How does Maryland view the move to the B1G whatever?

[BD80]

Not trolling, an honest question.

How do the "fine" folks at MD feel about being in the B1G and not the ACC, now that the dust has settled?

The Terps just traveled to Wisconsin for a "big" game, and it barely registers nationally. I always thought it was a bad move, and just wondering if anyone knows how the terps generally feel about it now?

[53n206]

The Terps just traveled to Wisconsin for a "big" game, and it barely registers nationally.

The scene in"On the Waterfront" where Brando said "I coulda' been a contender.", "I coulda' been somebody." sadly makes me think of Maryland athletics. They useta' been contenders---somebody......

[MChambers]

This is a funny place to raise the question, since I don't think many Big Ten fans come here.

Having said that, while I agree that the move has lowered Maryland's basketball profile, I'm surprised by the amount of support the program still has. I went to the Maryland at Northwestern basketball game a year ago (my daughter was a senior at NU) and I was surprised by the Maryland turnout. Now, part of that probably was because the Wildcats played their games last year at an arena far removed from campus and right next to the airport, but still there were a lot of loud Maryland folks. (No bottles thrown, however.)

[budwom]

Wilbon said it best when the move happened....he noted that Maryland fans didn't want to leave the ACC, and Big 10 fans had little interest in adding them. No one cares about them, even though they have
a decent hoops teams. Plus the Twerps no longer have a team on their schedule they love to hate. Road trip to Nebraska!

Fact is, Maryland has mishandled their athletics budget for years, they've racked up a lot of debt, and moving to the Big What was done largely to mitigate their own incompetence.

[-jk]

I have some friends in MD who care a lot less about sports since the move.

-jk

[BandAlum83]

I have some friends in MD who care a lot less about sports since the move.

-jk

That’s really interesting, jk. The thought that conference affiliation could affect one’s desire to root for the college team you identify with.

It wouldn’t matter to me, I will root and care about Duke athletics regardless.

Those MD fans are a strange breed.

[OldPhiKap]

That’s really interesting, jk. The thought that conference affiliation could affect one’s desire to root for the college team you identify with.

It wouldn’t matter to me, I will root and care about Duke athletics regardless.



Yeah, but.

If we had a regular slate of games against Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota and the like instead of three North Carolina teams and the old ACC I would not be as interested. No history, no rivalry, no proximity.*

The Twerps thought they were in Alaska before because they were not in the State of North Carolina. How do they feel more included, being almost 1,000 miles from the Mississippi River?

Basketball was an afterthought in the decision though — it was about football $$$. This was not a fan-driven decision.




* I apologize if these example teams are not in the Big#?, I really couldn’t tell you what the name of the conference is let alone who is in it.

[75Crazie]

The online definition of "shaudenfruede" has a picture of a Maryland basketball crowd watching a home game against Rutgers.

[Bluedevil114]

I live in Maryland and most of friends root on the Terps. They are not happy with the decision and complain all the time about not playing in the ACC. It was all about money and football. Nothing else. Bad decisions. They haven’t improved their recruiting for football or basketball.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

That’s really interesting, jk. The thought that conference affiliation could affect one’s desire to root for the college team you identify with.

It wouldn’t matter to me, I will root and care about Duke athletics regardless.
.

Makes perfect sense to me......rooting for Duke is deeply steeped in the rivalry with the Cheats, with the ACC in general, and so on. Ya know, schools like Missouri in the SEC and WVA in the Big 12 may not have deep ties to the conference, but Duke certainly does with the ACC...as did Maryland.

[75Crazie]

...rooting for Duke is deeply steeped in the rivalry with the Cheats...
Not as far as I am concerned. That rivalry died several years ago, when it became clear that the Duke and uNC basketball programs were in fact playing two completely different games.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

Not as far as I am concerned. That rivalry died several years ago, when it became clear that the Duke and uNC basketball programs were in fact playing two completely different games.

...that may be true, but I am talking historically.....and I'm with K on this one, both schools benefit from being part of this rivalry.

[toughbuff1]

I live in Maryland too. My Terp friends think it’s good for football, horrible for basketball. They think it was a necessary evil though since the athletic department was hemorrhaging money.

[MChambers]

I live in Maryland too. My Terp friends think it’s good for football, horrible for basketball. They think it was a necessary evil though since the athletic department was hemorrhaging money.

