UVA Thoughts (non game related)

[Gannon97]

The game has been broken down and unfortunately there was not much for me to add to the accurate descriptions of the game. Instead, as a habitual lurker, but long time season ticket holder, I will offer some random thoughts:

1) Why, during opponent introductions, have we stopped holding up the signs for “who cares”, “so what”, etc. This has happened for as long as I remember and I noticed that this season has been the first that we don’t do that. I’m 43, so I have some perspective on this and I wish that we still did it.

2) The student section is brutal. Good turnout considering the play of the team recently, but nearly dead overall (again, this game was brutal). I realize that the team may have a lot to do with this.

3) Sour Sitrus Society is the smallest that I can remember in quite some time...to the point that I can barely hear them playing (and they seem to play less than ever)...and I am in section 122, where I should be able to hear them easily as I have in the past. They are a private organization, but isn’t there something that can be done to enhance them from a university level? The SUMB should also be thrown into this mix...we are an ACC team for crying out loud and the bands should reflect that.

4) Random musing, but with 4 minutes to go there were some fans behind us that made the comment “see...all of the fans are leaving already...this is why Syracuse will never win”. I turned to them and said “seriously? We have 27,000 here today for a team that is tough to watch...this is why we are struggling?” They were goood guys and admitted that this was a dumb statement...and left a minute later...

5) I love ‘Cuse basketball and football, but have to admit that over the years my days have become less and less ruined by the poor performances and losses. I have been going to basketball and football games since ‘80 and been a part of the great ups and low downs. I’ve already renewed for next season for football and hoops (and I’m a bills season ticket holder as well...) so my loyalty is unwavering for those teams...just thought that I would vent a bit after today. I told my very loyal and loving wife that I felt like I wanted to crawl out of my skin during this game, in particular. With two young kids at home (growing 2 more oranges for sure) and tons of travel for work, it is becoming harder and harder. I am at an age wherein hate to write off an entire season, but at this point I am mostly excited about our incoming football recruiting class and season. I know that next hoops season is filled with promise, but my overall optimism is being tested. Love this board and love catching up with the posts. Thought I might join the fray with my non game related thoughts.

 

[NKR1978]

Up to the last few years I would have spent yesterday breathing in college basketball. I’d have dragged some friends to a bar and spent the day boozing with nervous excitement for the game. Yesterday I watched a little of the noon games. Got bored, watched a couple episodes of Altered Carbon and then forced myself to watch the first half. Made it through 5 minutes of the 2nd and ran some errands and the game mercifully over when I got home.

Losing is one thing, but the games are so boring and the team is so poorly constructed that I have little interest in watching for the rest of the year.

 

[OrangeFoo]

Up to the last few years I would have spent yesterday breathing in college basketball. I’d have dragged some friends to a bar and spent the day boozing with nervous excitement for the game. Yesterday I watched a little of the noon games. Got bored, watched a couple episodes of Altered Carbon and then forced myself to watch the first half. Made it through 5 minutes of the 2nd and ran some errands and the game mercifully over when I got home.

Losing is one thing, but the games are so boring and the team is so poorly constructed that I have little interest in watching for the rest of the year.

I actually stopped watching games this year starting with the first uva game. The product is just not watchable... I’ll follow on Twitter or online but I can’t justify spending time watching.

 

[tbonezone]

as to point (4) the mass exodus (movement of jah people) at around the 4 minute mark is lousy telegenics for the program.

 

[rrlbees]

Enough can’t be said for the 27000 people there. It’s been a tough season and yet there were 27000. Say that again, 27000. Little ‘ol Syracuse. No place else could do that considering the frustrations of the season.

Kudos Syracuse fans.

 

[RMH44]

as to point (4) the mass exodus (movement of jah people) at around the 4 minute mark is lousy telegenics for the program.

Our style of play is FAR worse telegenics than frustrated fan's mass exodus.

 

[NKR1978]

Enough can’t be said for the 27000 people there. It’s been a tough season and yet there were 27000. Say that again, 27000. Little ‘ol Syracuse. No place else could do that considering the frustrations of the season.

Kudos Syracuse fans.

I know one program with four national championships that had massive amounts of empty seats in their 10,000 seat gym for the #8 team in the country.

 

[721Comstock]

Re: SSS - you have to *want* to be in it, and I think you may even need to be invited to do so.

I was in SUMB for 2 years, which was probably a year longer than I should have.
I had almost no desire to be in SSS, in spite of actually being reasonably good at playing my instrument.

I had season tickets instead, (this was back when the student seats were in the temporary bleachers, so they were excellent seats, vs being behind the backboard at one end), and much preferred just watching the game w/ my buddies and drinking some Dome foams, than having to 'work' the whole time.
And it is WORK.

I dunno if SSS is a 1 credit, Pass/Fail course like SUMB is, but even so - it just may not be worth it to many.

 

[bballbeadle]

I have felt that the bball program peaked in terms of student participation for the 2009/10 Andy Rautins team. That was the year they had all the big heads and it was fun. Our team was great! We broke the attendance record for the Nova game and actually beat them. The students showed up game after game. The rot seemed to set in after that, even for our 2012-13 team (2nd Fab year) which arguably may have been the best team we’ve ever had. But then . . . Sanctions. Going to ACC. I don’t know. Something happened to take some of the sizzle of the fans away.

