Road games...schmoad games....(a little George Costanza lingo)
As we all know, a lot was made nationally about Duke not playing on the road...and being the last team to have a "true" road game, and so on.
What a croc. Duke faces road games no one else does...always sold out, often over full, often a record crowd for said venue, and it's intense and raucous. We all know that.
Virginia on the other hand? You know, ACC champion Virginia, top ranked Virginia, the Cavs, who brag incessantly about their ACC reg season titles before stinking it up in the NCAAT...yes, that Virginia. Last night they were at BC...arena at least a third empty...no real atmosphere...barely 5000 there...nothing at all like what Duke faced last season at BC early season. And a couple weeks ago, Virginia at South Carolina...where anger towards the ACC still resides...SC, a state that basically took a state wide holiday to get ready for Duke in the NCAAT couple years ago...when Virginia comes to town? Six thousand empty seats.
I don't mean to pick on UVa...the same can be said about everybody else in the league...and I'm not complaining as a Duke fan either. Facts are facts. I just think these national writers and commentators (and pollsters) need to grow up and learn that there are road games...and then there are road games. They are not created equal, even when talking about the same host team.
You have to be careful in how you compare crowds.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
HereBeforeCoachK
As we all know, a lot was made nationally about Duke not playing on the road...and being the last team to have a "true" road game, and so on.
What a croc. Duke faces road games no one else does...always sold out, often over full, often a record crowd for said venue, and it's intense and raucous. We all know that.
Virginia on the other hand? You know, ACC champion Virginia, top ranked Virginia, the Cavs, who brag incessantly about their ACC reg season titles before stinking it up in the NCAAT...yes, that Virginia. Last night they were at BC...arena at least a third empty...no real atmosphere...barely 5000 there...nothing at all like what Duke faced last season at BC early season. And a couple weeks ago, Virginia at South Carolina...where anger towards the ACC still resides...SC, a state that basically took a state wide holiday to get ready for Duke in the NCAAT couple years ago...when Virginia comes to town? Six thousand empty seats.
I don't mean to pick on UVa...the same can be said about everybody else in the league...and I'm not complaining as a Duke fan either. Facts are facts. I just think these national writers and commentators (and pollsters) need to grow up and learn that there are road games...and then there are road games. They are not created equal, even when talking about the same host team.
The ACC schedule has been a sore subject for Hokie fans for several years now. Four of our conference home games take place when the university is not in session; our only weekend home game with the university in session is Syracuse. (BC, Notre Dame, and Wake took/take place during the winter break; Miami takes place a the beginning of spring break). I think Duke's schedule is so that only the Clemson and UNC games took/take place when the university is not in session. Perhaps that might influence the student attendance/atmosphere a bit?
I note that you compare the Duke at BC crowd from a Saturday in early December last year to the UVa at BC crowd on a Wednesday evening in January when BC was not in session. That's pretty close to an apples and oranges comparison.