Other than Creighton what B East schools sell out?

[Jim Neutron]

How has attendance helped Creighton succeed and hurt a team like Butler? Is it helpful? Sure, but it's pretty minor in my opinion.

[Westbrook36]

I don't think attendance is minor, there's a huge difference playing in a morgue like DePaul and playing in a madhouse like Creighton. But really there's only 2 schools I consider to have poor attendance, and I really hope they improve soon or something is going to be need done about it.

Now that being said, I suggest the fans of the new schools that harp on this go count the $$$ in their new TV contract, instead of empty seats in other schools arena's.

[dmac80]

I don't think attendance is a huge issue, it would look nice on TV to see all the big east games sold out, but not all that important.

The one thing that concerns me, is how will attendance be for the conference tournament? I think that is very important, and with a lot of the big attendance drawing schools out, how will that affect attendance?

If fans aren't attending games in their home arena, they will be expected to get to NYC, pay all those inflated costs associated with travel, and buy tickets at top dollar? Attendance is hugely important.

[Jim Neutron]

They are going to use the money saved by not going to their home games. Ha

I seriously think attendance is overrated. I remember reading that attendance in all major sports is trending down. Big screen HD TVs, cheap beer and cheap food are keeping people home. I believe that this hurts areas/cities that have plenty of other entertainment options than those that don't. Hopefully people will go to more meaningful games (read conference tournament) but who knows? The great tv deal is far more important.

[cr8onbb]

As a Creighton fan, I can state with confidence that the vast majority of our fans are ecstatic to be a part of a major conference with such great programs. Most of us also realize the reasons for lower attendance at some schools, whether it be a recent history of poor performance or competing entertainment options in the area, neither of which Creighton currently has to worry about. Please don't take the comments of one poster and apply it to the fan base. Most of us are pretty rational and friendly people that are honored to finally be playing with the big boys.

That being said, I do think attendance can help in that it impresses recruits and brings in money...Both of which help down the road but to a much lesser extent here and now.

[JRoc]

As a Creighton fan, I can state with confidence that the vast majority of our fans are ecstatic to be a part of a major conference with such great programs. Most of us also realize the reasons for lower attendance at some schools, whether it be a recent history of poor performance or competing entertainment options in the area, neither of which Creighton currently has to worry about. Please don't take the comments of one poster and apply it to the fan base. Most of us are pretty rational and friendly people that are honored to finally be playing with the big boys.

That being said, I do think attendance can help in that it impresses recruits and brings in money...Both of which help down the road but to a much lesser extent here and now.

It wasnt like i said the Mo Valley drew better.... just generally surprised to see unfilled seats at these perenial power schools. no more, no less. I see it as a recruiting advantage.

[notkirkcameron]

As a Creighton fan, I can state with confidence that the vast majority of our fans are ecstatic to be a part of a major conference with such great programs. Most of us also realize the reasons for lower attendance at some schools, whether it be a recent history of poor performance or competing entertainment options in the area, neither of which Creighton currently has to worry about. Please don't take the comments of one poster and apply it to the fan base. Most of us are pretty rational and friendly people that are honored to finally be playing with the big boys.

That being said, I do think attendance can help in that it impresses recruits and brings in money...Both of which help down the road but to a much lesser extent here and now.

It wasnt like i said the Mo Valley drew better.... just generally surprised to see unfilled seats at these perenial power schools. no more, no less. I see it as a recruiting advantage.

If you're surprised by empty seats at Georgetown, you haven't been watching college basketball very long. Their arena is way too big for them, and it's twice as far from campus as Creighton's home court is from Creighton (over three miles away, which in DC traffic, is a 15-minute drive per Google Maps).

Although judging from your tone, I'm guessing that rather, you know that Creighton has one of the leading attendances in the conference, and just want to troll. Generally the Creighton fans on this board have been a classy bunch, but as for this one, with all the attendance smack, he almost sounds like a Dayton fan, so dude, send me a postcard whenever you get past the Sweet 16....like every other member of this conference has done at least once in their program's history. Nobody hangs banners for putting butts in seats. You hang banners for winning games in March.

