2013 BE Media Day Thread

[Jet915]

NYT article on Big East.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/17/sports/ncaabasketball/odd-bedfellows-in-realigned-big-east-conference-bond-over-basketball.html?_r=0

[Daffron24]

NYT article on Big East.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/17/sports/ncaabasketball/odd-bedfellows-in-realigned-big-east-conference-bond-over-basketball.html?_r=0

Notre Dame a blue blood hahahaha

[dmac80]

NYT article on Big East.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/17/sports/ncaabasketball/odd-bedfellows-in-realigned-big-east-conference-bond-over-basketball.html?_r=0

When it opened with cornflower blue eyes I knew it had to be a ny times piece. And ND and Pitt are Basketball blue bloods? Lmfao...the ny times, wrong as usual.

[Bill Marsh]

Taking in all of the pageantry associated with Media Day got me to thinking about the only other time that the Big East teams all come together under one roof - the Big East Tournament.

Last year the tournament averaged 20,000 attendance per session. Contrast that with the Atlantic Ten tournament , which averaged 6,000 per session across the river at the Barclay Center. That's the conference from which 2 of the 3 new members will be coming. Creighton is used to bigger numbers than that at its conference tournament, which averaged 14,000 last year.

Will the new Big East be able to sell out the Garden as the old version did? Will the tournament be a happening?

If they don't sell out, expansion will be coming sooner rather than later in order to sell more tickets. That thought makes me realize why Dayton is still in the running for an expansion spot. Not only was their 12,400 home attendance 26th in the country last year, but they are located farther east than any of the other Midwest members of the conference. Contrast them with St Louis, which sits 362 miles farther west and averaged 7,673 in attendance last year. Which of those 2 is more likely to deliver fans at tournament time? VCU averaged 7693 in attendance last year, only a tick higher than St Louis, but they are also only a 333 mile drive up I-95 from Richmond and an easy commute to the tournament by Amtrak or air line. Richmond, the other frequently mentioned expansion candidate has the same location advantage as VCU but attendance last year (5960) that was under 6000 and barely made the top 100 in the country (95th).

The economics of the new conference normally focus on TV ratings and TV market, but ticket sales at the tournament are a big deal and relate heavily to the conference's ability to sell its tournament to the TV networks. It will be interesting to see how these economics effect expansion decisions when and if that time comes.

[JOPO]

I'm not surprised that there is more enthusiasm among Big East fans than AAC fans. We got 3 great schools that are excellent in basketball, strong in soccer, institutionally similar, and academically strong. The AAC is getting a hodgepodge of whoever would come with no real strong programs outside of Memphis and Temple. Media day should be fun.

This is because the Big East remains big time whereas the AAC is the new name for Conference USA, which is a mid-major. Maybe it's just me, but I really hate seeing the Big East and AAC constantly mentioned in the same sentences. The Big East needs to remain in conversations that include the power five football conferences as the only difference between us and them is the fact that they sponsor football and we do not.

Hey JOPO, marquette got the original post confused it was the ACC not the AAC that was mentioned...lol.

But Memphis and Temple are in CUSA 2.0 not the ACC, unless marquette just had a total brain spasm on the whole thing. Thing is there will be a lot of comparisons this year with the Big East and years gone by. When comparisons are made to other conferences though, I just want to make sure we are being compared to our peers and not dragged down to a lower level.

[TheHall]

Hey JOPO, marquette got the original post confused it was the ACC not the AAC that was mentioned...lol.

But Memphis and Temple are in CUSA 2.0 not the ACC, unless marquette just had a total brain spasm on the whole thing. Thing is there will be a lot of comparisons this year with the Big East and years gone by. When comparisons are made to other conferences though, I just want to make sure we are being compared to our peers and not dragged down to a lower level.

He kinda did...but he caught it later check the thread.

[marquette]

Hey JOPO, marquette got the original post confused it was the ACC not the AAC that was mentioned...lol.

But Memphis and Temple are in CUSA 2.0 not the ACC, unless marquette just had a total brain spasm on the whole thing. Thing is there will be a lot of comparisons this year with the Big East and years gone by. When comparisons are made to other conferences though, I just want to make sure we are being compared to our peers and not dragged down to a lower level.

He kinda did...but he caught it later check the thread.

Yep, read other conferences were unhappy about realignment, saw an A and a C and my mind kind of checked out.

