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Why R we playing at the Garden again?

This is such an amusing thread. G-RUnit might have some good points, but if so, they get lost because he has his fact hopelessly wrong and he is imagining some conspiracy theory. He is being so obtuse in this thread, you have to consider that he is trolling.

Let's set the record straight on some of the facts:

  • This game was not moved to MSG at the last minute. This game was originally scheduled in 2019 to be played in 2021 (https://dailytargum.com/article/2019/11/rutgers-basketball-big-ten-super-saturday-feature-2019) . Because the 2020-2021 season had no fan attendance due to covid, the MSG matchup was rescheduled to 2023. Then when the Knicks schedule was formed last summer, they had a game on the same day. So the Big Ten changed the location of this game to TBD, while they looked at alternate arenas and negotiated options with MSG. The result was the Big Ten game at noon and the NBA game in the evening.

  • Rutgers was not forced into playing at MSG. When Rutgers and Maryland joined the Big Ten, the conference made a decision to have a greater east coast preference, including holding the Big Ten basketball tournament once in Washington, DC, and once in New York City. As part of the agreement with MSG to hold the 2018 basketball tournament there, the Big Ten agreed to holding 4 "Super Saturday" basketball-hockey double headers at MSG in 2016, 17, 18, and 19. Rutgers played in that original series once, and 7 other schools played basketball once in that original series.
The Big Ten and MSG decided to extend the series after 2019, and Rutgers requested more opportunities to play at MSG. At that time, Rutgers had just come off the 2018 Big Ten Tournament, where we had a huge advantage playing 35 miles from campus. Even though we were a 14 seed, we had huge fan turnout and won 2 games and played Purdue tough on Friday night. The exposure and support from that "Garden Statement" made Rutgers want to play more games at MSG. Therefore Rutgers was scheduled at a visiting team in 2020 and home team in 2021 (moved to this year).​

  • Rutgers has not been treated unfairly in Super Saturday matchups. The original 4 game series featured Penn St, Rutgers, Minn, and Maryland each as home teams, and Michigan, Wisc, OSU, and Illinois each as road teams. When Rutgers requested additional exposure at MSG, we were given Rutgers at Michigan in 2020 and MSU at Rutgers being played this year. While through this season Rutgers will have played 3 Super Saturday matchups (2 home and 1 away), that is because we requested more. Michigan has played 2 Super Saturday matchups (1 home and 1 away). The other teams have all played 1 matchup. I could argue that the teams that got screwed are Penn St, Minnesota, and Maryland, since they gave up home games and never got a road game in return.


Now, G-RUnit has a point that gets lost because he has his head so far up his ass. In years where Rutgers gives up a home game, like this year, playing a home game at MSG is a disadvantage. This year Rutgers has a long shot to win the regular season title and a reasonable chance to finish in the top-4 and get a double-bye. But that task becomes more difficult because we got screwed out of a win at OSU, and we give up our home-court RAC advantage for this game. The fact that this evens out over the long term is not relevant to the fact that it is a disadvantage this season.

But this point does get counterbalanced with the fact that as a neutral court, this probably ends up being a quad 1 game whereas it would probably be quad 2 at the RAC. While this would help us on Selection Sunday, it is not enough of an advantage to offset giving up a home game.

Nonetheless, Rutgers has requested additional exposure at MSG for Super Saturday. So we will be playing more games at MSG, presumably half as the home team and half as the road team. There are advantages to playing at MSG and disadvantages to playing there, both for the team and fans. At one game per year, or less, the advantages probably outweigh the disadvantages in the long term.
Thanks for this excellent and detailed post. Any word on whether the B1G tournament will return to MSG?
 
Let's see if the next time we are the road team. If not, horse shit.
 
Let's see if the next time we are the road team. If not, horse shit.
if we are not the road team for the next one, you will have a lot of fans agreeing with you....it is up to the university to make sure the scheduling is fair...one home, the next away, etc
 
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I wanna get out they keep dragging me back in!! Games are nationally televised anyway. Two RU games at MSG so far have resulted in two losses including one in OT. I personally don’t believe two neutral site games in the Garden is worth giving up one home game. Play Gonzaga or Duke or any non conference games in the Garden. Don’t give up home court advantage in a conference game. And nobody on this board knows when next Garden game will be. Hell, RU didn’t even know about this game when season tickets were distributed this year. That’s how last minute this game was. 12:00 start? That’ll bring in the most fans possible. No Saturday Special either. And having absolutely destroyed MSU last two times at home… MSU is jumping for joy and one could easily wonder if it was their idea in the first place. So spare me on what a brilliant deal this is. Neither trolling nor a limited IQ. Thank you very much.
Blah....Blah.....Blah....Blah

Call the AD and request we stay small time like Atlantic Ten if that is what you prefer. I prefer being the only NE representative of the best conference in the country and playing a quasi home every once in a while at the World's Most Famous arena.

