PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

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PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

Unread post by RF1 »

Goes against the opinion of some Friar fans (and John Rooke) that PC shouldn't stoop to playing teams like URI at their home venues:

Jon Rothstein ‏@JonRothstein
Providence and Umass will begin a home and home series on December 28th in Amherst. Return game in 2014-15 at the Dunkin Donuts Center.
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

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Wow how the hell am I supposed to figure out who to root for in those games...
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

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Easy... UMass, the A10 team.
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

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Yeah, absolutely UMass.
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

Unread post by seanmc94 »

RF1 wrote:Goes against the opinion of some Friar fans (and John Rooke) that PC shouldn't stoop to playing teams like URI at their home venues:

Jon Rothstein ‏@JonRothstein
Providence and Umass will begin a home and home series on December 28th in Amherst. Return game in 2014-15 at the Dunkin Donuts Center.
No one ever said PC shouldn't play teams "like URI" at home. Some contend that URI has a distinct advantage at the Ryan Center that PC doesn't enjoy at the DDC.
Personally, PC v. URI is a rivalry game. Play it home and home.
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

Unread post by ATPTourFan »

This is one of the first examples of how Friar season tix holders will now benefit in the OOC (even if they're losing in conf) from an improved schedule.
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

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adam914 wrote:Wow how the hell am I supposed to figure out who to root for in those games...
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

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seanmc94 wrote:
RF1 wrote:Goes against the opinion of some Friar fans (and John Rooke) that PC shouldn't stoop to playing teams like URI at their home venues:

Jon Rothstein ‏@JonRothstein
Providence and Umass will begin a home and home series on December 28th in Amherst. Return game in 2014-15 at the Dunkin Donuts Center.
No one ever said PC shouldn't play teams "like URI" at home. Some contend that URI has a distinct advantage at the Ryan Center that PC doesn't enjoy at the DDC.
Another case of URI fans distorting the opinion ...

The RC is an extremely tough place to play at. PC fans might be fortunate to grab 750 (on a good night), especially when you take the whole "We must destroy PC" angle.

PC/URI games at the Dunk, URI fans can likely get their hands on 2,500 of those if they really want to on a bad pull, and there are some of these games where PC/URI at the Dunk is 60/40, as opposed to the Ryan which is usually closer to 90/10.

URI gets a much bigger homecourt advantage at the Ryan than PC fans get at the Dunk for this rivalry game, and that will likely never change. For that, there are naturally a lot of fans and people who would like to see each game played at the Dunk so the away gate is comparable.

Obviously, the suggestion of it is a waste of time since it will never happen. URI and their fans obviously don't want to lose that distinct homecourt advantage.
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

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If you want a better home court advantage, be more popular. Why should we have to concede something to compensate you for not being able to sell your tickets to your fans?
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

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TruePoint wrote:If you want a better home court advantage, be more popular. Why should we have to concede something to compensate you for not being able to sell your tickets to your fans?
Exactly...thank you. So because PC has a shitty home court that doesnt give them an advantage everyone else should change the way they schedule games.
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

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Fairness? Are you people for real? URI played the Friars at PC's home court for some 30 years. Never again should URI play its home game on the PC court.
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

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The Dunk is nearly double the size of the Ryan Center, so let's not act like PC is playing in a small building that simply does not sell. PC could sell 9,500 tickets for the game at the Dunk before tickets are released to the general public. That is 2,000 more than the Ryan Center can hold all together, but if URI fans take a good chunk of those remaining tickets, it's a hefty haul. It's basically a ticket to every URI season ticket holder.

Let's not pretend this is just "another game." If both teams are decent when tickets are released to the general public, most of them will go to URI fans, just like games at the Ryan, most of them will go to PC fans. The difference is PC fans might be lucky to get 750 tickets to the Ryan, whereas URI fans could get upwards of 4,000. Those tickets will be swallowed up right away, there won't be time for the general PC/URI fan to get their hands on them. The argument that "PC can't sell it's allotment" is rubbish, it's comparing apples to oranges since URI only has to fill what is practically half of the seats.

