Fairfield & Siena

[Dann]

are making a major push for the BE to go to 14. i think everyone here should be aware of the storm coming with this. we are uconn, were a top 8 all time program. this is not a dire situation but i'm just warning of whats coming. fairfield is not shu vs rutgers competition but they will be prov type soon enough recruit wise in the region. EC supports this btw. they both fit and are a conference bump away from being good filler in that league. they are both selling that they play downtown. siena is in albany and fairfield is 5 minutes down the post rd or 2 minutes on 95 from harbor yard in bpt. we all know this. that fits the identity of the BE. they are really pushing. they also are selling that cuse left and that albany is a upstate ny grab and a better market brab at that. fairfield is pushing that they bring the $ county in ct without the sticks up north. they both have a good team duo resume going at it. before anyone asks, fordham is not in it. either is marist.

there are thoughts of this:
east-prov/shu/sju//siena/gt/nova
west-but/xav/dep/marq/stl/crei/day
play your division h&a for 12 games and then the other 3&3(rotate h&a by year) for 18 games.
this keeps the orginal 5 very happy and marq/dep get to mold a regional division. it allows marq to play gtown and nova every year with every other at home. all are interested/happy with the idea.

the big east thinks it needs to grow soon. they are trying to make a play to join the bcs schools in a break a way by paying bball players the stipend and just competing bball wise and playing ooc games and there post season tney(w/e the ncaa will be called). they want to have what ever # of schools the big boys have. right now the acc, b10 and sec are at 14. the BE is looking to try to fit in. eventually they will look to a davidson, duq, drake, zaga, sf, stm type for 16 also(speculation)....lastly with the bigger is better, there is belief that the 2 regional adds can help with keeping msg(or land barclays) fan support wise. not sure if u guys know this but fairfield dos a very good job with the tri state students and post grad placement wise. siena has a huge nyc-albany presence post grad wise. the thought is those fanbases have never had the chance to root for the schools like this and it would be a big potential move....

the vcu and wsu's of the world must be real caught in a tough spot right now.....

 

[Pudge]

Blah ...

I am an Albany native and know the Siena fanbase. They COULD be a 14,000+ regular. They COULD be better than Seton Hall & possibly DePaul in fanbase ... and have a nice regional pull. But, continuing lowlife-negativism creeps in when you are MAAC. They get a good coach (Deane, Hewitt, McCaffery) and then they forget the formula.

If the BE went to this level ... and I do believe that Creighton is Siena on steroids in Omaha ... then I think they have diluted what was special. Xavier ... I buy it. Butler ... can they sustain that over a decade. Creighton ... huge local support. But there is a big difference between Albany/Siena and any of those 3. A-10 could have upgraded Siena. Went to Davidson. Siena, is easily, the best at the AA level of CBB. And, they really could be quite more (35% more fans at home); but, that still doesn't get to the 3 the BE took. And Fairfield? No way.

 

[UConnJim]

I can see Siena, but Fairfield? Fairfield makes Seton Hall look like Kentucky. They average 2k fans and have only 5k students. The Big East needs to add higher quality than Fairfield, like George Mason, VCU, or St. Joe's.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

There's such a thing as downtown Bridgeport?

 

[Fishy]

Siena and Fairfield are both huge reaches down for the Big East and there's no chance they get invited.

There are bigger, better fish out there.

 

[Dann]

I can see Siena, but Fairfield? Fairfield makes Seton Hall look like Kentucky. They average 2k fans and have only 5k students. The Big East needs to add higher quality than Fairfield, like George Mason, VCU, or St. Joe's.

There's such a thing as downtown Bridgeport?

1) do u know how big butler is?
2) fairfield has potential in the BE world because it fits identity wise and brings the gold coast. this area begs for a high major sports wise. thats why everyone here begs uconn to give a crap about it.
3) vcu is a big public
4)stjoe is in phili. nova block for life. aka stjohn - fordham
5) take fairfield county demographic wise and now put prov, gtown,nova and crew in bridgeport for games. 7k+ on the day next year and sellouts easy in time. the students support when they have a reason. they bus the kids and support the program especially if this happened.
6) check out whats going on in fairfield ct. the post road is getting transformed from exit 20 up. its really becoming a college town. they have busses that go around town all day. even the fairfield-bpt border is coming alive down the road block by block. there are over 25 bars and spots top go. its becoming extremely popular very quickly. the stamford-sono-fairfield train, 95, drinking connection is growing quickly right now and fairfield u students are in the heat of it. untapped potential.

Blah ...

