Actually, I should have said that the women didn’t underperform during the regular season. They were pre-season picked to finish 12th in the A-10, and finished 3rd. I wonder if the A-10 women’s teams finished higher or lower than the 13th place conference finish of the men’s teams?
A10 Basketball Tournament at the Barclays Center March 7-12
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I’ll let BI55 comment on the merits of womens basketball
It’s so slow and shitty and unwatchable.I’ll let BI55 comment on the merits of womens basketball
I'd go Fran McCaffery but nobody deserves that walking aneurysm.I’ll let BI55 comment on the merits of womens basketball
Those spreads show the parity at the bottom of the conference.
People seem to be forgetting that the tournament used to draw proverbial flies in Philly, even when the league had three Philly teams. I don't think playing in the Palestra would change that (and that assumes Penn would even rent the place out to the league, which is not a given). Sure a large VCU crowd will show up, but they show up in Brooklyn and everywhere else the tournament is played. There will also always be a sizable Dayton contingent. Ditto. I would include Bona here, but it's not clear to me they'll ever win more than 10 games a year again in the free agent era of college basketball. Besides, they can probably drink more conveniently in Brooklyn, DC, Atlantic City or Pittsburgh than in the immediate environs of the Palestra. I just don't think either Philly or the Palestra, as iconic as it might be, will move the needle.Agree except play the whole thing at the Palestra, or at least after the round 1 games a.k.a. pillow fights as you mention. It could be a packed house final seating 8,725. It has history, it's in a major metro, and it's not someone's home court. The empty cavern look of Barclay's shows what we all know - outside of A10 fans, nobody cares about the A10 tourney.
res, I think the best would be a neutral multi-event arena of some kind that seats in the 5-6K range. I agree even the Palestra wouldn't look full except maybe if you have the right two teams in the final. The league could help matters by getting stronger as a whole too. They've got to get out of Barclays though - it's a wasted weekend for Brooklyn and IIRC, the last contracted season is 2024 so hopefully there's a contingency when they don't renew.
Part of moving the needle is playing your tournament in front of (what looks like) a ton of rabid fans in an exciting environment. The other part is actually being good enough to do so.
Part of moving the needle is playing your tournament in front of (what looks like) a ton of rabid fans in an exciting environment. The other part is actually being good enough to do so.
I think Brooklyn plays fine on TV… especially for the semis, finals, and any game Dayton, VCU, and Bona have been in recently. They curtain off the top deck, and you really can’t even tell.
Oh, and res is apparently trying to ruin my week with that comment about the Bonnies not winning anymore because of free agency. I’m fragile enough this season!
Oh, and res is apparently trying to ruin my week with that comment about the Bonnies not winning anymore because of free agency. I’m fragile enough this season!
Let's be honest here. You said if the league gets stronger....well, when the A10 had a 5 bid league I went to Brooklyn. It was a big crowd but not packed. Throughout that tournament there were lots of empty seats.res, I think the best would be a neutral multi-event arena of some kind that seats in the 5-6K range. I agree even the Palestra wouldn't look full except maybe if you have the right two teams in the final. The league could help matters by getting stronger as a whole too. They've got to get out of Barclays though - it's a wasted weekend for Brooklyn and IIRC, the last contracted season is 2024 so hopefully there's a contingency when they don't renew.
Part of moving the needle is playing your tournament in front of (what looks like) a ton of rabid fans in an exciting environment. The other part is actually being good enough to do so.
Oh and we have totally bought in to the narrative of a BAD A10 this year. It is not good when you compare to past years but we need better PR. I watched the CAA games last night and they were fun games between four 20 win teams. Charleston has 30 wins I believe. Charleston also plays in the #21 strongest conference (CAA) by RPI to VCU's #11 conference that they won by 3 games (to CoC's sharing the title w Hofstra). BTW, as much as the rest of the conference likes self loathing the A10 was just a tick below the American in RPI.
AA, the conference IS bad. That's not self-loathing that's acknowledging reality. Look at the OOC losses that were had. Also, when we say "bad" we're comparing to seasons where A10 was #7/8 range. Falling to #11 based on whatever metric isn't good when all anyone cares about is P6, Gonzaga, and then maybe the next 1 or 2 leagues.
The league has never been PR savvy.
The league has never been PR savvy.