Now, I am absolutely going to agree with Bees. We have a fan base who comes to games despite all of the inherent difficulties and we definitely have a fan base who can be UP for certain games. The first Duke game comes to mind. So we have pockets of fantasticalness but overall the fan base seems to be dwindling.

I hope and believe this is the last year of a somewhat mediocre bball product and that Boeheim will go out with some solid seasons that will bring vitality back to the Dome. I will continue to believe that until forced to do otherwise.

The entire crowd was READY TO GO yesterday. But the team was not. It’s just the unfortunate truth of the matter.

I believe better times are coming. I hope this year the team can manage to surprise us in a good way at least a couple times. Go Cuse!

 

[bballbeadle]

I know one program with four national championships that had massive amounts of empty seats in their 10,000 seat gym for the #8 team in the country.

I don’t know basketball well enough this year to know who you’re talking about.

 

[Edfromsodus]

I miss the hey you suck chant when the band used to play.

Now timeouts are filled with advertisements. Sad.

 

[Fly Rodder]

I think the dome tends to distort some of the things people complain about. Most arenas don’t light up the seats and 27k in a~50k seat football stadium is always going to look a little more sparse than it really is.

Plus time can distort perception too. The past was better, back in my day, etc.

 

[OrangeDW]

Disappointed to read #1. To me that means that almost everything cool that used to happen as far as fan participation goes is gone now. All we’ve got left is the Let’s Go Orange chant.

 

[pfister1]

The Dome is a blessing and a curse all at the same time.

Blessing when we are winning and packing people in and creating a loud crazed atmosphere.

Curse when we play mediocre and have a large crowd with nothing to get them excited and generate energy.

I hate to use Duke as an example, but the student section atmosphere at Duke is easier to create because they are in a much smaller environment in a smaller crowd. The number of "crazies" needed to move the needle and be noticed is much smaller than the number needed in the cavernous Dome among 25-30,000 other fans.

The thing about student sections is they are made up of lots of "Johnny Come Lately" fans as well as lots people there for the experience. They aren't the loyal long term fans that alums and season ticket holders tend to be. As a result you end up with a few fantastic fans and a lot of fair weather ones. When the team is doing very well the Dome is the place to be and a lot of those fair weather fans become loyal ones. When the team isn't so great I'm sure the attitude is meh.

 

[SWC75]

I don’t know basketball well enough this year to know who you’re talking about.

There's only one school with 4 national titles. UCLA has 11, Kentucky 8, North Carolina 6, Indiana and Duke 5. Then comes...

 

[SWC75]

I have felt that the bball program peaked in terms of student participation for the 2009/10 Andy Rautins team. That was the year they had all the big heads and it was fun. Our team was great! We broke the attendance record for the Nova game and actually beat them. The students showed up game after game. The rot seemed to set in after that, even for our 2012-13 team (2nd Fab year) which arguably may have been the best team we’ve ever had. But then . . . Sanctions. Going to ACC. I don’t know. Something happened to take some of the sizzle of the fans away.

Now, I am absolutely going to agree with Bees. We have a fan base who comes to games despite all of the inherent difficulties and we definitely have a fan base who can be UP for certain games. The first Duke game comes to mind. So we have pockets of fantasticalness but overall the fan base seems to be dwindling.

I hope and believe this is the last year of a somewhat mediocre bball product and that Boeheim will go out with some solid seasons that will bring vitality back to the Dome. I will continue to believe that until forced to do otherwise.

The entire crowd was READY TO GO yesterday. But the team was not. It’s just the unfortunate truth of the matter.

I believe better times are coming. I hope this year the team can manage to surprise us in a good way at least a couple times. Go Cuse!

Maybe when we get going again a new generation of fans will rise, thrilled with the novelty of winning big for a change.

 

[tbonezone]

i don't need a title every 4 years to be happy. i do want to be ranked and in the conversation every year. this is what we've lost.

 

[Gannon97]

Re: SSS - you have to *want* to be in it, and I think you may even need to be invited to do so.

I was in SUMB for 2 years, which was probably a year longer than I should have.
I had almost no desire to be in SSS, in spite of actually being reasonably good at playing my instrument.

I had season tickets instead, (this was back when the student seats were in the temporary bleachers, so they were excellent seats, vs being behind the backboard at one end), and much preferred just watching the game w/ my buddies and drinking some Dome foams, than having to 'work' the whole time.
And it is WORK.

I dunno if SSS is a 1 credit, Pass/Fail course like SUMB is, but even so - it just may not be worth it to many.

Thanks for that insight. I have always been a little curious as to how they are recruited/invited and if there was a course credit associated.

 

[SBU72]

Enough can’t be said for the 27000 people there. It’s been a tough season and yet there were 27000. Say that again, 27000. Little ‘ol Syracuse. No place else could do that considering the frustrations of the season.

Kudos Syracuse fans.

According to tv guys, largest campus crowd this season. Is Kentucky playing that bad?

 

[SoBeCuse]

According to tv guys, largest campus crowd this season. Is Kentucky playing that bad?

I’ve been to Rupp. I think they max out at 21/22K. They can’t really compare to the Dome when the Dome hosts a marquee matchup. But, they consistently draw those 20-22K which usually gives them the overall top attendance start to finish.

 

[Hoo's That]

I’ve been to Rupp. I think they max out at 21/22K. They can’t really compare to the Dome when the Dome hosts a marquee matchup. But, they consistently draw those 20-22K which usually gives them the overall top attendance start to finish.

The Dean Dome is right around 20K as well. The announced attendance Saturday was well past the capacity of either one.