Author Topic: MAC: General Conference News & Discussion (Read 4191 times)

C-Dawg · « **on:** February 04, 2009, 07:51:44 AM »

Only two schools still average more than 5,000 people a game, Ohio and Toledo. This is just sad.

Attendance averages so far for the 2008-2009 season

1. Toledo: 5,402
2. Ohio: 5,033
3. Ball State: 3,730
4. Kent State: 2,906
5. Akron: 2,836
6. Western Michigan: 2,823
7. Miami: 2,542
8. Buffalo: 2,467
9. Northern Illinois: 1,620
10. Bowling Green: 1,474
11. Central Michigan: 1,097
12. Eastern Michigan: 975

Attendance woes continue for BGSU men's team as Anderson Arena fades

Article published Sunday, February, 2009
By JOE VARDON
BLADE SPORTS WRITER

BOWLING GREEN - Nick Gray is part of an endangered species. He's an Anderson Animal.

Gray, 23, from Newark, Ohio, is a senior at Bowling Green State University. He dresses himself from neck to foot in orange and faithfully attends the men's basketball games.

On Wednesday night for a home win over Ball State, Gray was one of six or seven who stood along the sideline opposite the BGSU bench at Anderson Arena - the spot historically reserved for Anderson Animals. There were games earlier this year when Gray stood with three others, surrounded by a sea of brown, empty bleachers.

"We used to have the whole sideline filled," Gray remembered of his earlier days as an Animal. "I guess with the decline in performance, people kind of stopped coming."

Gray's old Animal friends aren't the only ones who've seemingly gone into the witness protection program. The BGSU men's team is again struggling to get anyone - students or the general public - to watch its home games.

CONTINUED ON BLADE SITE:
http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090201/SPORTS03/902010337

C-Dawg · « **Reply #1 on:** February 26, 2009, 08:10:01 PM »

Update on Toledo:

Toledo Team Report
Yahoo! Sports
Feb 26, 5:09 am EST

There’s a lot to be said for loyalty. Although the Rockets entered the final two weeks of the season owning one of the two worst records in all of the Mid-American Conference, they were surprisingly leading the MAC in one critically important, bottom-line category—attendance.

In these most difficult economic times, Toledo can still draw a strong crowd for its home games at the newly renovated Savage Arena. The Rockets have averaged about 5,500 fans per game at their on-campus facility, and the crowds have been steady, despite the team’s significant struggles on the court...

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/news?slug=teamreports-2009-ncaab-tau&prov=sportsxchange&type=team_report

BelievelandD1 · « **Reply #2 on:** February 26, 2009, 09:45:54 PM »

I went to OU, and as far as I can remember it has always been about this. OU has the biggest appeal for fans because they have a great student section. The Mac needs to turn it up. Nobody can win on the road in the MAC, if you cant win on the road, you arent an elite team. I dont know why the MAC cant be like the CAA, Horizon or MVC, with these teams usually putting an elite team or two out there. The last time the mAC had an elite team was 2002 with Kent, they lost 2 conference games i believe.

shs96 · « **Reply #3 on:** February 27, 2009, 08:07:35 AM »

^Kent only lost 3 conference games last year...

The MAC has done well in the tournament, at least I think. They've won some first round games which is pretty good considering they get a double digit seed. They seem to get snubbed come tournament time. I recall the year OU went (and was so, so close to upsetting Florida) Miami was the regular season champ and got stiffed. The last MAC game I attended was a tournamnet game last year in Cleveland and I thought it was well attended.

Plus I am not sure how many arenas in the MAC hold more than 5,000 people. I don't think Kent does.

BelievelandD1 · « **Reply #4 on:** February 27, 2009, 08:37:03 AM »

I think the tournament does great. Its a great central place for the MAC tourney and with so many schools here it gets a good draw. However, the home games for these teams are bad because A.) nobody can get any non conference quality wins, and B.) its hard to jump on board with your school when they go to eastern michigan and lose after being the conference leader.

