Uconn MBB attendance woes.....

[the Blades]

* For the first time since Gampel Pavilion opened in 1990, the Huskies did not play to a sellout at either Gampel in Storrs or the XL Center in Hartford. The team averaged 8,732 fans for home games this season, down about 1,700 from the 2015-16 average of 10,413.....
The women's basketball team, despite success, had seen home attendance decline for several years. This season, it averaged 9,162, its highest total in five years — a tangible turnaround.

Full read - UConn Men's Basketball: Many Factors Point To Poor Attendance
.
.....and some of the factors for poor attendance per the Courant:
* A losing season — the Huskies' first since 1986-87 — played a role. And it trickled down to the AAC Tournament at the XL Center, where overall attendance was about 27,000, compared to 45,000 in 2014. UConn played three games and drew 20,296, a 6,765 average. Next March, the AAC returns to Orlando, where it drew 38,871 in 2016. Then it is open, looking for a site, or sites, for 2019, '20 and '21. This year in Hartford, where tickets for the 10-game package started at $199. UConn sold nearly all of its allotment of 500 tickets, but with so many tickets available from out-of-the-region schools, the secondary ticket market was flooded.

*The average ticket price for men's basketball was $36 this season, with discounts available. The school is planning a $2 surcharge on tickets to help fund a $46 million project to build new facilities for baseball, softball and soccer.

* The loss of familiar opponents has been a major factor in attendance. UConn sold out the XL Center — during a snowstorm — for a nonconference game with former Big East rival Georgetown in January 2016.

* This season, the AAC's TV agreements saddled the Huskies with a number of inconvenient starting times, 9 p.m. on weeknights, or weekday afternoons around the holidays, and late Sunday afternoon starts going against Giants and Patriots games. "As a league, we have to look at that," Benedict said. "Playing a very important game for us, a conference game, during the AFC Championship week, we probably had less than half our normal crowd. Did I call up and make sure the conference was aware that this isn't good for UConn, isn't good for league? Sure I did."

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

Unfortunately another reason for the poor attendance was that after the season ending injuries to Gilbert, Larrier and Diarra all within a week very early in the season, many fans mentally mailed the season in as doomed. Also, the team played really awful earlier in the season, although I thought they got better as the season wore on. At one point they were shooting just over 30% on 3s, but this improved significantly over the second half of the season. So the early season poor play and injuries and fans mentally bailing out on the season were big factors in the low numbers.

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

By contrast the women have been better than expected and the level of their play has been incredible even by their own lofty standards. I have watched the women very consistently since the early 1990s and although this is not the deepest or most talented team they have had, they are as much fun to watch as any UConn's women team. They play the game correctly, rarely make mental mistakes, consistently play hard, and are racking up ridiculous assisted basket totals. They are very top heavy in talent, but their top 4 players are All American caliber and all can have huge games at any time if the others are off.

 

[the Blades]

True KSTW.... and I'll be even more specific...presale/advanced tickets are about creating a buzz....you can't and I repeat can't...... be ranked as a top 20 team in the pre-season ( whether deserved or not) and start off by losing to two mediocre low majors like Wagner and Northeastern.... That is an absolute buzz kill before the sales team even has a chance to start selling other ticket packages and destroys the thing before it even gets going. Those games have to be W's if just for window dressing if nothing else.

 

[the Blades]

Here's a historical look back--- during & post Calhoun/Big East:
...............games/ Avg
2001-02 15/ 13709
2002-03 16/ 13229
2003-04 18/ 13549
2004-05 17/ 13771
2005-06 16/ 13948
2006-07 20/ 13012
2007-08 17/ 11887
2008-09 16/ 12518
2009-10 19/ 11685
2010-11 17/ 11569
2011-12 17/ 12640 ( Calhoun's last year )
2012-13 16/ 10728 ( Final Big East year/ KO's first)
2013-14 18/ 10134
2014-15 16/ 10957
2015-16 17/ 10413
2016-17 16- 8732

 

[USNA90]

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, UConn needs to step up early and get quality wins out of conference to build their resume. If they don't win some big games in the first two months against top-tier opponents, they have a tough road to the tournament. What they certainly can't afford to do is lose to the cupcakes who are supposed to be tuneups for the real competition. That opening loss to Wagner put an immediate damper on the season, and it would have been difficult to shake the stigma regardless of how well they did in the AAC. Then, UConn doubled down by losing to Northeastern, proving the first loss wasn't a fluke. Following those losses, but before the injury bug bit, did anyone have high hopes for the tournament in Hawaii? Unfortunately, even without the injuries, this season was over in the minds of many fans before it began. Even if UConn improved as the season went on, there's a lack of interest in most AAC opponents, making the drop in attendance totally predictable.