I am an Albany native and know the Siena fanbase. They COULD be a 14,000+ regular. They COULD be better than Seton Hall & possibly DePaul in fanbase ... and have a nice regional pull. But, continuing lowlife-negativism creeps in when you are MAAC. They get a good coach (Deane, Hewitt, McCaffery) and then they forget the formula.

If the BE went to this level ... and I do believe that Creighton is Siena on steroids in Omaha ... then I think they have diluted what was special. Xavier ... I buy it. Butler ... can they sustain that over a decade. Creighton ... huge local support. But there is a big difference between Albany/Siena and any of those 3. A-10 could have upgraded Siena. Went to Davidson. Siena, is easily, the best at the AA level of CBB. And, they really could be quite more (35% more fans at home); but, that still doesn't get to the 3 the BE took. And Fairfield? No way.

siena is a coach away. the current program needs to get cleaned up again post fran. but the structure is there. fairfield is very close to success bball wise. give these 2 BE schedules and they are quality filler to the conference.

Siena and Fairfield are both huge reaches down for the Big East and there's no chance they get invited.

There are bigger, better fish out there.

what schools? please list
davidson? sure
vcu? public

 

[UConnJim]

So, Fairfield with <4k undergrads is going to drive attendance? And, Fairfield County is going to all of sudden become Fairfield basketball fans because they are playing the likes of St. John's, Seton Hall, Providence... That is the definition of dreaming.

 

[gioff23]

So, Fairfield and Siena are like CT kids begging for offers and the BE is Coach P? And the BE stratefgy should be to make them offers and get them to sign to prove their strategy. Got it.

Sorry if this comes across rude, because i love that you are back, but you are the only guy in the world who is right and wrong in equal amounts, often in the same thread.

 

[dbmill]

I just can't see Fairfield or Siena in the Big East. I've read where there is thinking that Xavier may want to keep Dayton out, and that Georgetown wants another school on the east coast. It sounds like they want to avoid public schools, so VCU is probably out. I'm guessing St. Louis is their next expansion candidate, with possibly Richmond as the 12th spot.

 

[Marty Jackson]

This is lunacy... Who cares?

 

[UConnJim]

This is lunacy... Who cares?

I think HFD was trying to imply that Fairfield, in the BE, could become a basketball player and compete for the attention of fans with UConn.

It is lunacy!

 

[MattMang23]

There's such a thing as downtown Bridgeport?

It's a good thing for you that you don't know about it.

 

[HuskyV]

The BE should look to Boston - BU or Holy Cross.

Siena & Fairfield should push for a seat. They would grow with the stronger competition & would help fill up MSG if the BE has a shot at keeping ACC/Big10 out.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

It's a good thing for you that you don't know about it.

CT has its fair share of holes, but Bridgeport has to take the cake.

 

[UConnJim]

The BE should look to Boston - BU or Holy Cross.

Siena & Fairfield should push for a seat. They would grow with the stronger competition & would help fill up MSG if the BE has a shot at keeping ACC/Big10 out.

I thought Fairfield was a bad idea. BU and Holy Cross are worse. BU had an average attendance of <1k people last year. That is not a misprint. And, Holy Cross is committed to the Patriot League

 

[AZHuskiePop]

The BE should look to Boston - BU or Holy Cross.

Siena & Fairfield should push for a seat. They would grow with the stronger competition & would help fill up MSG if the BE has a shot at keeping ACC/Big10 out.

The Big East That use to be a great BB conference.
To bad it no longer exists

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2

 

[Fishy]

This is lunacy... Who cares?

This isn't lunacy, it's the conference realignment board.

 

[BoatShow]

I was somewhat surprised by the numbers Fairfield took to the XL a couple years ago..........................Stamford just overtook Hartford for 3rd largest CT city....................

DUNNNNN DUNNNNNNNNNN DUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Right now I bet there are at least 10. UConn fans to each Fairfielfd fan.
It was closer in the 1970 as the stags had some entertaining teams
UConn needs to cultivate this advantage by playing an occasional game in Brifgeport
Playing a local game whetts the appetitite for more live action.
I'm a good example.
I never saw a UConn game in person until UConn playeded in New Haven. When they moved back to Hartford we followed.
If UConn wants to be Connecticut's team they should explore these options.

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[businesslawyer]

The population of Stamford has what to do with Fairfield U or its fanbase.

Fairfield and Siena would love to get in the A Ten. They have never been seriously considered. With all due respect to Dan's crazy posts from time to time, this makes most of his stupid posts look like the discovery of a cure for cancer.

 

[Adios]

CT has its fair share of holes, but Bridgeport has to take the cake.

Waterbury is worse.