ISU / Mizzou

[Cyclones Rule]

6:10 first half mizzou up 24-13

[YCN]

Missouri 32, Iowa State 21 at halftime. N'Garsanet leads all scorers with 12.

[ISU 40]

MU-48
ISU-46
7:50 2nd

N'Gar with 4

[ISU 40]

MU 63

ISU 57

:25 left

Ezell fouls out

[Cyclones Rule]

ISU radio said attendance at Mizzou tonight was 1,855. That is sad for a team tied for second in the conf. Mizzou wbb is also the best athletic program Mizzou has right now too.

[YCN]

ISU radio said attendance at Mizzou tonight was 1,855. That is sad for a team tied for second in the conf. Mizzou wbb is also the best athletic program Mizzou has right now too.As long as the administration at Missouri treats women's basketball as a non-revenue sport it will be. Maybe the lack of attendance isn't really Cindy's fault. Certainly they should be drawing more people for a game of this caliber when their team is projected to finish second in the Big 12 this year.

You're right, CR, it IS sad.

[swok34]

Sadly, you don't hear the buzz and being #2 is HUGE. That may be because we have few Missouri fans here.

[mizzoufan]

I just got home from the game tonight and I agree that the attendance was sad. It has been up the past couple of home games (4000+) but they were played on the weekend. The weeknight games usually have horrible attendance so I was afraid that attendance would drop down again tonight. I don't believe there was any promotion for tonight's game. It is disappointing to see tv ads running regularly touting the upcoming men's games (which few people are attending anyway) and pretty much nothing for the women's games.

Hopefully, if there are changes in the administration due to the poor handling of the dismissal of the men's coach, the new administration will treat women's basketball like a priority. I noticed previously on this site that someone posted statistics showing how much money each program in the Big 12 loses and I was surprised to see that Mizzou wasn't one of the top losing programs since I knew our attendance was near the bottom of the conference. When I looked at the numbers more closely, I realized that we don't lose as much as some other programs because we don't spend anything!!!!!

For those of us who did bother to show up tonight, it was a little more exciting than I would have liked. I wish Mizzou had more of the killer instinct in them. They run up decent leads and then let them slip away. At least this year, they usually maintain their composure and end up on the right side of the score in the end but it would sure be nice if we could just keep some distance between us and the opponent!!!!!! Also, thank heavens that Lindsey Medders only had one good leg tonight. I would hate to have played her with two good ones!!!!

[swok34]

Also, thank heavens that Lindsey Medders only had one good leg tonight. I would hate to have played her with two good ones!!!!

:D :D

Great job, your team is doing, mizzoufan. Was the attendance good during the Amanda Lassiter period when Missouri went to the NCAA's and won a couple.??

[Gummy]

Was the attendance good during the Amanda Lassiter period when Missouri went to the NCAA's and won a couple.??

Doesn't look like it: http://mutigers.collegesports.com/sports/w-baskbl/archive/060701aaa.html
That Sweet Sixteen team averaged 2,424 a game. They got a small boost the following year (I think I remember something about people seeing Cindy around town in April after their run and telling her, 'we already have our season tickets for next year!' Maybe that will carry over to next year...). The following season they averaged 2,561.

If you add in from the previous numbers, looks like Mizzou is averaging roughly 2200 this year.

[FriendofCy]

I had church commitments last night, so only got to listen to about the last 9 minutes of the game. Not even divine intervention could help my Cyclones, apparently. It is becoming painful. Bildeaux has been playing better, but Ezell, Wieben and Ronhovde have been essentially no shows for the last few games again. As Fennelly said in the paper, it is hard to win when you have two scoring threats. Hopefully the rest of the team can get their confidence back. I wish I could get inside their heads......clearly something is going on. It makes you wonder a little if it could be a team chemistry problem. Granted, things haven't gone very well this season, but they don't look like they are having fun playing with each other any more.

Come on girls. See what happens at A&M and get that last win at home. Let's finish strong, and maybe we can get hot for tourney time.

[Cyclones Rule]

Bildeaux has been playing better, but Ezell, Wieben and Ronhovde have been essentially no shows for the last few games again. As Fennelly said in the paper, it is hard to win when you have two scoring threats. Hopefully the rest of the team can get their confidence back. I wish I could get inside their heads......clearly something is going on. It makes you wonder a little if it could be a team chemistry problem. Granted, things haven't gone very well this season, but they don't look like they are having fun playing with each other any more.


