(05-31-2016 07:13 AM)paintedblue2 Wrote: [ -> ]Who was ODU's opponent on opening night of the TED?
It was the 'Heels. I was kidding around with Old Blue about something he wrote regarding a team up the road, but he's really correct. When ODU MBB raises it's profile we will get higher profile OOC home games.
We've been there. We had a nice string of seasons back in the height of the BT era when we were hosting Georgetown and Missouri. We aren't likely to ever host UNC again... or Duke, Kentucky or Kansas... but we certainly have past history of getting high level P5 teams here. We need to make it back to where they can come in for the exposure, but a loss won't hurt them. Nobody wants to play someone hovering around or just below 100 that is capable of beating them at home when they are clicking on all cylinders. If we can get back into the top 50 every year, these teams will come back. Until then, at least we are getting top tier A10 games. I know Rhode Island isn't going to pack and blow the roof off the Ted, but that was a game that could have put us in the tournament if we had a good season all around.
(05-30-2016 10:15 PM)Old Blue Wrote: [ -> ]Why not? Use the new arena like Georgetown uses the Verizon Center. There are plenty of UNC fans and other ACC fans in this area. A neutral site like the new arena may attract these fans for future games. Or, even better, let's not even try, yeah...... that's the ticket.
There are definitely fans that would attend those games. And the expansion talk is credible regarding football, because the number of guaranteed seats is a deal breaker when writing up game contracts. However, we don't have this issue in regards to the Ted/basketball. For example, Duke won't play us. It's not because they want to bring more fans and our facility can't accommodate. It's because Coach K refuses to travel to us. He's ok if we go play in his gym, but doesn't find a home & home contract worth it.
I agree that we could see potential in creating a preseason tournament or hosting NCAA tourney games. Then an increased capacity would be fruitful. However, for regular non-conference, the Ted is an outstanding facility in its current state.
You probably won't get a team like Syracuse to come to the Ted. But you might get them to come to an 18000 seat arena. Why not try and see if we can't use the facility to schedule 1 or 2 real big games a year. Plus if one day the hope is to go to the AAC, having access to such a facility could only help, right?
I'm curious why you wouldn't get Cuse to the Ted? Does a team from that far north travel that well or we have that many 'cuse fans in the HR area?
(05-31-2016 11:58 AM)Cr8n Wrote: [ -> ]I'm curious why you wouldn't get Cuse to the Ted? Does a team from that far north travel that well or we have that many 'cuse fans in the HR area?
I think it's more that a major team is more likely to play a mid-major team of consequence if they don't have to play on that team's court. A home-neutral game gives ODU a chance to bring out a huge crowd, and NBA-class arenas are attractive destinations for these kind of games (VCU is playing Illinois at American Airlines in Miami, for example).
You don't have to use the Beach arena every season (I believe there's a rule about arenas that serve as hosts for the NCAA tournament having to host at least one regular-season game that season, but I'm not sure if that still exists). But it's a nice arrow in the quiver to have to attract a P5 opponent. Maybe Virginia would still come to Bud Metheny on the regular, but putting the yearly game in Harbor Park has been a pretty successful move, hasn't it? I'd rather see ODU using it as a host for a one-off game than Virginia or North Carolina.
Speaking of VCU (which I know you guys
love), they're having their own limitations in getting home games against prominent opponents. They got Virginia when Virginia was willing to go to JMU, Mason and GW (and probably won't happen again now that the Cavaliers are a tippy-top team). They got Georgia Tech this season, and depending on how you view Cincinnati, that was last year. The only other major programs to visit in their recent history was Alabama and Oklahoma, both because the previous VCU coach left for there and it was part of the buyout contract. The Stu isn't as nice as the Ted, obviously, but they're at a point where a road loss to them is almost never a resume hit, and they still can't get the big teams to come in.
I don't think ODU should cede their home-court advantage. But a yearly or biennial game against a major-conference opponent there definitely couldn't hurt.
