[NU Sports] Could be interesting NIT

[Eric West]

SjT (Stephen J. Truog) wrote:
> [I had written]
>> Secondly, why would they be "stupid" to pass us up? At best
>> we'd be on the road against a high seed, so where is the
>> evidence that Northwestern would be a high ticket draw at
>> (for example) UAB or Arizona State?
>>     
> As compared to mid-major teams who won't bring viewers to ESPN or fill any more seats? Yes. If they were smart and savvy about seeding and matchups -- like the NIT used to be -- they would put NU at home and pack Welsh-Ryan, or keep the Cats on the road where a large number of NU fans are nearby (i.e. NOT Tulsa).
>   

I asked for evidence, and all you said was "Yes." Where is the evidence?

Why would "packing Welsh-Ryan" be desirable for the NIT? Do you realize 
that most mid-major teams have larger gyms than Welsh-Ryan (and in many 
cases, larger enrollment than NU)? What makes you think they won't fill 
more seats? Bear in mind that Winter Quarter is about to end here, and 
most students will be either finishing up finals or already on break by 
the time the NIT starts, so packing the place is hardly a given.

We're part of the Big Ten, and that already means we'll get the benefit 
of the doubt in most selection matters, but that doesn't make 
Northwestern a "big-name" team in and of itself, and the Chicago market 
has always been irrelevant when it comes to NU attendance. The notion 
that we deserve to host an NIT game, despite our precarious bubble 
status for selection, solely for the purposes of packing a rather small 
gym doesn't make much sense to me. It's clear to me that we need the NIT 
more than the NIT needs us. But if you have evidence to suggest 
otherwise, I'm eager to see it -- assuming Thursday's game doesn't make 
everything moot.


Eric West
e-west at northwestern.edu