disco
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Beat me to it.Right now St. Thomas is on the same level.
There's a legit chance they make an NCAA tourney before the Gophers next do.
Beat me to it.Right now St. Thomas is on the same level.
100%, Bleed. No interest in playing St. Thomas at a neutral site. A 2 for 1 is the way to go at least initially. Play it by ear after that. I suspect UST would be agreeable to that. I don't expect Niko to schedule the Tommies in Year 1, but I'd bet he & Tauer will come up with something starting in 2026-27 season. First meeting absolutely needs to be at The Barn.Please no. I am in the camp that neutral site games have hurt non-conference CBB.
Play a 2 for 1 over 4 years...two games at The Barn, 1 game at St. Thomas' new arena.
Keep CBB out of NBA arenas.
Go Gophers!!
Team played Omaha this yearNot to be wet blanket guy, but why do people care so much about playing St. Thomas?
Doesn't seem to be much upside to me except for those of you that have a connection to St. Thomas.
2 for one with the one being neutral maybe100%, Bleed. No interest in playing St. Thomas at a neutral site. 2 for 1 is the way to go. I suspect UST would be agreeable to that. I don't expect Niko to schedule the Tommies in Year 1, but I'd bet he & Tauer will come up with something starting in 2026-27 season.
I will take that bet.Beat me to it.
There's a legit chance they make an NCAA tourney before the Gophers next do.
I'm not sure why the Gophers would or should play an away game at UST. Bring them to the Barn every year.Please no. I am in the camp that neutral site games have hurt non-conference CBB.
Play a 2 for 1 over 4 years...two games at The Barn, 1 game at St. Thomas' new arena.
Keep CBB out of NBA arenas.
Go Gophers!!
Yes they did...and it barely moved the needle.Didn't Gophers hockey play a home and home with St Thomas this year? St Thomas chose the X as their home site-- I think the Gophers stayed with Mariucci.
until St Thomas gets to a better conference or the Summit gets alot better- 3 home and 1 away should be the most the Gophers would need to do without making it a pay game
Saint Thomas can turn out their fans for a big game. They and Saint John's packed Target Field for a Division III football game.I will take that bet.
I also dont see why the atmosphere will be all that crazy. I dont think anybody really cares all that much about St. Thomas. Maybe one day they will, but it isnt like they are a rival in any sport or have some sort of hatred for each other. Its not like anyone would care if we played Hamline.
This. SOOOOOOOOO MUCH THIS.Not to be wet blanket guy, but why do people care so much about playing St. Thomas?
Doesn't seem to be much upside to me except for those of you that have a connection to St. Thomas.
Huge underrated upside is it can make people so insaneThis. SOOOOOOOOO MUCH THIS.
I'm not sure why Gopher fans are so reluctant to play good regional teams, in any sport. The upside? Fan interest. There's precious little "casual" fan interest in U of M athletics. But if UST came to the barn? I think you'd see a lot more curiosity. You could throw in the Dakota schools, too. The last time I was at the barn for a MBB (formerly my favorite athletic team at any level of sport)? My alma mater was the opponent. If we are afraid of taking a loss against low to mid mid-major programs, then that's a terrible indictment on the state of UofM athletics and there is absolutely no reason for a casual fan to show up in Dinkytown.Not to be wet blanket guy, but why do people care so much about playing St. Thomas?
Doesn't seem to be much upside to me except for those of you that have a connection to St. Thomas.
I wouldn’t do it anything but a pay gameDidn't Gophers hockey play a home and home with St Thomas this year? St Thomas chose the X as their home site-- I think the Gophers stayed with Mariucci.
until St Thomas gets to a better conference or the Summit gets alot better- 3 home and 1 away should be the most the Gophers would need to do without making it a pay game
Hanging the banners? Heck yeah!Huge underrated upside is it can make people so insane
Team lacking interest scoffs at opportunity to increase local interestI'm not sure why Gopher fans are so reluctant to play good regional teams, in any sport. The upside? Fan interest. There's precious little "casual" fan interest in U of M athletics. But if UST came to the barn? I think you'd see a lot more curiosity. You could throw in the Dakota schools, too. The last time I was at the barn for a MBB (formerly my favorite athletic team at any level of sport)? My alma mater was the opponent. If we are afraid of taking a loss against low to mid mid-major programs, then that's a terrible indictment on the state of UofM athletics and there is absolutely no reason for a casual fan to show up in Dinkytown.
That tooHanging the banners? Heck yeah!
Right...a heated rival that goes back decades and is played every year. Not exactly the same thing.Saint Thomas can turn out their fans for a big game. They and Saint John's packed Target Field for a Division III football game.
They're a wealthy private school whose fan base is primarily local and who donate to and support their alma mater. They won't out draw the Gophers, but they'll draw a lot.You think a team that struggles to fill up a <2,000 seat arena will outdraw the gophers who have a built in advantage with season tickets? Get real.
Beat me to it.
There's a legit chance they make an
There must be some interest. The Big Neighbor was broadcasting Tommie FB games when they were still DIII and at least some of their MBB games were on broadcast television this year. My assumption is after they move out of the middle school gym into their new arena, there'll be an initial buzz before attendance settles at some around, and probably less than, 2,000 people per game, with bumps on the weekend if and when the Tommies are competitive and an xDSU is in town, presumably also towards the top of the standings. But that doesn't mean their fans won't be jazzed for the first couple of trips to the Barn and show out.Right...a heated rival that goes back decades and is played every year. Not exactly the same thing.
