Brian: Last year, approximately 2,000 ticket books for last year's ACC men's basketball tournament went unsold. In an attempt to try to fill the holes in the Greensboro Coliseum sections, the ACC and the school's athletic directors have decided to change the number of tickets each school gets.
The ticket allotment last year gave each of the 12 ACC schools an allotment of 1,740 ticket books.
This year, North Carolina, N.C. State, Duke, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech each received 1,990 ticket books. Maryland, Clemson and Virginia each received 1,600, while Boston College, Florida State, Miami and Georgia Tech each got 1,200.
Having attended a number of ACC men's basketball tournaments in the past, what do you think of the new ticket allotments? Given that this tournament has been dominated historically by either North Carolina or Duke, do we really need to give the NC schools even more of an advantage? Fair or foul?
Jeff: I think this is totally fair. As a fan, 98 percent want a packed house and a great game atmosphere. Last year, you did not get that during the tournament. Since it was not a Duke-North Carolina final, the atmosphere was never great in Greensboro. Conference tournaments all have some flaws no matter what conference or where they are played because 4 games are played in a day and you're never going to have 4 great matchups that would force fans to stay in their seats that long. But this will help getting the teams that sell more tickets the opportunity to get more of their fans to Greensboro and in the seats for most games.
Brian: Will this new ticket allotment help attendance, or should the league look at other factors (cough, $396 ticket book price tag, cough) to help boost tournament attendance in Greensboro?
Jeff: This will absolutely help attendance. UNC, Duke, NC State, Maryland and Clemson will absolutely sell their allotments while the rest of the schools will at least now come close, including BC. BC will now come maybe only a few hundred short of selling their allotment worst case scenario rather than not close at all best case scenario with the old way it was set up. As a fan who can and will continue to be able to get tickets to the tournament, I like it.
Big Finish
Brian: First, it was Carmelo Anthony coming home. Could Jared Dudley be next? The Celtics reportedly offered to trade Nate Robinson and a first round draft pick to Phoenix for the services of Dudley. Dudley in Celtics green and white. You like?
Jeff: Looks like this didn't go down but I would ultimately like Dudley in Boston because I think it increases the chances he coaches at BC after he's done playing.
Jeff: If Herzlich goes in the late rounds, can we crown him the man most covered late round pick ever?
Brian: Perhaps, though they have certainly been a fair share of late-round Heisman Trophy winners taken in the Draft.
Brian: Someone named Stolmy Pimentel is starting for the Red Sox this weekend against the Eagles. What are the chances BC can pull off the upset?
Jeff: 0.5%. You know it's not happening.
Jeff: This week, The College Hockey Blog has BC as a #1 seed in its latest bracketology. Will the Eagles hold on to one of the tournament's top 4 seeds?
Brian: I think the season will go one of two ways. Either the Eagles will use last weekend's set back as motivation and roll to a #1 seed, or they will have peaked in the Beanpot and will have a very BU-ish sesason.
Brian: Donahue once again tapped into the Southern California recruiting pipeline, this time signing 5'8" PG Jordan Daniels. You like what Donahue is doing on the recruiting trail so far?
Jeff: I have no real complaints with anything related to Donahue so far.
Jeff: Is Under Armour making Maryland the Oregon of the East with these new football jerseys?
Brian: Better Maryland than BC. Those uniforms are hideous. The only redeeming quality of those is the Maryland flat helmet stripe.
Brian: Last one. Crucial game for the Eagles' NCAA Tournament hopes tomorrow as they travel to JPJ Arena to take on the Cavaliers. Who ya got? What's the final score?
Jeff: BC has to finish the season 3-0 to make the tournament. No way I'm not predicting a BC victory. 72-66.