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Syracuse Game @ the Pete & Other Dribbles ...

Joe the Panther Fan said:
Years ago the National League used to announce two numbers, the number of tickets distributed and the actual turnstile count. They stopped doing that for two reasons. First, the American League only announced the tickets distributed number, and the NL owners thought it made them look bad to announce the lower number. And the visiting teams actually get a cut of the gate, and that cut was based on the total number of tickets, not the number of people through the turnstile, so they decided it was easier/less confusing just to announce that one number.
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In that same context about splitting the gate. One year in the early sixties Art Rooney and George Hallas had an argument about the attendance at a game at the stadium. Rooney told Hallas the attendance was like 35k and Hallas replied that the crowd size looked more like 45k. Rooney responded 10k snuck in.
 
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Islanderpanther said:
It’s not too big….if Pitt were playing consistently well, they would draw more than 8k. You don’t build a facility based on likely crowds if your team stinks.
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Every game is televised now and they’ve permanently lost a large portion of the fan base the team had during JD1 . ( lousy teams and older folks losing interest in attending) . 12k is just too many seats unless they’re battling for a national championship. Unfortunately I don’t see that happening.

In JD2 the crowds were decreasing every year despite still being a tournament team . If you ask most fans a return to a JD2 like program is the goal and that won’t fill up the Pete .

The goal of the ticket office isn’t to sell 12k seats to Duke games it’s to sell seats to every game like Syracuse, VT , Miami etc a smaller ticket pool makes season tickets a greater necessity .
 
Fsgolfdr said:
In JD2 the crowds were decreasing every year despite still being a tournament team . If you ask most fans a return to a JD2 like program is the goal and that won’t fill up the Pete .
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Exactly. The place was a morgue for Dixon 2. The Dixon 1 fans never returned and will never return unless we become UConn.
 
Fsgolfdr said:
Every game is televised now and they’ve permanently lost a large portion of the fan base the team had during JD1 . ( lousy teams and older folks losing interest in attending) . 12k is just too many seats unless they’re battling for a national championship. Unfortunately I don’t see that happening.

In JD2 the crowds were decreasing every year despite still being a tournament team . If you ask most fans a return to a JD2 like program is the goal and that won’t fill up the Pete .

The goal of the ticket office isn’t to sell 12k seats to Duke games it’s to sell seats to every game like Syracuse, VT , Miami etc a smaller ticket pool makes season tickets a greater necessity .
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Nah…your position is way off base, presumes Pitt’s program will continue to flounder and, as a whole, makes no sense. JD 2 stunk! Pitt’s BB program has been moribund for 12 years…you don’t use attendance in such a down period as the barometer as to the optimum capacity of the BB arena.
 
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Islanderpanther said:
Nah…your position is way off base, presumes Pitt’s program will continue to flounder and, as a whole, makes no sense. JD 2 stunk! Pitt’s BB program has been moribund for 12 years…you don’t use attendance in such a down period as the barometer as to the optimum capacity of the BB arena.
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You’re spot-on.

Also, posters arguing that “The Pete is too big” forget that its capacity allows it to host year-round concerts, shows, and other events that perhaps an 8,000-seat arena wouldn’t be big enough for. It’s the perfect venue for events that are too small for PPG but way too big for Stage AE, a theater, Cooper Fieldhouse, etc. not to mention it wouldn’t be big enough for graduation ceremonies.
 
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Sean Miller Fan said:
Well, for one, Bill Hillgrove said on the Miami pregame he heard from good authority (forget exactly how he framed it) that 7000 tickets were distributed but they only expect 4000-5000. What was the announced attendance? 8578
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The official box score says 7260. There was no announced attendance of 8578.
 
HailToPitt725 said:
You’re spot-on.

Also, posters arguing that “The Pete is too big” forget that its capacity allows it to host year-round concerts, shows, and other events that perhaps an 8,000-seat arena wouldn’t be big enough for. It’s the perfect venue for events that are too small for PPG but way too big for Stage AE, a theater, Cooper Fieldhouse, etc. not to mention it wouldn’t be big enough for graduation ceremonies.
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Exactly. I would guess that there are more outside events at the Pete than there are men's basketball games. Besides all of the concerts, there were 2 regular season volleyball games, plus the tournament games, plus the upcoming WPIAL championships. Bottom line is the Pete isn't going anywhere.
 
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Franb said:
Exactly. I would guess that there are more outside events at the Pete than there are men's basketball games. Besides all of the concerts, there were 2 regular season volleyball games, plus the tournament games, plus the upcoming WPIAL championships. Bottom line is the Pete isn't going anywhere.
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All good points. People have to remember that The Pete didn’t actually replace the Fitzgerald Field House, it replaced Pitt Stadium in the fact that it’s the university’s largest event venue.

Regardless of your opinion towards them tearing down the football stadium, it’s been a tremendous asset the past 20+ years.
 
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HailToPitt725 said:
All good points. People have to remember that The Pete didn’t actually replace the Fitzgerald Field House, it replaced Pitt Stadium in the fact that it’s the university’s largest event venue.

