@ McMurphyESPN Momentum gaining for ACC to hold future hoops tourneys at Madison Square Garden, sources told @ ESPN


Post: #2RE: ACC Conference Tournament to MSG?
AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. -- The ACC is "thoroughly investigating" playing its men's basketball tournament at Madison Square Garden, sources told ESPN on Wednesday.

One source was adamant that the ACC tournament eventually would be held in the World's Most Famous Arena, which would take it out of traditional ACC country for the first time.

"We'll be playing there," a source said. "It's just a matter of getting all the legal ramifications worked out."

That's because in March, the new Big East Conference and Madison Square Garden announced a 12-year deal through 2026. However, MSG executive vice president Joel Fisher was non-committal about the ACC playing there.

"I don't want to speculate about (the ACC)," Fisher said in March.

Sources said MSG can get out of its deal before 2026 if the new Big East doesn't reach certain benchmarks. That would open the door for the ACC, which is holding its spring meetings in Amelia Island.

"There is real momentum to play the tournament at Madison Square Garden," a source said. "Why shouldn't the premier basketball conference play in the world's premier arena?"

Sources attending the meetings said the ACC should always look at ways to improve its product.

"No matter what business model you're in, if you're the best -- and our league is the best -- you should take it to New York," a source said.

The 2014-15 ACC men's basketball tournaments will be held in Greensboro, N.C., but no decision has been reached beyond that. The tournament has been played every year since 1954, but only 11 times has it moved outside the state of North Carolina, and it hasn't been further north than Maryland and Washington D.C. The tournament has also been held in Georgia and Florida.

http://espn.go.com/new-york/mens-college...ources-say

"We'll be playing there."

Let's just say if I were still a part of this conference, I would have a fist clenched for that "source". Pure arrogance. Hope Dolan denies or out prices them. I don't see why they'd want ACC schools there, outside of Cuse and ND.

(05-15-2013 07:01 PM)RUScarlets Wrote:  "We'll be playing there."

Let's just say if I were still a part of this conference, I would have a bullet ready to go for that "source". Pure arrogance. Hope Dolan denies or out prices them. I don't see why they'd want ACC schools there, outside of Cuse.

Uh, millions of dollars? Attendance? Viewership? Overall prestige? Please don't tell me you think MSG has it out for the BE. This is business. If the BE wants to stay smallish (10-12 schools) and parochial (smaller, private), it's going to get invited to share its stage or look for a more fitting venue. This is thoroughly predictable.

Stating he doesn't want to speculate about the ACC is not a statement of wanting the ACC (nor is it a rejection). Making any statements rejecting any potential buyer of your product - whether its a potential buyer a year or 13 years from now - would be bad business practice. Having out clauses is not surprising and likely is normal practice, ie. the contract between MSG and the 16ish team BE changing with conference makeup. These alleged "benchmarks" are more likely to be performance based like attendance (although maybe not important if tickets are completely bought by the schools as had been previous practice and MSG cares more about ticket sold). I doubt any benchmark would be conference size (beyond losing schools) or institution type.

This would be a real first for a conference to hold its tournament some place where it has no local fan base. NYC is not exactly known as a hot bed of ACC basketball. Sure, Duke can come in and sell out a game in December, but a week of games including Clemson vs Virginia Tech???

It would make more sense for the B1G to bring its tournament to MSG. Would the old Big Ten have played its tournament in Philadelphia? That's what this is like. Only worse. I can't see this working at all.

(05-16-2013 07:34 AM)Melky Cabrera Wrote:  This would be a real first for a conference to hold its tournament some place where it has no local fan base. NYC is not exactly known as a hot bed of ACC basketball. Sure, Duke can come in and sell out a game in December, but a week of games including Clemson vs Virginia Tech???

It would make more sense for the B1G to bring its tournament to MSG. Would the old Big Ten have played its tournament in Philadelphia? That's what this is like. Only worse. I can't see this working at all.

Umm what? Syracuse has a local fan base in NYC. Duke, UNC, Louisville, and Pittsburgh will all travel very well to MSG. The ACC always was insecure about being overtaken by the BE, so they decided to raid their conference and steal the conference tournament site.

(05-16-2013 07:34 AM)Melky Cabrera Wrote:  This would be a real first for a conference to hold its tournament some place where it has no local fan base. NYC is not exactly known as a hot bed of ACC basketball. Sure, Duke can come in and sell out a game in December, but a week of games including Clemson vs Virginia Tech???

It would make more sense for the B1G to bring its tournament to MSG. Would the old Big Ten have played its tournament in Philadelphia? That's what this is like. Only worse. I can't see this working at all.

