Breakdown: 'FOR' the move, versus 'AGAINST'

[cto]

I'm probably the oldest guy on the board and attended games at Manley, so was a fan at the birth of the BE in 79'... I have "Eastern Basketball" magazines from the early 70s. I think it's the worst thing imaginable to be thrown in with the ACC and my heart is broken right now. Will miss Georgetown, Nova, Uconn, Marquette, St. Johns, Louisville, Notre Dame, West Virginia and all the rest that made up the best basketball conference in the country... What really was satisfying for me was after so many years of mediocrity, people started to call us the "Big Least".. That is when I knew we had arrived! When I look over the teams currently in the ACC and subtract UNC and dook, then see what's left, i'm left wondering if we really made a smart move??? But life goes on (it's only a sport).

I'm sure I'm older. I was at SU when we set the then-all-time consecutive loss record in 1961-62 -- and also there for the opening of Manley which coincided with the arrival of Dave Bing. Like many here, I am sad at leaving our traditional rivals (and the Big East Tournament). But given the landscape, the move was something we had to do once we were given the opportunity. If we had not accepted the ACC invite, either UConn or RU would have -- thus leaving us in the position where they are today.

 

[rstone7727]

No more MSG... No more NYC... Well, I guess we're off to Greensburgh, Glensboro, Greenville - whatever.. Just keep zooming in on Google maps it'll be there eventually.

 

[stuckinbig11]

I'm sure I'm older. I was at SU when we set the then-all-time consecutive loss record in 1961-62 -- and also there for the opening of Manley which coincided with the arrival of Dave Bing. Like many here, I am sad at leaving our traditional rivals (and the Big East Tournament). But given the landscape, the move was something we had to do once we were given the opportunity. If we had not accepted the ACC invite, either UConn or RU would have -- thus leaving us in the position where they are today.

Bingo

 

[TinyManInside]

39 years old, first started watching 'Cuse hoops during the Pearl era.

I'm not really the nostalgic type.

History is the past, let's secure our future.

I think this is a great move for longterm stability. Excited about building new connections.

-Mason

 

[Zelda Zonk]

I could not be more psyched. All the pieces are finally in place for ESF's move to the Big East. Tremble before the Mighty Oaks, beetches!

The question is: How old are you / or what is the duration of your 'attachment' to SU?

 

[Zelda Zonk]

And I want to still play GTown, Nova and St Johns on an annual basis, even if this is not always going to be in our interest to do so. And so we can retain some of the past, along with all the good things the future brings being a member of the ACC.

That's how i feel, although, i'm sure it's going to be an issue. JB, never known for 'piling high' his OOC schedule, will be loathe to include actual challenges. I can't see him adding more than one traditional BE matchup each year. If that.

 

[armory]

The light OOC schedule was always intended to off-set the gauntlet that was the Big East schedule. We played 7 ranked teams in a span of 9 games at one point last year (or 2 yrs ago cant remember). That probably wont happen in the ACC.

 

[billsin01]

I'm 33, grew up outside the cuse, have resided in ACC territory for 10 or so years. Understand the feeling that it was necessary, don't think it is in any way, shape, or form permanent (who says the ACC doesn't get raided?) and think it is a complete panicked money-grab. I also don't know that the extra money makes us any better on the field. I'd love to be wrong. Honestly don't know why people are that excited for Cuse/Georgia Tech when they weren't for Cuse/Cincy. I don't really see the difference on the field.

 

[ForeverOrange]

I've been following SU since the days when we used to beat Pitt pretty regularly in basketball. I think it has to be the smartest or worst move we could have made, smartest, IF FSU, VT, and Miami remain, but if we lose any of those teams, then how secure is the ACC really? In recent years the ACC hasn't been considered much of a football power. I believe that when you have VT, Miami and FSU you have the potential to stay strong and survive, but since this move was in theory, motivated by football and money, then I hope we did our research in making sure the best football teams in the ACC stay put.

 

[orangepassion]

I'm sure I'm older. I was at SU when we set the then-all-time consecutive loss record in 1961-62 -- and also there for the opening of Manley which coincided with the arrival of Dave Bing. Like many here, I am sad at leaving our traditional rivals (and the Big East Tournament). But given the landscape, the move was something we had to do once we were given the opportunity. If we had not accepted the ACC invite, either UConn or RU would have -- thus leaving us in the position where they are today.

