Nice Article: Maintaining Success

NorthTexasWeLove · 2025-01-17T15:15:35Z

11 hours ago, NT80 said:

The Super Pit is still a great facility. Minnesota's gym that we won at earlier this season is 101 years old, lol.

UTA said all the things you mentioned when they and their 1200 fans left Texas Hall. They built the $80mil University Park Center and moved in the same time we built Apogee/DATCU stadium. They now draw 1200 fans.

I have noticed that you draw a lot of lines from us to UTA. We are not UTA. We are nothing like UTA. Let UTA, UTA, and we will worry about us. My point still stands. The Pit sucks and it doesn't matter if Minnesota's gym was 500 years old... The Pit would still suck.

BigWillie · 2025-01-17T15:44:58Z

18 hours ago, UNTLifer said:

Nah, let's keep Hodge and quit having this discussion every time on of our coaches has success.

I agree with this. Hodge loves the DFW metroplex and would love to stay here I think. Let's make him our Bill Self.

12 hours ago, NT80 said:

The Super Pit is still a great facility. Minnesota's gym that we won at earlier this season is 101 years old, lol.

UTA said all the things you mentioned when they and their 1200 fans left Texas Hall. They built the $80mil University Park Center and moved in the same time we built Apogee/DATCU stadium. They now draw 1200 fans.

If those seats were just a little wider......VERY annoying for someone that is 6'4". I know why most people don't stand up to cheer, they are stuck in their seats.

NT80 · 2025-01-17T17:28:43Z

2 hours ago, NorthTexasWeLove said:

I have noticed that you draw a lot of lines from us to UTA. We are not UTA. We are nothing like UTA. Let UTA, UTA, and we will worry about us. My point still stands. The Pit sucks and it doesn't matter if Minnesota's gym was 500 years old... The Pit would still suck.

UTA has a lot of similarities to our situation. They are a large, public University, same enrollment as us, non-power athletic conference, affected by DFW attractions (like us) for basketball attendance. I started at UTA, and I hated it, mainly because of their lack of athletic facilities, campus culture, and non emphasis on athletics. I don't want us to become the same!

Why, besides age and size, do you think the Pit sucks?

It has great sight lines, fans can be close to the action, even court-side. Big, nice open concourses for food. I have never seen one opponent fan criticize it other than not being full. That, as others have mentioned, is fixable with the right AD and some better marketing people/ideas.

Edited 5 hours ago by NT80

BigWillie · 2025-01-17T17:31:16Z

1 minute ago, NT80 said:

UTA has a lot of similarities to our situation. They are a large, public University, same enrollment as us, non-power athletic conference, affected by DFW attractions (like us) for basketball attendance. I started at UTA, and I hated it, mainly because of their lack of athletic facilities, campus culture, and non emphasis on athletics. I don't want us to become the same!

Why, besides age and size, do you think the Pit sucks?

It has great site lines, fans can be close to the action, even court-side. Big, nice open concourses for food. I have never seen one opponent fan criticize it other than not being full. That, as others have mentioned, is fixable with the right AD and some better marketing people/ideas.

I wouldn't be opposed to just modernizing it. Add newer and better video and stats boards, new seats, just a facelift.

NorthTexasWeLove · 2025-01-17T17:43:31Z

27 minutes ago, NT80 said:

UTA has a lot of similarities to our situation. They are a large, public University, same enrollment as us, non-power athletic conference, affected by DFW attractions (like us) for basketball attendance. I started at UTA, and I hated it, mainly because of their lack of athletic facilities, campus culture, and non emphasis on athletics. I don't want us to become the same!

Why, besides age and size, do you think the Pit sucks?

It has great sight lines, fans can be close to the action, even court-side. Big, nice open concourses for food. I have never seen one opponent fan criticize it other than not being full. That, as others have mentioned, is fixable with the right AD and some better marketing people/ideas.

UTA is nothing like us. At all. The only similarity is geography.