Your lack of comprehension of facts that people are providing is incredible.

You realize there is nothing that can be done so why the constant whining.
 
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Well we’ll well

Great way to end the string and why many of you really shouldn’t bash posters or accuse them of trolling, or question their IQ or repeated insults or snide remarks. Looking at you Fluoxetine.

Ready apparent that Rutgers actually in agreement with me. Could it be that RU had to publicly agree with the B1G company line but privately ticked off.

Sure looks like RU wants to prevent it from happening again and in agreement with everything I posted:

“Rutgers is actively looking for a one off December game at MSG which does not involve a Big Ten opponent.”

All the benefits of the Garden without losing a conference game at home.
 
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Well we’ll well

Great way to end the string and why many of you really shouldn’t bash posters or accuse them of trolling, or question their IQ or repeated insults or snide remarks. Looking at you Fluoxetine.

Ready apparent that Rutgers actually in agreement with me. Could it be that RU had to publicly agree with the B1G company line but privately ticked off.

Sure looks like RU wants to prevent it from happening again and in agreement with everything I posted:

“Rutgers is actively looking for a one off December game at MSG which does not involve a Big Ten opponent.”

All the benefits of the Garden without losing a conference game at home.
it is possible no other team agreed to giving up their home game to play there, or it could not be worked out

again, this proves nothing....... as we thought, RU would not play every year with this as our home game..

we all thought, or knew that....

.we would have been very happy to play there next year as the visiting team

don't be shocked if this is just a one year break for the arrangement and we resume..... I for one would be for it
 
Ready apparent that Rutgers actually in agreement with me. Could it be that RU had to publicly agree with the B1G company line but privately ticked off.
Lol ok buddy.

I can't wait for you to tackle the "voting bloc" that keeps Connecticut in the top 25 next!
 
At first I was annoyed that we lost Home RAC advantage. But the more I think about, I think we will still pack MSG with RU fans/alum from North Jersey, NY, CT, MA that haven’t been able to catch a game at the RAC. Penn Station NY is easy to get into from anywhere along the NorthEast Corridor (Boston to DC). I used to love going to the Big East tournaments at MSG. It’s a great place for our kids to get big Arena exposure and experience.
 
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RU fans/alum from North Jersey, NY, CT, MA that haven’t been able to catch a game at the RAC. I used to love going to the Big East tournaments at MSG. It’s a great place for our kids to get big Arena exposure and experience.

I agree.

The atmosphere inside the RAC and recent game results the justify the trip to Piscataway for the hundreds of RU men's hoops diehards and the few thousands of fairweather fans.

Let's be serious though. To casual college basketball fans, including youngsters, the RAC resembles a vacant Sears building outside a Midwestern city. Old, drab, grey, and nothing to do in the neighborhood, not even a pizza place.

Madison Square Garden is the world's mecca of NBA and college basketball. Rutgers should not pass up the opportunity to play a B1G conference game.

Rutgers will play twenty games at the RAC this season. That isn't enough trips to Piscataway for some fans? Then get a life!
 
At first I was annoyed that we lost Home RAC advantage. But the more I think about, I think we will still pack MSG with RU fans/alum from North Jersey, NY, CT, MA that haven’t been able to catch a game at the RAC. Penn Station NY is easy to get into from anywhere along the NorthEast Corridor (Boston to DC). I used to love going to the Big East tournaments at MSG. It’s a great place for our kids to get big Arena exposure and experience.
It’s really difficult to drink the B1G koolaide on this.

You know it wasn’t RU’s idea and/or last minute when game wasn’t announced until well after season tix were distributed. Rather odd no?

Have to think it would have been much better marketed if it was truly RU’s idea.

The whole “Pack the Garden” argument or expand our footprint in NYC is also sadly impossible to accept with a straight face when they schedule the game at noon.

Call me a dolt, troll or having a low IQ, but a 12:00 start is least likely to maximize attendance, expanding our NYC and “packing the Garden”. In fact it’s the exact opposite. It’s not part of any Special Weekend.
 
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G RUnit. It’s time to let it go. Support the kids/team and Coaches. Go to the game if you can. Tix are relatively inexpensive. If you can’t then it will be Nationally broadcast. Life is too short. Move on
 
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Well we’ll well

Great way to end the string and why many of you really shouldn’t bash posters or accuse them of trolling, or question their IQ or repeated insults or snide remarks. Looking at you Fluoxetine.