Their stadiums are small for a reason.
I am not against playing St. Thomas, but lets not pretend they have a huge Q rating in the Twin Cities. I would bet the average person doesn't even know where St. Thomas is.
Doesn't Duluth come to the Barn a lot?I'm not sure why Gopher fans are so reluctant to play good regional teams, in any sport. The upside? Fan interest. There's precious little "casual" fan interest in U of M athletics. But if UST came to the barn? I think you'd see a lot more curiosity. You could throw in the Dakota schools, too. The last time I was at the barn for a MBB (formerly my favorite athletic team at any level of sport)? My alma mater was the opponent. If we are afraid of taking a loss against low to mid mid-major programs, then that's a terrible indictment on the state of UofM athletics and there is absolutely no reason for a casual fan to show up in Dinkytown.
I used to get yelled at for saying that.They're a wealthy private school whose fan base is primarily local and who donate to and support their alma mater. They won't out draw the Gophers, but they'll draw a lot.
And you can't compare basketball and hockey. I've said it many times, college hockey is a niche sport. People here don't realize or want to admit that.
Even if we start scheduling our non-conference like Michigan State, there will always be 4-5 cupcakes from smaller conferences. The local cupcake might as well be one of them.Doesn't Duluth come to the Barn a lot?
Do you really think the average fan who doesn't care about Gopher Athletics or St. Thomas Athletics is going to say "You know...let's go to Williams Arena Thursday the Tommies are playing the Gophers!"? That doesn't pass the smell test for me.
If you want to argue that over time that could happen I can get behind that thought. It will take many years but I could see it. But in the near term I highly doubt it even if the media pumps it up. They try that with hockey and honestly the only ones who care are the ones who already care.
The problem I have is I watch the hockey team do stuff like this and to me it makes the game stale. I am fine with replacing a mediocre opponent with a local mediocre opponent (mediocre it terms of metrics not a shot at St. Thomas) but the constant need to do it every year is boring. I would rather just get rid of the lower rung opponent and sharpen the team with steel. (this years hockey team could have used less St. Thomas and more upper echelon teams) But if we are intent on playing the Glen Mason preseason, I would be fine replacing Louisiana Monroe with St. Thomas.
Lets be realistic about this though...there isn't enough interest to make this a "must have" game...not yet.
The Big Neighbor broadcast the games because they lost the Gophers...come on this isnt difficult.There must be some interest. The Big Neighbor was broadcasting Tommie FB games when they were still DIII and at least some of their MBB games were on broadcast television this year. My assumption is after they move out of the middle school gym into their new arena, there'll be an initial buzz before attendance settles at some around, and probably less than, 2,000 people per game, with bumps on the weekend if and when the Tommies are competitive and an xDSU is in town, presumably also towards the top of the standings. But that doesn't mean their fans won't be jazzed for the first couple of trips to the Barn and show out.
And that is fine...I am just saying lets be realistic here. This "heightened interest level" is some serious hopium. For the first few years (if not more) you wont see much of an uptick. Any uptick is good at our cratered level but St. Thomas Basketball Enthusiasm is not exactly at a fever pitch locally.Even if we start scheduling our non-conference like Michigan State, there will always be 4-5 cupcakes from smaller conferences. The local cupcake might as well be one of them.
St. Thomas is not wealthy. Ask their low paid faculty. They are a tuition driven institution that frequently needs to adjust on the fly to manage cash flow. They are not at risk of going under like boatloads of small public and private colleges are, but they are hardly wealthy and don’t have great alumni support compared to similar schools.They're a wealthy private school whose fan base is primarily local and who donate to and support their alma mater. They won't out draw the Gophers, but they'll draw a lot.
And you can't compare basketball and hockey. I've said it many times, college hockey is a niche sport. People here don't realize or want to admit that.
I don't think it "heightens" general interest in Gopher basketball. But you'd rather draw 10,000 for a game with UST than 4,000 for a game with Oral Roberts. $$ is $$ and the local media would actually cover the game. The period from the early December conference games to New Year's is dead and kind of kills the momentum/vibe for fans. Put the game in that stretch.And that is fine...I am just saying lets be realistic here. This "heightened interest level" is some serious hopium. For the first few years (if not more) you wont see much of an uptick. Any uptick is good at our cratered level but St. Thomas Basketball Enthusiasm is not exactly at a fever pitch locally.
When I was teaching college still I almost applied for a teaching job there. Honestly their pay range kind of sucked.St. Thomas is not wealthy. Ask their low paid faculty. They are a tuition driven institution that frequently needs to adjust on the fly to manage cash flow. They are not at risk of going under like boatloads of small public and private colleges are, but they are hardly wealthy and don’t have great alumni support compared to similar schools.
And that is why I am fine with it. Hell I would take 5k with the Tommies over 4k with Oral Roberts because of how cruddy our attendance has been. If we were constantly selling out Williams I would be against it.I don't think it "heightens" general interest in Gopher basketball. But you'd rather draw 10,000 for a game with UST than 4,000 for a game with Oral Roberts. $$ is $$.