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With the ACC tournament coming to town in 3 years, it could put some pressure on the Big East to up its game to compete. I don't know if that means advancing the time line for expansion or what, but it sure could be an interesting week in March in 3 years.

The Daily News has also reported that there are some escape clauses in the Big East contract with MSG for both parties. That could factor in as well.

Been through this Bill. The fact remains that I seriously doubt that the ACC wants to become a NYC centric league. ACC hoops has been built along Tobacco Road. At best they might play in NYC to satisfy the OBE/nACC schools every 3 or 4 years. Why would MSG leave a yearly contract with the BE in favor of one that will show up every 3-4 years? Makes no sense.

I'm not sure a lot of non-northeastern ACC fans understand the difference between midtown Manhattan and Brooklyn... reading other boards, I get the feeling they think they can walk from Penn Station to Barclays.

2017 is still a ways away in case we need to make adjustments.

There's already an ACC to Barclays thread, and an Expansion Discussion/Rumor thread.



For the record, my position is "Who cares what happens in Brooklyn? We have the Garden." and "No reason to expand at this time," respectively.

The ACC does not want a permanent home for its tourney and the Garden wants a permanent tenant each year. So that is problem number one for the ACC. Second, there is a huge backlash from the south over this and if you read reports coming out of the southern schools the move to Brooklyn for just two years is destroying the tournament. Third, the out clause for the Garden has to do with membership, not attendance. The Garden can cancel the contract if certain members of the conference leave. Attendance doesn't matter to the Garden because the Big East pays rent for the event. The Garden doesn't make money of the ticket sales. As long as the Big East wants to stay at the Garden it will. I know many do not like to hear it, but St. John's really has to step up its game going forward. NYC does not get engaged in college basketball without a local draw. If the Big East wants to be relevant in NYC, the Johnnies have to be a consistent top team in the league. The ACC in Brooklyn for two years is no threat to us.

billyjack wrote:I'm not sure a lot of non-northeastern ACC fans understand the difference between midtown Manhattan and Brooklyn... reading other boards, I get the feeling they think they can walk from Penn Station to Barclays.

2017 is still a ways away in case we need to make adjustments.

No but they can ride there! 11 subway lines, including several that have stops at Penn Station meet at Atlantic Yards - Barclay Center sits atop a train station just like MSG.

LeMoyne00 wrote:

billyjack wrote:I'm not sure a lot of non-northeastern ACC fans understand the difference between midtown Manhattan and Brooklyn... reading other boards, I get the feeling they think they can walk from Penn Station to Barclays.

2017 is still a ways away in case we need to make adjustments.

No but they can ride there! 11 subway lines, including several that have stops at Penn Station meet at Atlantic Yards - Barclay Center sits atop a train station just like MSG.

I live by the Barclays Center and while it does sit atop a train station, it's a commuter rail station that only serves Long Island, so it's not really accessible via train. And it is served by a bunch of subway lines, but you forgot to mention that it's a half hour ride from Penn Station to Barclays on the subway. Not to mention the fact that there are very few hotels and sports bars near the arena. It's more a place you go to attend an event and then leave the area, unlike MSG which is literally in the middle of everything NYC has to offer. The ACC can have the Barclays, it's a nice venue but is ultimately incomparable to MSG.

And the ACC immediately announced the tourney is going back to NC in 2019 and 2020. No threat to the Big East at all.

redmen9194 wrote:And the ACC immediately announced the tourney is going back to NC in 2019 and 2020. No threat to the Big East at all.

It is a threat to the Big East's headlines and attendance it 2017-18. That's the point.

It will be very bad for the Big East if attendance drops off markedly in those years and if they are overshadowed by the ACC.

This is good news for us. Stabilize MSG. B1G is looking to come to NY for a year, too. Let them...MSG is our permanent home and that's not changing. Barclays will never be MSG.