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UMass > MAC for all sports in 2025-2026

UConnJim said:
I live in Mass and have friends who went to UMass. None of them think this is a good move.
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Speaks volumes of the type of friends you have. lol. Sure they don't understand the finances at the G5 level. No more Davidson College, or Gola arena and flying to Buffalo and then busing down to Olean etc. Basketball has a dozen OOC games so they become more important. That is how Cal built UMass up.
 
Steve1981 said:
Speaks volumes of the type of friends you have. lol. Sure they don't understand the finances at the G5 level. No more Davidson College, or Gola arena and flying to Buffalo and then busing down to Olean etc. Basketball has a dozen OOC games so they become more important. That is how Cal built UMass up.
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When Cal got it going, the A10 included Temple, West Virginia, Rhode Island, Rutgers, St. Joe's, ... Much more interesting than the current A10 and way more interesting than the MAC. Do you think fans will be excited to see Akron, Central Michigan, ,,, I understand that UMass was in a tough position with no good choices, but it will be tough to build excitement in Amherst in either football or basketball.
 
UConnJim said:
When Cal got it going, the A10 included Temple, West Virginia, Rhode Island, Rutgers, St. Joe's, ... Much more interesting than the current A10 and way more interesting than the MAC. Do you think fans will be excited to see Akron, Central Michigan, ,,, I understand that UMass was in a tough position with no good choices, but it will be tough to build excitement in Amherst in either football or basketball.
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If they are consistently in the Big Dance, there will be excitement.
 
ScottVib said:
If they win, the attendance will take care of itself.
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This.

The Yard often makes success in college sports some nebulous, mystical, annd unknowable outcome based on hundreds of material and immaterial concepts. It might be a coping mechanism for a decade and a half of being passed over, not sure. Yes, success in college sports is complex, but if you win a bunch of games it tends to work itself out
 
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dayooper said:
If they are consistently in the Big Dance, there will be excitement.
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Define consistently. MAC basketball is extremely underwhelming so that alone will not bring fans to Amherst to see east, west and central Michigan with a touch of Bowling Green and Toledo. The only way fans will care and show up is if UMass is dominating that league and flirting with the Top 25. The winner of the MAC postseason tourney is realistically the only way for the league to get bid to the NCAAT. Once every 4 years would be pretty consistent and that wont lead to sustained excitement there in that conference. UMass wont be getting Cross, Diggins, etc. to play for them in the MAC
 
Vuce said:
Define consistently. MAC basketball is extremely underwhelming so that alone will not bring fans to Amherst to see east, west and central Michigan with a touch of Bowling Green and Toledo. The only way fans will care and show up is if UMass is dominating that league and flirting with the Top 25. The winner of the MAC postseason tourney is realistically the only way for the league to get bid to the NCAAT. Once every 4 years would be pretty consistent and that wont lead to sustained excitement there in that conference. UMass wont be getting Cross, Diggins, etc. to play for them in the MAC
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Yet being in the A10 has not been successful. 1 NCAA tournament since 1998, didn’t make the tournament the year they went 24-9 and were A10 regular season co-champs and their attendance has been dismal since 2014.

Over the last 6 years, they have had 3 games (out of 93) that over 5000 attended (53%) and are averaging just under 4000 this year. They haven’t sold out since their last tournament year of 2014. What they have been doing isn’t working for them.

If they are that much better than the other MAC programs (which many of you are saying they are), going on consecutive tournament appearances should be the norm. Winning solves everything and putting winning teams on the court will bring attendance up and increase fan interest.
 
With a10 down to 14, they probably add 2. Who?

Big gap between Richmond/VCU and Davidson, so maybe someone from the CAA.
 
dayooper said:
Yet being in the A10 has not been successful. 1 NCAA tournament since 1998, didn’t make the tournament the year they went 24-9 and were A10 regular season co-champs and their attendance has been dismal since 2014.

Over the last 6 years, they have had 3 games (out of 93) that over 5000 attended (53%) and are averaging just under 4000 this year. They haven’t sold out since their last tournament year of 2014. What they have been doing isn’t working for them.

If they are that much better than the other MAC programs (which many of you are saying they are), going on consecutive tournament appearances should be the norm. Winning solves everything and putting winning teams on the court will bring attendance up and increase fan interest.
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They are only better than MAC teams right now because they are getting A10
caliber players which is worlds better than the MAC. When they move to the MAC, they will get MAC players and play MAC teams from Michigan and Ohio and people
will care less than they do now.
 
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Vuce said:
They are only better than MAC teams right now because they are getting A10
caliber players which is worlds better than the MAC. When they move to the MAC, they will get MAC players and play MAC teams from Michigan and Ohio and people
will care less than they do now.
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Can they care less?

Winning solves all.
 
dayooper said:
Can they care less?

Winning solves all.
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UMass will need to get bids at the rate they did when Calipari was there for people around here to care about the flotsam
and jetsam in the MAC. Good luck with that and yes they can care less
 
Vowelguy said:
Dumb article beyond belief.
No planet on which DePaul or Temple are going to the A10.
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Temple isn't leaving. They value football. UMass Lowell is having problems and is firing the athletic director

Edit. I am a Lowell alum and uconn phd
 
Looks like we've arrived at the consensus that this move could be good for UMass if they can get to the tournament every other year to be smacked by Iowa State or Wisconsin in a 3-14 game.
 
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Tyler2Rings said:
Looks like we've arrived at the consensus that this move could be good for UMass if they can get to the tournament every other year to be smacked by Iowa State or Wisconsin in a 3-14 game.
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The last time UMass was in the dance 2014 they got smacked by Tenn 86-67 in the 6-11 game
UMass was the #6!
 
UConn is the opposite of everyone else, but the Big East is worth it and can still hope for a P5 opening. UMass is places it's chips with football as the A10 - bids and media contract doesn't make it worth it to sacrifice football. This move will help and other than the basketball, which does have 4 teams that I like (Toledo, Akron, Ohio, Kent State) is a solid move. Oh yeah, Women's lacrosse is in the same boat, but much easier to schedule quality OOC games.
 
FYI: Today at 11am


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Very excited to join MACtion, the conference of rivals. We'll have Buffalo

Massachusetts Athletics Joins the MAC
How to Watch the Introductory Press Conference

The University of Massachusetts will host an introductory press conference at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 7 at the Martin Jacobson Football Performance Center.

Hear from Chancellor Javier Reyes, Director of Athletics Ryan Bamford, MAC Commissioner John Steinbrecher, Head Football Coach Don Brown and Head Men's Basketball Coach Frank Martin on our move to the Mid-American Conference.

The press conference is open to media and invited guests only. It will be live streamed for the public on YouTube, UMassAthletics.com and ESPN+. To tune in, click the buttons Above in this post.

Another attractive component for the MAC, according to other sources familiar with the decision, was that “there were more schools in the MAC that looked like UMass”, not just from an institutional perspective, but from an athletic budget and support perspective.​

So what happens next? What does this mean for the A-10, MAC, and CUSA?​

​
 
Vowelguy said:
Remember how everyone, me included, thought UConn MBB would dominate the AAC?
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We didn't have a good head coach at the time.

Frank Martin is a terrific coach and has UMASS playing well in his second year. If they can keep him there they will have a good chance of dominating the MAC.
 
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From the press conference.........

"The opportunity to add Massachusetts was simply too great to pass up." - MAC Commissioner Steinbrecher

"A place to grow and thrive moving forward." - UMass Athletic Director Ryan Bamford

"The best of both worlds." - UMass Chancellor Javier Reyes on the stability and partnership in both athletics and academics that the MAC provides
 
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