These are exactly my thoughts (other than being there with Dave Bing, though my father might have been)-bittersweet. If you need any proof, just look at the schools publicly jostling to get out of there

 

[Faegan]

I was at SU 89-93, started following our athletics a few years earlier, and could not be happier to go to the ACC. Yes, I will miss many aspects of the Big East, but nostalgia should not be a factor in how we chart the future of our university. We are so fortunate to have been thrown this lifeline. As CTO pointed out, if we hadn't gone, there was a long line of others behind us just waiting to get in. Even if we stayed and somehow "flourished" in the Big East, our future would still be in doubt. So, go ahead and mourn the past, but don't let that fool you into thinking that our administration had any other choice. The current landscape in college athletics and it's uncertainty is an undeniable reality. And the impact of not going would have reverberated beyond Manley to other parts of Syracuse University.

 

[Victory Lap]

No more MSG... No more NYC... Well, I guess we're off to Greensburgh, Glensboro, Greenville - whatever.. Just keep zooming in on Google maps it'll be there eventually.

Zoom into downtown ATL, where I'll be able to walk to the Coliseum to see Cuse whoop up on Georgia Tech.

 

[Victory Lap]

Zoom into downtown ATL, where I'll be able to walk to the Coliseum to see Cuse whoop up on Georgia Tech.

No more MSG... No more NYC... Well, I guess we're off to Greensburgh, Glensboro, Greenville - whatever.. Just keep zooming in on Google maps it'll be there eventually.

I hope the ACC Tourney, after Greensboro, alternates b/w NYC and ATL.

 

[Zelda Zonk]

I'd love it if we had one game per year, EVERY year, at MSG against St. John's. But, split the tickets, half and half.

 

[senorpalmer]

I'm 33, grew up outside the cuse, have resided in ACC territory for 10 or so years. Understand the feeling that it was necessary, don't think it is in any way, shape, or form permanent (who says the ACC doesn't get raided?) and think it is a complete panicked money-grab. I also don't know that the extra money makes us any better on the field. I'd love to be wrong. Honestly don't know why people are that excited for Cuse/Georgia Tech when they weren't for Cuse/Cincy. I don't really see the difference on the field.

I totally agree with that last part. Similarly, I'd seen some here talk about how great it would be to play Maryland in hoops. Maryland? Really? Who gives a , what the hell have they done since their national title 10 years ago?

 

[hobbit88]

Well, I have no idea what ACC management will eventually do, but since conventional wisdom is that all the conference realignment currently taking place is driven by revenue, I think the ACC would be wise to look at the prestige, cachet, and Cash that a formal tie-in with MSG could bring to the conference. It would be a bit of consolation for you guys, and it would be a way to raise the conference's profile in the media consciousness.

Forget if it was here or on the InsideCarolina board that I already trotted out this idea, but what if each ACC team were to play one official "home" game a year at the Garden. My idea is that the opponent would have to be a team that is a traditional power, or that was ranked in, say the top 30 or no higher than top 40 in the previous season.

I don't know about the rest of the conference teams, but Carolina always plays a few heavies in November or December by way of toughening our guys up for the Dance. This year we play Texas, Kentucky and Michigan State among others. We play Michigan State as our season opener, you've probably heard something about it, we're playing on an aircraft carrier in San Diego.

So have every conference team play one game a year in the Garden. Great exposure for the conference, and a fun destination for our fans. Syracuse vs UCLA in MSG? Winner. UNC vs Kentucky in MSG? Ditto.

 

[HoustonCuse]

I've been following SU basketball since the Pearl was playing. I don't like the move at all. I get that there are forces at work that I don't fully understand. As a fan of Syracuse basketball though, I find that trading out of the greatest basketball league in history and the BET at MSG for a game against Duke and Carolina once per year is an incredibly hard pill to swallow. I fear that our recruiting could suffer and I fear our program could become marginalized by the move if the college althletics landscape doesn't evolve as some are predicting.

As to hobbit- no way that happens. Who is going to go to a Clemson vs. Kansas St. game in the garden? NFW. The best I could see for Syracuse is something like a home and home with Villanova where our home game is at MSG.

 

[senorpalmer]

Well, I have no idea what ACC management will eventually do, but since conventional wisdom is that all the conference realignment currently taking place is driven by revenue, I think the ACC would be wise to look at the prestige, cachet, and Cash that a formal tie-in with MSG could bring to the conference. It would be a bit of consolation for you guys, and it would be a way to raise the conference's profile in the media consciousness.

