What other schools could get the crowds that we do?

[Shenexon]

And folks wonder why JB has stayed here this long while saying this about the Carrier Dome: ‘It’s the greatest place to play in the world’. He's got some of the best crowds in college or pro basketball and has been part of a great run. SU has provided a great product and the fans have played their part with distinction. Way cool and kudos to those of you that carry the load in making that happen...

 

[BonaCuse]

I think it depends. Are season ticket holders allowed to resell their seats? And if so, what criteria do buyers need to meet?

 

[Conrad13]

What makes this even more impressive is how well we show up, especially up and down the eastern sea board. Someone mentioned how Duke has a national fanbase, which they absolutely do, but they wouldn't get anywhere near our crowds if given the same capacity. We do all that plus take over any arena that looks vulnerable. I don't know too many fanbases that have opposition creating ticketing rules to stop them from taking over their gym.

This. If you haven't seen Syracuse play a road game in person, I highly recommend it. Getting a "Let's go Orange" chant going in an opposing arena is an awesome feeling.

 

[andyw715]

Last year's game at Miami was like a home game...

 

[Orange4]

Based on our game against BC I would have to say they have enough fans to barley fill up our student section let alone a dome

 

[Cheriehoop]

Not many universities willingly leave $ on the table. If they thought their fanbase would support 35,000 fans they'd be building or expanding to that number. They don't build facilities in a vacuum, they research what size facility their fans will support while hopefully also creating some demand. Other programs don't have as large a facility for their basketball teams for a good reason - they can't fill it enough to make it fiscally worth their while.

 

[reedny]

Indiana struggles to fill it's 16K arena, over the past 10 years it has rarely been able to average even 16K. No way they could ever draw what Syracuse does routinely.

Kansas does a much better job consistently filling their 16K arena. Hard to say what they would draw if they had a Carrier Dome to play in. It would surely be more than Indiana.

Carolina's holds 21K. They almost never approach that number, and their average attendance in recent years is often below 20K, even dropping into the 17K range. I can't see them coming close to the numbers SU does.

Even Kentucky's average attendance ranges from year to year from 22K to 24K. While a lot of the variance has to do with the amount of fraud they need to commit to win the attendance crown from Syracuse, they still struggle to consistently fill their relatively small arena (compared to a 35K arena, 23K is small). They might, might not. Never underestimate the willingness of that university to cheat to win something.

Just the tip of the iceberg there.

 

[reedny]

I think it depends. Are season ticket holders allowed to resell their seats? And if so, what criteria do buyers need to meet?

Oh you're just so clever and sardonic, Bona. lol. Try getting a ticket to Cameron indoor, or to the Verizon for that matter. GT wouldn't even release tickets to the GP for 2+ years just to keep SU fans out. Ticket loyalty may be a difficult concept for you, but it's not new.

 

[jekelish]

I think Louisville could. They seem like they have a great fan base and like Syracuse they seem to be a college basketball town first and foremost and have only minor league pro teams as potential distractors.

Louisville is one of the first schools that jumped to mind for me. Louisville is a big time basketball town, which I'm not sure people realize. Basketball is everything in Louisville. The state of Kentucky in general is bat-guano insane for hoops. Indiana gets all the attention as the state where basketball is king (not as much anymore, but historically), but Kentucky goes just as bonkers over basketball. That is without question THE sport of that state, by a very wide margin.

 

[CusefanATL]

Indiana struggles to fill it's 16K arena, over the past 10 years it has rarely been able to average even 16K. No way they could ever draw what Syracuse does routinely.

Kansas does a much better job consistently filling their 16K arena. Hard to say what they would draw if they had a Carrier Dome to play in. It would surely be more than Indiana.

Carolina's holds 21K. They almost never approach that number, and their average attendance in recent years is often below 20K, even dropping into the 17K range. I can't see them coming close to the numbers SU does.

Even Kentucky's average attendance ranges from year to year from 22K to 24K. While a lot of the variance has to do with the amount of fraud they need to commit to win the attendance crown from Syracuse, they still struggle to consistently fill their relatively small arena (compared to a 35K arena, 23K is small). They might, might not. Never underestimate the willingness of that university to cheat to win something.

In fairness, we cheat too.

And you say so in just about every recap you do.

 

[Shenexon]

Oh you're just so clever and sardonic, Bona. lol. Try getting a ticket to Cameron indoor, or to the Verizon for that matter. GT wouldn't even release tickets to the GP for 2+ years just to keep SU fans out. Ticket loyalty may be a difficult concept for you, but it's not new.

