From the hearty Midwestern city of St. Louis to the bright lights of New York City, the Creighton men’s basketball fan base is expected to experience a change in tradition as the Bluejays prepare for their first ever Big East Conference tournament.
The Bluejays found their niche in college basketball as being one of the most consistent mid-major programs in the country over the years. In the past, while competing in the Missouri Valley Conference, Creighton had very few opportunities to perform on a national stage.
Dynamics have changed drastically for Creighton athletics in the past year after making the move to join the Big East Conference, one of those being the Big East Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament.
Not only do the players have a lot changes to prepare for this year’s tournament, but so do the students and fans that are planning on traveling to watch this event. According to a few Creighton students, students should be prepared for a whole new atmosphere in New York City, a different travel schedule, and a change tournament traditions.
One factor that is expected to be different is the atmosphere.
St. Louis hosted the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament for 23 consecutive years. Twenty-three years gave Creighton fans an opportunity to build traditions and loyalty to the city of St. Louis for this event.
“In St. Louis all of the fans were very passionate about the teams playing in the tournament. The tournament kind of ran downtown St. Louis,” said sophomore student Jess Samuelson. “You couldn’t go a block downtown without seeing each of the school’s basketball fans.”
“I absolutely loved the Creighton fan base that traveled to St. Louis every year. It made me proud to show my local family and friends how great of a university Creighton is,” said sophomore student and St. Louis native Laura Roustio.
Madison Square Garden annually hosts the Big East Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament. This venue has hosted the Big East Tournament since 1983 and sits comfortably in the heart of Manhattan.
Samuelson and Roustio both agreed that Madison Square Garden was one factor that attracted them and their families to making the trip this year.
“I am really looking forward to seeing all the Big East teams play in the Garden. Creighton will be facing a whole new slate of competition this year and what better place to see that than in the heart of New York City at Madison Square Garden,” Samuelson said.
Another major change Creighton fans will face is the financial difference between traveling to New York City as opposed to St. Louis. St. Louis was a six to seven hour drive from Omaha, whereas this year fans coming from Omaha will have to pay for flights to New York.
Sophomore student Kelly Woodruff expects that flying to this year’s tournament as a opposed to driving will have an impact on the number of students that attend each of the games.
“I know a lot of students that are not attending the tournament this year because of the cost. The hotels in New York City are more expensive. Most people drove to St. Louis, and now people are going to have to fly or drive a few days just to get there,” said Woodruff.
“Financially it is troublesome for students to afford a trip to New York, no matter what its for. The airline cost, hotel cost, and even the jump in the cost of event tickets combined is not very affordable for the average student,” Roustio added.
All three students are in agreement that regardless of how many Creighton students make the trip this year, Creighton fans will still have presence in Madison Square Garden.
“I know we (Creighton) sold the most tickets this year, which surprises me because we are traveling the furthest,” Samuelson said. “Creighton fans have always traveled well to this tournament and even with the change in location I still think our fans are going to be loud and proud to support our Jays!”