Regardless of your opinion towards them tearing down the football stadium, it’s been a tremendous asset the past 20+ years.
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It actually was three facility projects rolled into one: convocation center, student rec center, and chiller plant.

Prior to the Pete, Pitt couldn't hold graduation or similar large university indoor ceremonies on campus. It had to use the Civic Arena, which was terrible for such events. It really didn't replace anything. It was an entirely new facility with multiple purposes.
 
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DT_PITT said:
** Midway through the first half, on the Pete scoreboard the always great EJ Borghetti narrated a retrospective segment about the famous 2011 Syracuse game when the Panthers started off 19-0, followed by the infamous 17-0 Cuse Counter.

** While watching, I was also reminded of the 2005 Syracuse game where the Panthers went down 24-5, before climbing back to a 5 point halftime deficit, then pulling away for a 7 point victory.

** At the same time, the Panthers, of course, were stuck in their own 22-6 first half deficit. What is it with these two former Big East foes?

** In all of these cases, we are reminded why College Basketball games are 40 minutes. In today’s case, thank goodness!

** Most importantly, the Panthers responded in the second half with their best 20 minutes of basketball in quite some time. Do we have to hark all the way back to the second 20 minutes in Columbus?

** At halftime, I remarked to Panther Lair Commander Peak that how the Panthers came out early in the second half might be one of the most defining moments of Coach Capel’s tenure as the Panther Head Coach.

** When Syracuse called timeout with the score tied at the 13 minute mark, I turned around and said something along the lines of “that will do!”

** From that point on, the Panthers pulled away sufficiently and convincingly, sending the smallish Panther crowd, and even smallerish Oakland Zoo, home happy enough knowing that the road to the NCAA tournament remains treacherous, but open.

** Perhaps you are one who is hesitant to give Capel credit for tonight’s turnaround, and this is certainly understandable. After all, these incredibly poor starts aren’t just a trend but a trait. Somehow, this feels that there is something wrong with his approach.

** What one can say for sure about the Panthers in the second half is that to a man, the whole team played with fire and pride, and battled as hard as we’ve seen since 2024.

** Fortunately, the Cuse was poor enough for the Panthers to get back on track. But let’s also give the credit to the players who deserve it most.

** The players deserve it most because they busted their tails on the defensive end and played as hard as we've seen this season, especially in the paint.

** At the top of my deserve it most list tonight is Guillermo Diaz Graham. GDG brought as much battle to the floor as we’ve ever seen from him as stood toe to toe with his foe who outweighs him by as much as 100 pounds. Maybe more.

** In short, we got to see the 20-20 minute mix at the five spot that some of us have suggested is best for this group.

** Beyond that, this is further evidence to me that GDG is a far better five than a four, as much as I dislike these lessons being learned in the second half of February. But I digress.

** Tonight's other MVP is the gentleman who, regardless of where this season ends up, deserves our deepest respect for giving the Panthers a fine senior season.

** Zack has always brought 110% energy to the game since his first days as a Panther. But his work on his 3 point shot in the off season is evident as he’s once again flirting with 40% from deep.

** We’ve all lamented Jaland’s troubles on the offensive end, but we really need to give him credit for playing much more within himself instead of trying to do too much himself. And after shaking off early struggles, the same can be said for Ish.

** This game gave me the impression that Beebah is a better compliment to Ish and Jaland than what was offered by Damian Dunn since his return.

** Yet, where Mr. Cummings has made his biggest strides lately have been on the defensive end, and over the last few games, he’s been switching and handling ball screens much more effectively.

** It also nice that he’s scored in double figures in his last three.

** In this contest, it was completely appropriate to give Beebah 30 minutes while offering 11 to Amsal. I’m all in favor of giving Amsal longer looks, and there will be games and moments where he will help in greater amounts. But even from early on today, it was clear to me that this contest was not one of those times.

** Previously, I mentioned the “smallerish,” Oakland Zoo. Thankfully, they were joined by none other than Carl Krauser, who I should mention scored 19 points and tossed 9 assists to lead the Panthers back from the 24-5 deficit against the Cuse in 2005.

** From the looks of it, Carl brought enough fan energy himself to make up for a couple hundred of lacking students.

** In Carl’s last three seasons, he led the Panthers to an impressive 5-0 record against the Irish, back in the days of Chris Thomas, Chris Quinn and Torin Francis.

** Maybe Capel should buy a ticket for Carl to sit behind the bench in South Bend in our upcoming contest. He’d be a good reminder that the Panthers will need to play with fire and pride for a whole 40 minutes against the Irish, or they will find themselves facing a Road Closed sign around 4:30 on Saturday.
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G played his best game of the year and was a huge spark. And yes, he is much, much better at the 5 on both ends of the court.

We need to have a good start on Saturday!
 