It's never going to change, but I still find the argument to be a valid one. It won't change because URI fans are insecure but it would be better for the state if it did from not only a spectator standpoint but also revenue.
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

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That would be like the Yankees complaining that all Red Sox/Yankees games should be played in the Bronx because Yankee Stadium is twice as big as Fenway. It is an absurd argument. If a smaller on campus arena is such a competitive advantage, then build one.
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

Unread post by rjsuperfly66 »

TruePoint wrote:That would be like the Yankees complaining that all Red Sox/Yankees games should be played in the Bronx because Yankee Stadium is twice as big as Fenway. It is an absurd argument. If a smaller on campus arena is such a competitive advantage, then build one.
A smaller arena is a competitive advantage, but it's size is going to restrict ability to compete in big conferences. If Duke played in a 1,500 seat arena, it would be the toughest place in the world to play. There is a reason Robert Morris had a fighting chance against Kentucky last March. There just isn't a nitch for small on-campus arenas when it comes to big-time college spots. The RC is a great venue to watch a game in, but it's a mid-major facility from a capacity standpoint.

If PC knew there wouldn't be backlash from the state, they would absolutely cancel the rivalry with URI in a heartbeat over this, but they know what happened when they almost did it a few years back and don't want to face that again. IPC has long advocated for a more fair allotment of tickets to the Ryan but URI refuses to try to even the percentages. It's their prerogative; they just shouldn't be surprised when some PC fans call BS on it.

It's a big reason why a few years ago PC tried to bury URI tickets in 5 game ticket packs to try to limit the amount of URI fans who would buy tickets right away and get more PC fans at the game, problem was Keno Davis was in town driving the team into the ground, and no one wanted to see PC play 5 times. PC had to release most of those tickets unsold, I believe it was in 2010. Don't be surprised if PC tries to bury future URI tickets in these packs and try to get $150+ per person out of most URI fans because of this once the team continues its improvement. It's their only real way to put a halt and give themselves a chance to have more PC fans pick up more tickets.

As for your point of building an on-campus arena, many PC fans have long advocated for an on-campus venue, it's just not feasible with the sports market in today's day in age, that and the fact that to build a nice 10,000 seat on campus arena would take you into the $100s of millions, not exactly the easiest thing to do when you aren't a public university. Smaller investments in the $10 million range will be made for state of the art basketball practice facilities and other on-campus improvements. The feelings many URI fans have about the Dunk being rather dumpy and plain is also shared by many PC fans.
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

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Let me get this straight. The Ryan Center is plenty large and good enough for PC to consider playing an NIT game there (as was the case this past March) against some far away opponent like RMU but not large and good enough to pay URI in its own home game there.
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

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RF1 wrote:Let me get this straight. The Ryan Center is plenty large and good enough for PC to consider playing an NIT game there (as was the case this past March) against some far away opponent like RMU but not large and good enough to pay URI in its own home game there.
What were PC's other options in the event they couldn't use the Dunk?

Alumni Hall - 1,854
Chase Athletic - 2,770
Pizzotolla Center - 2,800

The Ryan is a perfect place for URI to play it's home games. I like catching games at the RC. The only argument is that due to the size constraints of the Ryan, URI gets a huge advantage in this rivalry at home while PC gets a modest one at the Dunk, and URI wants no part in trying to assist in evening out the ticket discrepancy to the point where PC might actually get some tickets to the game.

If it were just another road game, no one would say boo about it, but get ready to have to pay a few hundred bucks for you and a compadre to see PC/URI at the Dunk next season as a result.
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

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Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium capacity.......9300......not a huge place....
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

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Says a lot about PC that they are so concerned about how many of which team's fans are at a given game. The fans don't play. Who cares if it is 95/5 or 83/17? The game is played on the court. If PC played Hendricken, would they complain that their gym was too small? If the size of the gym matters, play URI at alumni hall.
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

