That’s the word on the street.
The link above cites previously planned renovations to the Dean Dome as the reason why.
One thing is we could be getting ahead of ourselves. It is not clear, at this point, whether UNC would actually host an NIT game. According to the latest NIT-ology, UNC would be a #6 seed. According to the NIT selection procedures, the higher seed has the option to host games:
Higher-seeded teams will have the first option to host games as they advance, unless extenuating logistical circumstances (i.e., travel, lodging and/or facility availability or NCAA Championship guidelines) preclude such an opportunity.
On the flip side of that, it is possible the selection committee pushes UNC higher, especially if they can win a couple of ACC Tournament games or say, beat Duke this weekend. Whatever the case, UNC probably ranks as one of the best ratings draws the NIT has seen in quite some time.
If they do opt for Carmichael Auditorium for NIT games, they would be a lot of fun. It also would be very nostalgic for some folks who remember the good old days. Plus, UNC has been running about 5000 below capacity in the Dean Dome over the past few games. An NIT game might get a better crowd but if they can fill up Carmichael, it would make for a very loud environment.
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I seem to recall the renovations to the DES being pretty extensive with some work to be done between the pool and the court which should give the basketball players and staff a little sunlight and privacy, something that is missing from the current arrangement. Additionally the stairs, steps and the plantings around DES will get some attention particularly the drainage which today consists of the water flowing over and across the sidewalk.
Some of the attendance woes are tied to games that are sold out as part of a season ticket package. NIT games are sold one at a time and I think even in the DES we would get a sellout, it was sold out the last time we went to the NIT. The crowd is completely different for these games and louder in general is the rule.
I would really enjoy seeing it at Carmichael, the renovation there is complete and it’s pretty nice if you haven’t seen the women play this year. Very nice scoreboard and monitor combination. Obviously the history is a bigger draw but the facility has been improved as well.
I think UNC has now officially qualified for next year’s ACC-Big Ten Challenge. I hope we get to play Penn State.
Agreed, a men’s game in Carmichael Arena (not Auditoreum anymore) would be fun. I think turnout for any potential NIT game(s) would depend on ticket prices. I remember going to an NIT game against Wyoming in 2003 and the crowd was great. You could tell this was not your normal season-ticket crowd but regular fans who were relishing the opportunity to sit in better seats. I’ve been really disappointed with student turnout at the Dome for the past few games. Somebody at the DTH should call out the students for their lackluster support this year.
I don’t believe in calling people out.
Does U2 or the Stones have to call people out to get them to attend concerts? No, and people pay dearly for those tickets.
Well, that’s not sports.
How about some of our rivals?
Does UK or Kansas have to call out their fans or students to get them to go to games? Not so much. Their fans have always been more rabid.
How about Duke? Well, not usually, although they did back in the early 80′s.
I mean, with HD, I can definitely understand people deciding that their studies are more important than wasting time at a basketball game. Instead of being called out, maybe the students should be commended for focusing on their studies and realizing that basketball is not a priority for apparently anyone at UNC this year, except for maybe John Henson….
I’d take them beating Duke this weekend even if they didn’t go to the NIT.
What, no one optimistic about the Heels win the ACCT?
The crowds for the NIT in 2003 were great and should have served notice to the administration that there are many thousands of people out there who will pay to see the Heels pay, but alas, the tickets seemed to be controlled by the people who paid for the construction of the DES.
^William, I do recall Coach K on several occasions in the last few years, calling out the students for early season games. AND that’s at Hanbrough Indoor, max capacity 9,000.
Then we don’t look so bad by comparison then, although this was Senior Night, not Valpo in December…. Still, calling people out doesn’t work in the long run. Making a game something people want to see does work….
I tend to agree, don’t get caught up in calling out the crowd if they don’t show up for games. A mediocre record mixed with some of the worst weather I can remember for the area in the winter is going to depress attendance.
There’s still a chance of running the table in the tournament. Not a huge chance, but a chance. I won’t think NIT ’til we lose.
Me either, at least in my heart. I assume that Coach Williams reads every word here so hopefully all of our hard work might help him fine tune this team for the stretch run….
i never missed a game when i was a student.
but even tho i live close, paying $50 for a seat in row 80 is a big deal for me, so i usually dont.
i continue to be amused by the local media, heck espn, too, thinking that tonight’s dook-Maryland game puts 1st place on the line.
the only way it does is if people think theres a decent chance dook loses to us, at home, after they lose to Maryland. possible, but even we dont think its exactly 50-50. probably 20-80.
the tiebreakers favor dook heavily in the case of a dook/maryland tie.
do the math, people.
The ACC tourney, ahhh the great equalizer. Without the ACC tourney NC State wouldn’t even have been in the 1983 NCAA tourney. Anything is possible at tourney time. Just two years ago here in Georgia we watch a horrid, putrid UGA team win 4 games in 2 days to win the SEC tournament and get a bid to the NCAAs. What made it even sweeter was that they had to use Alexander Memorial(god how I hate that stupid Thriller Dome tag) due to tornado damage at the GA Dome.
If they can’t do it and end up in the NIT a home game played at Carmichael would be a very nice consolation price. I miss seeing games at Carmichael no matter what the record at DES has been. I spent my formative years watching MJ, Silent Sam, Kenny Smith, and Brad Daugherty drop the hammer on opposing teams at Carmichael. It would be nice to take a little trip down memory lane.
I was a student the first four years of Carmichael, including Dean’s first three Final Four teams. The place was so loud that when the PA announcer was calling out the starting lineups, when he said “And now for the University of North Carolina Tar Heels…” you couldn’t hear another word. He just pointed to each player and they went to center court.
How I miss those days.
Plus, Students here have been clamoring pretty hard to have an ACC game played in Carmichael. This seems to be a good compromise, and I think would be epic!
I’ll definitely try and go if it happens.
[...] another great UNC site, Tar Heel Fan, it has a link to nit-ology has North Carolina as a six seed, which means they would not be hosting [...]