Post by motorcitysam on Apr 8, 2024 13:25:59 GMT -5
(Not really Titan related, so maybe this belongs in Other College Hoops).
Some observations from Saturday's semifinals at State Farm Arena in Glendale, Arizona:
Football stadiums are terrible places to watch a basketball game, but as long as they keep selling out for events like this, the powers that be will keep using them. They aren't going to leave money on the table by having the Final Four at a smaller basketball arena. LCA makes sense for the this year's regionals, but I get why the 2027 Final Four in Detroit will be held at Ford Field.
I have newfound respect for the way the Detroit area puts on big events like the Final Four and Super Bowl. The Glendale area leaves a lot to be desired, with issues in parking and logistics. Also, there were concession issues. It was irritating that the stadium ran out of lids for the special "commemorative cups" sold at the venue. You pay extra for a cup, you expect to have a lid. And how do they not have the same number of lids as the number of cups?
I sat in a mixed section of fans, with each team represented by loud and crazy fanatics. The crowd was surprisingly well behaved, with the only issue I noticed being a drunk North Carolina Tar Heel fan who started giving me a hard time because he thought my blue and white t-shirt and hat were representing Duke. (I can't really blame him.) Actually, my attire was gear representing Ypsilanti Lincoln's basketball team.
My seat was up so high that if I jumped from where I was sitting in the first half, I wouldn't have hit the floor until the after the game ended. And it was still expensive.
The atmosphere was like a convention for college basketball fans. If your team was among the four playing, obviously you were wearing the colors/logos of that team. However, the rest of the fans there were proudly supporting their own favorite programs, with t-shirts, caps, hoodies, etc., all emblazoned with "(Your school here) basketball". I saw many programs represented, including Buffalo, North Carolina, Michigan, Michigan State, Arizona, Arizona State, Grand Canyon, Michigan Tech, DePaul, Duke, Houston, Minnesota, Georgia, Gonzaga, Troy, Marquette, South Carolina, Washington, Ohio State, UNLV, Kentucky, and Louisville. No Detroit, and certainly no Mercy. I repped my high school Saturday, but I'll be wearing University of Detroit gear tonight for the championship game.
It was a friendly crowd. I had a nice conversation about DePaul basketball with a random fan in a Blue Demons shirt, and once the tipsy Tar Heel fan noticed I wasn't a Dukie, we both lamented the fact that the Heels had been eliminated.
Good experience all the way around. If I start saving my money now, I might be able to afford tickets to the 2027 Final Four in Detroit.
Maybe the Titans will make an FAU-like run.
Some observations from Saturday's semifinals at State Farm Arena in Glendale, Arizona:
Football stadiums are terrible places to watch a basketball game, but as long as they keep selling out for events like this, the powers that be will keep using them. They aren't going to leave money on the table by having the Final Four at a smaller basketball arena. LCA makes sense for the this year's regionals, but I get why the 2027 Final Four in Detroit will be held at Ford Field.
I have newfound respect for the way the Detroit area puts on big events like the Final Four and Super Bowl. The Glendale area leaves a lot to be desired, with issues in parking and logistics. Also, there were concession issues. It was irritating that the stadium ran out of lids for the special "commemorative cups" sold at the venue. You pay extra for a cup, you expect to have a lid. And how do they not have the same number of lids as the number of cups?
I sat in a mixed section of fans, with each team represented by loud and crazy fanatics. The crowd was surprisingly well behaved, with the only issue I noticed being a drunk North Carolina Tar Heel fan who started giving me a hard time because he thought my blue and white t-shirt and hat were representing Duke. (I can't really blame him.) Actually, my attire was gear representing Ypsilanti Lincoln's basketball team.
My seat was up so high that if I jumped from where I was sitting in the first half, I wouldn't have hit the floor until the after the game ended. And it was still expensive.
The atmosphere was like a convention for college basketball fans. If your team was among the four playing, obviously you were wearing the colors/logos of that team. However, the rest of the fans there were proudly supporting their own favorite programs, with t-shirts, caps, hoodies, etc., all emblazoned with "(Your school here) basketball". I saw many programs represented, including Buffalo, North Carolina, Michigan, Michigan State, Arizona, Arizona State, Grand Canyon, Michigan Tech, DePaul, Duke, Houston, Minnesota, Georgia, Gonzaga, Troy, Marquette, South Carolina, Washington, Ohio State, UNLV, Kentucky, and Louisville. No Detroit, and certainly no Mercy. I repped my high school Saturday, but I'll be wearing University of Detroit gear tonight for the championship game.
It was a friendly crowd. I had a nice conversation about DePaul basketball with a random fan in a Blue Demons shirt, and once the tipsy Tar Heel fan noticed I wasn't a Dukie, we both lamented the fact that the Heels had been eliminated.
Good experience all the way around. If I start saving my money now, I might be able to afford tickets to the 2027 Final Four in Detroit.
Maybe the Titans will make an FAU-like run. 