As someone who knows the players off the court team chemistry isn't a problem. That is the ISU mbb team's problem, but not the women's team. Ezell, Weiben, and Ronhovde I wouldn't say have been no shows. The games wouldn't be close if they were no shows. What you I hope you are refering to is their offensive, which one side of the ball. Megan is without question our best defender. The one that of those three that is having the most trouble is Heather. In the game last night after we tied it she had a three miss that would have given us the lead, and another three miss when we were down two. I hoped that returning to the arena where she scored 30 points in with a high school championship would rub off. That being said Heather has gone above and beyond this season. Britt and Lyndsey could be talked about as the ISU MVP of the season, but Heather is in that conversation. Right before the season starts she has a serious staff infection and a month or so later was back playing 30+ minutes. Then Lyndsey goes down and she has to be the point guard and primary ball handler. Oh yeah and she's doing it as a freshman. This season is very simple. The injury to Rachel changed our season. Yeah that may sound like an excuse but when you your best incoming recurit in a year where the freshman have to play a big role it's a huge loss. Then losing Lyndsey hurts us too because sorry Neb and KU fans with Lyndsey we go 2-0 on that road trip. This is a team that has been through more devasting events, but they are trying their best despite what statitics say. This team will be going to WNIT which is fine because we can see more games at Hilton which means a few more games to watch a player in Brittany Wilkins who I have never been more proud of. Let's Go State!!! :isu: :isu: :isu:

[mizzoufan]

It looks like Gummy already answered your question about attendance at Mizzou games during the Amanda Lassiter years, swok. Mizzou just has not been able to pull in consistently large crowds no matter how good the team is. One of the problems is that there are very few students who come to the games. The student section is very empty and the students sitting there are usually elementary school kids and their parents!!! Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get the college students more interested?

[FriendofCy]

Cyclone Rules - I'm not disappointed in them. I believe they are playing as hard as they can, but I am frustrated. I swear sometimes you can just see that Megan wants to scream when her shots don't fall. This team is so close to being really good, it is painful to watch them continue to come up just short! I agree the Pierson's injury was part of the problem. Thank heaven's Britt has been playing so well. I think the she and Lindsey should be co-MVP's.

Don't misunderstand. I'm not giving up, just down in the dumps a little....I can only imagine how the players must feel. For several weeks I've felt the NIT would be good for this team, and I promise to be at each and every game! :)

[carolann]

For heavens sake, Ezell is a freshman. From what I've seen, she's worked hard and been pretty steady. Playing at Texas when Meddars went out, she may have struggled but she worked her tail off all night.

[Scamp]

It looks like Gummy already answered your question about attendance at Mizzou games during the Amanda Lassiter years, swok. Mizzou just has not been able to pull in consistently large crowds no matter how good the team is. One of the problems is that there are very few students who come to the games. The student section is very empty and the students sitting there are usually elementary school kids and their parents!!! Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get the college students more interested?Do what Texas A&M did "for" Baylor: $1.00 admission, $1.00 hot dogs, $1.00 beverages. That should appeal to student budgets! And run ads in the student paper, so they know about it.

[dem]

For heavens sake, Ezell is a freshman. From what I've seen, she's worked hard and been pretty steady. Playing at Texas when Meddars went out, she may have struggled but she worked her tail off all night.

Good point. Ezell has accomplished so much this season our expectations for her had gotten, perhaps, a bit unrealistic. She has had many great performances and many other solid ones. It's just that when she goes through offensive struggles, as everyone does, the team misses her production more than it should because as a whole they have so few consistent scoring threats. (Two, actually.)

[FriendofCy]

For heavens sake, Ezell is a freshman. From what I've seen, she's worked hard and been pretty steady. Playing at Texas when Meddars went out, she may have struggled but she worked her tail off all night.


I think my original post may have been mis-interpretted. I never said I didn't think these players were trying their hardest, but compared to their performances at various times throughout this year, they have not been playing to their full potential the last few games. CR's comment is correct, that I meant on the offensive side of the ball. Could never doubt Megan's defensive intensity, and Nicky Wieben has added a shot blocking presence that has been a difference maker for this team.

I'm not bashing my Cyclones! :) I am disappointed in the way this season panned out. If you look back at pre-season rankings, they were picked anywhere from 8-11 in the conference. They certainly aren't under-achieving, but I don't think, as a team, they are overachieving, either (certain players certainly ARE over-achieving.....Wilkins and Medders).

[dem]

Do what Texas A&M did "for" Baylor: $1.00 admission, $1.00 hot dogs, $1.00 beverages. That should appeal to student budgets! And run ads in the student paper, so they know about it.