C-Dawg · « **Reply #5 on:** February 27, 2009, 06:52:33 PM »

Quote from: BelievelandD1 on February 26, 2009, 09:45:54 PM

I went to OU, and as far as I can remember it has always been about this. OU has the biggest appeal for fans because they have a great student section. The Mac needs to turn it up. Nobody can win on the road in the MAC, if you cant win on the road, you arent an elite team. I dont know why the MAC cant be like the CAA, Horizon or MVC, with these teams usually putting an elite team or two out there. The last time the mAC had an elite team was 2002 with Kent, they lost 2 conference games i believe.

Yeah, OU was pretty good for basketball. Even when we sucked, you'd still get big crowds for the Miami games. We just hate them...you suck Miami! (actually, you do really suck at attendance).

I always found it interesting how even a school as addicted to partying and day drinking as Ohio University would still find time to support its basketball team. I think the season being in winter helps a ton (less day drinking due to weather). The biggest problem with getting students to football games in the fall is that they're already blacked out and doing the party circuit before the game even starts. There's also no tailgating at OU, which is a tradition at most other D1 schools. OU students like getting drunk for everything, so they're not going to football games if there's no alcohol involved. Very few students ever made it to many football games while I was there (and if they did, it was just to see the band). People on campus didn't even talk about our football team. It was like they didn't exist. Most people didn't even know when we had games! Homecoming is the classic example of OU's piss-poor support of the football team. People drink 24/7 that week and make sure the school lives up to its namesake, but hardly any students even make it to the game.

Basketball is quite a bit different. I remember far more effort to make it to basketball games at the Convo than for football games at Peden (excluding the record-setting Pittsburgh and Toledo games in 2005). OU certainly seems to care more about basketball than football. Maybe students don't care about football because we're historically one of the worst D1 programs in the country? Despite being an old ass school with an old ass team in a cool historic stadium, OU has done a whole lot of nothing in football.

OU has a far better history with basketball. Hell, we made the NCAA tournament just a few years back. That was by far the best year to go to games while I was there. Everyone on campus was talking about the basketball team. It genuinely felt like you were going to a big time basketball school when you were at the Convo. And yes, the OU student section really stands out in the MAC. The thing about OU is that can you get 7,000 students to a game, and the Convo is still half empty. But 7,000 students is excellent by MAC standards, and it'd sell out many other arenas in conference.

So when people say OU students are terrible when it comes to supporting their teams, that's only half true. We're bad at supporting our football team, but we're good at supporting our basketball team. We're attendance leaders in the MAC.

C-Dawg · « **Reply #6 on:** February 27, 2009, 07:20:20 PM »

Quote from: shs96 on February 27, 2009, 08:07:35 AM

^Kent only lost 3 conference games last year...

The MAC has done well in the tournament, at least I think. They've won some first round games which is pretty good considering they get a double digit seed. They seem to get snubbed come tournament time. I recall the year OU went (and was so, so close to upsetting Florida) Miami was the regular season champ and got stiffed. The last MAC game I attended was a tournamnet game last year in Cleveland and I thought it was well attended.

Plus I am not sure how many arenas in the MAC hold more than 5,000 people. I don't think Kent does.

Almost all hold more than 5,000 people for basketball, but only six hold more than 7,000. Only one holds more than 12,000. Here's a rough breakdown of the MAC in terms of basketball capacity:

1. Ohio- Convo (13,080)
2. Ball State- Worthen Arena (11,500)
3. Northern Illinois- Convo (10,000)
4. Miami- Millet Hall (9,200)
5. Eastern Michigan- Convo (8,800)
6. Toledo- Savage Hall (7,300)
7. Kent- Convo (6,300)
8. Buffalo- Alumni Arena (6,100)
9. Akron- JAR (5,500)
10. Western Michigan- University Arena (5,400)
11. Central Michigan- Rose Center (5,200)
12. Bowling Green- Anderson Arena (4,700)

I personally would say the best of the small arenas in Anderson (just old school as hell). The best of the mid-size arenas is Savage. The best of the large arenas is OU's Convo (it is arguably the only arena that really feels "big").