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TruePoint wrote:Says a lot about PC that they are so concerned about how many of which team's fans are at a given game. The fans don't play. Who cares if it is 95/5 or 83/17? The game is played on the court. If PC played Hendricken, would they complain that their gym was too small? If the size of the gym matters, play URI at alumni hall.
The size of the gym doesn't matter. What matters is that URI has done everything to F with PC to make sure that Providence College fans are given as little opportunity as possible to get a seat at the Ryan Center for the game. Meanwhile, URI fans get to march into the Dunk at will, again because it's an NCAA-caliber arena, not a gym. Unless they decide to put tickets in 5/10 mini-packs which sell at $150 a pop, there are no ways they can play even close to the same games URI has done with tickets with them for years, and then URI fans wondered why PC seriously tried to abandon the series a few years back... Don't be surprised if next year many URI fans have to spend $300 for a pair of tickets to the PC/URI game, and also have 4 PC games on the house :D
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

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Of all the absurd pro-PC arguments I have seen on this board this one by far is the winner. You've really outdone yourself.
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

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adam914 wrote:Of all the absurd pro-PC arguments I have seen on this board this one by far is the winner. You've really outdone yourself.
Sadly it's not a made up argument. PC was days away from canceling the rivalry in the early days of Keno (if memory serves correct; maybe it was the tail end of Welsh). These were mostly the reasons that had been listed to me. The contract was nearing it's end and after some discussion the admin had been swayed by some other people that the rivalry was good for the state and to do everything in their power to keep it because URI was typically an early season sellout at the Dunk. PC tried to use their position as leverage to get better perks in regards to the series, but URI called the bluff and knew that PC was limited in what they could do because the program was not operating at a high level and they were in no position to handle the backlash of the state. They knew PC was not going to bring in higher-gates on a consistent basis and knew PC needed URI as much as they needed PC. As the story was relayed to me, PC left the negotiating table with nothing besides looking like fools with no change.

I hear whispers continue about PC potentially trying to return to the negotiating table when the current deal nears it's end about at least getting what the admin feels is a fair shake or threatening to walk again. I doubt PC ever walks away because they will face the backlash for years, but if PC continues to elevate the program and is able to schedule more competitive games under Cooley, they will certainly have the ability to walk if they really want to.
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

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That may have really happened, but that doesn't make it any less absurd.
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

Unread post by rjsuperfly66 »

TruePoint wrote:That may have really happened, but that doesn't make it any less absurd.
Why not? I think it has been evident for years that a lot of the coaches and staffs that PC has brought in don't value the rivalry. I think that Welsh and Keno were co-captains on the ship that felt URI fans took extra pride in beating PC and took the game much more seriously down at the Ryan Center. Combined their teams crapped their pants down at the Ryan Center and it was my understanding they felt it was "stupid" to have to travel down to such a hostile crowd every year when the same thing could not be replicated in Providence. They needed something to cling onto since they couldn't win in Kingston. There are a lot of PC fans who don't value the URI game like they do other games and therefore they were able to get them to latch right on with that opinion. It's my personal opinion that is a big reason why they were trying to get the ball rolling to let the contract expire and to try not renew, because they got just enough fans on board with the opinion that "PC is URI's Super Bowl and we don't need them." I think that ball was rolling a lot more than people realized at the time. There are still a lot of fans that feel that way, although I think that will be changing a lot more now that the Big East has been watered down the extent that it has.

I think Cooley genuinely values the rivalry seeing as how he is RI born and bred and spent time at URI. He doesn't give an F about the opponent or the crowd and actually would probably prefer that the URI crowd be 110% URI fans as prep for Big East play so I would be surprised to hear it become a real issue come contract renewal time, although I'm sure PC will try to play an upper hand and be shut down again. However, I do think he was genuinely surprised at the fact people took his quote and ran with it the way that they did.

