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Post by luhoopsfan on Sept 3, 2014 20:53:56 GMT -5
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Post by theneumann64 on Sept 4, 2014 3:43:52 GMT -5
I think this is great news. Pittsburgh and DC are excellent spots to do it in for a year apiece.
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MisterD
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Post by MisterD on Sept 4, 2014 8:53:44 GMT -5
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Post by coqui900 on Sept 4, 2014 9:30:39 GMT -5
The A-10's old format for the tournament before La Salle was in it was the best. All games at The Palestra, save for the final game, which is at the home court of the highest seed left.
That still seems logistically possible. Maybe you need some play-in game type thing so you winnow the field to The Palestra a bit.
The best part about college basketball is the atmosphere at games. But the conference tournaments negate, save for the Big East and ACC and the other big school tournaments. The A-10 is the best mid-major conference at the Barclay's Center is, at best, at half capacity for A-10 games.
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Post by player71 on Sept 4, 2014 9:50:31 GMT -5
But remember the old format also started a few days earlier too. The Big East gets a lot of hype based on the Quarters/Semis games. By the time you get to the Final, it is not always full and it is easy to get tickets to.
That being said, let's go back to the Civic Center...the forgotten A-10 Tourney venue...
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Post by 23won on Sept 4, 2014 10:11:24 GMT -5
The area around the Verizon Center in DC is awesome. Went to 2 NCAA regionals there. It is a must go/must stay destination!
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Post by luhoopsfan on Sept 4, 2014 10:53:27 GMT -5
I'm excited by the prospect of going to D.C. - Pittsburgh, not so much. I've spent many, many, MANY days, nights and weekends in the Steel City and going there for a hoops game in early March does not appeal to me. Just my opinion, and not sure how/why they couldn't find a way to get Philadelphia to work. If they're willing to play in half to 3/4 empty NBA arenas, why not the Wells Fargo Center. It's at least accessible w/in a few hours for multiple fan bases, the HQ for one of your biggest TV partners (NBC Sports, AKA, NBC Universal, AKA Comcast).
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Post by explorer88 on Sept 4, 2014 11:36:07 GMT -5
I have been to Pittsburgh many times. I like it there. I think it is an underrated city. I would prefer one venue however for more than one year.
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Post by big5explorer on Sept 4, 2014 12:43:14 GMT -5
Terrible decision. I'd love to know the logic behind it.
Especially regarding Pittsburgh. Fans, aside from the hardcore ones, will not travel to Pittsburgh in early March. The town isn't a huge media market. I doubt you're going to obtain any more college/a10 recognition in the city than already exists.
The A10 needs to pick a central location and stick with it. People associate the Big East tourney with MSG and can plan trips accordingly. From one year to the next no one will have any idea & familiarity with where the A 10 tourney is, unless it comes to your town, where you might see ads and billboards for the month preceding it.
I'd bet if someone went onto any A10 campus in late February and asked students going into a basketball game "Where is the A10 tourney this year?" you'd be lucky if 10% knew the answer.
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Post by stlexplorer on Sept 4, 2014 20:58:06 GMT -5
Pittsburgh was an awesome city the one time I was there so hard to argue there just again the concern has to be these NBA/NHL arenas we're not going to fill
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Post by Deleted on Sept 5, 2014 12:42:24 GMT -5
After someone recently suggested Buffalo, I can't tell if they're being serious or not, Pittsburgh is an upgrade. It must be packaged correctly! I would not want to stay in a business hotel in the fringes of downtown (La Salle seems to love their Marriotts) and I don't want to stay at the Holiday Inn in Oakland. Been there done that. They have some GREAT hotels on the riverfront. It probably won't be too cold in mid March, no worse than Dayton. The drive from Philly and NY is doable.
The other programs tend to have no problems getting people to come out. I hope we sell a bus package for Pittsburgh and make it somehow marketable to the people who want to stay as long as La Salle is in the thing, but it is tough to make the call to pay $100+ per day until we lose because you could be on the hook for $400 or more if we kept on playing.
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