Ready apparent that Rutgers actually in agreement with me. Could it be that RU had to publicly agree with the B1G company line but privately ticked off.

Sure looks like RU wants to prevent it from happening again and in agreement with everything I posted:

“Rutgers is actively looking for a one off December game at MSG which does not involve a Big Ten opponent.”

All the benefits of the Garden without losing a conference game at home.

Two days ago you were insisting that nobody knew when we’d play at MSG again.

So do you think RU simply woke up one day and decided to schedule a game there next season and MSG said, ”no problem. You just tell is what day you want.”
 
Two days ago you were insisting that nobody knew when we’d play at MSG again.

So do you think RU simply woke up one day and decided to schedule a game there next season and MSG said, ”no problem. You just tell is what day you want.”
When season tix were distributed was MSG at the Garden already scheduled?
Were any fans informed?

I’ll answer that for you? That be Nope!
So it was in fact very hush hush last minute?
What better way to maximize attendance then by providing least desirable starting time?

Yes this appears to have been a well thought out executed plan.

SMH.
 
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When season tix were distributed was MSG at the Garden already scheduled?
Why quote me and pose an irrelevant question?

Edit: my reply was to your original post. You subsequently edited your post.
 
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Well we’ll well

Great way to end the string and why many of you really shouldn’t bash posters or accuse them of trolling, or question their IQ or repeated insults or snide remarks. Looking at you Fluoxetine.

Ready apparent that Rutgers actually in agreement with me. Could it be that RU had to publicly agree with the B1G company line but privately ticked off.

Sure looks like RU wants to prevent it from happening again and in agreement with everything I posted:

Rutgers is actively looking for a one off December game at MSG which does not involve a Big Ten opponent.”

All the benefits of the Garden without losing a conference game at home.

Ummm .... all that confirms is that Rutgers wants to play more games at MSG, which is what I posted earlier. It doesn't say that Rutgers wants to replace a league MSG game with an OOC MSG game. It just says that Rutgers is looking to play an OOC game at MSG.


Now, as a fan, I certainly hope that the OOC game at MSG is during a season in which Rutgers is not playing a Big Ten Super Saturday game. I personally don't want to make 2 trips to NYC to watch Rutgers play. But I am reluctantly OK with Rutgers playing an OOC game at MSG during a season in which we do not have a Super Saturday game at MSG.
 
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When season tix were distributed was MSG at the Garden already scheduled?
Were any fans informed?

I’ll answer that for you? That be Nope!
So it was in fact very hush hush last minute?
What better way to maximize attendance then by providing least desirable starting time?

Yes this appears to have been a well thought out executed plan.

SMH.
I believe it was not listed as a RAC game, it was to be
determined
 
Thanks for this excellent and detailed post. Any word on whether the B1G tournament will return to MSG?
I think it is very unlikely that the Big Ten Tournament returns to MSG unless the Big East implodes or for some reason moves their tournament. The Big East has MSG locked up through 2028 for the week leading into Selection Sunday, and I don't see MSG kicking them out after 2028.

When the Big Ten Tournament was at MSG, the Big Ten needed to shorten its season and hold the tournament the previous week before the Big East Tournament. That created a lot of scheduling problems and was very unpopular with coaches, so I don't think the Big Ten will do that again.



However, I'm don't think there are any major barriers to playing the Big Ten Tournament on the east coast again, perhaps in Washington or Philadelphia.
 
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I think it is very unlikely that the Big Ten Tournament returns to MSG unless the Big East implodes or for some reason moves their tournament. The Big East has MSG locked up through 2028 for the week leading into Selection Sunday, and I don't see MSG kicking them out after 2028.

When the Big Ten Tournament was at MSG, the Big Ten needed to shorten its season and hold the tournament the previous week before the Big East Tournament. That created a lot of scheduling problems and was very unpopular with coaches, so I don't think the Big Ten will do that again.



However, I'm don't think there are any major barriers to playing the Big Ten Tournament on the east coast again, perhaps in Washington or Philadelphia.
How about the Barclay Center ?
 
I agree.

The atmosphere inside the RAC and recent game results the justify the trip to Piscataway for the hundreds of RU men's hoops diehards and the few thousands of fairweather fans.

Let's be serious though. To casual college basketball fans, including youngsters, the RAC resembles a vacant Sears building outside a Midwestern city. Old, drab, grey, and nothing to do in the neighborhood, not even a pizza place.

Madison Square Garden is the world's mecca of NBA and college basketball. Rutgers should not pass up the opportunity to play a B1G conference game.

