Home and Home with Florida

[Scrutineer]

I hate being a debbie downer, but us vs. Providence at MSG is... weird.

I get Mohegan and that's an option, but I'd much rather they play the games at home each and collect all the revenue from it. MSG seems kinda dumb. Providence isn't Syracuse or Villanova.

Agree with that for several reasons:
1. PC never had many fans at the Big East back in the day and likely won't travel well now either
2. PC grads aren't smart enough to get jobs in NYC so again will have very few fans there
3. The fans that do travel from Providence will be late arriving due to stopping along the Hudson to look for the water fire displays

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

Why make it a four-year series? A deal similar to the nova one of home, home, neutral (at Mohegan) makes total sense. A game in Boston or NYC is just asking for woeful attendance, TD Garden or MSG would be at best half full. PC is a VERY small school so they don't have the sheer number of alums to fill up these large arenas.

 

[Scrutineer]

Boston makes even less sense. Why would a team from Rhode Island and a team from Connecticut give Massachusetts that gate?

Honest to god - what's with the obsession with not making money? I mean I guess i'd go, but if I have to travel, i'd literally rather travel to DD Arena and pay Providence $25 a ticket to keep the rivalry going and enjoy the campus crowds more than I'd like going to Boston and sitting behind a bunch of 70 year olds and their walkers.

I resemble that remark but haven't picked out a walker yet.

 

[Tex-Lager93]

Like this. Did just remember they are in Charleston too...so chance we play them twice.

Personally, I have a real affinity for playing out of conference foes twice in a year - usually leads to good things (i.e. Georgia Tech 03/04, Kentucky 10/11, Florida 13/14).

 

[Louis]

I don't want to play them because screw them. They wouldn't play us back when they were good with Jimmy Foster and Johnny Egan. They wouldn't play UConn until the Big East made them.

 

[Louis]

I don't want to play them because screw them. They wouldn't play us back when they were good with Jimmy Foster and Johnny Egan. They wouldn't play UConn until the Big East made them.

Jimmy Foster or Walker?

 

[HooperScooper]

Pretty sure Boston Garden holds more people than the Dunk or XL. If we want neutral site, Boston will be better than MSG by far with those two teams. Me, I'd rather 4 games in our normal arenas. The Dunk is easy for me.

18,864 for basketball at the TD Garden.

 

[bmo22]

Don't get too cocky. Have you watched them this year? Lots of big guards and forwards and no seniors. And, the guard many here lamented flipping to PC hardly plays as a sophomore.

It has nothing to do with being cocky. Thinking UConn is scared to play PC is just stupid.

The reality is most UConn fans would enjoy a matchup with PC in the near future, including me. But I wouldn’t want to sacrifice games against big-name programs like Nova, Cuse, Zona and Florida to make a matchup with PC happen.

Every program needs a certain number of home games per season, so neutral site and home-and-home opportunities are limited. If we’re having trouble finding those opportunities I’d say schedule something with PC, BC or UMass. Otherwise aim to play the bigger fish.

 

[Towney007]

It has nothing to do with being cocky. Thinking UConn is scared to play PC is just stupid.

The reality is most UConn fans would enjoy a matchup with PC in the near future, including me. But I wouldn’t want to sacrifice games against big-name programs like Nova, Cuse, Zona and Florida to make a matchup with PC happen.

Every program needs a certain number of home games per season, so neutral site and home-and-home opportunities are limited. If we’re having trouble finding those opportunities I’d say schedule something with PC, BC or UMass. Otherwise aim to play the bigger fish.

Why would PC being on the schedule prevent us from playing other big time schools? The problem isn't the difficulty of our schedule at its ceiling - it's that the floor flipping sucks. UMKC, East Carolina... why the heck are we playing Lafayette? I'm all for 3-4 bunnies to get some confidence and get our bearings. But we need to be making a more active effort to play URI's, Providence, UMass, St Joe's, VCU, St John's, Seton Hall.... Get two of those on our schedule with Arizona, Florida State, Iowa, Syracuse - and all of a sudden it starts to look pretty fun.

To boot, they're limited travel games provided they have a road trip attached to them, their fans will travel here and our fans really want some regional rivals back. And frankly - with our travel schedule, getting some high floor mid majors to Gampel with a little cultural pull is hurting no one.

 

[FartMan69]

Pretty sure Boston Garden holds more people than the Dunk or XL. If we want neutral site, Boston will be better than MSG by far with those two teams. Me, I'd rather 4 games in our normal arenas. The Dunk is easy for me.

Does TD Garden even host regular season college games anymore? It's not like UConn can just magically tell the Garden "make way for us." Also how big of a crowd do you think we would draw in Boston against a RI catholic school?

 

[FartMan69]

There is no downside to doing a series againt any P5/Big East school. Get over any weird hatred towards other schools and watch a basketball game not against the UMKC Kangaroos

 

[Guapo]

Does TD Garden even host regular season college games anymore? It's not like UConn can just magically tell the Garden "make way for us." Also how big of a crowd do you think we would draw in Boston against a RI catholic school?