I still maintain the game would be better to always be at the Dunk, but like I said, URI has the inferiority complex and would rather play in a 10 by 10 cave rather than accommodate the basketball fans of the state. The game would be better played in front of 13,500 than 7,500.
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

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"There are a lot of PC fans who don't value the URI game like they do other games and therefore they were able to get them to latch right on with that opinion."
I call bullshit on this. Just look at the Scout board and the constant URI bashing. Then tell me they don't
hate like hell to lose to us.
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

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rodfromcranston wrote:"There are a lot of PC fans who don't value the URI game like they do other games and therefore they were able to get them to latch right on with that opinion."
I call bullshit on this. Just look at the Scout board and the constant URI bashing. Then tell me they don't
hate like hell to lose to us.
Hey Rod,

I think a lot of that has changed over the past 12 months. If you are a PC fan and don't realize the importance of URI at this point in time, you are an idiot. The school is losing at least 2 guaranteed 12,000+ gates per season. I think once URI had gotten rid of Baron, fans began to respect and fear URI under Hurley. They see the work he has put in, the positive results in recruiting, all of the stuff Cooley represented when he first got to PC. I think Hurley alone has started to put a lot of passion back into the rivalry as PC fans can see URI is going to be something to compete with.

When Keno was at PC, he valued "the ranked opponent," and relayed that opinion to the fan base several times. I do think there was a period of time under later-Welsh and Keno that URI became just another opponent on the schedule, with many fans placing them under the top 3 home games per season. We became guilty of trying to become a sportscenter program, known for storming the court against good teams and highlight reel alleyoops while losing games by 20 points. I think a lot of fans began to devalue the URI game because the staff and team didn't care as much, and that has just started to come back among the fan base.

There was a quote from Marshon Brooks when he first came to PC - "I signed with PC because I was excited to play Syracuse, Georgetown, Syracuse. I heard some fans talking about URI, and I was like, who are they?" I think unfortunately that attitude from the players and coaches passed on to many fans, and has just started to come back.
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

Unread post by seanmc94 »

rodfromcranston wrote:"There are a lot of PC fans who don't value the URI game like they do other games and therefore they were able to get them to latch right on with that opinion."
I call bullshit on this. Just look at the Scout board and the constant URI bashing. Then tell me they don't
hate like hell to lose to us.
you might be overstating the "constant bashing" just a hair.
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

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Rj - I think I actually agree with you, as Baron killed our program and Keno killed yours they killed the rivalry but it will be back on.

Truth is UConn and Cuse never thought of PC as a rival but they played that up because they were top teams. We will be back up there soon and fans from both sides are going to appreciate the rivalry. Personally I want both teams fighting for top 25 spots every year.
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

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Read the thread on Woodson and the smug comments about refusing to capitalize URI and
how academics don't matter, because someone had a less than intelligent girlfriend.
Oh and URI cancelled the visit by Woodson. Fact.
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

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is any of that worse than "Daddy's Money" or "Pee-Cee"?
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

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Two wrongs don't make a right.
I don't get Daddy's Money and Pee Cee is juvenile.
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

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rodfromcranston wrote:Read the thread on Woodson and the smug comments about refusing to capitalize URI and
how academics don't matter, because someone had a less than intelligent girlfriend.
Oh and URI cancelled the visit by Woodson. Fact.
There are ignorant PC fans in regards to URI just like there are ignorant URI fans in regards to PC. I would take what one or two people say with a grain of salt. Most of the PC fanbase respects the hell out of Hurley and what he is doing at URI.
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

Unread post by seanmc94 »

If URI fans think the ticket allotment situation is fair; maybe all the games should be at the RC. PC can take the lions share and Rhody fans can fight over 350 tickets in the far corner of the gym.
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

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That's life on the road, Sean, you think BC likes having so many friar fans in their building?

Sell your tickets to your fans and there won't be any left over for the other teams fans....

My dream is that URI sells 5500 season tickets to its fans when and if the team gets good...and the rest of the seats go to students....with the minimal allotment to other team for their family and staff.....
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

Unread post by ATPTourFan »

Ramulous wrote:That's life on the road, Sean, you think BC likes having so many friar fans in their building?

Sell your tickets to your fans and there won't be any left over for the other teams fans....

My dream is that URI sells 5500 season tickets to its fans when and if the team gets good...and the rest of the seats go to students....with the minimal allotment to other team for their family and staff.....
AMEN. You just can't have it both way, playing in a big 12k seat arena and touting it's capacity when your fans cannot fill that up for the big in-state rivalry game. Didn't PC have the same problem with other nearby teams like UCONN who travel well?

