FU vs. WCU (Asheville March 3rd 8:30pm Quarterfinals)

[Fessor]

If students really wanted to be there the location of the game at Timmons Arena would largely be a non-factor. I know a time or two they have had shuttle buses.

Agreed. Ironically, having the games downtown might actually get better student attendance.

Schedule and play competitively/beat nationally recognized schools and the students - and the community - will come. No brainer.

[The Jackal]

Furman has a hard time getting students to walk across campus, much less drive to Asheville. Don't think it matters when spring break is.

Not to turn this into another Timmons thread, but there is few, if any, buildings on Furman's campus less accessible to the students.

Mercer has great attendance in basketball and their arena is literally attached to the university center/student activities building in the dead center of campus.

I was as big a Furman athletic supporter as anyone as a student. In fact, my mug is temporarily enshrined in the university center as a "wild and crazy" Furman fan. Even I will tell you Timmons is a pain in the rear to get to for the students. It's not a "walk across campus." It's probably a mile or more from some student housing.

WOW - I sure hope you're kidding. Timmons is literally next to Paladin stadium. No excuse for students not to be there. Back in the day, we had to walk to the parking lots near the chapel to get to our cars, then make the 15 minute jaunt downtown to get to the Brown Box, park, etc. If you think Timmons is a pain to get to, you have it way too easy.

Why would I be kidding? Basketball and football are different. Basketball is often played middle of the week. There’s less leadup to the games. Football is often the event on campus that day. And Furman, whether for good or ill, is more of a football school than a basketball school.

Look, I’m not trying to make excuses for the students. I am just saying that on a Tuesday night when it is 20 degrees and students are thinking about what to do tonight, a mile hike to the basketball arena just doesn't jump out at them. I imagine that mentality has not changed much in the 15 years since I was at Furman (and the basketball team was generally bad).

Maybe Furman produced a more virulent stock of student in the Brown Box days. I don’t know. I can only state what my experience is, and that experience is that TImmons isn’t a great atmosphere (for a bunch of different reasons that has been rehashed on here hundreds of times) and its on the clear other side of a sprawling walkable campus from the vast majority of Furman students.

Again, I point to Mercer. Mercer, like Furman, doesn’t have overwhelming local support for their basketball team. Their basketball arena, though, is connected to the student activities building, is next to the main library, and you can stand on the front steps and hit much of the fraternity/sorority/student housing with a baseball. Literally it could not be more convenient to the students. They average twice what Furman does. It’s not just coincidental in my view.

[FUBeAR]

Maybe Furman produced a more virulent stock of student in the Brown Box days.

True dat!

[paladinfan12]

I don't think it matters whether school is in session or not. For whatever reason, students make up a very small part of the "Furman crowd" at away games - or home games for that matter. It's a shame but it is the truth. Some athletes from other sports will come but that is about it.

Just like Bob Richey said, time to get rid of the APATHY in the program, this is one of the things he is referring to, don't be dumb and schedule spring break on the same weekend as the tourney, do it the week after, that way we can bus a lot of the student body up for the championship game as UNCG, Wofford, ETSU, WCU have done!
Like I said its time to start thinking like winners

I am sure there are more reasons than the SoCon tournament that dictate when Furman schedules spring break. For example timing spring break so it comes right after midterms, or doesn't bump right up against Easter break, or doesn't interfere with one of the other 167 other groups on campus.

[DungeonRealm]

I don't think it matters whether school is in session or not. For whatever reason, students make up a very small part of the "Furman crowd" at away games - or home games for that matter. It's a shame but it is the truth. Some athletes from other sports will come but that is about it.

Just like Bob Richey said, time to get rid of the APATHY in the program, this is one of the things he is referring to, don't be dumb and schedule spring break on the same weekend as the tourney, do it the week after, that way we can bus a lot of the student body up for the championship game as UNCG, Wofford, ETSU, WCU have done!
Like I said its time to start thinking like winners

I am sure there are more reasons than the SoCon tournament that dictate when Furman schedules spring break. For example timing spring break so it comes right after midterms, or doesn't bump right up against Easter break, or doesn't interfere with one of the other 167 other groups on campus.

Having Spring Break 1 week later is an extremely simple solution to the problem, lets get it done!

[Monday]

I am sure there are more reasons than the SoCon tournament that dictate when Furman schedules spring break. For example timing spring break so it comes right after midterms, or doesn't bump right up against Easter break, or doesn't interfere with one of the other 167 other groups on campus.

On a basketball forum the concerns of 167 other groups are not to be taken into consideration.

[DungeonRealm]

Latest Bracketology prediction out has UNCG as a #14 seed, playing in Nashville against #3 seed Auburn

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basket ... acketology

[Jasper]

You and Paul C are spot on. If one WANTS to be there, weather, etc. is not a major deterrent in most instances. I watched a St. Bonnies - URI game on TV last week from Olean, New York. The students were hanging from the rafters for this important league game. God only knows how many FEET of snow were on the ground in Olean at this time of year. The "long walk across campus" excuse sounds pretty lame to me. Besides, most of these kids have their own cars, don't they?