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Franb said:
Exactly. I would guess that there are more outside events at the Pete than there are men's basketball games. Besides all of the concerts, there were 2 regular season volleyball games, plus the tournament games, plus the upcoming WPIAL championships. Bottom line is the Pete isn't going anywhere.
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Then I must admit that SMF idea of closing down portions of the upper areas for Bb games makes the most sense . When you see so many empty seats it is a poor look for the program . Pack em like sardines , it makes for a much more intimate and enthusiastic environment . I had much better memories of attending games at the Field House sweating sitting on those incredibly uncomfortable bleachers than sitting in a half empty morgue like Pete .
 
while I think the idea of tarping at Acrisure is stupid in that it doesn't look much better if at all and probably adds wasted cost unless you could sell the advertising on it, I would agree it makes more sense and actually wouldn't be as silly to do it for BB when needed at the Pete
 
Fsgolfdr said:
Then I must admit that SMF idea of closing down portions of the upper areas for Bb games makes the most sense . When you see so many empty seats it is a poor look for the program . Pack em like sardines , it makes for a much more intimate and enthusiastic environment . I had much better memories of attending games at the Field House sweating sitting on those incredibly uncomfortable bleachers than sitting in a half empty morgue like Pete .
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Tvax1 said:
while I think the idea of tarping at Acrisure is stupid in that it doesn't look much better if at all and probably adds wasted cost unless you could sell the advertising on it, I would agree it makes more sense and actually wouldn't be as silly to do it for BB when needed at the Pete
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I don’t even think you need to tarp seats at The Pete, just don’t sell second-level tickets for certain games. With the changed lighting inside the arena in 2019, you can’t even see those seats on a broadcast.

That way, you get the allure of it being fuller while not having the viral social media posts of Pitt tarping off seats for basketball. Win/win.

Edit: Of course, winning cures all… give people a reason to fill those seats in again! :)
 
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I have an idea. Move MBB program downtown, rent PPG arena, and share practice facilities with Duquense or RMU. Change logo back to “PITTSBURGH” because we are city school. 😬
 
9782978 said:
I have an idea. Move MBB program downtown, rent PPG arena, and share practice facilities with Duquense or RMU. Change logo back to “PITTSBURGH” because we are city school. 😬
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Tear down the Pete and expand Victory Heights to $300 million with no money raised yet.
 
Rupart33 said:
Maybe the plan is to play MBB at victory heights with WVB taking over the Pete?
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In terms of real, actual attendance numbers, not the made-up ones, men's basketball isn't outdrawing wvb by very much. Some will say it's due to the state of the programs but there's more to it than that. There are many more people in WPA who are interested in basketball/college basketball than there are volleyball. Pitt does an extremely poor job of getting these people to come out. I have always said that it starts with pricing/marketing. They lost 2 season tickets next year from me, simply because it makes no sense to overpay for tickets that I can get for literally $1, yes $1 on Stubhub. Maybe I'll go to the whole season next year for $20
 
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HailToPitt725 said:
I don’t even think you need to tarp seats at The Pete, just don’t sell second-level tickets for certain games. With the changed lighting inside the arena in 2019, you can’t even see those seats on a broadcast.
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They have curtains at the Pete that come down and "block off" the upper level seats. They use them at the women's games. For someone sitting there watching a game whether they are using them or not really doesn't make any difference.
 
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Joe the Panther Fan said:
They have curtains at the Pete that come down and "block off" the upper level seats. They use them at the women's games. For someone sitting there watching a game whether they are using them or not really doesn't make any difference.
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Do you think that curtains would lead to a louder atmosphere, as opposed to an open upper deck? Seems like it would.
 
Franb said:
Do you think that curtains would lead to a louder atmosphere, as opposed to an open upper deck? Seems like it would.
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Maybe moving the few people who are sitting up there for some games would help a little. But I also wonder, depending on what they are made of, if the curtains absorb some of the ambient sound in the building.
 
HailToPitt725 said:
You’re spot-on.

Also, posters arguing that “The Pete is too big” forget that its capacity allows it to host year-round concerts, shows, and other events that perhaps an 8,000-seat arena wouldn’t be big enough for. It’s the perfect venue for events that are too small for PPG but way too big for Stage AE, a theater, Cooper Fieldhouse, etc. not to mention it wouldn’t be big enough for graduation ceremonies.
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And don't forget big matches for women's volleyball. Two sellouts this past year
 
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Joe the Panther Fan said:
Maybe moving the few people who are sitting up there for some games would help a little. But I also wonder, depending on what they are made of, if the curtains absorb some of the ambient sound in the building.
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Pitt's goal should be to get 7500 people to show up so that they can have 100% of the lower bowl filled. That means you don't sell a single upper deck ticket until the last lower bowl ticket has been sold. Whether you use the curtains or not is somewhat irrelevant. But no one should ever sit up there unless you have sold more than 7500 tickets and I doubt we have done that this year. Maybe UNC? WVU had a nice crowd but there were 3000+ students since we couldn't sell any tickets.
 
Tvax1 said:
where's the thread that said they were warned about the language? with games like yesterday I can't consider attending :(

others likely are unable to suppress their similar jeering
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I dropped a "WHAT THE F@CK CAPEL?" in the first half, then quickly checked for the location of Jason Capel. I was safe.
 
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The fact that we are even discussing covering up large numbers of seats is a red flag 🚩 in and of itself.
 
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