I have absolutely NO problem with having to buy a miniplan if that's what PC wants to do next year. 4 years ago, I had to buy a ticket for the ND game at the Dunk in addition to the Rhody game, and that was fine! Got to see a record setting game and ND still won. Good times.
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

Unread post by RF1 »

PC has no reason to gripe about playing this game every other year at the Ryan Center when they are now playing at Brown, have a H&H with UMass, and were considering the RC for their NIT game vs RMU last year. Also given the diminished status of the Catholic Big East which PC is a member of, they have no right to unbalanced demands on URI. We may continue to hear whining from Friar fans and announcers about playing at the RC but it has no real legs. The current reality of the college hoops landscape does not back their complaints or over-inflated worth.
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

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There is a poster that uses the moniker gregct that has always has negative comments about URI and considers UConn to be the Friars true rival. He was at it again with this recent post lamenting the fact that UConn has chosen to no longer play PC:


A shame. That would have been our one natural rivalry game outside the BE.


Their one "natual" rival outside the Catholic Big East? This guy is totally delusional. UConn really could care less about PC. The only reason they played each season was because it was mandated by being in the same conference. UConn now views games with PC on the same level as URI, another former league partner.
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

Unread post by TruePoint »

They will figure it out sooner or later.
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

Unread post by rodfromcranston »

Funny, because before the Big East was formed, UConn was URI's
biggest rival besides PC.
Some epic battles for the Yankee Conference championships, two playoff games,
and and ECAC championship game.
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

Unread post by ATPTourFan »

The game vs the Friars in Kingston this December is going to be an epic one, and hopefully the first in a string of games where both programs are playing at a high level for years to come.
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

Unread post by rjsuperfly66 »

The nature of UCONN fans over PC is rather similar to the nature of URI fans and their nature towards PC, for what it is worth. That is a fanbase that roots hard for PC to fail, especially after the run of games PC had over UCONN over the last decade. Their board was full of anti-PC/we hope they lose threads from February through the NIT.

Never quite seemed like a fanbase that "doesn't care about the Friars," and if it is true that they don't, seems strange they would have numerous threads about PC all of their boards during that time rooting and promoting their failure. A team that really didn't care would tend to have zero or very minimal threads outside of game threads and news surrounding the game, IMHO.
Last edited by rjsuperfly66 10 years ago, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

Unread post by rjsuperfly66 »

RF1 wrote:PC has no reason to gripe about playing this game every other year at the Ryan Center when they are now playing at Brown, have a H&H with UMass, and were considering the RC for their NIT game vs RMU last year. Also given the diminished status of the Catholic Big East which PC is a member of, they have no right to unbalanced demands on URI. We may continue to hear whining from Friar fans and announcers about playing at the RC but it has no real legs. The current reality of the college hoops landscape does not back their complaints or over-inflated worth.
When UMASS leaves and the new Big East takes two of the remaining top 4 teams, you aren't going to be touting equality. If all were equal, the A-10 wouldn't be getting swallowed up faster than you could say URI :D Apparently whatever perception of reality you see, no one else locally or nationally sees. The A-10 could have another great season and even put on another good showing in terms of NCAA bids and it won't stop the conference from continuing to be dismantled. So who holds the higher-ground: PC who is in a conference where every A-10 team would die to be, or URI who is in a conference where nearly every team would jump if offered? At that point, it doesn't matter if URI is becoming a true power in their own conference, whoever is in the more desirable conference holds the platform for demands if they choose to stand on it.
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

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I think most of the damage to the A10 has been done. Conference realignment essentially ended when the ACC signed their Grant of Rights in April. There may be some minor reconfiguring going on at the lower levels once the dust settles, but with the teams in the 5 major conferences essentially frozen in place and no great candidates to "move up," you aren't going to see the same massive shifts that have taken place the last couple years. Sure, the A10 could lose a SLU or UMass, but that won't devastate the conference. I'd rather hold onto them, but the league will survive either way and will have enough good programs to be a high end mid-major.
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

Unread post by SGreenwell »