Still is, to DJ Durkin.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

I live in Maryland too. My Terp friends think it’s good for football, horrible for basketball. They think it was a necessary evil though since the athletic department was hemorrhaging money.

Wasn't Duke @ Maryland in hoops the biggest event, toughest ticket, of the year at Maryland? Seems to me SVP on ESPN really hated losing that event once a season.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Not trolling, an honest question.

How do the "fine" folks at MD feel about being in the B1G and not the ACC, now that the dust has settled?

The Terps just traveled to Wisconsin for a "big" game, and it barely registers nationally. I always thought it was a bad move, and just wondering if anyone knows how the terps generally feel about it now?

No offense, but who cares? They lost any respect from me in 2001.

[MaxAMillion]

The move was made for money. Doubt the powers that be would want to turn down the extra money they have earned since joining the Big 10.

[Wahoo2000]

The Md fans I know all say the same: Horrible move for the fans, but had to be done for budgetary reasons. They were so far underwater with their athletics budget, the turtles were in danger of drowning. <rimshot>

[scottdude8]

As our resident B1G fan, I can say that... no one really cares about Maryland. I mean, we recognize they’re a solid basketball team, but I don’t think anyone gets excited when they play Maryland.

This doesn’t really answer the question about how Maryland fans think about the move... but I can tell you in the state of Michigan, where B1G basketball power resides, very little attention is paid to the Terps.

[weezie]

I live in Maryland and most of friends root on the Terps. They are not happy with the decision and complain all the time about not playing in the ACC. It was all about money and football. Nothing else. Bad decisions. They haven’t improved their recruiting for football or basketball.

I hope they cry their small, close set eyes out of their big heads on their wee pillows.

[WakeDevil]

Let's talk about the major financial impact Rutgers has had filling the league's coffers with the New Jersey market. It's probably even more substantial than what the headache powder team has done for the ACC.

[Indoor66]

I hope they cry their small, close set eyes out of their big heads on their wee wee pillows.

FIFY

[Papa John]

Not as far as I am concerned. That rivalry died several years ago, when it became clear that the Duke and uNC basketball programs were in fact playing two completely different games.

Totally agree with this sentiment.

[Indoor66]

Not as far as I am concerned. That rivalry died several years ago, when it became clear that the Duke and uNC basketball programs were in fact playing two completely different games.

The rivalry died for me, not because unCheat played a different game, it was because unCheat played by different rules.

[Thurber Whyte]

The Md fans I know all say the same: Horrible move for the fans, but had to be done for budgetary reasons. They were so far underwater with their athletics budget, the turtles were in danger of drowning. <rimshot>

This is the overwhelming sentiment I see. It is a remarkably frank one from a fanbase not historically known for its rationality or self awareness. When the move was announced there was a lot of talk about finally finding a conference that appreciated them, how the big ten is stronger academically and that is where a public ivy such as Maryland belongs, how their football program needs stronger competition while their basketball team could teach the others how to play the sport, etc. Even so there were still many who hated the move from the outset and would not play the glad game. Now that they are into it and it neither feels familiar nor feels like an improvement, there is no attempt at rationalization. They understand that there was no other choice and leave it at that. Fan support for basketball remains healthy. It had already fallen off a bit since the end of the Gary Williams era. However, I do not see the same passion. A lot of that passion was driven by the outsider, we do not get any respect, the system is rigged against us mythology of their relationship with the ACC. Now they have encountered a conference full of opposing fans who actually could care less about them. In turn, they lack the familiarity needed to breed contempt. There was some tentative effort to cast Penn State as a natural rival. They are the next state over and Maryland used to play them frequently in football. However, it is hard to have a rivalry when the all time record of Maryland in that series is 39-2-1. Speaking of football, attendance there continues to fall despite the move. That was one of the things that got the Athletic Department into such dire financial trouble. They renovated Byrd Stadium with a build it and they will come expectation that never materialized. If nothing else, joining the Big Ten was supposed to mean that, in a conference full of huge state universities with fanbases that traveled well and already had lots of alumni in the area, those seats would at least be filled with opposing fans. That effect does seem to have happened, but it appears that ticket sales among Maryland's own football supporters keep falling even more precipitously.