Attendance and March flameout smacktalk aside, According to the NCAA, these are the average attendances for the Big East teams in 2013, and their respective stadium capacities, ranked per the conference, and nationally.

1 (6): Creighton (17,155), CenturyLink Center capacity is 18,320
2 (15): Marquette (15,033), Bradley Center capacity is 18,850
3 (33): Georgetown (10,911) Verizon Center capacity is 20,035
4 (43): Xavier (9,781) Cintas Center capacity is 10,250
5 (55): Villanova (8,022), Pavilion capacity is 6,500, figure is helped by a few games at Wells Fargo.
6 (58): Butler (7,899), Hinkle Fieldhouse capacity is 10,000
7 (60): Providence (7,772), Dunkin Donuts Center capacity is 12,400
8 (63): DePaul (7,681), Allstate Arena capacity is 17,500
9 (70): St. John's (7,330), MSG Capacity is 19,979, but I have to imagine this figure is hurt by playing half their home games at Carnesecca, which only seats 5,602
10 (72): Seton Hall (7,035), Prudential Center capacity is 10862 for Seton Hall (upper deck curtained off).

So, class, what have we learned? Shockingly, that good teams have a tendency to draw well. The Top 6 on this list have all made an Elite 8 run or farther at some point in the last 7 years.

We've also learned that the Big East has ALL its teams drawing 7,000 or more on average. What other major conferences have that?
The Big Ten? Nope.
The SEC? Nope.
Surely, the ACC? Nope.
The Pac-12? Try again.
The....snicker....American? Nope.
The Big 12? Wrong again.

In other words, move along, folks, nothing to see here.

[Lavinwood]

The real question is will Creighton still sell out when McDermott, Wragge, Gibbs, etc. are all long gone? Will the Creighton fans still come out if they end up as a low-end Big East team when their top scorers leave after this year (which is likely…not because I want it to be, but because they lose everyone good)?

Also consider this: Creighton is in Nebraska. It's much easier to say "Hey, let's go catch a Creighton game" in an area that is largely rural with not much going on. SJ is in NYC, DePaul is in Chicago, G'Town is in DC, Nova is in Philly. You can't tell me schools that are in the largest cities in the US don't have anything to do with attendance. Also, the more diverse a population, the less likely they will have similar interests and hobbies. Greater Omaha is 80% white. College basketball gets passed down from each generation. The other places I mentioned are much more diverse. What are the odds some immigrant cab drivers or some transfer students from Sudan want to catch a St. John's game? You really think a student studying in NYC from China is going to have the same love for college hoops as Joe from main street? In many countries college basketball is not even a factor. It probably doesn't even exist in many. Also in more rural areas, good college teams in major conferences are basically pro teams since they don't tend to have real pro teams. Look at Alabama in college football. They are seen more as the only game in town, making it easier to get more people to attend. Finally, SJU is still largely a commuter school. Kids come from within 50 miles, go to class, then go home. It was only about 10 years ago we got dorms so people could live on campus. Being on campus makes it much easier to get into the school spirit and it's hyped up much more than in general public. The only thing that can overcome diversity, major metro areas, commuter schools, etc. hurting attendance is WINNING! NYC more than any other city loves a winner. The problem is that SJ was regarded as a winning program maybe 3x in the last 30 years. In this city, 1 legit team every decade just won't cut it.

[whiteandblue77]

as for this one, with all the attendance smack, he almost sounds like a Dayton fan, so dude, send me a postcard whenever you get past the Sweet 16....like every other member of this conference has done at least once in their program's history. Nobody hangs banners for putting butts in seats. You hang banners for winning games in March.

Uh, who's the one being the douche?

[admin]

This thread devolved so I'm going to lock it up.