ACC basketball is eager for northern exposure

[jostar1]

For the first time in its history, the ACC is taking its annual basketball tournament out of the state of North Carolina for three consecutive years.
Beginning in March, the event will be held at Washington, D.C.’s Verizon Center, followed with back-to-back years in Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center (2017 and 2018), before returning to Tobacco Road in 2019 (Charlotte) and 2020 (Greensboro).

Addressing media at the ACC’s annual Operation Basketball media event Wednesday, Swofford reported that the league has gotten tremendous response and enthusiasm from both Washington and Brooklyn.

“I mean, they are way out in front of this,” Swofford said. “Our schools were very strong in their desire to take the tournament to Washington periodically and very strong in their desire to take the tournament to the New York area.”

With a return trip to the Verizon about five months away, the ACC made a clear choice to keep its footprint in the D.C. area even though Maryland bolted the league to join the Big Ten. While Brooklyn’s Barclays Center has become a popular venue for college basketball events over the past couple of years, make no mistake about it that the ACC’s real target is Madison Square Garden, the mecca of basketball, in New York City.

“We’re a different conference than we were when we were eight [schools],” Swofford said. “Our geographic footprint is considerably larger than it’s ever been before, which brings us opportunities that we’ve never had before that we feel like we should take advantage of and that’s certainly part of the reason of going to Washington and particularly New York.”

http://www.dailyprogress.com/cavali...cle_57cc9556-7dd1-11e5-b143-2fdd214bd9e7.html

 

[Fishy]

"Let's go to Washington and New York and pretend we didn't squander the entire mid-Atlantic Coast."

 

[businesslawyer]

"Let's go to Washington and New York and pretend we didn't squander the entire mid-Atlantic Coast."

It is fairly funny -- with the exception of Pitt and Syracuse removed from the Coast by 200 miles -- and neither one of them are state schools that bring their entire state's interest with them -- the ACC abandoned the atlantic coast from DC through Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Conneciticut and Rhode Island. Swofford started with a strategy but couldn't bring his membership along with it.

It will be interesting when we see how much or little electricity the Tourney generates in Barclays. I'm guessing it won't have a feel anything like the old Big East tourneys, but we'll see.

 

[UConnJim]

It is fairly funny -- with the exception of Pitt and Syracuse removed from the Coast by 200 miles -- and neither one of them are state schools that bring their entire state's interest with them -- the ACC abandoned the atlantic coast from DC through Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Conneciticut and Rhode Island. Swofford started with a strategy but couldn't bring his membership along with it.

It will be interesting when we see how much or little electricity the Tourney generates in Barclays. I'm guessing it won't have a feel anything like the old Big East tourneys, but we'll see.

It won't be like the Big East Tournament as MSG > Barclays and you don't have as many local teams. Think about how people attended the BET. Fans and students of the the relatively local schools (UConn, PC, BC, Syracuse, St. John's, Seton Hall, Villanova, Georgetown, Rutgers (never happened)) could decide to go at the last minute if their team was in the semis or finals and acquire tickets outside MSG. Ensured a packed arena for all games.

Still, Syracuse, Duke, UNC, Louisville, and ND will have plenty of fans and they will draw big crowds, but probably not many students.

 

[06029]

It won't be like the Big East Tournament as MSG > Barclays and you don't have as many local teams. Think about how people attended the BET. Fans and students of the the relatively local schools (UConn, PC, BC, Syracuse, St. John's, Seton Hall, Villanova, Georgetown, Rutgers (never happened)) could decide to go at the last minute if their team was in the semis or finals and acquire tickets outside MSG. Ensured a packed arena for all games.

Still, Syracuse, Duke, UNC, Louisville, and ND will have plenty of fans and they will draw big crowds, but probably not many students.

There will be no tailgating at Barclays. In Greensboro, fans can leave the arena and tailgate between not only sessions but also games. I mean, full FB level type tailgating with grills, buckets of beer, etc. I don't see the Bubba's from the Carolinas being too eager to travel to Brooklyn and have to spend gobs of money on hotels and beer.

 

[Dooley]

If Syracuse doesn't make a deep run (and they probably won't given their scholarship penalty and Boeheim's pending retirement by that time), then Barclay's should be lethargic at best. Duke would probably clock in at #2 for fan support in NYC given their New Jersey recruiting history. But nobody in NYC is going to spend the afternoon watching FSU vs BC, Pitt vs Wake, GT vs NC State, etc. The Final might draw well ONLY if Duke and/or the Fruit are in it. If neither are in it, then I'd expect there to be thousands of empty seats.

 

[Adios]

The ACC probably has their eyes on Cincinnati and Temple.

 

[The Funster]

Swofford is a chucklehead.

End of.

 

[HuskyBandDad]

The ACC probably has their eyes on Cincinnati and Temple.

No. Tulane and Tulsa

 

[NYUConn]

It's gonna be more electric than the current snoozefest that is the Big East Tournament at MSG.

It's amazing really. I've been going to the Big East Tournament at MSG for the past 20 years. Grew up a St. John's fan, went to UConn and lived Big East hoops.

I currently work 3 avenues over from MSG in the 30s and there is literally no buzz. I don't see any groups of fans wearing the college colors like I used to. You don't see bars packed like you used to.

If not for taxi cab ads you would have no idea the BE Tournament was in town.

 

[Seaa Blue]

Wow... To New York and D.C.? True trailblazers. Well done, ACC!

 

[B1GOSU]

Why would northerners want to watch confederate basketball?

 

[Adios]

Why would northerners want to watch confederate basketball?

You guys can keep the Civil War stuff over there. We just made the bullets here.

 

[zls44]

You guys can keep the Civil War stuff over there. We just made the bullets here.

Tell the South they can rise again, chance to kick their butt one more time.

 

[uconndogs]

You guys are forgetting about the tremendous draw BC hoops brings to all this. Sometimes they get like 800-900 fans at a game.

 

[Oxford Bob]

You guys are forgetting about the tremendous draw BC hoops brings to all this. Sometimes they get like 800-900 fans at a game.

Buy that's only when they are giving away Hockey tickets as a promotion.

 

[SouthronCross]

There will be no tailgating at Barclays. In Greensboro, fans can leave the arena and tailgate between not only sessions but also games. I mean, full FB level type tailgating with grills, buckets of beer, etc. I don't see the Bubba's from the Carolinas being too eager to travel to Brooklyn and have to spend gobs of money on hotels and beer.

Its the same for Carolina Hurricanes' games in Raleigh. Its nuts.

 

[billybud]

Think of it as a Matthew Perry maneuver....just the ACC flying the flag in foreign ports.

 

[pj]

Think of it as a Matthew Perry maneuver....just the ACC flying the flag in foreign ports.

Except that Matthew Perry opened Japan.

 

[Adios]

Tell the South they can rise again, chance to kick their butt one more time.

If you never have, check out Fort Nathan Hale.