I don't mind the age of The Pit. I absolutely hate the size of it. No athletic director will be able to fill that. For our needs, even during our most attended games ever, it's still 30% too big. The ceiling is grossly too tall, the interior walls appear to be a mile away. It's just too damn big. We won't fill that place up. I am not sure we have ever had a sellout for a basketball game at that place. We have no home court advantage outside of the opposition having to travel to us. We need to slim down, get it to 5-6k and work on selling that out consistently. At 5.5k capacity, we could give our program and its fans the game day experience they both deserve. The Pit screams bush league.

I'm sorry. We have had a sellout. A singular sellout in 1977. We've exceeded 7k 10 times since the opening of that arena in 1973. lol c'mon man.

Edited 5 hours ago by NorthTexasWeLove

UNTLifer · 2025-01-17T17:46:32Z

2 hours ago, NorthTexasWeLove said:

The Pit sucks and it doesn't matter if Minnesota's gym was 500 years old... The Pit would still suck.

Completely disagree.

2 hours ago, NorthTexasWeLove said:

I have noticed that you draw a lot of lines from us to UTA. We are not UTA. We are nothing like UTA. Let UTA, UTA, and we will worry about us.

Completely agree (wanted to end on a positive)

NorthTexasWeLove · 2025-01-17T17:55:38Z

7 minutes ago, UNTLifer said:

Completely disagree.

Completely agree (wanted to end on a positive)

I appreciate the positive reinforcement at the end.

It's just too big. Want to be a small time program? Keep maintaining the small time feel. Want to have a small time feel? Have a basketball arena that is outdated and 50% too big. We gotta get it fixed.

CMJ · 2025-01-17T17:57:45Z

Point of fact: We have had a sellout at the Super Pit. It's just been nearly 50 years.

NT80 · 2025-01-17T18:00:49Z

20 minutes ago, NorthTexasWeLove said:

UTA is nothing like us. At all. The only similarity is geography.

I don't mind the age of The Pit. I absolutely hate the size of it. No athletic director will be able to fill that. For our needs, even during our most attended games ever, it's still 30% too big. The ceiling is grossly too tall, the interior walls appear to be a mile away. It's just too damn big. We won't fill that place up. I am not sure we have ever had a sellout for a basketball game at that place. We have no home court advantage outside of the opposition having to travel to us. We need to slim down, get it to 5-6k and work on selling that out consistently. At 5.5k capacity, we could give our program and its fans the game day experience they both deserve. The Pit screams bush league.

Besides UTA being in DFW like us, you just ignored the other similarities: same enrollment size, public university, non-P4 athletic conference. We are going to turn into UTA if we don't get our Athletic support fixed and grow our fan base attendance more!

The Pit is not going away or being modified (made smaller). The University still uses the full capacity for graduations and other events.

The only reasons I see the need for a new arena is mainly so athletics can control scheduling of the building, have suites for big donors, and improve the sound and have special lighting. Capacity to be determined. Would spending $80 million on a new arena really improve our attendance? What else could we do with the $80 million in marketing to get fans behind the program at the Pit instead? Back to UTA...the new arena didn't help UTA's basketball attendance.

Edited 5 hours ago by NT80

NorthTexasWeLove · 2025-01-17T18:01:07Z

Just now, CMJ said:

Point of fact: We have had a sellout at the Super Pit. It's just been nearly 50 years.

Yes. I literally just edited my post. 1. 1977. We have hit 7k ore more in attendance 10 times. 50+ years ino this...

But..."wE jUsT nEeD an Ad tO mArkEt BeTtEr"

Yes, we do. I agree. But no AD is marketing to fill up to 10K. Hell, or 7 or 8K either. Too big. Proof is literally right in google. Just isn't happening.