This reminds me that I wanted to share with you the "attendance-building" strategy used by the University of Washington. Parking costs $4 for the big parking lot, $10 for the smaller lot closer to the arena. No free parking. (And reserved seats for the game, while readily available, cost $12.) At Iowa State parking is free. Do other Big 12 schools charge for parking?

(And Oh, by the way, softs drinks cost $3.50 or $4.00 and sauerkraut on your hot dogs is $1.50 extra charge.)

I wonder if it ever occurred to them that lowering parking costs and ticket prices might eventually INCREASE revenues in the end, as the fan base builds. It seems to me they have an incredibly short-sighted strategy.

[brolewis]

At Iowa State parking is free. Do other Big 12 schools charge for parking?Parking is free at Baylor as well, although we do have priority parking for certain giving levels to the Baylor Bear Foundation, so I guess in one sense, I'm paying a lot more than $10 for parking :)

[carolann]

O.K. Cyclone fans, I'm convinced that you meant no harm. :) It's just that even though I'm a big Longhorn fan, ISU usually has a guard that I'm a fan of. I liked Tracy Gahan (the do everything kind of player that didn't get the notice of the "stars"), Lindsay Wilson (killed the Longhorns time and time again), and Lindsey Medders (even though I can never remember quite how to spell her name.) So far, Ezell appears to be more in the Gahan mode. She does a little of everything but doesn't have a big "wow" factor on the court.

[Cyclones Rule]

Friend of Cy,

I am sorry if my post seemed to angry or defensive. I forget sometimes that with message board posts it can be hard to attribute someone's words for how they feel. Because I know the players off the court it hurts me to see the players talked about in a negative way. I know that is part of being a fan, but when it comes to ISU wbb which is favorite sporting event to watch I sometimes take to heart when people get negative on the girls. I am just proud that we have fans like you and I and the other dozen isu fans here at hoopscoop and the 7-9,000 fans that show up for every game. In Bill's only losing season a few years back we were still top 10 in the nation in attendance. This year we are avg 7-9,000 fans for a team that will be a below .500 in the conf. team while a team that just beat us to remain in a tie for second in the conf who will win 20 games gets just a third of the attendance that we get.

[FriendofCy]

O.K. Cyclone fans, I'm convinced that you meant no harm. :)


It's all good! :)

[swok34]

Do other Big 12 schools charge for parking?

(And Oh, by the way, softs drinks cost $3.50 or $4.00

and sauerkraut on your hot dogs is $1.50 extra charge.)

I wonder if it ever occurred to them that lowering parking costs and ticket prices might eventually INCREASE revenues in the end, as the fan base builds. It seems to me they have an incredibly short-sighted strategy


I agree about the short-sighted strategy. OU's parking is free, but their concession prices are horrible:

$3.50, 4.00, 5.00 cokes
$3.50, 4.50 popcorn
$3.50 hotdog - by itself - wienie and a bun. Chili is another $1.00 at least ( I don't think they serve sauerkraut in Oklahoma)
$5.00 pizza

The problem with the way OU handles concessions is that is contracted out...
only at the softball field have I seen $.50 hotdogs and $.50 drinks. But their stuff is still handled through an independent contractor as well.

OU used to give out free tickets to the game (or $1 tickets) that were sponsored by either a business or a restaurant and you had to go there to get your coupon...but that was long ago.

I doubt OU fans will be seeing $1 anything for awhile.

[YCN]

Speaking of attendance-building strategies, the strategy of the organizers of the Denver site for 1st and 2nd round games have an absolutely horrible strategy for promoting the sport - charging the absolute most money they can for a ticket.

Look at the prices for these eight sites where the early games are being played:

$75, Trenton
$60 adult and $30 student, Denver
$50 adult, $30 student, Tucson
$45, Nashville
$45 adult, $30 student, Norfolk
$42 adult, $18 student, University Park, PA
$40 adult, $20 student, West Lafayette, IN
$40 adult, $18 student, Chicago

I can kind of understand the price in Trenton, they are the closest site to the NYC metro area, they can actually command that kind of price. But in Denver, what's the excuse? The ticket prices are way higher than the regional prices were in 2001 at the same venue, and attendance there could only be described as very disappointing.

When you add to the $60 ticket price a policy of not allowing you to leave and re-enter during the break in mid-session (to catch a quick bite or a drink with friends less than a block from the arena) and among the highest concessions prices in the country (a hot dog and coke will set you back more than 10 bucks), the pricing strategy is abysmal.

