Those games in Newark were the Never Foget Tribute Classic which raises money for children of the victims of 9/11.
You’re correct. I think the big problem is that if we schedule a game in Boston, the season ticket fan base will see it as losing a marquee home game (assuming it would be a brand name school we play).
The games in NYC have typically be a part of challenges UConn was invited too (Jimmy V, Never Forget, etc) outside of the Duke game (they wouldn’t come to CT), Syracuse (made sense for both fan bases) and Nova (part of a 3 game series with a neutral site game accessible for both alumni bases).
Maybe UConn does a biannual event at the TD Garden as part of a New England basketball showcase. 1 night, 4 teams / 2 games. UConn “hosts” (aka always is a participant).
Could include schools like Harvard, Vermont, UMass, URI. Depending on who is projecting to be good that year. Would it be the best matchup in the world? No. But a neutral site game vs Vermont with a large UConn crowd should still be a win. And helps the NET / Kenpom more than Delaware State at home. And not a game the Storrs / Hartford crowd would be “mad” about losing from the home slate.
The one-off charity/showcase game angle is definitely the way to go. Just pick a charity or sponsor in Boston.100% this. Similar to what Indiana (the state) used to do with Purdue/IU/Butler/ND. Have a double header at TD Garden between UConn/PC playing a different New England school (take your pick from Harvard/UVM/BC/URI/UMass) in a single admission double header.
If the school was smart (and was losing said home game for this) you could easily include it in your Season ticket holders packages as an optional game...
The Notre Dame men's/women's doubleheader idea that's been floated around would be great in Boston. Unfortunately ND plays at BC every year since it's one of their ACC rivalries, so they might not be as interested as they might be normally. Maybe if they go to the B1G and no longer play BC every year....
I'm not as big a fan of playing the old Yankee schools. The difference is Indiana/Purdue/Butler/ND are all good teams.
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