On a related topic, I recently saw some interesting information and this is as good a place to post it as anywhere. Since 2016, the Big Ten has held an event every year in New York at Madison Square Garden called the Super Saturday. It consists of a regular season Big Ten basketball game in the afternoon and a hockey game in the evening. The idea seems to be to promote brand awareness for the Big Ten in its new Eastern outpost and give the lucky fanbases of two member schools the same giddy excitement and triumphalism as the Visigoths overrunning Rome. Duke, of course, typically rents Madison Square Garden for a game every year and fills it. Here are the attendance totals for the basketball portion of Super Saturday:

2016 Michigan vs. Penn State - 12,108
2017 Wisconsin vs. Rutgers - 8,531
2018 Ohio State vs. Minnesota - 4,136
2019 Illinois vs. Maryland - 7,239

It looks like the event will not be renewed beyond this year. Have they considered taking it Off Broadway?

[budwom]

This is the overwhelming sentiment I see. It is a remarkably frank one from a fanbase not historically known for its rationality or self awareness. When the move was announced there was a lot of talk about finally finding a conference that appreciated them, how the big ten is stronger academically and that is where a public ivy such as Maryland belongs, how their football program needs stronger competition while their basketball team could teach the others how to play the sport, etc. Even so there were still many who hated the move from the outset and would not play the glad game. Now that they are into it and it neither feels familiar nor feels like an improvement, there is no attempt at rationalization. They understand that there was no other choice and leave it at that. Fan support for basketball remains healthy. It had already fallen off a bit since the end of the Gary Williams era. However, I do not see the same passion. A lot of that passion was driven by the outsider, we do not get any respect, the system is rigged against us mythology of their relationship with the ACC. Now they have encountered a conference full of opposing fans who actually could care less about them. In turn, they lack the familiarity needed to breed contempt. There was some tentative effort to cast Penn State as a natural rival. They are the next state over and Maryland used to play them frequently in football. However, it is hard to have a rivalry when the all time record of Maryland in that series is 39-2-1. Speaking of football, attendance there continues to fall despite the move. That was one of the things that got the Athletic Department into such dire financial trouble. They renovated Byrd Stadium with a build it and they will come expectation that never materialized. If nothing else, joining the Big Ten was supposed to mean that, in a conference full of huge state universities with fanbases that traveled well and already had lots of alumni in the area, those seats would at least be filled with opposing fans. That effect does seem to have happened, but it appears that ticket sales among Maryland's own football supporters keep falling even more precipitously.

On a related topic, I recently saw some interesting information and this is as good a place to post it as anywhere. Since 2016, the Big Ten has held an event every year in New York at Madison Square Garden called the Super Saturday. It consists of a regular season Big Ten basketball game in the afternoon and a hockey game in the evening. The idea seems to be to promote brand awareness for the Big Ten in its new Eastern outpost and give the lucky fanbases of two member schools the same giddy excitement and triumphalism as the Visigoths overrunning Rome. Duke, of course, typically rents Madison Square Garden for a game every year and fills it. Here are the attendance totals for the basketball portion of Super Saturday:

2016 Michigan vs. Penn State - 12,108
2017 Wisconsin vs. Rutgers - 8,531
2018 Ohio State vs. Minnesota - 4,136
2019 Illinois vs. Maryland - 7,239

It looks like the event will not be renewed beyond this year. Have they considered taking it Off Broadway?

If Maryland fans believe they are a Public Ivy, they are even more delusional than I thought. No way, no how. Wikipedia (I know, not accurate on everying to be sure) has the traditional list, e.g. Cal, Michigan, holes, VA, Texas, Bill and Mary, even Vermont (think their membership should have lapsed, frankly)...plus also rans...Maryland is in the sub-also ran category ...

good info on the MSG attendance stuff, no one cares about the Big 10 in NY, and no one cares about Rutgers. A solid matchup of really top teams will get attendance, but there is no affinity with the Big 10 at all.

[willowglen]

If Maryland fans believe they are a Public Ivy, they are even more delusional than I thought. No way, no how. Wikipedia (I know, not accurate on everying to be sure) has the traditional list, e.g. Cal, Michigan, holes, VA, Texas, Bill and Mary, even Vermont (think their membership should have lapsed, frankly)...plus also rans...Maryland is in the sub-also ran category ...

good info on the MSG attendance stuff, no one cares about the Big 10 in NY, and no one cares about Rutgers. A solid matchup of really top teams will get attendance, but there is no affinity with the Big 10 at all.

