Announced attendance at MSG

[Martin Centre Mad Man]

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400608873

EMPTY SEATS: The announced attendance was 5,548 at Madison Square Garden.

They're playing a Top 10 team in their home gym and can't put bodies in the seats. St. John's has an enrollment of over 20,000 students. Basketball is dead in NYC. We get better attendance for exhibition games in Spokane.

[jazzdelmar]

Duke and UCONN and Cuse fill the garden. If u were a St. John's student wd u root for that team?

[zagamatic]

The NIT certainly ain't what it used to be. But students are on break for the holiday. Regular fans of basketball may have written it off as the Zags are a gimme to win. And a lot of these thanksgiving week tournaments have low attendance with exceptions like Maui and the Bahamas. Who doesn't want an excuse to go there? Don't forget that ratings are a big part of the picture too. If ratings get consistently too low, then I think it's in trouble. Would they move it to a smaller arena to lessen the financial blow of empty seats over canceling it all together? Who knows?

[ZagLawGrad]

Duke and UCONN and Cuse fill the garden. If u were a St. John's student wd u root for that team?

[UIZag]

The NIT preseason tourney is dead it just doesn't know it yet. The best programs would rather go to Maui or the Bahamas. With the officiating at MSG this year its doubtful any big time programs will choose the NIT over another reasonable choice.

[ZagMan in Philly]

In sounded louder than 5000 or so in the garden.
It would have been much better if they had two east coast teams in this tourney other than Georgia and Minnesota,
Perhaps like UConn, Cuse, Villanova, or Georgetown.
What are they thinking!!
We are already planning for the Bahamas next year, and leave the winter coats at home LOL!

[jazzdelmar]

In sounded louder than 5000 or so in the garden.
It would have been much better if they had two east coast teams in this tourney other than Georgia and Minnesota,
Perhaps like UConn, Cuse, Villanova, or Georgetown.
What are they thinking!!
We are already planning for the Bahamas next year, and leave the winter coats at home LOL!

Glad u had fun, Phil. Home safe? Adding those teams wd be redundant to the Big East and reg season.....if u thought 5K was loud I have been there when SJ and Uconn drew 19K....talk about noise.....the days of Chris Mullin, et al....

[LongIslandZagFan]

The NIT certainly ain't what it used to be. But students are on break for the holiday. Regular fans of basketball may have written it off as the Zags are a gimme to win. And a lot of these thanksgiving week tournaments have low attendance with exceptions like Maui and the Bahamas. Who doesn't want an excuse to go there? Don't forget that ratings are a big part of the picture too. If ratings get consistently too low, then I think it's in trouble. Would they move it to a smaller arena to lessen the financial blow of empty seats over canceling it all together? Who knows?

Do you know how many local alumni the Johnnies have in NY? Not to mention most students are local... I used to work there. I can attest to the fact that it is predominantly a COMMUTER school. No... there isn't an excuse that the whole place wasn't filled with SJU fans...not to mention, from what I heard, the tix were dirt cheap.

[jazzdelmar]

Do you know how many local alumni the Johnnies have in NY? Not to mention most students are local... I used to work there. I can attest to the fact that it is predominantly a COMMUTER school. No... there isn't an excuse that the whole place wasn't filled with SJU fans...not to mention, from what I heard, the tix were dirt cheap.

I don't think alums connect with that team they way they did w the Mully, Berry era and even the Artest, Barkley group.....