 

[Ozzie3178]

Solution: Get out the AAC asap!

Mr. Benedict you Sir are on the clock!!

Also question is Jimmy C still advising the AD... I mean in terms of a real capacity or is that with this new AD a title only now?

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

I still think the Big East is the most viable immediate option. I again remind you guys of the Waiting For Godot hypothesis: you sit and wait for a P5 offer that doesn't come and after a certain period of waiting for no Godot, guess what, the damage is done. Instead of two guys making aimless conversation on the side of road waiting for a third person who never joins them, you have a school stuck with a suck ass conference schedule (which gets worse if CIncy and Houston leave) and after 5 years or so, even the Big East will not want UConn. In 5 years (if the AAC is still around) A10 or even the MAAC might be comparable or best available choices.

 

[the Blades]

Solution: Get out the AAC asap!
Mr. Benedict you Sir are on the clock!!
Also question is Jimmy C still advising the AD... I mean in terms of a real capacity or is that with this new AD a title only now?

I think that's the plan of most teams in the AAC and it would be nice....but it's not easy because someone else does the choosing.

As far as the Big East I was looking at their attendance numbers and other than Marquette and Nova ( who just barely broke the 10,000 mark) with a top ranked 32-4 team........ Uconn (as bad of a season as they had) would still rank 3rd in attendance of all the old BE teams ( ahead of Georgetown, Providence, St. Johns, Seton Hall and Depaul this year). So the new BE schedule doesn't seems to be helping those schools numbers either.

And for reference Uconn did finish 3rd in the AAC after a horrible year, behind 2 teams that didn't reach 10,000 either ....Cincy and Memphis, who's been the biggest tank of teams now playing in the AAC.. .....(University of Memphis wants to renegotiate FedExForum) ..The Tigers used to average around 16,000 even in C-USA from 2007- 2014....they were down to 9,623 this year.....

It seems like the only thing this conference musical chairs did ( loss of familiar opponents like the Courant states) was hurt everyone's attendance, unless your in a P-5...

Regarding JC he's still listed as Special Assistant to the AD in the Uconn directory, but I don't think I saw him at a hoops game at all this year......like he's been in the past.
also word from a source that knows JC...is that KO really doesn't want input from him anyway.... at least regarding the BB team

 

[the Blades]

Also regarding more "unfamiliar opponents" half way across the country.... this story is still floating around to get AAC BB up to 12 teams like the FB side...(Navy-FB only)
And I remember Aresco's comment a few weeks ago: "There is no way we're going back to the old Big East model of multiple basketball-only teams. It creates
too much friction, too much misalignment of schools. Would you take one? We're always looking to improve our basketball but we have no plans right now."

talks about a jigsaw fit with Uconn (stay for FB to BE BB) since Wich St. is a BB only..but states: ......"UConn sources, privately as well as publicly, have been reiterating that the school has no intention of leaving the American Athletic Conference for anything short of a Power Five"

More Rumors About Wichita State Joining AAC; What Would That Mean For UConn?

 

[KhalidShockedTheWorld]

On a positive note for the AAC, tonight UCF upset Illinois of the B1G, 68-58, to advance to the NIT Final 4. Go UCF! Up next is TCU in the NIT Final 4.

 

[Ozzie3178]

Hopefully they add Wichita state so when we leave they will still have decent Bball schools....

 

[the Blades]

On a positive note for the AAC, tonight UCF upset Illinois of the B1G, 68-58, to advance to the NIT Final 4. Go UCF! Up next is TCU in the NIT Final 4.

I saw the last part of that game when UCF was up 14-15 points and then they started to fall apart. I think IL got it down to 5 or so, but eventually UCF held on for the W...
Also like the experimental bonus foul rules they are using in the NIT this year. Like the NBA and what the women did this year. Where you go strait to a 2 shot bonus after 5 fouls, no one and ones, per 10 min segment. This way the team who is behind & fouling on purpose doesn't gain an advantage..Announcers seemed to think it may become a men's rule next year across the board. Anyway good luck UCF !...Enjoy the trip to MSG......and going against our old BE friend Jamie Dixon..