Michigan looking to play basketball game in the Palestra
I am fine with this if it is a PSU road game but wouldn't be so happy if we gave up a home game for this. https://saturdaytradition.com/michigan-football/juwan-howard-says-michigan-is-investigating-neutral-site-venue-for-future-game-vs-penn-state/
February 7th, 2023 at 10:35 AM ^
I think we know what you tried to say in your post but since everyone on this board is a jerk I expect everyone to make fun of you and then post little quips like "Justin Feagin" or "RIP Keith Jackson".
Anyway, PSU home game good. UM home game bad.
February 7th, 2023 at 10:44 AM ^
Justin Feagin is mentioned on the Board virtually every day.
Does anyone know how / what he is doing? Hope he got his life straightened out.
February 7th, 2023 at 10:56 AM ^
if it is his, his LinkedIn says that he is a warehouse supervisor for Kia
February 7th, 2023 at 11:00 AM ^
Michael Barrett is making a run at Justin's reign.
February 7th, 2023 at 10:45 AM ^
“RIP Keith Jackson” is not funny. That mans an institution. Wish he still called games.
February 7th, 2023 at 10:55 AM ^
Thanks for saying that. He was the absolute best at calling college football games. Not funny at all.
February 7th, 2023 at 11:42 AM ^
The joke isn't that he died.
The joke is that some poster (maybe a troll or a burner account) came to the blog months, or even years after his death and posted that he had died. This also may have happened more than once.
February 7th, 2023 at 12:10 PM ^
The joke is that someone posted he died when in actuality he had been dead for a year. The person just didnt check the year the article was published. Its a reminder to always vet your posts. Theres a shit-ton of shit-posts on this blog and the majority are because people are in a hurry to be first or “breaking”.
P.S. Im not saying this OP is one of them. Overtaking ass…. on the other hand.
February 7th, 2023 at 12:32 PM ^
I'm aware. Still not funny. Time to move on to another bit.
February 7th, 2023 at 1:37 PM ^
you must be new here, beating something to death is kinda the water we swim in.
besides, what's next? no more of the herb brooks / kurt russell "again" gif? no more "helpful hint, click the 'link' icon" responses? i mean, we finally got rid of the dancing monkey dude, and WD, but where does it end?
February 7th, 2023 at 5:11 PM ^
"Stop drinking and go to bed" actually does need to be put to bed. It was funny for 5 minutes after that email came out but it really has no comedic legs. We can do better.
February 7th, 2023 at 12:52 PM ^
Wait, Keith Jackson died? Oh no!
February 7th, 2023 at 1:14 PM ^
How's Abe Vigoda?
February 7th, 2023 at 2:30 PM ^
He's got rhymes. One in the castle, and one in the pagoda.
February 7th, 2023 at 10:54 AM ^
Don’t forget “the Raiders are still in play.”
February 7th, 2023 at 10:58 AM ^
Don't forget the best that never was - Kelly Baraka
February 7th, 2023 at 11:03 AM ^
On a related note, "Fuck lion" should make way more appearances in MGoBoard shitposts.
(I know that Marques Slocum is not Kelly Baraka. But for some reason, I always associate the two.)
February 7th, 2023 at 12:08 PM ^
Oakland is still in play. Not the (now-Las Vegas) Raiders.
February 7th, 2023 at 11:46 AM ^
This is the only answer that makes sense. Let's see if Warde can do this or does he give up a true home game for this.
February 7th, 2023 at 10:35 AM ^
I don't like the "view" that this would be a neutral site game, though - selfishly, I do hope that the turnout of Michigan alumni in the Philly area might help neutralize the home court advantage you'd expect PSU (or perhaps Rutgers) to have. It would seem to be similar to playing an opponent at LCA.
IIRC, the B1G men's hoops tourney was held in MSG several years ago - and, perhaps MSG or the Barclays Center, could be venues to consider for a game against Rutgers. I'm quite sure the Michigan faithful in the NYC area would turn out in force for a game there.
February 7th, 2023 at 11:02 AM ^
I've been to one of the non-conference MSG games where Michigan basketball played (I think it was vs. Missouri). It was a definitely a pro-Michigan crowd. Michigan and Penn State hockey a couple years ago played at MSG as well, that crowd was a little more mixed (and unfortunately the Penn State crowd was all fired up because Michigan played awful that game).
I've needed a good excuse to go see a game at the Palestra since I moved to Philly 2.5 years ago. This might as well be it if they can make it happen.
February 7th, 2023 at 11:17 AM ^
As a Philly Michigan alum, there is nowhere near the level of alums in the Philly area compared to NY. Plus with Happy Valley being a long drive from Philly, I'm assuming Penn State alums will fill the stadium. This won't be anywhere near neutral.
February 7th, 2023 at 12:48 PM ^
I am also a Philly Michigan alum and I don't agree with this. Although there are a lot of Penn Staters in Philly, there is a sizable number of UM alums. Plus, I think UM playing in a game in a place as revered as the Palestra will pull alums from NYC and DC. I think at worst its a true neutral game and most likely a UM favorable crowd. And crowd aside, it is not like PSU will have the typical advantages of playing at home (sleeping at home, being familiar with the shooting backdrop, etc.). In a lot of ways this will be a road game for PSU as well. I think if the money is reasonable, give the kids a chance to play somewhere cool and fans to see their team that wouldn't otherwise.
