Bad news for BET attendees.

[kirbivore]

i could see the acc tourney eventually replacing the bigeast on saturday primetime slot on espn

I doubt Swofford changes that. They've played that Sunday afternoon slot for years.

 

[Alcuse01]

There's just no comparison. And the energy in the garden for all fans (including cuse fans if we were on the bubble or not) was always there. How many times have you seen highlights on ESPN with the entire crowd jumping up and going crazy for a last second shot? Especially the last 2 nights... I don't recall a single ACC clip with 1/2 the energy - and as noted above, what I do remember, is 1/2 empty, light blue seats.

There was something special about the BET. There was a buzz... on the streets and in all the media that attended. It was the main event. Its why it got the primetime showing. Its why if you won a couple of games your seed would skyrocket b/c the whole country was watching.

To state other tourneys are similar is just wrong. The new ACC tourney, even with all of the "great teams" will truly lack in comparison. Not to mention, the garden was (is?) the mecca of bball arenas - so the kids that came to play came to play in their dream location. So there was even more energy between the players.

Lastly, with this as the last year, the buzz will be enormous that you'll really feel the difference next year -- like when your favorite band is playing its encore and there's tons of energy and you're loving every moment, and then the lights go on, music stops, and ppl empty out...

 

[Alcuse01]

Since we're talking about it

 

[Room 914]

Well if it's not MSG, I hope we see it moved somewhere a little more happening then Greensboro...

Pittsburgh, Washington DC, Boston would be all be pretty sweet.

 

[sutomcat]

Tomcat, you need to remember how many transplants there are in the South. There will be plenty of SU fans there. Far more from this part of the world than will travel from the Syracuse vicinity.

I know there are a far number of SU fans who live in ACC territory. And I am sure some will come to the ACC tourney and cheer on Syracuse. Don't know how many will come from CNY, a lot depends on where the conference is. DC will bring a lot more people from upstate NY than say Greesboro.

To put it into perspective, we have had more than half the Garden for our BET games in recent years.

Will that happen in Greensboro? Ever?

I don't know. I really don't. I don't make it a point to watch the ACC tournament and even I wanted to, I have been in NYC watching the BET for many years. From watching highlights and the odd minute or two of live action I might see at halftime or between games, it looks like the stands are half empty for most of the ACC. As others have said, I don't see any real enthusiam or electricity from the crowd. Will it be easier to get tickets for the ACC tournament than it was for the BET? I don't know. I would think not but there were a lot of empty seats for the early rounds anyway.

I will let you know for sure in mid March of 2014.

 

[KaiserUEO]

its a very simple reason why the Garden didnt bid on the ACC.

the ACC has said they like a rotation in sites, which would mean 1x every 3 at best, but likely 1x every 4 or 5 years it would come to NYC.

that does NOTHING for the Garden.

they likely dont even give a rats arse that the BET is there now or the teams involved. they dont care who is in it or who is not. the Garden is AUTOMATICALLY SOLD OUT 2x in the same day for 4 DAYS. and then again for the Championship.

they only care about Syracuse, storz, gtown etc when its a 1 off, like those early tournys.

getting the ACC even 1x every 3 years is a waste of time for them, for then theyd still have to get somebody else in there for a week the other 2 years.

ESPN cares whos playing, the Garden does not.

 

[Knicks411]

I don't know. I really don't. I don't make it a point to watch the ACC tournament and even I wanted to, I have been in NYC watching the BET for many years. From watching highlights and the odd minute or two of live action I might see at halftime or between games, it looks like the stands are half empty for most of the ACC. As others have said, I don't see any real enthusiam or electricity from the crowd. Will it be easier to get tickets for the ACC tournament than it was for the BET? I don't know. I would think not but there were a lot of empty seats for the early rounds anyway.

I've been to the ACC tournament once. I don't think this is totally fair. Much like the BET (but probably to a larger extent) it depends on who is playing. The Garden is much more electric for UConn-SU then it is for say, Marquette-Gtown. When the Carolina teams are involved, it gets very intense. (Talking about when the tournament is in Carolina. I think they played it in Tampa or somewhere in Florida recently, I remember it being very meh)

Don't get me wrong, I don't think anything beats the BET because the Garden is truly special. But it's not like the ACC tournament is always a morgue. And I've been to some early round BET games where no one is there as well.

 

[Bayside44]

Not for me. I expect the cost of flying down and getting rental car (I could take a cheap train to NYC; no need for a car down there with mass transportation everywhere) will offset any savings I expect to see in hotel room prices and food prices.

I have seen the ACC tournament on TV, bad crowds, apathetic audiences, 2 or 3 top 25 teams playing instead of 5, 6 or 7. No question the quality of basketball will be substantially lower than it has been in recent years in the BET.

No question there is less to do and less to see. You go from the greatest city on earth to, no offense to the fine citizens of Greensboro, a small, very unremarkable town in the middle of nowhere.

The only benefit I see is that I should be able to get a few rounds of golf in while I am down there. I could have done that in NYC as well but it didn't make sense given how many other great things you can do in the Big Apple.

What is there to do in Greensboro?

Out of curiosity, I jjust googled Greensboro Attractions. The top rated attraction is something called the Bog Garden.

Woo hoo! Seriously? The Bog Garden?

At least there are direct flights from Syracuse to Greensboro. It is a rare trip where I can fly directly to where I want to go without at least one stop first.

I am going to be very interested to see how many fans Syracuse brings for its first appearance in an ACC tournament.

Get in a lot of golf. Pinehurst is an hour away and there are tons or courses to play. As a ginger ale and soda drinker you can partake in regional beverages such as Cheerwine and Ale 8 if they smuggle it over from Kentucky.

We'll have plenty of fans in the south. Sadly sober fans but plenty of fans. Heck we pack in the Verizon Center and will continue to do so.