(05-31-2016 12:26 PM)Cyniclone Wrote: [ -> ] (05-31-2016 11:58 AM)Cr8n Wrote: [ -> ]I'm curious why you wouldn't get Cuse to the Ted? Does a team from that far north travel that well or we have that many 'cuse fans in the HR area?
I think it's more that a major team is more likely to play a mid-major team of consequence if they don't have to play on that team's court. A home-neutral game gives ODU a chance to bring out a huge crowd, and NBA-class arenas are attractive destinations for these kind of games (VCU is playing Illinois at American Airlines in Miami, for example).
You don't have to use the Beach arena every season (I believe there's a rule about arenas that serve as hosts for the NCAA tournament having to host at least one regular-season game that season, but I'm not sure if that still exists). But it's a nice arrow in the quiver to have to attract a P5 opponent. Maybe Virginia would still come to Bud Metheny on the regular, but putting the yearly game in Harbor Park has been a pretty successful move, hasn't it? I'd rather see ODU using it as a host for a one-off game than Virginia or North Carolina.
Speaking of VCU (which I know you guys love), they're having their own limitations in getting home games against prominent opponents. They got Virginia when Virginia was willing to go to JMU, Mason and GW (and probably won't happen again now that the Cavaliers are a tippy-top team). They got Georgia Tech this season, and depending on how you view Cincinnati, that was last year. The only other major programs to visit in their recent history was Alabama and Oklahoma, both because the previous VCU coach left for there and it was part of the buyout contract. The Stu isn't as nice as the Ted, obviously, but they're at a point where a road loss to them is almost never a resume hit, and they still can't get the big teams to come in.
I don't think ODU should cede their home-court advantage. But a yearly or biennial game against a major-conference opponent there definitely couldn't hurt.
Thanks, you explained it much better than me. It's nothing more than taking advantage of the opportunities given to you. Great basketball recruiting area + world class arena= Future opportunities. Who knows if we're not careful we may actually grow the brand. Or at the very least improve our OOC strength of schedule.
I might be late to the party, but I'm a structural engineer who was not at all involved in the design process, but looking at the structure it would be next to impossible to expand it. Certainly would not be cost effective to spend what would need to be spent just to add a few thousand more seats. Fun thought though!
(05-31-2016 11:58 AM)Cr8n Wrote: [ -> ]I'm curious why you wouldn't get Cuse to the Ted? Does a team from that far north travel that well or we have that many 'cuse fans in the HR area?
Forget all everybody else wrote. The real reason we'll never get 'cuse at the Ted is because we r not a P5 school. Saracuse tamely, if ever, plays a nonP5 school on the road. Maybe on a neutral site but almost never on the road.
Beiheim is an even bigger chickenSHite beyotch than Uncle Fester was at Tek.
(05-31-2016 03:05 PM)ODU True Blue Wrote: [ -> ] (05-31-2016 11:58 AM)Cr8n Wrote: [ -> ]I'm curious why you wouldn't get Cuse to the Ted? Does a team from that far north travel that well or we have that many 'cuse fans in the HR area?
Forget all everybody else wrote. The real reason we'll never get 'cuse at the Ted is because we r not a P5 school. Saracuse tamely, if ever, plays a nonP5 school on the road. Maybe on a neutral site but almost never on the road.
Beiheim is an even bigger chickenSHite beyotch than Uncle Fester was at Tek.
Amen...from a fans perspective, because I don't know (nor care) what other coaches think of him, Jim Boeheim is the single worst person in NCAA basketball. His early retirement is a gift to all of us.
ODU looked at a 10,000 seat arena but it made more sense to build a high quality building that seated 8500. We didn't build a high school gym like our rivals in Richmond did. We may not seat 10,000 but it ranks as well or better than other arenas of that size. Look what UR did by scaling back their 10,000 seat arena to about our size. It improved their facilities by scaling back. The size of our building is not what keeps some of the bigger schools away. It's the fact we could beat them so why come here. We'll get those schools when they have a recruit on their roster from the tidewater area so let's hope that doesn't happen.