Doubt there will be another BTT hosted here

[Ope3]

As a Gopher alum, the biggest disappointment was the turnout at 11AM Thurday for the Gophers, only, BTT Game.

Disappointing sure, but not surprising. Fan turnout has been bemoaned at Williams Arena all year for games in which most fans don't need to take a day off work/school. There was no reason to expect a big turnout yesterday.

 

[Outsider]

I'm surprised Detroit or Cleveland never got one

Cleveland hosts the MAC tourney now. Not that that’s bigger then the Big ten but most likely why they don’t make a play for the Big Ten.

 

[MaxyJR1]

When Michigan and tOSU are down it doesn’t help attendance.

 

[Ope3]

When Michigan and tOSU are down it doesn’t help attendance.

Those two fanbases are generally more focused on their Spring Football Game than the Men's Big 10 Basketball Tournament.

Only half kidding. I have been to 14 of these from 1999 - 2016. Other than a couple of years in the Thad Matta run, Gophers had nearly as much following as either of those programs in Chicago-Indy.

 

[gregbrady]

Chicago drive isn't too bad from here. I do it often. Hate Delta, fly strictly United, so I'm connecting no matter what. The UC isn't too bad except you are not by restaurants and hotels like Minneapolis and Indianapolis. Have a feeling that the games will probably be permanently between Chicago-Indianapolis-Las Vegas. Please no more NYC experiments, sorry #GopherinNYC

Allstate Arena would be better logistics wise for hotels & restaurants & closer to O’Hare, but it’s not as nice an arena as the UC.

 

[Ope3]

Illini easily have the 2nd biggest fanbase that traveled to MPLS.

 

[GoodasGold]

Illini easily have the 2nd biggest fanbase that traveled to MPLS.

God bless Champaign.

 

[Holy Man]

Illini easily have the 2nd biggest fanbase that traveled to MPLS.

Nebraska traveling well too. High demand ticket if both they and Wisconsin play Saturday.

 

[Ope3]

Nebraska traveling well too. High demand ticket if both they and Wisconsin play Saturday.

Higher, for sure.

Nebraska is definitely the loudest. Having all day Friday to get tuned up certainly helps.

 

[EasyThere Pilgrim]

Who would want to see these meaningless games when the real games start the next week.

 

[MplsGopher]

There have actually been 2 Super Bowls in Minneapolis, granted they were a generation apart.

But meaning we got our one time per stadium, which is about right. If you build it, they will come ... once.

 

[pharmacygopher]

Who would want to see these meaningless games when the real games start the next week.

Then you don't enjoy CBB. There's been amazing basketball. The A10 has been crazy and that's gonna take an at large away (assuming so, right @SelectionSunday ?).

This week is always such a fun appetizer to the main courses next week!

 

[Ope3]

But meaning we got our one time per stadium, which is about right. If you build it, they will come ... once.

That is true, but was not qualified in what I was responding. The city/metro area itself is perfectly qualified such events. Whenever Dome Version 3.0 arrives, it will be here for the trifecta.

 

[Go4POV]

I think you are wrong on this. I have attended all games of this Mpls Men’s B1G tournament. It is well attended. I have talked to fans from many teams. None are complaining. All are having a great time. I have been to two of the Big Ten tournaments at the United Center, which is not close to many hotels and hotels in the loop are mega expensive. Indy is a great place to host it because many hotels are walking distance. But LA, Vegas? You’ve gotta be joking this tournament will never be in LA, with most teams from the Midwest or East and LA prices, and Vegas? No, it will not be there, ever! Mpls has done a great job. The tournament has been well-attended. It will be back! And these tournaments are fun, a great chance to see a lot of great players!

 

[formerlybis]

I think you are wrong on this. I have attended all games of this Mpls Men’s B1G tournament. It is well attended. I have talked to fans from many teams. None are complaining. All are having a great time. I have been to two of the Big Ten tournaments at the United Center, which is not close to many hotels and hotels in the loop are mega expensive. Indy is a great place to host it because many hotels are walking distance. But LA, Vegas? You’ve gotta be joking this tournament will never be in LA, with most teams from the Midwest or East and LA prices, and Vegas? No, it will not be there, ever! Mpls has done a great job. The tournament has been well-attended. It will be back! And these tournaments are fun, a great chance to see a lot of great players!

Bless your heart. The complaints (or maybe it’s more the lack of praise) I’ve heard are coming from the people running the tournament. It’s just … fine.

And there’s novelty in moving the tournament to vacation spots during a lot of school’s spring break. There are a lot of B1G alumni in SoCal, and I could see them going to the Honda Center in Anaheim - once. I’ll remind you that the tournament has been to both DC and MSG - once - despite the geographic distance to the vast majority of schools.

