Jammaster

It's really nice to get texts from friends saying "damn, your team plays with heart." Twitter was on fire with pro-Albany sentiment, well after it was over. Many we're saying that we "always" play top teams close in the tourney. I like this reputation. Huge congrats to Coach Brown and the team. Hold your heads up high!

Yeah- it's time to put that Dane on everything. There are few other things that get us this kind of publicity—short of winning later http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/college-basketball/photos/1403/top-16-mascots-ncaa-tournament/

Haha. I know I'm dreaming. But in the history of man, stranger things HAVE happened. Not many, but a few.

Yeah, me too. I had a bunch of text messages from friends who aren't even big basketball fans. The P-I-G might've been the most singular attention ever lavished on Albany sports. Now we just need to up that by beating Florida.

Yes- well done to all who were there! We could hear you--and I'm sure the players could too, Now let's finish what we started against UConn in 2006. They laughed at Rocky once, too.

So after our travel expenses, we don't get any extra off the top since we're the ones representing AE? You'd think we could at least get a year of free Paesan's or something!

It's ok BestDane. Nothing wrong with Not drinking the kool aid.

Congrats to Coach Brown and the entire team!! Fought off lots of adversity throught this game (and season). And just maybe the (well-intentioned) complaining on this board gave the team even more motivation to prove us wrong!? I'd like to think we're gonna give some #1 seed a little more trouble than they expect.

True- and that does explain why we're playing better and winning. But it doesn't explain all the frustration about lack of intensity on these boards throughout the winter. And it doesn't require blue-chip talent to play scrappy. It's unproductive at the end of each season—after we finally step it up—to blissfully forget all those issues…only to have history repeat itself next time

Not sure winning cures all—I think these late season flourishes explain why, in part, the community still sees Siena as its team. Make them excited about UAlbany each season for 4 months, not just 10 days.

"Brown's teams certainly seem to grasp the reality of post season, more often than not. That's how you approach games! Intense, aggressive, pro-active b-ball." Don't get me wrong--playoff wins are huge. But before our short memories turn to celebrating Will Brown like he's Dean Smith or John Wooden, where was this "Intense, aggressive, pro-active b-ball" throughout the season when everyone on this board--Brown supporters or not--kept saying time and again that the team seems to lack energy, interest, heart? These runs are wonderful and we all like them, but I'd also love to feel like this team is over-achieving throughout the regular season sometimes. And that will help put more people in the seats.

Awesome win- start to finish! Congrats to all involved. As an aside—watching the feed, I noticed a lot of empty seats, or just thinly populated sections. Makes me wonder if people on campus had low expectations and were less inclined to go? It would help build the program's fan interest by winning (or being competitive) in some of these big games during the season, too.

Like most editorials, it's a very selective piece. They neglected the following: • the surge in applications a school experiences when a sports program achieves major success. (hence a lowering of the acceptance rate, which is a major factor in national rankings) • the sense of community and school spirit that a major sports program offers…which leads to more nostalgic and invested DONORS • that, as much as I value the humanities…let's be honest: we've never heard any buzz on national television about Albany's French and Russian departments.

Ilko--I recommend checking out a soccer game in the new stadium if you can. BestDaneSinceHamlet and I were watching practice from the cheap seats back in October and it's an awesome view. And soccer is a sport you can't help but appreciate when you see the strategy from that vantage point.

I've been thinking about it as well...I'm interested to hear others thoughts on this? Did we not play much better in OOC in games like Pitt and Drake etc. or am I imagining that? I thought we had a solid ooc and then right after Hartford this team really fell apart and I can't really figure out why. It might be partly that we play up to the competition…and down to it as well. But I always think that falls on the coach. Those OOC games also carry no pressure. There was no expectation that we'd win and it only affected an RPI that will slip quickly once conference plays starts anyway. In conference we're only "supposed" to lose to VT or USB, so I think these other games somehow bring excessive stress (?), but that's part of being a conference contender.

I like the idea that Villanova is worried about keeping up with us. Totally agree. When i was in school, no one at Villanova had ever heard of U Albany. Now they're jealous of us? Great. Build it!

Ah, thanks. That all makes sense. Would be nice to have a stately, concrete stadium draped in ivy...but I'd certainly be happy with anything around the size they're aiming for.

Good points. But if the original goal was $50-60 million for a 25k seat stadium, I wonder what'll be compromised on for a $38 million, 24k-seater. Granted, I'd take it either way!

Yeah- I'm not seeing how it took $18 mil for about 8,500 seats (a good number of which are lawn space), and only another $20 mil would buy us an additional 15,500?

I agree. It's gonna be harder to compete for bball recruits when Stony Brook is sending around. Even though it's about the same size as Sefcu, I know where I'd prefer to play: http://www.goseawolves.org/stonybrookarena/

"He also said the school will decide in the coming months whether to push for the expansion right away or to wait a few seasons." Right away, please!! Question: is there any precedent for similar (24,000-seat) stadiums being used for other events--not just men's soccer. Meaning could we become a location for concerts, festivals, other traveling sports events, etc? That seems like it would make it an easier sell to the community. Although it also might mean we're competing with the Times Union Center in warm weather.

I was thinking the same thing. Both teams also play with serious fire. And it's painful seeing Albany now listed behind Hartford in the conf standings.

Don't forget track and field!

The feed clearly cut off out of mercy to all Danes fans.

Yeah- Burlington is always ranked in the top 10 for best college towns in America. Walkable little city right on a lake with an original Ben & Jerry's. Tough to compete with that.