Maryland is much improved academically since the days I competed against them in the early 80’s (I was recruited by Maryland then, and gained admission out of state with a postcard and the comment that I had double the ACT score needed to get in). Maryland really isn’t a Public Ivy, and won’t get there soon. Their endowment is laughingly small, embarrassing really. Professors at the school, frustrated by this fact, point to years of spending in Annapolis on the absolute cesspool that is Baltimore, ignoring the opportunity of being 10 miles from the US Capitol.

I do go to see Lacrosse games at Maryland (a sport which is new to me), and frankly College Park is rather ugly surrounded by somewhat lousy neighborhoods with no urban charm. This kills them in football, because even if they move beyond mediocrity the game day experience is depressing, unless you are a Michigan or Ohio State fan from the DC area who finally can see their team play on the cheap (very cheap).

The Big 10 move was a financial one. I was raised in Northern Illinois with a steady diet of Big 10 football and basketball, watching the games on grainy UHF channels with the silouhette of the Sears Tower (now Willis Tower) shimmering on the screen. The core of the Big 10 has no connection to Maryland, and I don’t see it happening, so the Maryland Big 10 move will continue to have all the look and feel of a business transaction.

[roywhite]

I do follow B1G sports, and can report one sign of Maryland's impact in the league. They have earned a reputation for nasty fans and low class behavior. Shocking, I know.

[BandAlum83]

I do follow B1G sports, and can report one sign of Maryland's impact in the league. They have earned a reputation for nasty fans and low class behavior. Shocking, I know.

Well that didn't take long.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

Well that didn't take long.

Well, they are who they are...

[BandAlum83]

Well, they are who they are...

My wife is an Alum of U MD.

She roots for Duke. 'Nuff said.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

My wife is an Alum of U MD.

She roots for Duke. 'Nuff said.

HAH, yes and to clarify....I meant Terp fans......

[BD80]

... Speaking of football, attendance there continues to fall despite the move. … joining the Big Ten was supposed to mean that, in a conference full of huge state universities with fanbases that traveled well and already had lots of alumni in the area, those seats would at least be filled with opposing fans. That effect does seem to have happened, but it appears that ticket sales among Maryland's own football supporters keep falling even more precipitously. ...

I wonder how opponent attendance will track with which party is in the White House?

The housing market completely turns over with a party change, I wonder if, for example, the UM and Illinois games sell more tickets to opposing fans when the dems hold the White House, and Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska sales are up when the republicans are in?

[HereBeforeCoachK]

I wonder how opponent attendance will track with which party is in the White House?

The housing market completely turns over with a party change, I wonder if, for example, the UM and Illinois games sell more tickets to opposing fans when the dems hold the White House, and Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska sales are up when the republicans are in?

Actually I don't think the housing market changes....everybody stays in Washington forever....they just have one kind of job while in power and another out of power (often more lucrative financially out of power.) I mean, people never leave. There's a palpable aphrodisiacal impact of power/money colliding.

[peterjswift]

I'll reiterate what some folks have said upthread:

For basketball, this was a huge loss. They were relevant in the ACC, they are irrelevant in the BIG10. Their natural rivals are also completely irrelevant in basketball in the BIG10.

Football, on the other hand, seems to have increased its relevance. Regional rivalries with PSU and Rutgers have been renewed, and those rivalries stew all year due to recruiting battles.

While the "rivalry" has been decidedly one-sided for a long time, PSU vs. UMD is a game PSU fans get excited about - mostly because there are a lot of recruiting battles against UMD (and because of some really low-class moves by UMD in recent games - the "no handshake," the flattening of PSU's kicker, etc). There's no love lost between PSU and UMD, and it is pretty satisfying (as a PSU fan) to see UMD come to happy valley and leave unhappy.

UMD and Rutgers is a burgeoning rivalry as well, though both teams are definitely in a down-turn (and UMD has some particularly challenging issues surrounding their football program now).

From my limited perspective, I feel like UMD would rather have a successful football program than basketball program, and perhaps thought that the move would help the football program. It probably has boosted attendance at their football games, but the downside for UMD is that now neither programs are particularly successful. I can't imagine any fan giving the change anything but a low grade.

[budwom]

^ some good points, but from what I've read, they were in a DEEEEEEP financial hole (still are I believe) and the prime motivation was money,money and money not football, though football as you say may somewhat benefits.
And even now they only get a reduced share of Big 10 revenue due to their junior status.

