Key tweets, and it's all gone to Hell.

[JayRU09]

Barclays is better than MSG but it doesn't have the same aura as MSG. I think most would agree with that.

 

[Durks07]

Barclays is better than MSG but it doesn't have the same aura as MSG. I think most would agree with that.

Haven't been to Barclays yet, but I imagine you are probably right in the sense that Barclays is nicer (as it is brand new), but MSG has the aura. Its like the new Yankees Stadium. It is very nice, much nicer than the old stadium, but it lacks a quality that the old stadium had.

 

[JayRU09]

The thing is, us being Rutgers and UCONN fans, we shouldn't think like that being the proverbial new kids on the block. Don't let the old timers have their 'auras', it just gives them an advantage that isn't real.

 

[Husky25]

Haven't been to Barclays yet, but I imagine you are probably right in the sense that Barclays is nicer (as it is brand new), but MSG has the aura. Its like the new Yankees Stadium. It is very nice, much nicer than the old stadium, but it lacks a quality that the old stadium had.

MSG Just went through a major renovation. It's not the same building it was for Taliek's 35 footer let alone the Garden in which Willis Reed played. I haven't been there for a hockey game, but the Knicks have been bad to mediocre for so long, I doubt the MSG aura exists as it did in the past.

 

[JayRU09]

It only exists in the minds of the media that is stuck in the past. The problem is that their opinions are amplified so much more than anyone else's.

 

[businesslawyer]

It only exists in the minds of the media that is stuck in the past. The problem is that their opinions are amplified so much more than anyone else's.

I couldn't disagree with that more. The atmosphere at the Garden is different.

 

[WhartonHusky]

Agree with businesslawyer...been to basketball games at most of the major arenas in America over the years and there is ABSOLUTELY nothing like MSG. Nothing is even close. The atmosphere and the electricity are evident when you are 5-10 blocks from the arena. Its NYC for gosh sake...it has no equal. You can grab a steak dinner or a slice...you can walk to MSG or take the subway....regardless, the energy is unparalleled.

Sure it's an oval shaped arena like most others, but the history is the history, regardless of the seat configuration and you feel it from jump street.

 

[BlueMAB]

I couldn't disagree with that more. The atmosphere at the Garden is different.

Haven't been to Barclay, but the Garden is special. Can't fault a Rutgers fan for not understanding that. I don't think they ever made it past Wednesday afternoon.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Agree with businesslawyer...been to basketball games at most of the major arenas in America over the years and there is ABSOLUTELY nothing like MSG. Nothing is even close. The atmosphere and the electricity are evident when you are 5-10 blocks from the arena. Its NYC for gosh sake...it has no equal. You can grab a steak dinner or a slice...you can walk to MSG or take the subway....regardless, the energy is unparalleled.

Sure it's an oval shaped arena like most others, but the history is the history, regardless of the seat configuration and you feel it from jump street.

It's interesting to see the variation in views on this. I think it is special due to the history, and is special for UConn fans because of our particular history. My first trip to MSG was for our semi-final win in the NIT, which we won the next night (while I was back on campus). So it has those kinds of memories for me.

But objectively, as a place to travel to for a game? It isn't high on my list. I think you are either a NY person or you're not. I'm not. I can't stand the city really, it's my least favorite major city of all that I've visited. But people who love NY assume everyone else does.

 

[The Funster]

Players and fans alike will say that a game in the garden is special.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

Ask Iowa State and Michigan State if there's any buzz or "aura" surrounding big games in MSG.

 

[Durks07]

Ask Iowa State and Michigan State if there's any buzz or "aura" surrounding big games in MSG.

I assume the Michigan State fans are still recovering from tinnitus

 

[ConnHuskBask]

I said I preferred MSG to the Meadowlands on the basketball board and got killed for it lol.

 

[Husky25]

I said I preferred MSG to the Meadowlands on the basketball board and got killed for it lol.

That's not why you got killed on the Basketball Board. You got killed there because you somehow think (at least you implied) that UConn had a choice of the four major venues in Greater New York City, and picked the IZOD Center, with better options available. It is true that the four major sports no longer use the IZOD Center, but it is hardly abandoned. It is still maintained for non-sporting events.

Of course MSG is great for watching basketball. but their two main tenants are well into their season by December. Same goes for the Barclays (Islanders and Nets). Any event other than the NBA or NHL probably has to be planned either well in advance or around those leagues and franchises. (I.e. they contractually get first pick). A match-up of this magnitude will most likely require a weekend date to maximize revenue, and rare is the multi-purpose arena, with both anchor tenants in season, free for a weekend date.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

I never once said I thought we had a choice.

Early reports said MSG, so when it turned out to be Meadowlands I was disappointed. The Meadowlands is a dump.

That's literally the only point I made.

 

[Husky25]

I never once said I thought we had a choice.

Early reports said MSG, so when it turned out to be Meadowlands I was disappointed. The Meadowlands is a dump.

That's literally the only point I made.

