http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7675...conference

It is an interesting article about how the Big East basketball tournament is not what it once was. The commentary on the greed involved in college athletics was also good.
I think for Syracuse, there will be more travel for sure but overall there are a number of old eastern rivals that are in the ACC: Pittsburgh, Boston College and Maryland so for the fans it will not be too bad. I am a little biased but if the numbers work out (especially if the ACC TV Network is ever formed) then it would be nice to see Rutgers and UConn join. Of course Notre Dame would be the best candidate but I do not see them joining a conference in the near term unless they are forced to by being excluded from the BCS.

I little revisionist history in that article. Pitt and Cuse jumped first and then WVU did what they had to do to remain relevant. The way he stuctured the article, he makes it seem as though WVU left first.

(03-13-2012 10:21 AM)ChrisLords Wrote:  I little revisionist history in that article. Pitt and Cuse jumped first and then WVU did what they had to do to remain relevant. The way he stuctured the article, he makes it seem as though WVU left first.

While we will likely never know how active Pitt and SU were in dealing with both the BiG and the ACC behind the scenes, thanks to the Awesome One, Oliver Luck, we do know that the WVU was pushing for admittance into both the ACC and the SEC well before the actual invites were accepted by SU and Pitt to the ACC.

Is it SU's and Pitt's fault that the Eers found no takers until the Big 12, and even then were in a dogfight with Louisville for spot #10.

Cheers,
Neil

Wait, so he's comparing the Big East Championship game atmosphere to that of a midwest high school basketball state championship game... aren't those usually electric (Hoosiers anyone?), and he admitted the building was rightfully packed. SOOOO okay WAIT... I'm guessing it sucked because his team wasn't in the finals.

Someone needs to give this guy pointers... first get yourself chronologically sound; second, if you're trying to make something LOOK BAD - don't compare it to things that evoke images of sports passion!

(03-13-2012 03:17 PM)IceJus10 Wrote:  Wait, so he's comparing the Big East Championship game atmosphere to that of a midwest high school basketball state championship game... aren't those usually electric (Hoosiers anyone?), and he admitted the building was rightfully packed. SOOOO okay WAIT... I'm guessing it sucked because his team wasn't in the finals.

Someone needs to give this guy pointers... first get yourself chronologically sound; second, if you're trying to make something LOOK BAD - don't compare it to things that evoke images of sports passion!

While I am a huge proponent of Big East basketball weathering the storm, that championship game had little electricity. It was a subdued crowd for MSG. And there were several articles written by many different sports writers pointing this out.

Doesn't mean it will be that way next year. The Big East's greatest strength remains it's ability to adapt. While I am glad my Orange will be in the ACC, I'm not sure the ACC adapts very well.

Cheers,
Neil

The Tourney final may have been a dud this year, but the conference has been absolutely great the past six years, i.e. since the expansion to 16. If you want to talk about lack of excitement, the BE during most of the 1990's through the departure of BC. The conference lost the incredible electricity that it had back in the 80's, an electricity that it refound with the 2005 expansion. Losing Syracuse is going to hurt, no doubt. It is one of the core schools. However, Memphis is an incredible replacement, and Temple is not bad either.

(03-13-2012 07:36 PM)omniorange Wrote:  While I am a huge proponent of Big East basketball weathering the storm, that championship game had little electricity. It was a subdued crowd for MSG. And there were several articles written by many different sports writers pointing this out.

Doesn't mean it will be that way next year. The Big East's greatest strength remains it's ability to adapt. While I am glad my Orange will be in the ACC, I'm not sure the ACC adapts very well.

You lost the point of my post... I wasn't at all referencing the actual game, my post was mocking the writer of the piece. I don't know anyone who would consider "Midwest state high school championship game" not to be electric... The visuals and movies are always so passionate. I just felt, in his attempt to make the atmosphere sound lame, he used the wrong comparisons to make his point is all.


As long as the Big East is around their Tournament will remain the best -- I think the magic isn't the teams but players playing up for the biggest stage, under the brightest lights -- that will always create magic moments here and there and that comes from the thrill of playing in New York at the World's Most Famous Arena!

(03-15-2012 10:31 AM)IceJus10 Wrote:  

(03-13-2012 07:36 PM)omniorange Wrote:  While I am a huge proponent of Big East basketball weathering the storm, that championship game had little electricity. It was a subdued crowd for MSG. And there were several articles written by many different sports writers pointing this out.