If they really wanted to make a buck, make ticket prices variable depending on where you sit, offer around 8-10 thousand seats to kids under 16 for 10 bucks, and make the TOP ticket price 40 bucks for the best seats. This gouging strategy is going to result in crowds under 2,000 iif they give Denver a selection of teams that have no resonance with the local women's basketball audience, which isn't all that big in the first place if you don't have a Big 12 or MWC team in the field (and preferably both, combined with at least one headliner).

And please, 5.50 hot dogs and 5 dollar cokes, and every other thing priced out of sight, that's going to make people stay trapped in that sucker pit?

I've been there, it's not a great arena, no matter how much they want you to believe it is. The arena is subpar for an NBA-class facility, long on style and short on substance. Many of the seats have less than optimal sight lines because they designed too low a rise in the seating near the courts, especially near the corners. And the cheap seats (still the same price though) are true nosebleed masterpieces. To top it all, they have very wide aisles in the lower arena, including the curious decision to put a wide aisle on either side exactly at mid-court.

Duh!

[Jimi]

Kansas State charges $5 for parking or $40 for the season. Ticket and concession prices are reasonable imho. Btw there is plenty of good parking next to Bramlage Coliseum.

[mizzoufan]

I often wonder if the folks in charge have ever taken a basic economics class and studied supply and demand. It would certainly seem that they have not!!! One of the first things our A.D. did when he came to Mizzou was triple the price of season tickets to the women's games. At the time, the crowd was maybe in the 2000 range in a 13,000 seat arena!!!!! There are a certain number of supporters such as myself who will pay whatever they charge, within reason, and our tickets are not outrageously priced even now. However, with demand so low to begin with that really wasn't a great strategy to increase attendance!!! Quite a few people gave up their season tickets and just bought individual tickets to games a few times each year.

I have often wondered why they don't sell tickets for $1 or $2 (or maybe let students in free) and make money on the concessions. Like everywhere else (except Texas A & M for the Baylor game) our concessions are ridiculous (small soda $4.00, large one $5.00, popcorn $3.00, candy bar $3.00, tiny container of Dip'n'Dots $3.00).

[YCN]

I often wonder if the folks in charge have ever taken a basic economics class and studied supply and demand. It would certainly seem that they have not!!!
Here in Boulder, the city brass bemoan poor sales tax revenues and closed businesses on the Hill (campus) and on the Pearl Street Mall (downtown), and yet they fail to notice that instead of providing abundant and cheap or free parking they provide limited and very expensive parking, and they can't get a grip on the concept that in order to increase revenues you must provide the proper environment for people to spend their money.

So every 8th person visiting the Pearl Street Mall is awarded with at least a 20 dollar ticket for overtime parking, dilligently enforced, since 1.50 per hour parking on the street is viewed here as a privilege, not a noose.

I know more about market value and supply and demand than most of the 100K plus so-called marketing experts around here, and they could hire me for less money.

But a sheepskin and a lack of a clue card never hurt anyone in this town, as long as they were already above the average household income of 80-plus thousand a year, below which you qualify for public assistance.

I live in Bizarro World. I'm not sure that I live here because it's so surreal, or because I'm caught in the trap. Either way, I'm one of the happier people in this community, so I'm not really urgent to do anything about it.

[ISUbballfan]

I recieved ISU's NCAA/NIT order form in mail today and the prices are different. They have:

$30 Trenton
$20 Denver
$18 Tucson
$18 Nashville
$20 Norfolk
$14 University Park, PA
$15 West Lafayette, IN
$25 Chicago

I don't know if these would be really bad seats or if they give school a break on prices.

[BeBe]

The brochure they have been giving out at CU games has the following for Denver :

From base line to base line (ie somewhere along side the court):
Adults : $60
Student/Youth/Senior : $30

In either end (ie behind baskets):
Adults : $50
Stident/Youth/Senior : $20

So at $20 you are either getting an end ticket as a student or the school is getting a discount.

[swok34]

My application from OU has NO prices on it :eek: Oops, it says $39-60 for first and second rounds. $30 to 60 for regionals.

Wonder if the difference is Ycn's include all sessions and ISU's do not.

[BeBe]

The Denver prices I quoted are for all 3 sessions (2 different sessions on first day and 1 session on second day). The single session tickets are half the 'all session' prices so adults $30 or $25 and students etc $15 or $10

[swok34]

so, you get 4 games for $30 in the first session?? Not a bad deal actually.

Here's a blurb in the San Antonio paper about regional prices:

SAN ANTONIO REGIONAL

When: March 25 and 27

Where: AT&T Center (8,088 capacity)

Host: UTSA (teams TBA). The winner advances to the Women's Final Four.

Tickets: $42 adults, $25 youth.