Big problem: donors to the athletic program at MD give only half the Big 10 average ($15 million vs $28 million)....bottom line, they are somewhat better off financially than they would have been had they stayed in the ACC (hence the move) but they are still suffering financially.

[rolm]

I think had MD reached out for help to the ACC and honestly explained their financial problems, the ACC (and member schools) would have helped and MD wouldn't have had to leave. I think MD compounded their financial failures by not being honest about it and not seeking help from member schools. Although I hated their fanbase, I liked having them in the ACC (since I live in the DC area). I hate losing the DC market to the B1G. Although having UVA and VT in the ACC helps with the DC market.

[TruBlu]

^ some good points, but from what I've read, they were in a DEEEEEEP financial hole (still are I believe) and the prime motivation was money,money and money not football, though football as you say may somewhat benefits.
And even now they only get a reduced share of Big 10 revenue due to their junior status.

Big problem: donors to the athletic program at MD give only half the Big 10 average ($15 million vs $28 million)...bottom line, they are somewhat better off financially than they would have been had they stayed in the ACC (hence the move) but they are still suffering financially.

Maryland donors have other financial considerations: Bail money and fines/court costs for rioting and disorderly conduct.:p

[peterjswift]

^ some good points, but from what I've read, they were in a DEEEEEEP financial hole (still are I believe) and the prime motivation was money,money and money not football, though football as you say may somewhat benefits.
And even now they only get a reduced share of Big 10 revenue due to their junior status.

Big problem: donors to the athletic program at MD give only half the Big 10 average ($15 million vs $28 million)...bottom line, they are somewhat better off financially than they would have been had they stayed in the ACC (hence the move) but they are still suffering financially.

No question the move was primarily financial. I'm certain of that. And in the short-term, probably a good move. Not sure it will be beneficial in the long-run. But honestly, I think a lot of their financial and PR problems are bigger as a result of terrible judgment and tragedy, which has nothing to do with their conference. UMD manages to self-inflict a ton of harm to their university. I have some friends that are alums and used to be super fans for football and basketball. They barely even follow the sport now because they're so ashamed of the mistakes the university has made (unrelated to conference realignment).

[peterjswift]

Maryland donors have other financial considerations: Bail money and fines/court costs for rioting and disorderly conduct.:p

I know this is a joke (and a solid one at that), but there's definitely a lot of truth to this. Legal fees, settlements, and contract buyouts are expensive.

Not to mention, enrollment and recruiting are going to suffer for a while from this. As painful as decrease in donations are, enrollment decreases are a much harder hit, and the ramifications last far longer. Rebuilding a reputation is a LONG process, and most college budgets can't easily handle that long process.

[Truth&Justise]

This is the overwhelming sentiment I see. It is a remarkably frank one from a fanbase not historically known for its rationality or self awareness. When the move was announced there was a lot of talk about finally finding a conference that appreciated them, how the big ten is stronger academically and that is where a public ivy such as Maryland belongs, how their football program needs stronger competition while their basketball team could teach the others how to play the sport, etc. Even so there were still many who hated the move from the outset and would not play the glad game. Now that they are into it and it neither feels familiar nor feels like an improvement, there is no attempt at rationalization. They understand that there was no other choice and leave it at that. Fan support for basketball remains healthy. It had already fallen off a bit since the end of the Gary Williams era. However, I do not see the same passion. A lot of that passion was driven by the outsider, we do not get any respect, the system is rigged against us mythology of their relationship with the ACC. Now they have encountered a conference full of opposing fans who actually could care less about them. In turn, they lack the familiarity needed to breed contempt. There was some tentative effort to cast Penn State as a natural rival. They are the next state over and Maryland used to play them frequently in football. However, it is hard to have a rivalry when the all time record of Maryland in that series is 39-2-1. Speaking of football, attendance there continues to fall despite the move. That was one of the things that got the Athletic Department into such dire financial trouble. They renovated Byrd Stadium with a build it and they will come expectation that never materialized. If nothing else, joining the Big Ten was supposed to mean that, in a conference full of huge state universities with fanbases that traveled well and already had lots of alumni in the area, those seats would at least be filled with opposing fans. That effect does seem to have happened, but it appears that ticket sales among Maryland's own football supporters keep falling even more precipitously.

