added to the $53 milly athletics deficit, especially when we're only getting ~$5 mill a year from the BE. can we find teams to beat up on early in the season that dont need a paycheck?

Well to counter some of those buy games, we get paid at least that much (up to 2X - 3X) to compete in MTEs and events like the Jimmy V / Game in Seattle. So these things usually are a wash.

I’m curious if any lower level D1 schools even play early season contests where they aren’t paid.

Maybe we could get some Ivy League school or Patriot League schools with large endowments. Maybe CCSU since they are also a CT funded university?

I think one of the buy game teams we played last season didn’t play a home game until January or something crazy like that because their school needed the money from buy games to fund the program and make some upgrades to their facilities.

 

[MDHuskFan]

Saw something that Bryant was the last game being worked out

 

[Storrs South]

Saw something that Bryant was the last game being worked out

 

[mauconnfan]

They have a solid if not really good schedule this year. Need cupcakes for chemistry and testing.

 

[Storrs South]

So I guess Richard knows some things

 

[REB1094]

Eh, cupcakes aren't meant to be challenging. I'll take the challenges in the early season tournaments and BE/B12 challenge. Last year's OOC was supposed to be a lot better on paper than it ended up being. Oregon was preseason top 25, ISU spent a good chunk of the year ranked and even a month in the top 15, and Bama was Bama

I'd be good with a few more mid majors, and I'm sure season ticket holders would be as well, but I don't think there is an appetite for loading the early part of the season with tough games when we know we have a Big East gauntlet coming December - March

 

[auror]

The buy games don't all have to be Q4.

Hurley indicated he really liked our schedule last year. Couple real gimmes to start, then ramping up into a couple okay mid majors, then the T-Day tourny, a couple high major games, before easing back into BE play with a buy game.

Bryant would probably fill into that "okay mid major" spot. The only difference is that we're in an early T-Day tournament this year, so we'll probably have to switch the order around a bit.

 

[superjohn]

This guy has a really good twitter feed. He's a huge Rutgers guy but he knows his stuff about college hoops and sports in general. No hot takes which is rare.

 

[ibleedhuskyblue]

I always thought it was "bye" games. Kinda seems like both work given the context.

Learned something new today.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

Bryant is a type of local mid-major I can get behind scheduling.

One of the better teams in the America East, Grasso’s been a NY/CT/RI basketball lifer and they play a fun, fast-paced style.

This year’s roster will feature a bunch of interchangeable spots, with their starting lineup between 6’4 and 6’6. Earl Timberlake, Rafael Pinzon and Doug Edert are notable names.

 

[navery12]

so that a couple million since Hurley's been here... hate to be cynical but that's an expense that doesnt need to be added to the $53 milly athletics deficit, especially when we're only getting ~$5 mill a year from the BE. can we find teams to beat up on early in the season that dont need a paycheck?

Not really, outside of scheduling exclusively P5 teams (which will never happen) it's not really realistic. I wish we were paying for Q3 wins instead of Q4, but there's no avoiding the paying part of early season OOC games

 

[Sky ball]

Can we schedule BCU as a Buy Game?

 

[Palatine]

so that a couple million since Hurley's been here... hate to be cynical but that's an expense that doesnt need to be added to the $53 milly athletics deficit, especially when we're only getting ~$5 mill a year from the BE. can we find teams to beat up on early in the season that dont need a paycheck?

UConn makes money on these buy games. You think they would play them if they were losing money?

 

[businesslawyer]

The buy games don't all have to be Q4.

This. It wouldn’t kill us to have some of the buy games be against a mid-level A Ten team or a strong MAAC team.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Bryant is a type of local mid-major I can get behind scheduling.

One of the better teams in the America East, Grasso’s been a NY/CT/RI basketball lifer and they play a fun, fast-paced style.

This year’s roster will feature a bunch of interchangeable spots, with their starting lineup between 6’4 and 6’6. Earl Timberlake, Rafael Pinzon and Doug Edert are notable names.

Also about as close to Storrs as any D1 team can be. Holy Cross should be on our list more often too. We don't usually sell these games out.

 

[CL82]

Actually I'm an optimist on that score. I've always thought it silly to believe that everyone now living is going to die when no one now living ever has.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

Also about as close to Storrs as any D1 team can be. Holy Cross should be on our list more often too. We don't usually sell these games out.

Holy Cross is another team with some juice after hiring Dave Paulsen, the veteran coach most known for his success at Bucknell.

 

[bendm]

UConn makes money on these buy games. You think they would play them if they were losing money?

are you sure? two seasons ago the men only generated $755k in revenue for single-game tickets for the entire season. that's an average of $44k per home game and a buy game costs twice that on average. i'm not counting season ticket revenue but people arent buying those to see stonehill.