One of my best-ever game experiences was at the Verizon Center in February 2010. SU fans dominated the arena somehow, either in numbers or intensity, and the team was the best we'd had in years. It was a great win and was a great opportunity to taunt Georgetown fans as we left the arena & area. There was & is something special about wins over Georgetown...

Say, do you know the time?

 

[Carolinasu]

Just hypothetically, if every school in the country played in a Carrier Dome-sized facility, what other fanbases would generate the types of crowds that we do?

Obviously Kentucky would. Probably Kansas, Louisville, Indiana. Would UNC? Possibly Michigan State?

(To confirm, this post is intended to be a compliment to how elite and loyal our fanbase is).

Not UNC, they have 1 sellout per year and that's Duke. They were like 3 thousand below capacity for the Syracuse game.

 

[reedny]

One of my best-ever game experiences was at the Verizon Center in February 2010. SU fans dominated the arena somehow, either in numbers or intensity, and the team was the best we'd had in years. It was a great win and was a great opportunity to taunt Georgetown fans as we left the arena & area. There was & is something special about wins over Georgetown...

Say, do you know the time?

Lol... I know what time it is ... (Georgetown sucks). I was there -- when they released tickets for sale -- back in 2011 and several seasons before. GT can get 11 maybe 12k of fans in there, and that's it. The rest consisted of SU fans .. which is why they instituted the gray out. But now the good doctor (DG) re-worked our deal with the sinister sultans of darkness (Lee Reed and company) and we're guaranteed 5k of seats. These seats were ALWAYS there ... but for 2 years GT gave them away to the homeless to keep us out.

Yessiree -- I remember GMac hitting the game-winner against them (after they had scored a basket with about 4-5 seconds left). I think it was 2 years later ... we dominated them at the verizon.. and a woman (GT fan) in her 50's behind me started crying. I put my arm around her and consoled by saying ... it's just basketball and we aren't playing. But she was despondent anyway. One year we lost and they chanted "NIT" ... pesky group the hoya fans.

Great hearing from you, as always.

 

[Carolinasu]

This. If you haven't seen Syracuse play a road game in person, I highly recommend it. Getting a "Let's go Orange" chant going in an opposing arena is an awesome feeling.

I second that

 

[reedny]

Louisville brought a shocking number of fans to the BET. They really do have a great fan base. I think they would probably be the most likely school to be able to do what we do.

And I've heard the Dumb Center is a 1st class facility and a pretty tough ticket too. They get the Colonel Sanders white-outs going, with Ricky P decked out in white, and the crowd goes nuts. We beat them down there, what, 3 years back, with a great floater by Brandon Trish.

 

[Carolinasu]

The Dean Dome seats 21K, so there's a good chance they would.

They hold almost 22 and get 1 sellout per year so Unc isn't going to do it. Louisville or Kentucky would be most likely.

 

[Cheriehoop]

From Louisville's own website:

http://www.gocards.com/tickets/student-tickets.html

Just thought it was interesting .

 

[reedny]

From Louisville's own website:

http://www.gocards.com/tickets/student-tickets.html

Just thought it was interesting .

Yep ... doesn't surprise me one bit. It's not as sinister as the gray-out, but same idea. Keep the tickets in the family.

 

[TexanMark]

This. If you haven't seen Syracuse play a road game in person, I highly recommend it. Getting a "Let's go Orange" chant going in an opposing arena is an awesome feeling.

We played at Arkansas a few years ago...we had several hundred fans there...for a place literally in the middle of nowhere.

 

[sutomcat]

In fairness, we cheat too.

And you say so in just about every recap you do.

Syracuse, like almost everyone in the country, uses tickets sold and distributed to determine it's attendance numbers (though they do apparently also include media in their numbers). It is the industry standard...and for Syracuse basketball, there are no tickets distributed for free.

Kentucky uses an estimate to get their numbers. They include everyone in the building. This is how they have claimed an average attendance of over 24K in a building that does not have SRO and only holds 23000.

Even their own newspapers acknowledge this.

 

[sabach]

Last Saturday I took some of my kids to the Duke game. We sat in 323 in the other end zone. I told my kids that as proof of how awesome the crowd was, there would be 15 thousand LESS fans at the NBA all star game the next day. My 14 year old son responded by saying we get more fans for BC than will be at the NBA all star game. He's right.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

Darren Rovell @darrenrovell · 12h12 hours ago
Duke's men's basketball home game tomorrow vs Clemson is not sold out. School released student section seats for $75 each tonight.

 

[Bayside44]

Not UNC, they have 1 sellout per year and that's Duke. They were like 3 thousand below capacity for the Syracuse game.

It's a lousy place to watch a game in the second deck. Give them a Carrier Dome and he perspective of a bad seat changes.