Wanted to focus on this point a bit more. Gary Williams was great at playing it up during games, making it clear he thought his team got no respect from the officials. Layer on that the best UMD teams in the early 2000s didn't have lots of top recruits, and that "us against the world" mentality fueled the fanbase.

There's an irony in the fact that UMD is still an outsider: just like the heart of the ACC was always in North Carolina, the heart of the B1G is somewhere in Michigan/Ohio/Indiana. But if no one cares about you, you can't really argue they're out to get you.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

Wanted to focus on this point a bit more. Gary Williams was great at playing it up during games, making it clear he thought his team got no respect from the officials. Layer on that the best UMD teams in the early 2000s didn't have lots of top recruits, and that "us against the world" mentality fueled the fanbase.

There's an irony in the fact that UMD is still an outsider: just like the heart of the ACC was always in North Carolina, the heart of the B1G is somewhere in Michigan/Ohio/Indiana. But if no one cares about you, you can't really argue they're out to get you.

Seems to me about 99% of the angst/anger/lack of respect the Terps felt from the ACC was aimed at Duke. (back in Lefty's day, it was aimed at NCSU and UNC - but that hadn't been the case for many moons). I remember some talk that Duke coming to town in hoops was the biggest event all year on campus...almost every year.

And I can assure you, a drop in football attendance was NOT in the plans for joining the Big Ten (or whatever we call it now)

[budwom]

Maryland's mismanagement of the department, under various "leaders," has been acknowledged for a long time. Turtle Club donors down 35% in the last ten years, just a mess...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/obstacles-for-maryland-athletics-long-predate-jordan-mcnair-controversy/2018/11/29/29c93914-ec02-11e8-8679-934a2b33be52_story.html?utm_term=.edd0b707cd59

I guess there's a reason why athletic directors who actually know what they're doing and can manage a gargantuanly complex budget, are well compensated. Of course most of the lousy ones are well compensated, too.

[AustinDevil]

I think had MD reached out for help to the ACC and honestly explained their financial problems, the ACC (and member schools) would have helped and MD wouldn't have had to leave. I think MD compounded their financial failures by not being honest about it and not seeking help from member schools. Although I hated their fanbase, I liked having them in the ACC (since I live in the DC area). I hate losing the DC market to the B1G. Although having UVA and VT in the ACC helps with the DC market.

I like the optimism, and I can understand wishing Maryland had not left, but there's no plausible way to see how this "help" could have happened. Any dime given to Maryland would have had to come at the expense of another school or the conference itself. And they're just Maryland. You can make a case--not saying how strong a case, mind you--for a circumstance where a school with a lot more heft could get some breaks or redistributions, trying to set itself up in the ACC like Texas has in the Big "XII," as (more than) first among equals. But whether or not Clemson could do that, e.g., there's no way Maryland could have.

[uh_no]

Of course most of the lousy ones are well compensated, too.

and sometimes end up as the AD in raleigh for their their efforts.

[budwom]

and sometimes end up as the AD in raleigh for their their efforts.

Ha, indeed. Things weren't that complicated back in my Duke days, not a ton of scholarships for things other than hoops and football...now with Title IX (which I applaud) and the emergence of many other sports, it's a much more
complicated endeavor....balance the books, beg for money, and name every single item on every single sports field after some donor (right down to the helmet/glove box in the softball team's dugout, as we learned here earlier).

Still not sure how all this evolved (as opposed to how sports are treated elsewhere in the world) but it's fun being a fan.

[peterjswift]

I ran into a friend who is a UMD alum and used to be a huge fan of the UMD basketball program (I think graduated in 2004, so he was there for the championship). I asked him this question, and he said he hasn't really been following UMD basketball over the last few years. I asked him why, and he said he had just picked up some other pursuits and they occupied more of his time. He claimed he was still a fan, but he hadn't watched a game in several years....pretty much since they switched to the BIG10.

He quickly added that the change wasn't why he no longer follows the sport....though it is kind of a weird coincidence that a guy that could name every recruiting prospect for a team can't even name a current player today, and the disconnect roughly started when UMD left the ACC.

I pointed out that maybe UMD basketball becoming irrelevant was what made other pursuits more attractive and contributed to his change of priorities - he wasn't so sure. He thinks it is a coincidence (and it could be - his family grew, his job changed, he moved...), but his disinterest fits my perspective on the adjustment pretty well.