February 7th, 2023 at 1:19 PM ^
I guess it depends how tickets are offered but PSU alums to Michigan alums in the greater Philadelphia has to be thousands to one. Regardless, it will be a good showcase to recruits in that area for both teams. Obviously a lot of talent in philly.
February 7th, 2023 at 1:32 PM ^
Either way, the Palestra is a great, great venue. As good as it gets in college sports (indoor sports, anyway). Think Old Yost. Also, it's small, so ticket allotment would make a big difference in terms of crowd composition.
How about a non-conference game? Maybe even Villanova -- the logic being that fi we're playing an away game there, why not make it a higher-profile but lower stakes matchup compared to a conference game.
February 7th, 2023 at 11:37 AM ^
I went to the Michigan-Rutgers MBB game at MSG just before COVID, 2/1/2020. I think Michigan gave up a home game for this one. The crowd was more pro-Michigan, but not overwhelmingly so. Maybe 65-35.
February 7th, 2023 at 11:18 AM ^
i went years ago when we played at Barclays in BK - we played WVU - it was packed with tons of UM fans.
However, when we play PSU, we have to know that they travel just as well, if not better.. and they're local presence in cities is as good as ours
February 7th, 2023 at 10:59 AM ^
I won't slam our team.. but why PSU? they do seem to have a good coach, but we've heard this before. Not exactly the high quality show piece to put the conf on a national stage
February 7th, 2023 at 11:21 AM ^
PSU plays a home game at the Palestra every year or so (they played Purdue this season in January). Therefore, I imagine it’s far easier to convince PSU to play a game there than any other team in the conference. It would also mean that U-M doesn’t lose a home game since it’d be PSU’s home game. Would make sense for all involved.
February 7th, 2023 at 1:26 PM ^
The only comparative venue in the region is Hinkle Fieldhouse at Butler. I'd love to see Michigan play Indiana or Purdue there but it is unlikely.
- Butler is historically a good team so why do it in their arena? What benefit does Butler have other than the shared gate?
- Indiana and Purdue aren't already playing games at Hinkle. Perceived switching costs are high. PSU is already over that barrier.
- The Palestra is different in that Penn hasn't been good in forever and the venue has long been a "neutral" site for all the Philly teams. Those teams all have history, but the venue itself doesn't belong to any of them (see 1). It would be like if every time Purdue, Indiana, and Notre Dame played each other, they played at Hinkle rather than their campuses. That's what makes The Palestra significant and different as a venue and is why PSU is willing to play a game there.
February 7th, 2023 at 12:11 PM ^
Because it wouldn't make sense for any other Big Ten team to give up a home game to go there (other than maybe Rutgers).
February 7th, 2023 at 11:04 AM ^
As a philly native, I may need to travel to this one. Love it. Go birds!
February 7th, 2023 at 1:26 PM ^
I live in the Midwest but would be interested in traveling to this game. I like Philadelphia very much and have always wanted to see a contest in this venue.
February 7th, 2023 at 11:20 AM ^
It would be a Penn State home game ...... PSU has played/moved one home game a year at the Palestra annually (outside of the COVID season) for about 5-7 years now. They played Purdue there a few weeks ago, and played MSU there a few years ago.
The game would probably be in early January - it's typically a game when students aren't yet back on campus.
February 7th, 2023 at 11:22 AM ^
i for one would ABSOLUTELY be traveling to philly to go to this game. the palestra is one of my basketball bucket list destinations.
February 7th, 2023 at 11:55 AM ^
This would be waaay cool.
February 7th, 2023 at 12:11 PM ^
This sounds like a Brendan Quinn wet dream
February 7th, 2023 at 1:46 PM ^
It does indeed seem like Brendan is quite excited over this news:
February 7th, 2023 at 12:17 PM ^
Do it for Phil Martelli.
February 7th, 2023 at 12:25 PM ^
The game in Madison Square Garden 2016 was a home game for PSU so I have a feeling the game would be a Michigan home game.
February 7th, 2023 at 1:59 PM ^
The only correct answer is to play St. Joseph's at the Palestra while Phil is still on staff.
February 7th, 2023 at 12:43 PM ^
I had to look up Palestra.... I thought it might be ancient ruins in Greece or something.
February 7th, 2023 at 1:31 PM ^
it's not hyperbole to suggest that the palestra is one of the most important arenas in the history of college basketball.
February 7th, 2023 at 1:47 PM ^
I didn't even know the Amish play basketball.... I've learned a lot today.
February 7th, 2023 at 1:52 PM ^
I thought Palestra was a competing marketplace version of Olestra.
February 7th, 2023 at 12:45 PM ^
We should play our home basketball games at the Crisler Center just as we should play our home football games in the Big House and our home hockey games at Yost.
I'm not a fan of giving up home hockey games for the Duel in the D or whatever that thing was a Soldier Field a few years back.
I went to MSG with my daughter for the hockey basketball doubleheader against Penn State. I think Penn State gave up their home games. There were Michigan fans there but we were outnumbered. We also went to the hockey game in MSG against Cornell and that was a road game.
February 7th, 2023 at 1:00 PM ^
I remember the days when Palestra was in all the potato chips and had people running to the toilet.
February 7th, 2023 at 1:44 PM ^
<clenches butt checks with a grimace>