While I agree there's little support in NYC for any of the ACC teams outside of local alums, the tournament would still likely do well. If all 15 teams bring 1400 with them, there's your sellout, and obviously some teams can do better than 1400. ESPN would love to have the excitment of New York and MSG as the backdrop for the tournament. It's one reason I feel the BE has to be aggressive about growing the conference with names that have national appeal. I don't know how it could happen, but I would love to see UCONN return home where they belong. Nothing against the new AAC but it seems everyone is always looking for lifeboats out, and one defection can start an upheaval all over again. If Cincy gets a B12 invite, that would leave UCONN even more isolated. I don't know how UCONN fans feel about it, but they would make more money parking their football in the MAC and coming to the BE for everything else. But back to the original point, I want the BE to strengthen itself with some quality programs to make an ACC intrusion less likely.

If the ACC keeps it up... after raiding the Big East for 7 members, now targeting the tournament site... if we couldn't beat the Big East, it's apparent some want us to become it!

If the ACC keeps it up the C-7/Big East schools might want to offer the Big East name to the ACC, could be worth even more money in a few years LOL j/k

Wow, let me guess, the "source" was from upstate new york?

They can wish in one hand a crap in the other and see which one fills up first.

I also love all the NON Big East posters getting all excited over this stupid article.

Wow, ESPN bashing the Big East and trying to instill instability in and around the league. This is a joke and this trick is old. Fox is our home and MSG will enjoy its continued partnership with the Big East.

Also to whoever said all the ACC has to do is have each school bring 1400 fans. Thats not even close to correct. Duke fans arent showing up for the first round VT/BC match up. I can list a TON of schools who will not be bringing a large fan base to NYC.

BC
VT
UVA
WF
FSU
Miami
Clemson
GT

The first day in most years the majority of these teams would make up the first round of the tourny. They would all need to bring a LOT more folks. They have had trouble selling out Greensboro, that means they would have even more trouble convincing the southern schools to make the trek north.

This also says that the ACC believes that the future of the conference depends on the Nothern fans. The Southern fan base looks like it is losing a big chunk of fans to the SEC.

Let's see what the ACC looks like in a few years before we go crowning them the rightful heir to the MSG. If anybody gets hungry for something more than just Cincinnati or UConn over the next few years and begin looking at doing some ACC poaching, I don't see the Garden disconnecting from the BE and hitching their arena to the newest small fish in the conference food chain.

(05-16-2013 05:00 PM)handdownmandown Wrote:  Let's see what the ACC looks like in a few years before we go crowning them the rightful heir to the MSG. If anybody gets hungry for something more than just Cincinnati or UConn over the next few years and begin looking at doing some ACC poaching, I don't see the Garden disconnecting from the BE and hitching their arena to the newest small fish in the conference food chain.

I don't think anyone will be raiding the ACC with the new Grant of Rights they all signed, but that runs out right around when our contract with MSG is up. That might just be a good enough reason to wait and see what happens down the road.

(05-16-2013 07:34 AM)Melky Cabrera Wrote:  This would be a real first for a conference to hold its tournament some place where it has no local fan base. NYC is not exactly known as a hot bed of ACC basketball. Sure, Duke can come in and sell out a game in December, but a week of games including Clemson vs Virginia Tech???

First of all...ACC has held their tourn in places like Tampa, FL before.

Also, Pac-12 just held their tourn in Las Vegas.

Lastly, maybe you haven't heard of a team named SYRACUSE...kind of popular in/around NYC...and seems to have a long, long, LONG history of playing games at MSG.

Heck, Duke and UNC have played in games at MSG, in Newark, Meadowlands, etc...before.

Even Notre Dame has plenty of "subway" alumni/fans in/around NYC as well.

MSG would "drool" over the chance of hosting an ACC tourn or two.

(05-16-2013 05:39 PM)KnightLight Wrote:  

(05-16-2013 07:34 AM)Melky Cabrera Wrote:  This would be a real first for a conference to hold its tournament some place where it has no local fan base. NYC is not exactly known as a hot bed of ACC basketball. Sure, Duke can come in and sell out a game in December, but a week of games including Clemson vs Virginia Tech???

First of all...ACC has held their tourn in places like Tampa, FL before.

Also, Pac-12 just held their tourn in Las Vegas.

Lastly, maybe you haven't heard of a team named SYRACUSE...kind of popular in/around NYC...and seems to have a long, long, LONG history of playing games at MSG.

Heck, Duke and UNC have played in games at MSG, in Newark, Meadowlands, etc...before.