NorthTexasWeLove · 2025-01-17T18:07:43Z

1 minute ago, NT80 said:

Besides UTA being in DFW like us, you just ignored the other similarities: same enrollment size, public university, non-P4 athletic conference. We are going to turn into UTA if we don't get our Athletic support fixed and grow our fan base attendance more!

The Pit is not going away or being modified (made smaller). The University still uses the full capacity for graduations and other events.

The only reasons I see the need for a new arena is mainly so athletics can control scheduling of the building, have suites for big donors, and improve the sound and have special lighting. Capacity to be determined. Would spending $80 million on a new arena really improve our attendance? What else we could do with the $80 million in marketing to get fans behind the program at the Pit instead? Back to UTA...the new arena didn't help UTA's basketball attendance.

Because no one gives a shit about UTA. It's a branch school operating under the thumb of someone else. For them to avg 1k+ is surprising and good.

We don't have 80 million to do anything with. We don't have the 15-20 to renovate the athletic center, and can't seem to employ the people in place to raise it. I don't expect a new arena, but it'd be awesome to have one.

UNTLifer · 2025-01-17T18:23:20Z

Compare the enrollment at NTSU and population of Denton and surrounding area in '77 to today. There is no reason we shouldn't be averaging 8k with the success of the program.

NT80 · 2025-01-17T18:40:09Z

6 minutes ago, UNTLifer said:

Compare the enrollment at NTSU and population of Denton and surrounding area in '77 to today. There is no reason we shouldn't be averaging 8k with the success of the program.

Yes, Denton and Collin counties alone should be plenty of fan base to get to 8K. For whatever reasons the Athletic Department is not connecting with the students, alums, or general public.

Winning is happening, and that is usually the key component to luring fans. Next is opponent, then in-game fan experience (sound and lighting). What's the problems? All games being televised/streamed is one. Style of play? Players leaving every year...no fan bonding?

CMJ · 2025-01-17T18:47:21Z

I have to admit, I always thought it we won a game in the NCAA Tournament that would boost us to averaging 5-6K a game, with big games getting to be more like 7-8K or more. Obviously the Purdue win (and arguably more successful seasons since) didn't make that happen.

Edited 4 hours ago by CMJ

UNTLifer · 2025-01-17T18:56:56Z

9 minutes ago, CMJ said:

I have to admit, I always thought it we won a game in the NCAA Tournament that would boost us to averaging 5-6K a game, with big games getting to be more like 7-8K or more. Obviously the Purdue win (and arguably more successful seasons since) didn't make that happen.

Should have but the AD sat on therir hands and never took advantage of the momentum.

CMJ · 2025-01-17T19:01:33Z

4 minutes ago, UNTLifer said:

Should have but the AD sat on therir hands and never took advantage of the momentum.

Honestly, I didn't think it'd matter.

Matt from A700 · 2025-01-17T19:12:43Z

What sucks about our NCAAT run was that had to be the year Covid limited capacity and pushed all the games to Indianapolis. It was anywhere closeby we would have had a lot of people travelling.

greenminer · 2025-01-17T20:34:34Z

2 hours ago, NorthTexasWeLove said:

It's just too big. Want to be a small time program? Keep maintaining the small time feel. Want to have a small time feel? Have a basketball arena that is outdated and 50% too big. We gotta get it fixed.

We can adjust arena size, or at least its perceived size, to make the same attendance feel more big time/intense.

But how can we be sure that this will flip a switch with the local casuals? I feel like anytime we make some optimistic assumption about Denton support, we end up eating crow.

NorthTexasWeLove · 2025-01-17T20:40:14Z

4 minutes ago, greenminer said:

We can adjust arena size, or at least its perceived size, to make the same attendance feel more big time/intense.

But how can we be sure that this will flip a switch with the local casuals? I feel like anytime we make some optimistic assumption about Denton support, we end up eating crow.

F the locals. Let them dance around with their wool knitted beanie and recorder.

If we can adjust the arena size, or its perceived size, to make the game day feel more big time/intense then why don't they do it??????