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UMass > MAC for all sports in 2025-2026

Bongo Fury said:
Their lack of winning is more of a detriment than conference. I’ve heard more talk about Miami OH than any A10 team this year. Fans here are generally casual. Win and they will come back.
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Yeah and it takes a MAC team going undefeated into the last month of the regular season for anyone to talk about them and their power rating is 90. The casuals aren’t coming back for the MAC unless UMass wins really big like Calipari era big and that ain’t happening
 
Vuce said:
Yeah that’s why they have less season ticket holders by a lot and donors too. They will need to dominate the MAC like Gonzaga does the WCC and have multiple NCAA tournament appearances for people to buy in again. It won’t do the trick to beat Eastern Michigan and Bowling Green a few more times than they beat St Joe’s and VCU. I know someone in the admin there and they are giving away tickets to youth organizations this year to get people in the building so it doesn’t look as bad. It’s similar to what was going on the last two Ollie years in the AAC except the MAC is much much worse
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If you don't believe UMass can dominate the MAC or bring 9,000 people to a game, you should probably find a new team to root for. I suppose that is why you are on the Boneyard rather than UMass Hoops. Those people are more optimistic. At least UMass should be able to dominate the MAC. It would still be a sub .500 team in the Atlantic 10 with no chance of digging out. Even St. Louis which is 21-1 and 9-0 in the Atlantic 10 isn't considered a lock for the dance. UMass's chances of making the dance in the next few years are far better in the MAC. The MAC is a gift horse.
 
Kolumbo said:
If you don't believe UMass can dominate the MAC or bring 9,000 people to a game, you should probably find a new team to root for. I suppose that is why you are on the Boneyard rather than UMass Hoops. Those people are more optimistic. At least UMass should be able to dominate the MAC. It would still be a sub .500 team in the Atlantic 10 with no chance of digging out. Even St. Louis which is 21-1 and 9-0 in the Atlantic 10 isn't considered a lock for the dance. UMass's chances of making the dance in the next few years are far better in the MAC. The MAC is a gift horse.
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I never said I was a UMass fan. I’ve lived in western MA my whole life and my dad is a grad and I’ve been to a lot of games there over the years and also know a ton of UMass grads. They aren’t bringing anywhere near 9k for MAC games now or in the future because the league is horrendous. Regular season games don’t matter in the MAC save for qualifying for the postseason conference tournament. If the season ended today St Louis is a lock for the tournament with a NET of 16. But you are correct any program including UMass has a better chance in the MAC because it’s terrible
 
Vuce said:
I never said I was a UMass fan. I’ve lived in western MA my whole life and my dad is a grad and I’ve been to a lot of games there over the years and also know a ton of UMass grads. They aren’t bringing anywhere near 9k for MAC games now or in the future because the league is horrendous. Regular season games don’t matter in the MAC save for qualifying for the postseason conference tournament. If the season ended today St Louis is a lock for the tournament with a NET of 16. But you are correct any program including UMass has a better chance in the MAC because it’s terrible
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That explains it then. UMass fans actually have an appreciation for the team despite your relying on your season ticket holder friends. I'll bet you even they are more interested than they let on, or they were never fans to begin with. It doesn't even make sense why you spend so much time bashing them. It's not like they're syracuse.

"Yesterday was big. Central Michigan has looked better lately, beating Eastern and Bowling Green in their last two. If we can get that one on Tuesday, and get to 6 wins with 6 conference games remaining, I'll feel a lot better about our place in the standings. It's starting to feel like we'll get the 6th or 7th spot, but I think we have a shot at 5th if we finish strong. It'll be tough with Akron, a Miami rematch, and Bowling Green on the road, but we're 5-2 since starting 0-4. As mediocre as things might feel right now, we've actually done pretty well since that terrible start."

 
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Kolumbo said:
That explains it then. UMass fans actually have an appreciation for the team despite your relying on your season ticket holder friends. I'll bet you even they are more interested than they let on, or they were never fans to begin with. It doesn't even make sense why you spend so much time bashing them. It's not like they're syracuse.

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They are so interested 6 of the guys I golf with gave up their season tickets just like many others did when they found out they chose to move into the MAC. Yeah they were never fans to begin with but went to games for decades before this. It doesn’t even make sense why you are twisting yourself into a pretzel defending this conference change for them. It’s not like they’re UConn.
 
What they were doing wasn’t working or sustainable. Gone are the glory days of battling Temple. A10 and MAC are both somewhat irrelevant. MAC is likely a better option for football. Imagine Some UConn fans would be disappointed if UConn were to leave the BE for the betterment of the program such as a P4 league.
 