MyTwoSense · « **Reply #7 on:** March 14, 2009, 12:38:33 PM »

The Q and Cleveland look nice on TV. Did anyone go to any games??

ETA:
I spoke to soon. ESPN showed that lame stock photo Key tower. Their producer should be fired!

MuRrAy HiLL · « **Reply #8 on:** June 24, 2009, 07:10:58 AM »

Read more at http://www.auroraadvocate.com/news/article/4614033

MAC hoops tourneys to be scaled back
about 11 hours ago
by David Carducci
Record-Courier Reporter

The Mid-American Conference's inability to find a comparable home for its women's basketball tournament has forced a rollback of both men's and women's tournaments for the next two years. In a move based on cost-cutting and gender equity, the conference's Council of Presidents voted last week to revert back to the formats used from 2000 to 2006, maintaining full 12-team fields, but with first-round games back at campus sites. Every men's and women's tournament game had been played in Cleveland in each of the last three seasons. Only the final eight teams in both tournaments will advance to Quicken Loans Arena in 2010 and 2011.

C-Dawg · « **Reply #9 on:** June 24, 2009, 02:50:02 PM »

It'd be great if we could get something at Lucas County Arena. Any city with these tournaments benefits.

jam40jeff · « **Reply #10 on:** June 25, 2009, 02:55:18 AM »

Quote from: MuRrAy HiLL on June 24, 2009, 07:10:58 AM

Last year, the men's tournament brought in close to $800,000 in revenue compared with $17,000 from the women's event.

According to Kent State University Athletic Director Laing Kennedy, the league could not consider cutting back the women's tournament without making the same changes to the men's.

Good job Title IX. If women want equal treatment in sports as men, then they should have to compete against them. The reason womens sports can't bring is as much as the mens is the same reason a D3 basketball game doesn't bring in as much as an NBA game. People don't clamor for 7th graders getting equal spending on their basketball games as UNC games.

MuRrAy HiLL · « **Reply #11 on:** March 09, 2010, 03:09:37 AM »

MARCH 10-13th this year! Downtown Cleveland.

http://www.theqarena.com/events/mac_tournament_100310-13/

Should be a lot of sports fans/tourists Downtown this week.

CBC · « **Reply #12 on:** March 09, 2010, 04:51:39 AM »

OU! OU! Go Bobcats!

hubz1124 · « **Reply #13 on:** March 09, 2010, 04:59:38 AM »

Quote from: CBC on March 09, 2010, 04:51:39 AM

OU! OU! Go Bobcats!

pshhh. Kent State's taking it

CBC · « **Reply #14 on:** March 09, 2010, 05:18:33 AM »

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,22452.0.html

See the posting above. If OU manages to make it the title game there will be several hundred well lubricated Bobcat fans already downtown...

ChiCleveKid · « **Reply #15 on:** March 09, 2010, 05:52:51 AM »

MIAMI! Go Redskins!
(err....I mean Redhawks!)

MuRrAy HiLL · « **Reply #16 on:** March 10, 2010, 04:30:30 AM »

Anyone noticing extra fans/tourists walking around downtown yet?

BelievelandD1 · « **Reply #17 on:** March 10, 2010, 05:03:24 AM »

I thought i heard or read somewhere that tickets were being gobbled up last week. Actually, i think the field is really competitive this year. I think the MAC is better than in recent years. IN the past 5 years, only home teams would win, no matter how bad teams were...this year teams were actually winning on the road.

I will be down at Flannerys tomorrow night for the KSU pre-game party.