Doesn't mean it will be that way next year. The Big East's greatest strength remains it's ability to adapt. While I am glad my Orange will be in the ACC, I'm not sure the ACC adapts very well.

You lost the point of my post... I wasn't at all referencing the actual game, my post was mocking the writer of the piece. I don't know anyone who would consider "Midwest state high school championship game" not to be electric... The visuals and movies are always so passionate. I just felt, in his attempt to make the atmosphere sound lame, he used the wrong comparisons to make his point is all.


As long as the Big East is around their Tournament will remain the best -- I think the magic isn't the teams but players playing up for the biggest stage, under the brightest lights -- that will always create magic moments here and there and that comes from the thrill of playing in New York at the World's Most Famous Arena!

You're right, your point about Mid-West High School did fly over my head.

I was focusing on the "electric" part. And MSG, while full, was not electric for that championship game. In actuality, it was very 21st century ACC-like, too wine and cheesy and laid back. Something many many writers agreed upon.

I guess my ultimate point is that this author and a few others are trying to say that this non-electric crowd is a sign of how things will continue to be with SU, Pitt, and WVU leaving. This is the true flaw of these articles, imho.

It was just one of those match-ups that happen now and again that didn't excite the imaginations of this year's MSG crowd. A different Cincinatti squad and a different Louisville squad in the near future could capture that electricity.

Cheers,
Neil

The 'Cuse crowds weren't electric either... then again, the Orange threw up a stinker of a game I watched... speaking of stinkers of atmosphere...

Anyone been watching the NCAA tourney... sooooo many empty seats in so many of the games! dang! I think little St Bonnie's only 2000 students had more people at their close game than Florida State did... that was an awful game by our ACC champ over a team that 2 weeks ago was praying just for a CBI bid!

(that said, as a Southern Tier of NY native, I was pulling for the upset LOL I grew up between St Bonnie and Syracuse)

(03-16-2012 05:56 PM)IceJus10 Wrote:  The 'Cuse crowds weren't electric either... then again, the Orange threw up a stinker of a game I watched... speaking of stinkers of atmosphere...

Anyone been watching the NCAA tourney... sooooo many empty seats in so many of the games! dang! I think little St Bonnie's only 2000 students had more people at their close game than Florida State did... that was an awful game by our ACC champ over a team that 2 weeks ago was praying just for a CBI bid!

(that said, as a Southern Tier of NY native, I was pulling for the upset LOL I grew up between St Bonnie and Syracuse)

I noticed tons of empty seats at all of the games at Pittsburgh. Funny thing is I looked up the Tickets on EBay & Stubhub and they was going for $200+. I figured there was enough demand for the prices to be that high.

then people are dressing up as empty seats cause DANG it's empty!

Speaking of empty seats, why wasn't Duke able to bring more fans to Greensboro. I'm seeing empty rows

NO KIDDING... they just panned the upper deck... the one end almost no one there and its less than an hour down the highway... HOLY EMPTY!

Then again, they had trouble filling Cameron Indoor this year on campus... is this the end of an era or something?

(03-16-2012 06:32 PM)IceJus10 Wrote:  NO KIDDING... I they just panned the upper deck... the one end almost completely empty and its less than an hour down the highway... HOLY COW!

I wonder if these empty rows and seats are for the media and sponsors or somethin. Every site seems to have this same issue in the exact same spot.

media and sponsors are not in the upper deck!

(03-16-2012 07:26 PM)IceJus10 Wrote:  media and sponsors are not in the upper deck!

Yikes.... I was more or less referring to the 2 sections located behind each of the home teams. Didn't realize that even the upper decks are empty.

(03-16-2012 05:56 PM)IceJus10 Wrote:  The 'Cuse crowds weren't electric either... then again, the Orange threw up a stinker of a game I watched... speaking of stinkers of atmosphere...

Anyone been watching the NCAA tourney... sooooo many empty seats in so many of the games! dang! I think little St Bonnie's only 2000 students had more people at their close game than Florida State did... that was an awful game by our ACC champ over a team that 2 weeks ago was praying just for a CBI bid!

(that said, as a Southern Tier of NY native, I was pulling for the upset LOL I grew up between St Bonnie and Syracuse)

I don't think FSU played badly against the Bonnies. St. Boniventure just played a really good game. They were smoking hot winning the A10 tourney and I think they'd have been in the Sweet 16 if they'd been seeded in the a different bracket. FSU just got an good first round opponent.