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What people forget is that during the season of UMass' Final Four run, UMass played a great out of conference schedule:

OOC with the opponent's ranking at the time:
1. Kentucky
19. Maryland
Florida
10. Wake Forest
BC
UNC Wilmington
21. Georgia Tech
NC State
USC
13. Syracuse
3. Memphis

Even though UMass is in the MAC, they can become relevant in basketball again if they invest in basketball and then play a tough OOC schedule. Time will tell.
 
Bongo Fury said:
Imagine Some UConn fans would be disappointed if UConn were to leave the BE for the betterment of the program such as a P4 league
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Well maybe just one guy...
IMG_6310.jpeg
 
UMass is not worth worrying about - they’re a mid-major and live in a different world. A game with 5,000 fans is a good turnout going forward.

Can they dominate the MAC? Nope. Can they have some good seasons? Sure, but good will be relative. There will never be another relevant season from UMass basketball.

I feel badly for them - I don’t think any of what happened to them was anything but a shame.
 
UMass managed to beat Florida State and almost beat Miami, so they are not a dumpster fire on the court. They’ve been allergic to defense for years, though.
 
uconnbaseball said:
UMass managed to beat Florida State and almost beat Miami, so they are not a dumpster fire on the court. They’ve been allergic to defense for years, though.
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Florida State is complete ass.

UMass is .500 in the the 15th best conference in America.

They're very bad.
 
Bongo Fury said:
What they were doing wasn’t working or sustainable. Gone are the glory days of battling Temple. A10 and MAC are both somewhat irrelevant. MAC is likely a better option for football. Imagine Some UConn fans would be disappointed if UConn were to leave the BE for the betterment of the program such as a P4 league.
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Right. The thing they will definitely have less of is fan interest and donors both of which have already happened. There were over 7,000 empty seats at their home game last night. If UConn left the Big East for a P4, we’d still have sold our arenas and lots of fan interest, media attention, etc. UMass has less of everything in the MAC. It’s awful and a shame to see what’s happened
 
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Vuce said:
Right. The thing they will definitely have less of is fan interest and donors both of which have already happened. There were over 7,000 empty seats at their home game last night. If UConn left the Big East for a P4, we’d still have sold our arenas and lots of fan interest, media attention, etc. UMass has less of everything in the MAC. It’s awful and a shame to see what’s happened
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I doesn’t seem like they have had fan interest and donors in 25 years.
 
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Hoophound said:
Flagships of major states are not supposed to be in the MAC. Before anyone tells me that Buffalo is a flagship, I know, but you get my point.
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meh buffalo is not a flagship. you are fine.
I am from NY and there isn't really a clear one, like CT or MA.

you'll never convince a NY-based college sports fan (the few that exist) that their allegiance shall be to Stony Brook, Albany, or Buffalo. The schools THEMSELVES don't even care about their teams, why the heck should NY residents?

This is why everyone, even private Universities, keep up the marketing/advertising battle for ownership of NY... I remember there was once an aggressive Syracuse athletics ad campaign around NYC in subways and on taxis, not sure if it's still around. Syracuse is NYC's team? really? lol sit down. Most of Metro NY can't even find Syracuse on a map.
 
Jetskies said:
This is why everyone, even private Universities, keep up the marketing/advertising battle for ownership of NY... I remember there was once an aggressive Syracuse athletics ad campaign around NYC in subways and on taxis, not sure if it's still around. Syracuse is NYC's team? really? lol sit down. Most of Metro NY can't even find Syracuse on a map.
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BC is closer to NYC than Syracuse oddly enough
 
Jetskies said:
meh buffalo is not a flagship. you are fine.
I am from NY and there isn't really a clear one, like CT or MA.

you'll never convince a NY-based college sports fan (the few that exist) that their allegiance shall be to Stony Brook, Albany, or Buffalo. The schools THEMSELVES don't even care about their teams, why the heck should NY residents?

This is why everyone, even private Universities, keep up the marketing/advertising battle for ownership of NY... I remember there was once an aggressive Syracuse athletics ad campaign around NYC in subways and on taxis, not sure if it's still around. Syracuse is NYC's team? really? lol sit down. Most of Metro NY can't even find Syracuse on a map.
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SJU has a legit gripe at least for NYC. they put it right on MSG's court. cuse is Onondaga's team, when Colgate doesn't own it

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www.espn.com

Sources: MAC to add Sacramento State as football-only member

The MAC presidents have voted to add FCS Sacramento State into the league as a football-only member starting in 2026, sources told ESPN.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
Sacramento State joining MACTION as a football only member. The MAC will have 13 members. It would be a good time to lock in UMass on our 2028-2029 football schedules for Thanksgiving day Saturday.
 
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