DetroitZack · « **Reply #18 on:** March 11, 2010, 08:47:54 AM »

I use to go to pretty much every Eastern Michigan home game. But I only made it to one this year

C-Dawg · « **Reply #19 on:** March 11, 2010, 09:33:33 AM »

Go OU!!!!

Johio · « **Reply #20 on:** March 11, 2010, 12:27:16 PM »

I only went to one Western game in my brief time there but it was a nationally televised bracket buster win over the College of Charleston that put them into the tourney.

CBC · « **Reply #21 on:** March 12, 2010, 12:12:26 AM »

http://www.cleveland.com/sports/college/index.ssf/2010/03/ohio_universitys_bassett_hound.html

OU knocks favorites Kent State out of the MAC tournament 81-64. I wish I could have watched the game it sounds like they were on fire.

hubz1124 · « **Reply #22 on:** March 12, 2010, 02:34:00 AM »

Quote from: CBC on March 12, 2010, 12:12:26 AM

http://www.cleveland.com/sports/college/index.ssf/2010/03/ohio_universitys_bassett_hound.html

OU knocks favorites Kent State out of the MAC tournament 81-64. I wish I could have watched the game it sounds like they were on fire.

I watched, unfortunately...The OU point guard went OFF, I think he finished with 38

MuRrAy HiLL · « **Reply #23 on:** August 11, 2010, 07:35:14 AM »

Mid-American Conference basketball tournaments to stay in Cleveland
By JOEL HAMMOND
3:11 pm, August 11, 2010

The Mid-American Conference has announced an extension of its contract with Quicken Loans Arena and will hold its men's and women's basketball tournaments at The Q through 2017.

“The Mid-American Conference is extremely pleased to extend our partnership with Quicken Loans Arena and the Cleveland Cavaliers for our FirstEnergy Men's and Women's Basketball Conference Tournament," MAC commissioner Jon Steinbrecher said in a statement. "This partnership provides our student-athletes and our fans the finest basketball facility in the country for our conference basketball tournament.”

On the men's side, this past March's tournament was the first time since 2006 that every team did not play in Cleveland; from 2007-2009, all games were held at the arena. Last year, the conference returned to its previous format, in which the top four teams received first-round byes and teams seeded fifth through eighth played first-round tournament games on their respective campuses. That format will continue.

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20100811/FREE/100819961

Marado · « **Reply #24 on:** March 10, 2012, 05:31:43 AM »

Funny that Temple is out of the MAC and UMASS is in and last night UMASS beat Temple on the basketball court. Is UMASS in for Bball or just football?

Columbo · « **Reply #25 on:** December 03, 2012, 05:55:45 AM »

The MAC had a pretty great year in football. Northern Illinois won the MAC Championship game over Kent State to finish 12-1 and be ranked #15 in the BCS. That BCS ranking earned the MAC Champion a spot in the New Year's Day Orange Bowl against Florida State.

Six other MAC teams were also invited to bowl games: Kent State, Ohio U., Toledo, Central Michigan, Bowling Green and Ball State.

Whipjacka · « **Reply #26 on:** December 03, 2012, 02:31:32 PM »

kent state ended up 25 too. too bad the coaches for NIU and KSU are moving on to greener pastures.

mrnyc · « **Reply #27 on:** December 06, 2012, 03:06:09 AM »

yeah people are talking about niu. they really put the mac in the spotlight this year didn't they?

surfohio · « **Reply #28 on:** December 06, 2012, 03:56:34 AM »

Quote from: mrnyc on December 06, 2012, 03:06:09 AM

yeah people are talking about niu. they really put the mac in the spotlight this year didn't they?

It'll be interesting to see how the teams can perform in the Bowls if their head coaches aren't there. I think Hazell is on the fence about it.

Oh, and re: the MAC, there's been a huge push amongst Akron fans to lobby the Big East (and even Conf. USA) for consideration. Now the MAC looks much better off than both of those...what a difference a few months can make in this age!

News:

Author Topic: MAC: General Conference News & Discussion (Read 4191 times)