Correct. You never said it (or wrote it, as the case may be), but that was implication. Great match up, terrible venue.

Husky25 said: ↑
Perhaps MSG wasn't available. Heaven forbid we step out of our comfort zones. The Meadowlands is a relatively short drive...and now UConn can prove to the Big Ten that it owns the entire NYC DMA and not just Manhattan North. Silver linings, People.
Click to expand...

ConnHuskBask said
It's great game and still accessible for our fans. I'm just commenting on how you said it's not a big difference to you between meadow lands and the garden. To me, it's a huge difference

If I am able to go (looking good so far), my friends and I will probably meet up with my brother-in-law in North Jersey and then drive from the his house, or I will drive from somewhere in CT. Either way I'll be driving or riding in a car. I said it wasn't much of a difference because of physical location of the venue, not the venue itself.

 

[businesslawyer]

I never once said I thought we had a choice.

Early reports said MSG, so when it turned out to be Meadowlands I was disappointed. The Meadowlands is a dump.

That's literally the only point I made.

You were pissing on a good development (the neutral, metro NY game with Duke) because it wasn't perfect. You are entitled to express your opinion, but I and others thought it was over the top to be searching for a negative in a good development.

No one challenged the conclusion that MSG is a better venue for hoops than Izod.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Guys, it's a message board to express opinions about UConn. If I somehow dampened your enthusiasm by suggesting I wished initial reports of a MSG game were true as opposed to a facility I really don't like then sorry.

I wasn't trying to piss on anyone or piss on the game which I thought was clear by saying it's a great get that I'll be at regardless of location.

On to the key tweets.

 

[SAMCRO]

Directions to the Men's Basketball Forum. Drive north on your monitor to the street called Athletics. Press it, then drive south three blocks to the street called UConn Men's Basketball. Press it. You have arrived at your destination. Estimated travel time... 4 seconds.

 

[buddy]

Haven't been to Barclay, but the Garden is special. Can't fault a Rutgers fan for not understanding that. I don't think they ever made it past Wednesday afternoon.

It amazes me that people who have never been to a place can comment about it. It is like saying that Webster Bank arena is terrible because it's in Bridgeport, when most people have never been there either. You all are so provincial, it's a little sad. Yet...you all espouse such profound views...with no substance behind them! And...you can bait Rutgers all you want, and I am a UConn fan and alum, but the fact is they are in the B1G and have hit the jackpot. No amount of comments will change that, and UConn remains in purgatory.

 

[CAHUSKY]

It amazes me that people who have never been to a place can comment about it. It is like saying that Webster Bank arena is terrible because it's in Bridgeport, when most people have never been there either. You all are so provincial, it's a little sad. Yet...you all espouse such profound views...with no substance behind them! And...you can bait Rutgers all you want, and I am a UConn fan and alum, but the fact is they are in the B1G and have hit the jackpot. No amount of comments will change that, and UConn remains in purgatory.

I have never been to Barclays either but can absolutely tell you it doesn't compare with MSG for a major college basketball game. The fact Rutgers never made it past Wednesday at the BET would actually be a reason they wouldn't understand the aura. Not sure the poster you're bashing said anything that was that off base.

 

[Ha Who]

I was going to post the Andy Katz tweet about CR but the key tweet thread no longer exists. I'll keep it to myself.

 

[buddy]

I have never been to Barclays either but can absolutely tell you it doesn't compare with MSG for a major college basketball game. The fact Rutgers never made it past Wednesday at the BET would actually be a reason they wouldn't understand the aura. Not sure the poster you're bashing said anything that was that off base.

If you haven't been there, then you cannot make a statement about the venue. Period.

 

[BlueMAB]

It amazes me that people who have never been to a place can comment about it. It is like saying that Webster Bank arena is terrible because it's in Bridgeport, when most people have never been there either. You all are so provincial, it's a little sad. Yet...you all espouse such profound views...with no substance behind them! And...you can bait Rutgers all you want, and I am a UConn fan and alum, but the fact is they are in the B1G and have hit the jackpot. No amount of comments will change that, and UConn remains in purgatory.

I didn't make a single comment about Barclays other than I had never been there. I didn't express any opinion on the facility whatsoever. All I said was the Garden was special, and I don't think Rutgers fans would realize that since they rarely, if ever, saw their team play after Wednesday.
If you disagree with one of those statements, we can discuss it. If you're going to talk down to me about something I didn't even do, you can STFU, or GFY, I'll leave it in your hands. If they aren't full of JayRU's c 0 ck and balls of course.

 

[BlueMAB]

Crowds make venues. And while stadiums/arenas can amplify crowd noise and what not, what makes a place electric are the people inside the building.

While this is true, what you're not understanding is that MSG is different because it amplifies the electricity.
Because it's MSG, there is an excitement that is palpable outside the stadium and it only intensifies when the game starts. The crowds are better and more electric, because of the history, the location, because they walk in excited to be seeing their team playing at the Garden.

But what do I know, it's only called "the Mecca of basketball".