 

[Ope3]

I think you are wrong on this. I have attended all games of this Mpls Men’s B1G tournament. It is well attended. I have talked to fans from many teams. None are complaining. All are having a great time. I have been to two of the Big Ten tournaments at the United Center, which is not close to many hotels and hotels in the loop are mega expensive. Indy is a great place to host it because many hotels are walking distance. But LA, Vegas? You’ve gotta be joking this tournament will never be in LA, with most teams from the Midwest or East and LA prices, and Vegas? No, it will not be there, ever! Mpls has done a great job. The tournament has been well-attended. It will be back! And these tournaments are fun, a great chance to see a lot of great players!

Less than 13,000 fans in the Friday sessions is not "well attended". It's barely over 60%.

So far it's the least attended BTT I have ever been to, and this is my 15th.

I do think Vegas will get one of these, as well as a Big 10 Football Championship. It was a talking point when I was there for the PAC 12 Championship game last December.

It's no longer a Midwest only Conference. They will build there brand nationally.

 

[EasyThere Pilgrim]

Then you don't enjoy CBB. There's been amazing basketball. The A10 has been crazy and that's gonna take an at large away (assuming so, right @SelectionSunday ?).

This week is always such a fun appetizer to the main courses next week!

Watching ANY game is fun for a fan. I even enjoy a bad movie if i have my food & popcorn.

 

[Go4POV]

Less than 13,000 fans in the Friday sessions is not "well attended". It's barely over 60%.

So far it's the least attended BTT I have ever been to, and this is my 15th.

I do think Vegas will get one of these, as well as a Big 10 Football Championship. It was a talking point when I was there for the PAC 12 Championship game last December.

It's no longer a Midwest only Conference. They will build there brand nationally.

Point taken. Wasn’t aware of the actual numbers. Seats around me and lower level just seemed full. Perhaps local interest down reflecting poor attendance at Gopher games.

 

[formerlybis]

Point taken. Wasn’t aware of the actual numbers. Seats around me and lower level just seemed full. Perhaps local interest down reflecting poor attendance at Gopher games.

It's a pro sports town, and the administration's fault.

 

[saintpauljeff]

Wanted to go see the Gophers play, but the ticket cost was high and since I don’t take the fentanyl light rail anymore from my house in S Mpls, I had no interest in dealing with the downtown clown show, even on a Thurs afternoon. For me to hit that area of town it’s got to be extraordinary value these days.

 

[TruthSeeker]

Conference tournaments are stupid.

Giving an auotmatic bid to a tournament champion instead of awarding the bid to the team that finished in first place in the regular season is moronic.

The conference tournaments are just a money grab. They should junk them entirely across all leagues and play a couple more conference games.

 

[dingo]

Less than 13,000 fans in the Friday sessions is not "well attended". It's barely over 60%.

So far it's the least attended BTT I have ever been to, and this is my 15th.

I do think Vegas will get one of these, as well as a Big 10 Football Championship. It was a talking point when I was there for the PAC 12 Championship game last December.

It's no longer a Midwest only Conference. They will build there brand nationally.

I think you are off here. I was talking with somebody

Less than 13,000 fans in the Friday sessions is not "well attended". It's barely over 60%.

So far it's the least attended BTT I have ever been to, and this is my 15th.

I do think Vegas will get one of these, as well as a Big 10 Football Championship. It was a talking point when I was there for the PAC 12 Championship game last December.

It's no longer a Midwest only Conference. They will build there brand nationally.

I think we will see when final ticket numbers come out.

But i was talking with someone associated with the event and they were very happy with the full session ticket sales that had far surpassed Chicago last year.

 

[Ope3]

I think you are off here. I was talking with somebody

I think we will see when final ticket numbers come out.

But i was talking with someone associated with the event and they were very happy with the full session ticket sales that had far surpassed Chicago last year.

The 14 other BTTs I have attended were all from 1999 - 2016. Since I wasn't at Chicago last year, yes quite possible overall numbers have dropped in that time substantially.

The number yesterday afternoon indeed was well under 13,000.

Box Score says 12,609.

Wisconsin 70-61 Northwestern (Mar 15, 2024) Box Score - ESPN

Box score for the Wisconsin Badgers vs. Northwestern Wildcats NCAAM game from March 15, 2024 on ESPN. Includes all points, rebounds and steals stats.

www.espn.com

 

[WilliamsArenaGuy]

It is going to be absolutely gross down there tomorrow.

 

[Ope3]

I think you are off here. I was talking with somebody

I think we will see when final ticket numbers come out.

But i was talking with someone associated with the event and they were very happy with the full session ticket sales that had far surpassed Chicago last year.

The 14 other BTTs I have attended were all from 1999 - 2016. Since I wasn't at Chicago last year, yes quite possible overall numbers have dropped in that time substantially.

The number yesterday afternoon indeed was well under 13,000.

Box Score says 12,609.

Wisconsin 70-61 Northwestern (Mar 15, 2024) Box Score - ESPN

Box score for the Wisconsin Badgers vs. Northwestern Wildcats NCAAM game from March 15, 2024 on ESPN. Includes all points, rebounds and steals stats.

www.espn.com

Same session in Chicago in 2023 was over 16,000.

