Anyone watching VCU @ UMass?

[Bill Marsh]

Tell me the atmosphere at the sold out Mullin Center on the. UMass campus isn't what you'd love to see at a Big East game. These two would make great additions to the conference.

[Omaha1]

UMass is in the top 20 and it was a big game so they should have a big crowd. I know nothing of UMass but will they continue to draw this well if they are a .500 team in the BigEast?

[marquette]

UMass is in the top 20 and it was a big game so they should have a big crowd. I know nothing of UMass but will they continue to draw this well if they are a .500 team in the BigEast?

They dropped out of the top 25 a couple weeks back. The answer to your question is "no." UMass has averaged, since 2003, 3,504; 3,192; 3,868; 4,903; 5,967; 4,900; 5,065; 3,987; 3,300; 4,279; and 5,255. None of those are anywhere near Big East numbers.

[Omaha1]

UMass is in the top 20 and it was a big game so they should have a big crowd. I know nothing of UMass but will they continue to draw this well if they are a .500 team in the BigEast?

They dropped out of the top 25 a couple weeks back. The answer to your question is "no." UMass has averaged, since 2003, 3,504; 3,192; 3,868; 4,903; 5,967; 4,900; 5,065; 3,987; 3,300; 4,279; and 5,255. None of those are anywhere near Big East numbers.

Thank you. I sort of assumed this was an anomaly but I wasn't sure.

[Bill Marsh]

UMass is in the top 20 and it was a big game so they should have a big crowd. I know nothing of UMass but will they continue to draw this well if they are a .500 team in the BigEast?

They dropped out of the top 25 a couple weeks back. The answer to your question is "no." UMass has averaged, since 2003, 3,504; 3,192; 3,868; 4,903; 5,967; 4,900; 5,065; 3,987; 3,300; 4,279; and 5,255. None of those are anywhere near Big East numbers.

Marquette, why did you leave this year's attendance off your UMass list?

It's 6400.

That certainly is within the range of what Big East school's draw and it's better than 2 of them this year.

[marquette]

Marquette, why did you leave this year's attendance off your UMass list?

It's 6400.

That certainly is within the range of what Big East school's draw and it's better than 2 of them this year.

This year's numbers aren't on the NCAA website yet. The season is also not finished yet, so they aren't official. Judging just from what I've seen, the number for this year appears to be an aberration. If they aren't winning like this and spending a fair portion of the season in the top 25 I don't see them maintaining this level.

They also drew 9,000/game when John Calipari was there in the 90's and they went to the final four/elite 8. When he left they returned to their norm. The high water mark is not what I personally look for. DePaul is drawing about the same in a terrible stretch that has lasted for the better part of a decade (paid attendance is what counts, butts in seats be damned).

They also have an FBS football team...

[Bill Marsh]

Marquette, why did you leave this year's attendance off your UMass list?

It's 6400.

That certainly is within the range of what Big East school's draw and it's better than 2 of them this year.

This year's numbers aren't on the NCAA website yet. The season is also not finished yet, so they aren't official. Judging just from what I've seen, the number for this year appears to be an aberration. If they aren't winning like this and spending a fair portion of the season in the top 25 I don't see them maintaining this level.

They also drew 9,000/game when John Calipari was there in the 90's and they went to the final four/elite 8. When he left they returned to their norm. The high water mark is not what I personally look for. DePaul is drawing about the same in a terrible stretch that has lasted for the better part of a decade (paid attendance is what counts, butts in seats be damned).

They also have an FBS football team...

I don't know what "norm" they returned to after Calipari left. Calipari's last year was 1996. Here are the attendance numbers for the immediately succeeding years:

1997 - 9625
1998 - 8499
1999 - 7240

So, they didn't just "return to their norm when he left." In fact, they stayed the same at first when he left and then they began to gradually decline in the face of poor teams. I believe the exact same thing happened at DePaul and schools like St Louis, seton Hall, and St. John's saw the same phenomenon to a degree in similar periods of sustained losing.

He's, UMass has an FBS football program, but they haven't made anything like the kind of investment in their program that UConn has. UMass may yet walk away from their program if they can't get into the AAC. Their football membership in the MAC was contingent upon Temple staying in the conference. Temple's been gone for 2 Yeats now. UMass has stayed so far, but this arrangement won't last forever.

[marquette]

They also went to the tourney the two years after Calipari left, with Calipari's recruits. I'm not saying they would be the worst attendance draw in the conference, but is that really a selling point?

[DanofXav76]

Bill you obviously love college BB and are knowledeable about the game. But you seem to have this continuing fascination with adding these middle of the road A10 teams to the NBE. The 10 team home and home schedule has been nothing short of awesome this inaugral season. Getting to see every team in conference in your home arena has been so much fun. No need to water down what is very good and will get even better.

[Wizard of Westroads]

Bill you obviously love college BB and are knowledeable about the game. But you seem to have this continuing fascination with adding these middle of the road A10 teams to the NBE. The 10 team home and home schedule has been nothing short of awesome this inaugral season. Getting to see every team in conference in your home arena has been so much fun. No need to water down what is very good and will get even better.

+1 Home and home works. Maybe add SLU and play with 11. All of the arguments for expansion cited by message board power brokers just don't do it for me.