TruePoint wrote:I think most of the damage to the A10 has been done. Conference realignment essentially ended when the ACC signed their Grant of Rights in April. There may be some minor reconfiguring going on at the lower levels once the dust settles, but with the teams in the 5 major conferences essentially frozen in place and no great candidates to "move up," you aren't going to see the same massive shifts that have taken place the last couple years. Sure, the A10 could lose a SLU or UMass, but that won't devastate the conference. I'd rather hold onto them, but the league will survive either way and will have enough good programs to be a high end mid-major.
I mostly agree with this. I think you'll still see some minor moves, but it's not like there are really dynamite programs out there still in "small pond" leagues. You probably need something like three to five years to see how the current moves shakeout, and for programs to improve or decay in that timespan. (i.e. 10 years ago, Boise State wasn't anything special, but they built up their program enough that they were an attractive get.)
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

Unread post by rjsuperfly66 »

I also largely agree with that. My only point was that there are a lot of people out there who feel "See, the A-10 and the Big East will be equal counterparts this year and moving forward," and that is not true. While they may in fact be comparable conferences this year in terms of tourney bids and overall talent, the Big East is still looking to go to 12 teams and will have their pick of any A-10 teams they desire. If both the Big East and A-10 get four tourney bids this year, the odds are at least one of those A-10 bids is going to be in the Big East for the 2014-2015 college basketball season (and that isn't even dealing with UMASS).

And I also agree on having to wait quite a few years to see how conference moves shake out, but naturally that goes both ways. The A-10 will still be a good, above-average mid-major, even if they do initially see a dip in overall talent.
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

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PC will never again be in a major conference as it was when the old Big East was part of the BCS. The new parochial Catholic Big East is now lumped in the middle tier of conferences just like the A-10's current and likely future status (regardless of more departures). That is the new reality.
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

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So looking forward to results on the floor this Winter so we can discuss actual New Big East vs A10 stats.
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

Unread post by rjsuperfly66 »

The New Big East when it gets its 12 teams will be closer to a major conference than the A-10 will be to the new Big East.
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

Unread post by RF1 »

rjsuperfly66 wrote:The New Big East when it gets its 12 teams will be closer to a major conference than the A-10 will be to the new Big East.

The perception will be that the new Catholic Big East is a nice little league of small parochial schools. It will be viewed as a huge step down from the power conferences. The difference between the future A-10 and the Catholic Big East will be of no real matter to most. They will both be viewed as mid tier leagues and be undistinguishable to most sasual college hoops fans.
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

Unread post by TruePoint »

Maybe on paper, rj. But the flagship programs in the new Big East are household names in large part because of the old Big East. I expect those brands to take a step back over time when they're not being propped up by their former league mates. That will eventually show itself on the floor.
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Re: PC to play UMass in even Home and Home series

Unread post by rjsuperfly66 »

RF1 wrote:
rjsuperfly66 wrote:The New Big East when it gets its 12 teams will be closer to a major conference than the A-10 will be to the new Big East.

The perception will be that the new Catholic Big East is a nice little league of small parochial schools. It will be viewed as a huge step down from the power conferences. The difference between the future A-10 and the Catholic Big East will be of no real matter to most. They will both be viewed as mid tier leagues and be undistinguishable to most sasual college hoops fans.
The difference will be seen in recruiting though, which is what will help translate the difference between the conferences. If you keep track of the scoreboard on Top 100 recruits via ESPN, the score is Big East 11 A-10 0. If you go by Top 100 Rivals, its 9-0. If you go by Scout, it's 9-1. Obviously not all of that is based on new conferences (although those players certainly could have left verbals), although a 5-star player by the name of Rysheed Jordan committed to St. John's in April, and Issac Copeland is also a Top 40 player who committed to Georgetown in March as a 2014 recruit. I'm sure excuses will be made but in the history of the ESPN rankings, the A-10 has never been close on a 5-star player, best players all begin a few in the high-40s. And since 2007, ESPN says the A-10 has had 9 Top 100 recruits, and the Big East will bring that in next season and then some. That's a huge difference in terms of perception around the country, regardless of what you choose to believe.
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