Ohio State 68-58 Michigan State (Mar 10, 2023) Box Score - ESPN

Box score for the Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Michigan State Spartans NCAAM game from March 10, 2023 on ESPN. Includes all points, rebounds and steals stats.

www.espn.com

 

[Gopher_In_NYC]

I volunteered at both the women's and men's BTT this year (as well as the women's BTT last year).

Let me start by saying that having it here while Caitlin Clark was in school basically saved this from being a complete embarrassment. I'm not exaggerating when I say there were 20x more Iowa fans last week than last night - it was Thursday night instead of Friday night, so that made a difference, but I doubt it would have been much different tomorrow.

The fact of the matter is that Mpls is not a place visiting fans are eager to come to (like DC and potentially Vegas or LA in the future) and it is not centrally located to the footprint of the conference's alumni bases like Chicago and Indy. The crowds - other than for the Iowa women - are disappointing, even for the host team. Maybe especially for the home team. Plus, from what I gather from B1G staffers comments, the Target Center itself has some physical shortcomings relative to the other venues they've been at.

It was a worth a shot from the B1G's perspective, but the lesson has been learned. They won't be going to Milwaukee, Detroit, or Cleveland, either.

But, isn’t it a convenient drive from Wisconsin and Nebraska?

 

[dingo]

Same session in Chicago in 2023 was over 16,000.

Ohio State 68-58 Michigan State (Mar 10, 2023) Box Score - ESPN

Box score for the Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Michigan State Spartans NCAAM game from March 10, 2023 on ESPN. Includes all points, rebounds and steals stats.

www.espn.com

I hear you on comparing single session tickets.


My comment was around Full Session tickets. Which they said was stronger than Chicago. And was a better gauge of success, as it doesnt way as much on certain teams playing or advancing.

 

[Ope3]

I hear you on comparing single session tickets.


My comment was around Full Session tickets. Which they said was stronger than Chicago. And was a better gauge of success, as it doesnt way as much on certain teams playing or advancing.

I'm not understanding how it's a better gauge of success if ultimately the sessions in Chicago draw 25%-30% more fans, regardless of if they were bought via All Tournaments or Single Session.

Ultimately, I'm not sure matters much anyway to each school's bottom line. An extra 3,000-4,000 ticket buyers sliced across 14 teams (soon to be 18) is not really going to move the needle.

As long as the lower bowl was full, getting $400 for the entire package which looks nice on TV, probably all good. That's where the bulk of the revenue is anyway.

Minneapolis was given a shot because Chicago hosted last year and Indianapolis has the NCAA next week so I suspect didn't want to double dip.

Target Center may not have been a Home Run as a host, but more like a run scoring double hit into the gap. Respectable.

I had fun Wed - Sun but am sitting today out. I had my fill of hoops and for 1 game only not juiced at the prospect of seeing Bucky 4 days in a row.

 

[Holy Man]

I'm not understanding how it's a better gauge of success if ultimately the sessions in Chicago draw 25%-30% more fans, regardless of if they were bought via All Tournaments or Single Session.

Ultimately, I'm not sure matters much anyway to each school's bottom line. An extra 3,000-4,000 ticket buyers sliced across 14 teams (soon to be 18) is not really going to move the needle.

As long as the lower bowl was full, getting $400 for the entire package which looks nice on TV, probably all good. That's where the bulk of the revenue is anyway.

Minneapolis was given a shot because Chicago hosted last year and Indianapolis has the NCAA next week so I suspect didn't want to double dip.

Target Center may not have been a Home Run as a host, but more like a run scoring double hit into the gap. Respectable.

I had fun Wed - Sun but am sitting today out. I had my fill of hoops and for 1 game only not juiced at the prospect of seeing Bucky 4 days in a row.

As the host of visitors I’m basically obligated to sit through Badger Hell this afternoon.

Agree on the double. Good analogy.

The system of essentially forcing teams fans to purchase all session passes will guarantee selling a lot more tickets than people who will fill the stands. I’m okay with it since I’m into the game itself and hanging with people I don’t see often, but I’m a slim minority. If you have little kids or just need to get a normal nights sleep, eight games in two days is a load. But the B1G gets paid, so it’s all good.

 

[Bad Gopher]

I’ve been to a lot of Big Ten tournaments since early 2000s. Target Center is not as good a venue as Indy or United Center but much better than Verizon in DC.

The crowds are quite comparable to early rounds in previous years. Every once in a while in Indy or Chicago and an Iliinois or Indiana team is playing they might get bigger.

Lots of reasons why it might not come back but some of this is overstated.

The thing about Indy and Chicago is that they're easy driving distance from multiple conference schools. We're definitely an outpost of the conference, as is the east coast. Centrally located does make sense for most years, but it also makes sense to rotate it to a big-city outpost once in a while. I think the Big Ten has gotten it right.

The rumblings I hear that concern me are about the venue and logistics. I've felt that Target Center is better than most people give it credit for but still not as good as an NBA facility ought to be and certainly not a showcase facility that ought to host something like this. If I were the Big Ten, I'd hold out coming back here until the U of M can offer up a better facility.