Forget if it was here or on the InsideCarolina board that I already trotted out this idea, but what if each ACC team were to play one official "home" game a year at the Garden. My idea is that the opponent would have to be a team that is a traditional power, or that was ranked in, say the top 30 or no higher than top 40 in the previous season.

I don't know about the rest of the conference teams, but Carolina always plays a few heavies in November or December by way of toughening our guys up for the Dance. This year we play Texas, Kentucky and Michigan State among others. We play Michigan State as our season opener, you've probably heard something about it, we're playing on an aircraft carrier in San Diego.

So have every conference team play one game a year in the Garden. Great exposure for the conference, and a fun destination for our fans. Syracuse vs UCLA in MSG? Winner. UNC vs Kentucky in MSG? Ditto.

Sounds nice with the higher profile programs. Not sure there'd be much draw for the other programs though unless they faced a regional opponent. BC, Florida St, NC St, Georgia Tech, Virginia, Miami etc. vs. SEC, PAC-10, Big 10, Big 12, by themselves could be a bust. You might have to pair one of those games up in a doubleheader with a team like SU, UNC, Duke or Pitt. Now, add St. John's, UCon (if they don't get an invite), or Nova to the mix as opponents and that could spruce things up.

 

[rstone7727]

We play Michigan State as our season opener, you've probably heard something about it, we're playing on an aircraft carrier in San Diego.

Hobbit, Don't start thinking about calling that the "Carrier Classic" There is only one Carrier that matters!

 

[UelSU]

I'm 42, but have lived in the South for the last 17 years. I am ok with football side of the switch, but have mixed feelings about not having SU in the Big East for BB. On the good side, I'm fairly close to Atlanta, so I will get to see SU when they play GT!

 

[bballbeadle]

Age 61. Moved up here from Durham in 84; watched Duke and UNC on tv whenever I could. Tuned into UNC/SU Elite 8 game in 87, intending to root for Carolina, but when SU won, I became a Fan. I really hate the move because it puts me in an uncomfortable situation with many of my friends. On the other hand, it might be really awesome to play Carolina and Duke every single year. I am trying to adjust.

 

[OrangeAl]

Class of '77. This moves tears my guts out, as I dreamed of a northeastern conference back in the days when we had a small alliance with PSU, Pitt and WVU. I was disappointed when the Atlantic 10 didn't quite get that done, then elated when the Big East got it together for B-Ball, then football. (Not to mention heartbroken when we missed the boat on PSU and got stung with their move to the Big 11).
I know that the move to the ACC is practical, but the Big East is our baby and now we're snuffing it. I'm a NY native. I don't have any love for southern aristocracy and I don't want to adopt their traditions. I'm afraid that unless two more northern teams come into the conference, we'll just join MD and BC as distant relatives at the family table.
My head says OK, but my heart says no way. Maybe I'll change over time.

 

[Moontan]

Zoom into downtown ATL, where I'll be able to walk to the Coliseum to see Cuse whoop up on Georgia Tech.

With only 8,900 seats when the Pavilion opens it'll be tough to get tickets, I'd imagine. It'd be nice to see a game in town. Clemson isn't that far away either.

 

[realorange]

For many years now the old rivalries have been watered down with the possible exception of Gtown and UConn. If you saw games in the Carneseca, Daddy Thomson and Rollie Massimino era, todays games pale in comparison with the crowd noise and game intensity. It's not the same Big East and is becoming more strung out every year.

We're doing the right thing at the right time.

Of course now living in South Carolina, I might be a little prejudiced with that opinion too. Having said that, I think Cuse fans will be pleasantly surprised how much orange there will be in the the ACC stadiums when the BB team shows up.

 

[Victory Lap]

For many years now the old rivalries have been watered down with the possible exception of Gtown and UConn. If you saw games in the Carneseca, Daddy Thomson and Rollie Massimino era, todays games pale in comparison with the crowd noise and game intensity. It's not the same Big East and is becoming more strung out every year.

We're doing the right thing at the right time.

Of course now living in South Carolina, I might be a little prejudiced with that opinion too. Having said that, I think Cuse fans will be pleasantly surprised how much orange there will be in the the ACC stadiums when the BB team shows up.

Agreed. ATL is all transplants from the North anyway. I've got plenty of cuse friends down here, so we'll be represented well. I'm driving to the NC State game in December - the first of many more to come...