[hoyahooligan]

Taking in all of the pageantry associated with Media Day got me to thinking about the only other time that the Big East teams all come together under one roof - the Big East Tournament.

Last year the tournament averaged 20,000 attendance per session. Contrast that with the Atlantic Ten tournament , which averaged 6,000 per session across the river at the Barclay Center. That's the conference from which 2 of the 3 new members will be coming. Creighton is used to bigger numbers than that at its conference tournament, which averaged 14,000 last year.

Will the new Big East be able to sell out the Garden as the old version did? Will the tournament be a happening?

If they don't sell out, expansion will be coming sooner rather than later in order to sell more tickets. That thought makes me realize why Dayton is still in the running for an expansion spot. Not only was their 12,400 home attendance 26th in the country last year, but they are located farther east than any of the other Midwest members of the conference. Contrast them with St Louis, which sits 362 miles farther west and averaged 7,673 in attendance last year. Which of those 2 is more likely to deliver fans at tournament time? VCU averaged 7693 in attendance last year, only a tick higher than St Louis, but they are also only a 333 mile drive up I-95 from Richmond and an easy commute to the tournament by Amtrak or air line. Richmond, the other frequently mentioned expansion candidate has the same location advantage as VCU but attendance last year (5960) that was under 6000 and barely made the top 100 in the country (95th).

The economics of the new conference normally focus on TV ratings and TV market, but ticket sales at the tournament are a big deal and relate heavily to the conference's ability to sell its tournament to the TV networks. It will be interesting to see how these economics effect expansion decisions when and if that time comes.

From MSG's perspective every game is already sold out because all the tickets are sold to the league/schools. The schools need to sell their allotments, but that should not be a problem. Schools are always looking for extra tickets if one team cannot sell their allotment a school like Georgetown will buy their extras. MSG will get their money either way. Plus there's a huge market for the BET for casual fans in NYC and surrounding areas. I have no concerns about the tournament selling out.

[dmac80]

Taking in all of the pageantry associated with Media Day got me to thinking about the only other time that the Big East teams all come together under one roof - the Big East Tournament.

Last year the tournament averaged 20,000 attendance per session. Contrast that with the Atlantic Ten tournament , which averaged 6,000 per session across the river at the Barclay Center. That's the conference from which 2 of the 3 new members will be coming. Creighton is used to bigger numbers than that at its conference tournament, which averaged 14,000 last year.

Will the new Big East be able to sell out the Garden as the old version did? Will the tournament be a happening?

If they don't sell out, expansion will be coming sooner rather than later in order to sell more tickets. That thought makes me realize why Dayton is still in the running for an expansion spot. Not only was their 12,400 home attendance 26th in the country last year, but they are located farther east than any of the other Midwest members of the conference. Contrast them with St Louis, which sits 362 miles farther west and averaged 7,673 in attendance last year. Which of those 2 is more likely to deliver fans at tournament time? VCU averaged 7693 in attendance last year, only a tick higher than St Louis, but they are also only a 333 mile drive up I-95 from Richmond and an easy commute to the tournament by Amtrak or air line. Richmond, the other frequently mentioned expansion candidate has the same location advantage as VCU but attendance last year (5960) that was under 6000 and barely made the top 100 in the country (95th).

The economics of the new conference normally focus on TV ratings and TV market, but ticket sales at the tournament are a big deal and relate heavily to the conference's ability to sell its tournament to the TV networks. It will be interesting to see how these economics effect expansion decisions when and if that time comes.

Good post. I agree that the ticket sales are going to be a huge indicator of where the new Big East stands comapred to its former self. I know some of the programs, like PC have not had a huge attendance and the team has stunk, failing to win a game year after year. It is time to get on board and hopefully get some fans down there, because if the garden isn't mostly full, it will look small time.

[dmac80]

Love Lavin's quote about the league:

“Like a neighborhood, we’re at a place where the homes, the schools, the basketball programs are similar. There’s a common thread. We look like one another, we mirror one another as institutions. When you add the fact that it’s all basketball — no football — that makes us unique. It gives us distinction. That’s how we’re going to brand this league and drive this league. We’re the old soul, love of the game league…if you’re a basketball-head, basketball junkie, basketball jones, it’s going to be the Big East that you’re going to have an affinity for.”

A great way to sell the league. This will be how it is advertised to recruits.