Home Court Advantage Issue

[gampelcrazies]

The crowds are low because UConn fans were spoiled. UConn is very similar to the Yankees.

 

[Brochacho]

I'd be willing to bet that, proportionately, our road record in the last ten years is more aligned with other blue blood programs than our home record (I'm open to anybody who wants to prove me wrong). At some point, it becomes a valid conversation.

Last 9 seasons + 15/16:
Kansas: 67-29
UNC: 63-36
Duke: 58-33
UK: 49-44
UCLA: 46-46
UConn: 44-50
Indiana: 30-66

 

[BKLYN]

14 Home L's from 2003-2009 and since 2010 we have 25. The student section gets weaker and weaker every year. The arenas looks half empty on TV. We basically have no home court advantage anymore. It's sad and pathetic. Any students read the boneyard that can explain this? Are the Husky Hard Cores no more? What is going on?


2003 - 2
2004 - 1
2005 - 3
2006 - 0
2007 - 5
2008 - 1
2009 - 2
2010 -4
2011 -4
2012 -4
2013 -3
2014 -3
2015 -6
2016 -1

That 2006 team was unbelievable. Still not over that George Mason loss, and never will be.

 

[Palatine]

14 Home L's from 2003-2009 and since 2010 we have 25. The student section gets weaker and weaker every year. The arenas looks half empty on TV. We basically have no home court advantage anymore. It's sad and pathetic. Any students read the boneyard that can explain this? Are the Husky Hard Cores no more? What is going on?


2003 - 2
2004 - 1
2005 - 3
2006 - 0
2007 - 5
2008 - 1
2009 - 2
2010 -4
2011 -4
2012 -4
2013 -3
2014 -3
2015 -6
2016 -1

So I take it you graduated in 2009 and are absolving yourself of any blame.

 

[Wise2]

1. AAC competition sucks. Keeps people at home.
2. Team is not as dominant in regular season as it was during Calhoun's era. People are motivated by being ranked top 10.
3. Quality of basketball we play lately is abysmal.

Actually, the 1 one reason for the decline is TV. Every game is on now in HD and everyone has a 60 inch LED 4K TV. Why sit up in the 200s, when the game is so life like right in front of you. TV, Couch, beer in hand. It's like you have court side seats.

No long drive
No finding parking
No Cold snow weather
No bad seat

Look at our attendance and you will see the decline started about 10 years ago. the other 3 are only exacerbating the situation

I still have season tickets, but I have trouble finding anyone to go with me. Even my wife has decided she doesn't want to drive up to Storrs anymore.

 

[kemba]

It's just we've lost more games in general. Nothing wrong with the crowds, they are pumped for big games, not so loud for bad opponents. No different than before. It's not like the crowds used to be great for the bottom tier Big East games. People were definitely making threads on here complaining about the crowds for Seton Hall and Rutgers back in the Big east days.

 

[intlzncster]

While I agree that playing in the AAC blows, I don't think it has anything to do with home court advantage. Obviously the crowds aren't as rowdy as they were in the Big East days, but the teams are also a lot worse. Losing to AAC teams is more akin to losing to mid-majors in the OOC schedule back in the day; of course, many of these teams - like Temple, Memphis, etc. - are good enough to beat us but not good enough to generate any type of urgency from either the players or fans. Sometimes, that's the worst combination.

On that note, the thing I hate the most about this conference is the way the games begin to resemble chores more than opportunities. Virtually every game UConn is expected to win - whether they've actually won those games or not is another question - and as a result winning is lukewarm and losing is disastrous. The best part about being a fan is the euphoria you feel during and after big, meaningful victories. You don't get that in the AAC...you would get it a couple times a year in the Big East even during down years. Even the games against ranked SMU teams...it's still SMU.

None of that is an excuse. For whatever reason, this team doesn't take care of business at home like some of the other elite programs, and I've been harping on that for a while. Kansas and Duke never lose at home. And while those two programs represent a possibly unrealistic standard, it sucks that we can't get there or at least close to it. Don't tell me it's just because we lose more than those programs. We lost a combined seven home games during our last two national championship seasons. Our 2014 squad lost to duck*ing Stanford and SMU.

I'd be willing to bet that, proportionately, our road record in the last ten years is more aligned with other blue blood programs than our home record (I'm open to anybody who wants to prove me wrong). At some point, it becomes a valid conversation.

And let's not pretend crowd support hadn't fallen off since the 90s. When they were just getting good, everyone and their mom was going to games. That interest and the program's success drew corporate sponsors. Corporate Sponsors bought out a LOT of tickets, and then (in)conveniently didn't and don't show up to games. The program is reaping the 'rewards' of it's own success.

Double down with all the points you mention, and you get what you get.

 

[David 76]

I love when people who weren't at a game complain about the game crowd.

Also not sure everyone knows that the real BE is done. We didn't walk away from it. We can't go back. It ended.

Now what?

 

[gampelcrazies]

During the later years of the Big East fans didn't show up as well. The true season ticket holders would show up but fair weather fans would only show up for games against Syracuse, Louisville and Georgetown.

