Towards the end of his postgame press conference on Tuesday night, UConn coach Kevin Ollie let slip a little hint towards a noteworthy game to come.
Ollie was asked about the Huskies’ upcoming game against Georgetown and answered “we have Syracuse, hopefully, next year and then Georgetown this year. We’ll give fans what they’re kind of dying for since the Big East got dismantled.”
The Syracuse rumblings have been around since the two teams faced off in the Battle 4 Atlantis in November. After the game, Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim told the press “I think there’s a reasonable likelihood that we will play Connecticut again someday soon.”
According to university officials, that time may come as soon as the 2016-17 season.
There are plenty of details left to work out including dates, venues and of course money. Scenarios being discussed between the two schools also include games to be played at Madison Square Garden, the starring venue of New York City that featured several classic UConn-Syracuse matchups during past Big East Tournaments.
Scheduling more marquee out-of-conference games is crucial for UConn who has seen its attendance drop over the past few seasons. A name-brand rival like Syracuse playing in Storrs or Hartford would be a guaranteed sellout and inject new life into a fanbase hungry to return to the glory days of the old Big East.
While some uncertainty remains, one thing is certain: when the final details do get worked out, Tyler Olander will still have won more national championships than Jim Boeheim.
Give the Orange what they want and need. Start the renewal at the Dome to get a real crowd, much larger than MSG. Just be creative with the finances to split the gate for this series no matter if played in NYC or Gampel or Carrier or Hartford or Bridgeport or ala Alcindor vs Big E at Astro Dome, My preference is to put it in a domed MLB or NFL stadia to max the gate. Where is the closest? Do not be afraid UCONN, as you demo this campaign with the six high school teams on the non conf schedule and who knows how many on AAC slate. Real scouts have seen Mr. Zach play in high school and not only the current Storrs’ coach. Real scouts say this man is another project, which is so typical in Storrs.