*whispers* UConn would garner a larger turnout in Boston than it would in NYC

/hides

 

[bmo22]

Why would PC being on the schedule prevent us from playing other big time schools? The problem isn't the difficulty of our schedule at its ceiling - it's that the floor flipping sucks. UMKC, East Carolina... why the heck are we playing Lafayette? I'm all for 3-4 bunnies to get some confidence and get our bearings. But we need to be making a more active effort to play URI's, Providence, UMass, St Joe's, VCU, St John's, Seton Hall.... Get two of those on our schedule with Arizona, Florida State, Iowa, Syracuse - and all of a sudden it starts to look pretty fun.

To boot, they're limited travel games provided they have a road trip attached to them, their fans will travel here and our fans really want some regional rivals back. And frankly - with our travel schedule, getting some high floor mid majors to Gampel with a little cultural pull is hurting no one.

The games you listed (Lafayette) don’t require an away game next year. If we did all home-and-home series in the non-conference we’d end up with something like 5-6 non-conference home games instead of 8-9. The school is not going to go for that. Unless you want to sacrifice the 3 games we play in early season tournaments (Maui, 2K, etc.) there’s no way around it.

I agree I would like to play better regional teams like PC, URI, etc. but if we can only schedule 2-3 home-and-homes or neutral games per season I’d rather play blue blood schools any day over the those regional ones. It brings more exposure to the program.

With that said, if those schools are willing to come to UConn without a return game then I’m all for replacing the cupcakes. They wouldn’t agree to that though.

You’re as good as the company you keep and I don’t want UConn to be UMass.

 

[Storrs South]

*whispers* UConn would garner a larger turnout in Boston than it would in NYC

/hides

There are more UConn alumni in Boston so I would tend to agree, even with the history UConn has at MSG that attracts alumni to the games. The only way this wouldn't happen is that mass transit is an easy option to get to NYC while Boston you either drive or take Amtrak.

 

[Guapo]

There are more UConn alumni in Boston so I would tend to agree, even with the history UConn has at MSG that attracts alumni to the games. The only way this wouldn't happen is that mass transit is an easy option to get to NYC while Boston you either drive or take Amtrak.

I also think that UConn playing a neutral site game in Boston is relatively novel to the alumni and fans in the area and points north which would motivate them to go whereas UConn plays multiple games in the NYC area for that alumni so the event isn’t as novel.

 

[HooperScooper]

Does TD Garden even host regular season college games anymore? It's not like UConn can just magically tell the Garden "make way for us." Also how big of a crowd do you think we would draw in Boston against a RI catholic school?

With an open date they would do it. A few years ago there was a doubleheader with UConn playing Gonzaga and PC and BC playing on the undercard.

 

[FartMan69]

With an open date they would do it. A few years ago there was a doubleheader with UConn playing Gonzaga and PC and BC playing on the undercard.

Wasn't that like 2009?

 

[UconnU]

Wasn't that like 2009?

Wasn’t that when we lost on a buzzer beater to zaga?

 

[Brochacho]

Wasn’t that when we lost on a buzzer beater to zaga?

2009 was the game in Seattle 2008 was the year we lost at TD Garden

 

[Tenspro2002]

Love the Florida series. We need more H/H series against the top 1/3 of the P6, even better one with championship pedigree.

 

[BlueMAB]

View attachment 37131
wHaT do THeY geT OuT of PLaYiNG uS?

We get a lot. We get a drivable road game for our fans, especially fans like me in the Boston area. We get a potentially decent RPI team, and at least somebody who's name looks better than UMKC. Plus there is good will. They didn't help up get in the ACC last time. Do you think we might want as many friends in the ACC as possible for the next time? Forget the past. Look forward and let that determine our actions.

Side note: love the Florida games. Great idea.

“Didn’t help us”???

They blocked us. They can eat tihs and die.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Does TD Garden even host regular season college games anymore? It's not like UConn can just magically tell the Garden "make way for us." Also how big of a crowd do you think we would draw in Boston against a RI catholic school?

Bigger than we’d draw in NYC agaisnt the same school. UConn is closer to Boston than NY.

 

[HuskyHawk]

“Didn’t help us”???

They blocked us. They can eat tihs and die.

Yes. The definition of living in the past. They are in a position to help or hurt. The AD is gone. I say mend anything we can in hopes that they help next time instead of blocking.

 

[zls44]

We need more H/H series against the top 1/3 of the P6, even better one with championship pedigree.

Getting tougher and tougher to do...

 

[superjohn]

Well yeah, they're all from new jersey

Funny you should say that, my cousin married a Miami grad from Jersey. His family are big boosters for the program, the coach was even at the wedding in Coconut Grove. The whole family is annoying, all they talked about was money and Miami football.

 

[zls44]

I prefer Hartford for most games but Florida should be in Gampel.

Way to tell on yourself.

 

[intlzncster]

College bball is doing just fine without Gtown, it's not like the nba without the knicks.

but i'd prefer gtown over PC too for the DMV exposure. Hurley wants to get that pipeline flowing again.

The NBA hasn't had the Knicks (really) for decades. It's doing fine too.

As you say, it's a good area to be relevant in.

 

[BlueMAB]

Yes. The definition of living in the past. They are in a position to help or hurt. The AD is gone. I say mend anything we can in hopes that they help next time instead of blocking.

Do you not understand why they blocked us? They aren’t going to let us in. It’s up to the rest of the ACC to convince them to vote for us. It won’t be because we played them in basketball and football.

 

[BlueMAB]

The coach decides game locations? Not the AD?

 

[Ajs120102]

The coach decides game locations? Not the AD?

Gotta imagine AD. But I’m sure Hurley has a say