 

[John]

During the later years of the Big East fans didn't show up as well. The true season ticket holders would show up but fair weather fans would only show up for games against Syracuse, Louisville and Georgetown.

exactly. And we don't even have that anymore.

 

[intlzncster]

I love when people who weren't at a game complain about the game crowd.

Also not sure everyone knows that the real BE is done. We didn't walk away from it. We can't go back. It ended.

Now what?

Now we are stuck in this sh_tty conference and we all get to wallow in our bitterness. Should we get over it? It certainly would add to my enjoyment of MCBB. But I'm not finished wallowing.

 

[David 76]

After The Dream Season in 90, the worst tickets for the worst games were hard to get. That continued a long time. But it slowed and even multiple NCs didn't return it.

The exact same thing happened after the women won in 95. Weak games sold out for years. And now it is only the biggest games that sell out.

 

[David 76]

Now we are stuck in this sh_tty conference and we all get to wallow in our bitterness. Should we get over it? It certainly would add to my enjoyment of MCBB. But I'm not finished wallowing.

I hope people move on. It's like complaining about a bad divorce years later.

 

[intlzncster]

I hope people move on. It's like complaining about a bad divorce years later.

Not to mention, it has been over-analyzed to death. And there's no more value in that analysis. It's merely parroting at this point.

 

[Uconn77Duke74]

50 point games have a way of crushing the life out of a crowd.

 

[JimHurley]

Pumped:
Memphis
Cincinnati
(I hate both these teams)

Somewhat Pumped:
SMU
Houston (maybe)

Nope:
Everyone else

 

[UofCT]

So I take it you graduated in 2009 and are absolving yourself of any blame.

Well 2009 was the last great regular season UConn had, has nothing to do with me graduating then.

 

[UofCT]

Good job...BY has now covered all the bases of blaming KO, the players and now the students. Get lost.

The student section has been a disgrace this season.

 

[gtcam]

Basketball is a winter sport and the weather along with the huge advances in TV quality and the high price of every sporting event has played a huge part in attendance issues.
That being said, IF UConn were to get into the Big12, unlike the old BE, the rivalries will not be as geographically attractive. Will it draw more fans? Most likely.
Part of the old BE love/lore was knowing a decent season got you to the Garden and that tournament at season's end, I still consider the old BE tournament to be one of the finest sports events every year. Would it be as good in Kansas or Iowa?
UConn needs to get some players that are going to excite people and it starts with the PG. Will JA be the one? I'm hoping so but not convinced.
While I do respect KO, his pro style offense is not suited for the talent level he has. He needs to create some offensive sets that include movement for this team. If he can't and if the ACs on the bench can't then someone needs to move on. The game Tuesday night was one of the most hideous things I have seen watching UConn since the mid 60's.
The excitement needs to return, however, moving to a P5 will mean an improvement in opponents so UConn has to improve.
I've said this before, as of late, when UConn takes the floor it looks like men vs boys. Other teams have bigger and stronger players in nearly every position - it makes a difference.
This conference is a drag for sure. But it isn't like UConn MBB is lighting the league on fire.
A program that wins 4 NCs in 15 years needs to look better than what I have seen this year and last.

 

[JimHurley]

The student section has been a disgrace this season.

Not sure why. All student tickets were sold out except Women's XL.

 

[Kitaman]

The issue last night certainly wasn't the crowd. The team gave zero point zero reasons for anyone to look off their smartphone.

Even at home, my wife didn't even know I had the TV on, let alone watching my favorite team. I was distracted multi-tasking in the 2nd half, which I rarely ever do.

 

[UConNick]

The student section has been a disgrace this season.

I'll try not to take that as a personal insult.

But the students are the same as normal fans, so the reasoning behind this has already been stated in the thread. They are a bunch of fair weather f-ckers. And it pains me like nothing else. We'll represent when a big game happens, like Ohio St., but show some alarming apathy when it's just an average or below average opponent. Not to mention there hasn't been a Gampel game in a month, where student presence is always stronger for obvious reasons. And then of course, it's also currently break, and that also slashes the student section. Nevertheless, I'm excited to see how tomorrow is when we have a game against a recognizable name on campus.

 

[Kitaman]

I'll try not to take that as a personal insult.

But the students are the same as normal fans, so the reasoning behind this has already been stated in the thread. They are a bunch of fair weather f-ckers. And it pains me like nothing else. We'll represent when a big game happens, like Ohio St., but show some alarming apathy when it's just an average or below average opponent. Not to mention there hasn't been a Gampel game in a month, where student presence is always stronger for obvious reasons. And then of course, it's also currently break, and that also slashes the student section. Nevertheless, I'm excited to see how tomorrow is when we have a game against a recognizable name on campus.

I'm not a student any more, but I will say our student fans rock! Even moreso they should be credited with quite a number of our victories. Students will cheer loudly against average/below average teams as long as the team is kicking their arse.

Anyway posters should be blaming some of us old farts at the game, but not the 'proud to be a UConn fan' students (they get it).

 

[intlzncster]

Even at home, my wife didn't even know I had the TV on, let alone watching my favorite team. I was distracted multi-tasking in the 2nd half, which I rarely ever do.

That's just self preservation.