Rutgers will play twenty games at the RAC this season. That isn't enough trips to Piscataway for some fans? Then get a life!
Believe it or not, but I talked two college hoops fans who were not R Hoops fans, but they were joining the bandwagon. They told me a R Hoops game at the RAC was on their bucket list. ON THEIR BUCKET LIST! So I took them to the December Indiana game. Had the time of their lives.

The RAC is way more awesome than you think.
 
I can’t honestly believe the ridic stufd of this post

First …three years ago it was a michgan home game …so we had 10 games at the RAC , 9 road games and the garden game …

They are not screwing us

Sexond …playing in the garden on a national broadcast network game ??? A no brainer ….

Third …a big RU showing helps us get games there in the future . Note RU72 comments ???

My only hope is that February 4th isn’t our last game there this season !!!
 
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I can’t honestly believe the ridic stufd of this post

First …three years ago it was a michgan home game …so we had 10 games at the RAC , 9 road games and the garden game …

They are not screwing us

Sexond …playing in the garden on a national broadcast network game ??? A no brainer ….

Third …a big RU showing helps us get games there in the future . Note RU72 comments ???

My only hope is that February 4th isn’t our last game there this season !!!
But what about Tom Izzo?
 
In the years RU wasn't in the event, did one of the other teams give up a home game to be there? If not, that would be the only way G-RUnit's argument would make any sense. I still don't get how you don't see Michigan playing a home game at MSG is more of a disadvantage than RU playing a home game there
Of course they did.
 
Believe it or not, but I talked two college hoops fans who were not R Hoops fans, but they were joining the bandwagon. They told me a R Hoops game at the RAC was on their bucket list. ON THEIR BUCKET LIST! So I took them to the December Indiana game. Had the time of their lives.

The RAC is way more awesome than you think.
I like the RAC. Beginning in the 1990s, I began attending college basketball games regularly across the Northeast. In the past few years, the RAC has become the best on-campus arena in the region to watch a game. Before that, the Palestra was #1 for the right matchups, usually those not involving Penn. Back in the 1990s, Keaney Gymnasium, then home to the University of Rhode Island, was a super place to watch a URI game. I never liked St. John's Carnesecca Arena - the seats give me back pain - but the small lobby is nice.

That being written, if your friends put the RAC their bucket list then had the time of their lives there, you need more interesting friends.
 
I like the RAC. Beginning in the 1990s, I began attending college basketball games regularly across the Northeast. In the past few years, the RAC has become the best on-campus arena in the region to watch a game. Before that, the Palestra was #1 for the right matchups, usually those not involving Penn. Back in the 1990s, Keaney Gymnasium, then home to the University of Rhode Island, was a super place to watch a URI game. I never liked St. John's Carnesecca Arena - the seats give me back pain - but the small lobby is nice.

That being written, if your friends put the RAC their bucket list then had the time of their lives there, you need more interesting friends.
So to summarize, my friends had a great time watching Rutgers beat #10 Indiana in an exciting game at the best on campus arena in the region (your words), but you think my friends aren’t interesting.

That’s really odd, koko.
 
So to summarize, my friends had a great time watching Rutgers beat #10 Indiana in an exciting game at the best on campus arena in the region (your words), but you think my friends aren’t interesting.

That’s really odd, koko.
This is coming from the same person who thought Rutgers basketball was kicked out of the RAC to MSG for a kids gymnastic meet so I wouldn't take it too personally. They even emailed the AD about it lol.
 
When season tix were distributed was MSG at the Garden already scheduled?
Were any fans informed?

I’ll answer that for you? That be Nope!
So it was in fact very hush hush last minute?
What better way to maximize attendance then by providing least desirable starting time?

Yes this appears to have been a well thought out executed plan.

SMH.

When do they distribute season tickets? The schedule release said that the Rutgers home game against MSU was going to be at a neutral site and not at JMA. This was decided years ago.

Upstream already mentioned why it was TBD at release:

This game was not moved to MSG at the last minute. This game was originally scheduled in 2019 to be played in 2021 (https://dailytargum.com/article/2019/11/rutgers-basketball-big-ten-super-saturday-feature-2019) . Because the 2020-2021 season had no fan attendance due to covid, the MSG matchup was rescheduled to 2023. Then when the Knicks schedule was formed last summer, they had a game on the same day. So the Big Ten changed the location of this game to TBD, while they looked at alternate arenas and negotiated options with MSG. The result was the Big Ten game at noon and the NBA game in the evening.
 
While I understand why some are upset about losing a home game to a BIG rival who we are competing with for the league title, or at least second place, but this is a great opportunity to get a win against a quality opponent at a neutral site. If we have any aspirations to advance in the NCAA’s we need to do exactly that, beat good teams on neutral sites! Forget where the game is, let’s just go out and win. Go RU
 
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