OT: St. John’s considering playing fewer games at Madison Square Garden

[tcf15]

Just as we're set to return...

St. John’s considering playing fewer games at Madison Square Garden

The biggest win of the year for St. John’s came at Carnesecca Arena. The Red Storm also beat Providence there and nearly knocked off Butler. At the Garden, however, St. John’s blew late leads again…

nypost.com

“You can’t predict wins or losses based on the venue, but we feel like we need to put ourselves in the best position to win every game,” athletic director Mike Cragg told The Post on Friday, as St. John’s was preparing to close the regular season against Marquette on Saturday afternoon at the Garden (Noon, Ch. 9). “We had more games at the Garden this year, and I don’t think it was a bad decision. But it’s something that we definitely are evaluating and plan to recalibrate for next year.

“[Carnesecca] is definitely unique. It’s a place where the energy and excitement can really help a team. I anticipate we’ll have less games at the Garden next year, for sure.”

 

[g_smith]

They don’t want to play UConn at MSG. That’s what this is about.

 

[Caronimo]

They don’t want to play UConn at MSG. That’s what this is about.

True but anticipate they might for ticket sales

 

[Hi-Low]

They don’t want to play UConn at MSG. That’s what this is about.

They are afraid UConn fans will make it a UConn home game....let's hope we get an MSG game with them but won't hold my breath.

 

[UConnTrumbull]

I would think the ticket sales of UConn at MSG outweighs the home court advantage at Carnesecca but who knows

 

[Marat]

Remember Jarvis and MSG ticketgate for UConn ? I had to buy tickets directly from their athletic office.

 

[scotty0330]

I think the Xavier and Marquette games would be more likely to move to campus. Nova, UConn and seton hall (if hoyas turnaround) based on proximity to nYC and caliber of program would likely stay at MSG one would have to believe.

 

[gampelcrazies]

There’s not a chance the UConn game is at Carnesecca

 

[RichZ]

Remember Jarvis and MSG ticketgate for UConn ? I had to buy tickets directly from their athletic office.

The first thing I thought of when I saw this item. Satan and Ticketgate.

 

[CL82]

I always thought it was weird they played their games at one of our home courts.

 

[Ts5034]

Not sure exactly how many games St John’s played at MSG this year, but in the past, I thought they always did play more games on campus, and MSG was only for the heavy weights. For us, Gampel/XL is pretty much an even split every year, but I thought St John’s only played like 7-8 games at MSG in the first place. Even if they are going to play less games there, you would think UConn, Georgetown, Villanova, and Seton Hall will be guaranteed MSG games.

 

[Palatine]

The Johnnies stoppped playing UConn at the Garden years ago. It was embarrassing.

 

[Devland]

Can I enter MSG through the employee entrance? .

 

[Milo65]

The Johnnies stoppped playing UConn at the Garden years ago. It was embarrassing.

The weekend games were epic, MSG was filled with UConn fans, then they moved the games to weekdays.

 

[navery12]

Not sure exactly how many games St John’s played at MSG this year, but in the past, I thought they always did play more games on campus, and MSG was only for the heavy weights. For us, Gampel/XL is pretty much an even split every year, but I thought St John’s only played like 7-8 games at MSG in the first place. Even if they are going to play less games there, you would think UConn, Georgetown, Villanova, and Seton Hall will be guaranteed MSG games.

Not sure about out of conference but Big East they're 1-4 at MSG this year

 

[MadMax1999]

It's quite a conundrum, similar to one that we have. Even though I am a student I do prefer the XL Center (although the atmposhphere Thursday was amazing). Another 5k people can make a difference and I feel the XL Center fans are better about knowing when to stand and clap. But if the program isn't doing amazing, it might make sense for St. John's to move away from MSG.

 

[LIuconn]

Gotta think the amount of money to rent MSG each game has something to do with this

 

[gsmooth]

Remember Jarvis and MSG ticketgate for UConn ? I had to buy tickets directly from their athletic office.

I remember Mike Jarvis very well when he coached St. John's from 1998-2003.

Someone tell me about ticketgate-I don't about this.