[The Jackal]

You and Paul C are spot on. If one WANTS to be there, weather, etc. is not a major deterrent in most instances. I watched a St. Bonnies - URI game on TV last week from Olean, New York. The students were hanging from the rafters for this important league game. God only knows how many FEET of snow were on the ground in Olean at this time of year. The "long walk across campus" excuse sounds pretty lame to me. Besides, most of these kids have their own cars, don't they?

The weather may actually help. St. Bonaventure doesn't have a football team. Men's basketball is clearly their biggest sport. If there is feet of snow on the ground, there is probably little else to do but go watch basketball.

When I was at Furman, Greenville was hit by an ice storm (late January 2004, I think) that shut the campus down for a number of days. They did manage to hold a men's basketball game. My recollection is most of the student body attended and made the long and treacherous walk to Timmons (driving in two inches of ice is not a great option). Everyone made it there because it was literally the only thing going on campus.

My point is that you have to make the basketball game a more attractive option than whatever else the students can be doing at that time. Timmons isn't a great place to watch a game (we all know this). There are dozens of other things going on and its sort of a pain to get to. I'm not excusing it, I'm just explaining it the way I see it.

I imagine one reason the lacrosse team shows up en masse is because they practice right next to the arena.

[fufanatic]

You and Paul C are spot on. If one WANTS to be there, weather, etc. is not a major deterrent in most instances. I watched a St. Bonnies - URI game on TV last week from Olean, New York. The students were hanging from the rafters for this important league game. God only knows how many FEET of snow were on the ground in Olean at this time of year. The "long walk across campus" excuse sounds pretty lame to me. Besides, most of these kids have their own cars, don't they?

URI also was ranked for a time this year, had a significant winning streak at some point this year, is a giant state school, plays in a better conference and is located in a tiny, tiny town with less to do than Greenville. I've complained a ton in the past too, but we really need to move past the student debate. It's just not going to happen unless we get a player like Steph Curry, we start upsetting a major, major name every year and make a run to the Sweet 16, or Furman expands the size of the school. I don't have a specific example, but if 2,700 Furman averages 100 students a game and 13,500 university averages 500 students a game, it's the same percentage of the student body, but looks a lot more impressive in the arena.

Mercer isn't even a good example even though it's in the same conference. The school has over 8,000 students, has a recent major upset in the NCAA Tournament (Duke) and appears on the outside to be big man on campus despite the addition of football. Jackal was mocked, but the location of its arena is absolutely a factor. Maybe a small one, but certainly one. I've walked through that student center before, and directly beside areas to grab food and seating for students, are big windows to look out over the court. Assuming students get in free, you could find yourself stumbling in to check out a few minutes of action even if you hadn't planned on doing that when you arrived at the student center for your nightly meal.

I hope students do travel to Asheville. It's not the beach, but would make for a really fun spring break between hiking, breweries and of course SoCon hoops. Could probably get a cheap AirBnB and save a lot of money as opposed to driving to somewhere in Florida.

[The Jackal]

You and Paul C are spot on. If one WANTS to be there, weather, etc. is not a major deterrent in most instances. I watched a St. Bonnies - URI game on TV last week from Olean, New York. The students were hanging from the rafters for this important league game. God only knows how many FEET of snow were on the ground in Olean at this time of year. The "long walk across campus" excuse sounds pretty lame to me. Besides, most of these kids have their own cars, don't they?

URI also was ranked for a time this year, had a significant winning streak at some point this year, is a giant state school, plays in a better conference and is located in a tiny, tiny town with less to do than Greenville. I've complained a ton in the past too, but we really need to move past the student debate. It's just not going to happen unless we get a player like Steph Curry, we start upsetting a major, major name every year and make a run to the Sweet 16, or Furman expands the size of the school. I don't have a specific example, but if 2,700 Furman averages 100 students a game and 13,500 university averages 500 students a game, it's the same percentage of the student body, but looks a lot more impressive in the arena.

Mercer isn't even a good example even though it's in the same conference. The school has over 8,000 students, has a recent major upset in the NCAA Tournament (Duke) and appears on the outside to be big man on campus despite the addition of football. Jackal was mocked, but the location of its arena is absolutely a factor. Maybe a small one, but certainly one. I've walked through that student center before, and directly beside areas to grab food and seating for students, are big windows to look out over the court. Assuming students get in free, you could find yourself stumbling in to check out a few minutes of action even if you hadn't planned on doing that when you arrived at the student center for your nightly meal.

I hope students do travel to Asheville. It's not the beach, but would make for a really fun spring break between hiking, breweries and of course SoCon hoops. Could probably get a cheap AirBnB and save a lot of money as opposed to driving to somewhere in Florida.

Mercer has a much larger student body, but roughly half that number are grad students, many of whom are not in Macon. In my experience, most grad students (other than those that attended Mercer as an undergrad) care not one jot for Mercer athletics. The undergraduate student body--and those living in Macon on or around the campus--is about 4700. Still bigger than Furman, but not that much bigger.

It's just like anything else. You have to give a student who has plenty of other stuff to do a reason to show up. School spirit isn't enough.

[gman]

Beat the Catamounts!

[Monday]

Beat the Catamounts!

. Thank you!

[apaladin]

Currently #91 in the RPI.

[dornb]

Go Paladins! Beat the Catamounts!