It is bad BUT look around. This college basketball season is bad. That is my opinion on 2023 so far.AA, the conference IS bad. That's not self-loathing that's acknowledging reality. Look at the OOC losses that were had. Also, when we say "bad" we're comparing to seasons where A10 was #7/8 range. Falling to #11 based on whatever metric isn't good when all anyone cares about is P6, Gonzaga, and then maybe the next 1 or 2 leagues.
The league has never been PR savvy.
There is some bad basketball. Thank the insta-transfer era.It is bad BUT look around. This college basketball season is bad. That is my opinion on 2023 so far.
I agree.Let's be honest here. You said if the league gets stronger....well, when the A10 had a 5 bid league I went to Brooklyn. It was a big crowd but not packed. Throughout that tournament there were lots of empty seats.
Oh and we have totally bought in to the narrative of a BAD A10 this year. It is not good when you compare to past years but we need better PR. I watched the CAA games last night and they were fun games between four 20 win teams. Charleston has 30 wins I believe. Charleston also plays in the #21 strongest conference (CAA) by RPI to VCU's #11 conference that they won by 3 games (to CoC's sharing the title w Hofstra). BTW, as much as the rest of the conference likes self loathing the A10 was just a tick below the American in RPI.
At no point during the CAA games last night did I think "wow, that arena is empty". At the same time, at no point did I think "wow, they really filled in that place." It was good basketball and the arena looked fine.
CoC is now at 30 wins and if they do not win tonight most think they won't get an at-large. They tried to schedule well, but it did not work out for them. They mentioned it last night, several teams, including two from our conference, were on their schedule, but those teams underperformed this season. Would be interesting to see what a projected SOS at the start of the season looks like vs. where it falls at the end of the season.
Preseason #1 UNC gives one a clue.
This is the kind of shit I have to listen to right now.
Don’t be a BW defeatist, res! Fordham just had it’s best season ever since joining the A10, even through a coaching change. Duquesne matched its best mark of the last 2 decades. Meanwhile one of the league’s biggest ‘haves’ with the great Archie Miller at the helm is fighting for their single digit win lives.
Of course I’m scared of what you said, but considering the total rebuild/last minute abandonment to complicate things, combined with the above, I’m remaining optimistic we can figure something out.
Of course I’m scared of what you said, but considering the total rebuild/last minute abandonment to complicate things, combined with the above, I’m remaining optimistic we can figure something out.
Tyler Burton is showing the coaches why he should have been all-A10 1st team.
I think it's worth noting that when the A10 drew flies was when it was at the Spectrum. Look, there are really only 4-5 consistent fanbases in the A10. The rest only show up when their team has a chance to win the conference. Joe's isn't even that awful this year and they draw around 1,800 for home games. I doubt they'd show up this year for games at the Palestra and same for La Salle.People seem to be forgetting that the tournament used to draw proverbial flies in Philly, even when the league had three Philly teams. I don't think playing in the Palestra would change that (and that assumes Penn would even rent the place out to the league, which is not a given). Sure a large VCU crowd will show up, but they show up in Brooklyn and everywhere else the tournament is played. There will also always be a sizable Dayton contingent. Ditto. I would include Bona here, but it's not clear to me they'll ever win more than 10 games a year again in the free agent era of college basketball. Besides, they can probably drink more conveniently in Brooklyn, DC, Atlantic City or Pittsburgh than in the immediate environs of the Palestra. I just don't think either Philly or the Palestra, as iconic as it might be, will move the needle.
Barclays isn't a bad arena by any stretch, but there might be 500 people at this game right now, and even the games tomorrow will be sparsely attended. They don't sell seats in the upper sections and the lighting is so dark in the seating bowl that you can't tell how empty the place truly is.
There's no perfect fit for an arena, but I think back to the Bonnies tourney in Charleston and then picture how that would have felt if they played in Charlotte's NBA arena instead. Despite what's announced, most of these games aren't exceeding 5K in attendance.
I might be in the minority here, but at the very least, the pillow fight should be held at campus arenas or eliminated in its entirety. Have only the top 8-9 make it that way you can avoid landmines to any team with the prospects of an at large bid.
DC is probably the best location for the tournament due to teams within 2-3 hours of the arena + alumni bases of each school in the DC area. Besides the final, Entertainment & Sports Arena could likely hold a majority of fans outside of the final or maybe semis.
NYC, to me, is the best spot. Every school has a significant alum base there. A slightly smaller arena would be ideal, though.
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