I have no vested stake either, I like going to MSG. Not suggesting you said otherwise, but I do want to put that out there. I agree with your highlighted point, one game is a small sample size, some experimenting is in order. And if they do the right thing and get a few more quality OOC games there would be more games to work with for both sites. We all agree nobody is going to either spot to watch Monmouth or Miss. Valley State.Monte post=457720 said:
(POST GAME) (MSG) Connecticut, Sun., Feb. 13, 12 Noon, FOX
- Thread starter Knight
- Start date
Just my personal opinion, but I really feel like the most important factor about us playing home games at MSG, is how it adds to our brand. In a way, it helps us cling to some semblance of national relevance, even during these lean years of no success on that level.
I seriously doubt Fans hate Wusu. No one doubts his intensity , competitiveness , or Skills . He has many attributes that are valuable to any team ., But , he is and has been asked to play roles , not suited to those skills . That’s a function of Posh’s injuries and not having a back up PG . Dunn was able to fill that role last season and , he could break down his defenders off the dribble . This year we have no one to be the spot PG . Wusu played a spark plug role last year , off the Bench and would do well in that role again . Coming in to the game against other team’s role players or , tired starters . That’s another thing , didn’t Wusu have off season foot or ankle surgery ? There is little doubt he doesn’t have the lift he had last year . And , neither does Champ , who I believe may be playing hurt too . His lift is way off from last year and he knows it . He was able to get to the rim better last year and did have more quickness . He’s never been a blow by guy but , the drop off this year is more than just him not playing well . His ability just hasn’t gone south , unless there is a reason . This is a very poor shooting team . Not up to BE standards . Last year, we had Cole , Moore , Earlington , GWill, and Champ who could hit 3’s a nd outside 2’s . Not this year . Smith hasn’t gotten off track , Coburn is in a slump at the worst time , when he’s getting more minutes . Wheeler is a decent but , streaky 3 shooter . And , like yesterday , he and Champ were like 11-34 or something like that on Shots . Not going to win with those numbers . Nywie and Stanley are offensively challenged at this point in their development . There effort is admirable when they are in there . Pinzon ‘s loss has been unfortunate . Let’s hope the young man recovers and can resume next season .
I’m going to disagree with IDRAFT re the UBS attendance. That game drew well because fans wanted to see the new arena and Kansas was a top opponent. If SJU plays Pitt , Geo, Vill , and Conn next season at UBS they will draw similar crowds that MSG drew.
SJU is sinking even more than I thought and Mike Cragg has one of the toughest assignments in all of college basketball , trying to raise money and interest in a dormant program.
SJU is sinking even more than I thought and Mike Cragg has one of the toughest assignments in all of college basketball , trying to raise money and interest in a dormant program.
My immediate observations from yesterday's game:
- The crowd was spirited (even without the UConn contingents) and seemed larger than it actually was; that said, the fact that St. John's fans did not turn out for the game is very disappointing
- I liked that the game plan was for Mathis and Wusu to not look for or settle for 3's; I liked that they and most of the team tried to get inside; the fact that UConn had a lot of blocks (and so did we) doesn't mean it wasn't a good game plan; it helped get Sanogo in foul trouble
- I see Wusu kind of like Earlington was in his sophomore year; still trying to figure out his role--shooter or not? PG or not; of course, had Posh and Pinzon been healthier, much of these things he is being asked to do might be moot; he is a unique player whose contributions are often overlooked by his mistakes
- Wheeler, having the hot hand in outside shooting, just didn't find them dropping.
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Completely agree 112. Almost every Fox national and regional broadcast starts with a shot of Manhattan and the words "from the world's most famous arena....". Play more CA games at UBS, don't take away from MSG. If anything, add more marquee OOC games at MSGRoom112 post=457728 said:
I spoke to a coach friend about Wusu, asking if the lateral low post position (back to the basket strong but small power forward with quickness , Bernard King, Mark Aguirre, Adrian Dantley, Charles Barkley) could work for him and get him away from all the desperate straight line drives that get blocked. His answer was that it might but that no one wants to teach that game, that running offense through a back to the basket point forward in the age of the 3 pointer is viewed as a non-winning approach.
I went back to the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 season for attendance numbers, with the following results:
2018-2019
CAL, Barclays 5,967
VCU, Barclays 5,453
Princeton, MSG 10,078
Georgetown, MSG 17,801
Providence, MSG 16,288
Villanove, MSG 19,812
Seton Hall, MSG 18,529
2019-2020
WVU, MSG 7,281
DePaul, MSG 6,636
Seton Hall, MSG 10,428
Villanova, MSG 10,155
Xavier, MSG 14,465
Marquette, MSG 7,720
So what has changed from this season compared to the the past 2 seasons. IMHO, fans are staying away mostly because of COVID. I think a lot fans got use to staying home last year (since they were not allowed to attend) and decided to stay home this year. I expect to see an increase in attendance next year. Not sure how much, because there still needs to be progress on the court.
2018-2019
CAL, Barclays 5,967
VCU, Barclays 5,453
Princeton, MSG 10,078
Georgetown, MSG 17,801
Providence, MSG 16,288
Villanove, MSG 19,812
Seton Hall, MSG 18,529
2019-2020
WVU, MSG 7,281
DePaul, MSG 6,636
Seton Hall, MSG 10,428
Villanova, MSG 10,155
Xavier, MSG 14,465
Marquette, MSG 7,720
So what has changed from this season compared to the the past 2 seasons. IMHO, fans are staying away mostly because of COVID. I think a lot fans got use to staying home last year (since they were not allowed to attend) and decided to stay home this year. I expect to see an increase in attendance next year. Not sure how much, because there still needs to be progress on the court.
If the cheapest ticket at MSG to see SJU is fifty five dollars good luck. To see a college basketball team that does not participate in March Madness and is struggling to remain in the top 100 teams fifty five dollars for what would be a bad seat is poor marketing.
redmen4life
Well-known member
RedStormRising post=457746 said:
i didn't renew my season tix for the last 2 seasons due to covid.
if i can get my baby vaxxed this year, i'll renew.
RedStormRising post=457746 said:
Don't forget, that 2018-2019 season, there was a ton of buzz around the program, and attendance was up significantly that year. That was Mullin's final year, and the year Ponds led the team to a 12-0 start. Say what you want about Mullin, but him as the coach gave the program a great talking point in the press that was able to draw in the average fan. We also had the exciting Shamorie Ponds, and during the year St. John's actually had some relevance that season.
Mug Costanza
Member
I understand, but does anybody know the economics of our MSG games (legitimate question)? It can't be cheap and the athletic department has to be taking a pretty sizable loss on these games especially when we draw less than 10K people. I could be wrong though as I have no clue what the actual numbers look like.Monte post=457739 said:
Mug Costanza post=457750 said:
It has been shared on this board that we need around 10K attendance to break even. So that's why it appears the administration is strategically cutting back games there while we are down a bit. As Monte said, it would be a great idea to schedule games against premiere OOC teams at MSG.
ManhattAn1
Active member
I believe they also raised ticket prices after the 18-19 season
Monte post=457739 said:
I agree with playing the marquee OOC games at MSG. Perhaps we could then experiment with UBS by hosting UConn and Nova there. Our core fan base does not live in Manhattan and I would make the case that the geographical heart of our base is much closer to UBS.
MSG
Georgetown
Seton Hall
Providence
Marquee OOC
Marquee OOC
UBS
UConn
Villanova
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