 

[mussels]

The UConn /St Johns Garden thing started on January 30,1999 - a Saturday game. Number 9 Johnnies (with Eric Barkley and Ron Artest AKA Metta World Peace), allegedly hosting the number 1 Huskies (you know that cast).

The place was filled and at least half the arena was UConn Fans. Was a game of runs and instead of taking on a home/visitor dynamic, it had the feel of a Big East Tourney game where half the place goes nuts when one team makes a run, and then the other half goes nuts when the other team does. Listening to the U-C-O-N-N chant at home apparently got to Jarvis, and he did make some comments after the game.

Seeing the potential cash cow, they instituted a policy whereby if you wanted to buy tickets for St Johns/UConn you had to buy a package that included two other games. It was kind of a shame because St Johns never had another team of that caliber, and the package deal probably did keep some UConn fans away. Unfortunate when a couple of years later they retired Louie Carnesecca's sweater at a UConn game and the place was maybe half full.

 

[Ajs120102]

It would be a malpractice as an AD not to schedule UConn at MSG. There is no chance it’s going to queens. MSG is going to probably make them do it anyways if they continue to play there. 4 games- seton hall, Villanova, Georgetown, UConn and an non conference matchup. Rest at queens. Guarantee that will happen.

 

[gsmooth]

The UConn /St Johns Garden thing started on January 30,1999 - a Saturday game. Number 9 Johnnies (with Eric Barkley and Ron Artest AKA Metta World Peace), allegedly hosting the number 1 Huskies (you know that cast).

The place was filled and at least half the arena was UConn Fans. Was a game of runs and instead of taking on a home/visitor dynamic, it had the feel of a Big East Tourney game where half the place goes nuts when one team makes a run, and then the other half goes nuts when the other team does. Listening to the U-C-O-N-N chant at home apparently got to Jarvis, and he did make some comments after the game.

Seeing the potential cash cow, they instituted a policy whereby if you wanted to buy tickets for St Johns/UConn you had to buy a package that included two other games. It was kind of a shame because St Johns never had another team of that caliber, and the package deal probably did keep some UConn fans away. Unfortunate when a couple of years later they retired Louie Carnesecca's sweater at a UConn game and the place was maybe half full.

Thanks a bunch for your explanation. I remember that game very well as St. John's went up by 12 in the second half and it wasn't looking too good, but we know all about how great that UConn team was and how that game turned out. That game was 9 days after St. John's hosted Duke at MSG and lost in OT. I remember watching that UConn-St. John's game from Boston on my TV as I was a student at Northeastern University. My dad still had season tickets to the UConn games and I frequently drove back to see games at Gampel and the Civic Center as every game was treated like the Super Bowl due to the burden of great expectations.

Enough about memory lane, back to ticketgate. That's terrible. UConn-St.John's is a cash cow. That's so pathetic and petty of Jarvis. I agree with Ajs20102. With the rent deal that St. John's has with MSG, I can't imagine MSG allowing Seton Hall, Villanova, Georgetown, and UConn to play in Jamaica, Queens, no way.

Mike Jarvis and Jim Calhoun I remember didn't get along ever since when Calhoun coached Northeastern and Jarvis coached Boston University. I can see why. Mike Jarvis always seemed to have that prickly personality

 

[UConnDad]

Jarvis at some point wouldn’t allow our games at the Garden to be played on the weekend. Just to make it tougher for us to attend they were scheduled for weekdays.

 

[Rasputin]

I remember being very angry at St John's and Jarvis when they did this. However, in retrospect, those NYC trips did tremendous amounts of damage to my liver, so making it impossible for me to go probably extended my life.

 

[Ts5034]

My only UConn/St John’s experience was the time we played them at MSG in 2011. That was the game we lost by like 18. We had a good amount of fans in the building for that one, but STJ had a lot more. I remember that crowd being somewhat hostile, and for the first and only time, it felt like I was actually in enemy territory at Madison Square Garden. I cannot recall another game Ive attended at MSG where we were so outnumbered.

 

[Jaker]

Sounds like they are skeered!