Even Notre Dame has plenty of "subway" alumni/fans in/around NYC as well.

MSG would "drool" over the chance of hosting an ACC tourn or two.

Except they didn't even offer up a bid just a few months ago.

(05-16-2013 05:39 PM)KnightLight Wrote:  First of all...ACC has held their tourn in places like Tampa, FL before...

But the ACC tourney was a failure in Tampa, with the distances being enormous just like they'd be to NYC. The Pac-12 tourney never drew, so I guess they offered their fans T&A, gambling and Siegfried & Roy to show up. Has there ever been a tourney that was successful where the closest school was a 300 mile drive and/or the host city-state didn't offer legal prostitution?

(05-16-2013 05:39 PM)KnightLight Wrote:  

(05-16-2013 07:34 AM)Melky Cabrera Wrote:  This would be a real first for a conference to hold its tournament some place where it has no local fan base. NYC is not exactly known as a hot bed of ACC basketball. Sure, Duke can come in and sell out a game in December, but a week of games including Clemson vs Virginia Tech???

First of all...ACC has held their tourn in places like Tampa, FL before.

Also, Pac-12 just held their tourn in Las Vegas.

Lastly, maybe you haven't heard of a team named SYRACUSE...kind of popular in/around NYC...and seems to have a long, long, LONG history of playing games at MSG.

Heck, Duke and UNC have played in games at MSG, in Newark, Meadowlands, etc...before.

Even Notre Dame has plenty of "subway" alumni/fans in/around NYC as well.

MSG would "drool" over the chance of hosting an ACC tourn or two.

Syracuse has its share of alumni in and around NYC. That doesn't mean they're popular with anyone else in NYC. They're not local. Neither are Duke, UNC, or Notre Dame.

It's great that some ACC schools have fans in The City, but there is not interest in the conference as a whole in NY.

(05-16-2013 10:32 PM)Melky Cabrera Wrote:  

(05-16-2013 05:39 PM)KnightLight Wrote:  

(05-16-2013 07:34 AM)Melky Cabrera Wrote:  This would be a real first for a conference to hold its tournament some place where it has no local fan base. NYC is not exactly known as a hot bed of ACC basketball. Sure, Duke can come in and sell out a game in December, but a week of games including Clemson vs Virginia Tech???

First of all...ACC has held their tourn in places like Tampa, FL before.

Also, Pac-12 just held their tourn in Las Vegas.

Lastly, maybe you haven't heard of a team named SYRACUSE...kind of popular in/around NYC...and seems to have a long, long, LONG history of playing games at MSG.

Heck, Duke and UNC have played in games at MSG, in Newark, Meadowlands, etc...before.

Even Notre Dame has plenty of "subway" alumni/fans in/around NYC as well.

MSG would "drool" over the chance of hosting an ACC tourn or two.

Syracuse has its share of alumni in and around NYC. That doesn't mean they're popular with anyone else in NYC. They're not local. Neither are Duke, UNC, or Notre Dame.

It's great that some ACC schools have fans in The City, but there is not interest in the conference as a whole in NY.

People also forget that the Big East has half the league closer to NYC than the closest ACC team.

(05-16-2013 09:14 PM)billyjack Wrote:  

(05-16-2013 05:39 PM)KnightLight Wrote:  First of all...ACC has held their tourn in places like Tampa, FL before...

But the ACC tourney was a failure in Tampa, with the distances being enormous just like they'd be to NYC. The Pac-12 tourney never drew, so I guess they offered their fans T&A, gambling and Siegfried & Roy to show up. Has there ever been a tourney that was successful where the closest school was a 300 mile drive and/or the host city-state didn't offer legal prostitution?

Tampa was disaster because traffic sucks, it's to spread out, and this is not a basketball town. I live in Tampa and know first hand. I don't think the sec (or any conference) would fair any better

New York City and The Garden are a destination... I think any significant conference tourney at Madison Square Garden would draw the fans... the Big East, the ACC, the B1G, and even the AAC (at least the first year with Rutgers and Louisville still in the ranks)... would have members with fan bases enough to have the Garden seats sold...

can the nBE be bought?
the BET will have to be moved up to make room for the ACCT

One thought is to have the Big East open up Championship week Sat-Mon? Have your semis on Sunday Afternoon and the championship on Big Monday at MSG. Then the ACC comes in Tues-Sat.

Also, plenty of casual fans (to answer Melky) in around NYC love watching the Cuse and the old Big East play at MSG because it was an event. Having Cuse/Notre Dame/Louisville/Duke/UNC as headliners will bring the Big Event Feel.