Wait, isn't this a column on college basketball arenas? Patience, my friends, we'll get there. I have some commentary to make.
You have to hand it to the Kipers and McShays of the world though, they make some green on the national lust for anything football-related. We're the real suckers. We eat the stuff up. And we eat it up in spite of the fact that these experts are horribly wrong year after year. In the first round, let alone the seventh. Yet the day after the draft ends, these guys will release their mock first rounds for the 2010 draft, with one full season of both pro and college football still to be played. And droves will flock to their columns, soaking up useless knowledge. Maybe there's a better way for us to spend our time.
Like reading some nobody's list of awesome college basketball arenas. Um, yes. Call it hypocrisy, it probably is! But at least I'm not predicting next years draft, the rough equivalent of trying to predict the weather on December 17, 2011 in Kiev, Ukraine.
Don't get me wrong though, the draft does matter, and lots of people are employed by the 32 NFL teams to do the same work that draftniks like Mel Kiper do. Only they're actually building a team. I just think Joe Football Fan gets too wrapped up in the stuff. We have no control over who the team actually picks, nor do we have any idea how those players will actually fare in the league. Let the guys in the front offices do their jobs and let the draft play out as it will. Those guys know what they're doing, or at least most of them do. One can wonder about the operations run in Oakland or Cleveland.
And one last draft note before the hypocritical silliness of my college basketball destination list. How strange is it that 2 of the first 3 guys selected this weekend will, according to the aforementioned draft gurus, be from Baylor and Wake Forest. Not exactly institutions known to be football factories. Weird.
And now, finally, mercifully, my list of 15 college basketball venues that, given the appropriate time and money, I would love to catch a game at.
1. Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham, NC (Duke)
Would any other arena possibly be first? Whether you spell it "Duke" or "Dook", you have to admit that Cameron Indoor is the gym all others are measured by. It has history, mystique, noise, legendary fans, and a 10 on the intimidation scale. I'd love to see a Duke-UNC tilt there some day, just to experience the full fervor of the Cameron Crazies. Only my rooting interest would definitely be on the Carolina side.
2. The Palestra, Philadelphia (Penn)
The Palestra used to host "Big Five" (Temple, Villanova, St. Joe's, Penn, and LaSalle) doubleheaders on winter Saturdays, probably the best deal in the universe at the time. Good basketball at a good price in a great locale. The Palestra is old, historic, and gorgeous, one of the all time classics, both in architecture and nostalgia. Penn claims the gym as it's full time home, but occasionally two of the other Big Five get the pleasure of playing there. This is basketball the way it used to be, a turning back of the clock.
3. Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, KS (Kansas)
I've actually been there once, on a cross country road trip. It was summertime, so well after basketball season had ended, but I decided to take a detour from the interstate to the University of Kansas and see if I could (ahem) sneak into Allen Fieldhouse. When I drove up, to my surprise, the doors were wide open and it appeared that no one was around. I could see straight in to the court from the parking lot. So I parked and strolled in. I didn't go on the court, I'm not that brazen, but I did peek in enough to get a sense of the place. And what a building it was. With high windows lining the upper echelon allowing beams of sunlight to cascade in, and a gleaming floor set beneath, I could almost hear chants of "Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk" echoing in my ears.
4. Madison Square Garden, New York City
The most famous arena in the world is probably more famous for Knicks basketball or Rangers hockey, or even 10-night Springsteen tour stops, than it is for college basketball. At least now. But back in the day, when the NIT was the thing, MSG was the desired destination for every college team every year. And it is the place every baller wants to play at least once in a lifetime.
5. Gallagher-Iba Arena, Stillwater, OK (Oklahoma State)
If the lettering on the facade next to the court reads "Welcome to Historic Gallagher-Iba Arena", you know you've got a good old gym. From watching games on TV, you can't get a sense of what the place really looks like. And I'm curious as to why it's so historic. So I want to go there.
6. Pauley Pavilion, Westwood, CA (UCLA)
Another old gym (why do pro teams insist on new places every 25 years?) packed with history and mystique. Memories of the glory days of Wooden and his unprecedented dominance fill the place, and UCLA is still royalty in the sport.
7. Dean Smith Center, Chapel Hill, NC (North Carolina)
Not because it's old or historic, but because it's Carolina. The court is one of the coolest looking around, and you know you'd get a great show on it too.
8. Assembly Hall, Bloomington, IN (Indiana)
While we're on a tour of the jewels in the college basketball crown, we might as well stop at Indiana. If only I could have been there to witness Bobby Knight's chair toss! On TV, this building looks a little funky, with walls that seem to be folding in on themselves. It's not the most attractive looking place, but it is noisy, historic, and a tough place to play.
9. The Pit, Albuquerque, NM (New Mexico)
I think Albuquerque might be the hardest word to spell ever. That took way too long to figure out. Anyway, the Pit has fallen off the radar of famous arenas, but it used to be known as the loudest, nastiest arena around. Underground, it holds in sound and increases the intensity level of the game. It was home of one of the most famous moments in college basketball history too - N.C. State's historic upset of Houston in the 1983 Final Four. It's hosted dozens of other big time games too, as it used to be one of the NCAA's go-to postseason arenas. It's a shame that it's not on that short list anymore.
10. Carrier Dome, Syracuse, NY (Syracuse)
Domes aren't usually good places to watch basketball - the sightlines are weird, the place feels way too open, and noise gets lost high up in the rafters. But Syracuse has been playing at the Carrier Dome for years and has a pretty good home court advantage there. I want to see how they pull it off. Random secondhand tidbit about the Carrier Dome (secondhand meaning I'm not 100% sure it's actually true): in spite of being named after the Carrier company, which is a prominent producer of air conditioners, the Carrier Dome doesn't have air conditioning.
11. Petersen Events Center, Pittsburgh, PA (Pitt)
I'm cheating a bit here - I went to an exhibition game last year here. But if that game doesn't count for them, it doesn't count for me either. The Pete, as it's known as locally, is a young arena but one that packs a mean punch for visitors. It's also small, holding only about 12,000 fans, but bottles in noise well and is an impressive looking building. Great place to catch a game.
12. Rec Hall, State College, PA (Penn State)
What? I'm not just finding a random way to include my alma mater in the column, I promise. The Bryce Jordan Center was built a few years before I enrolled at Penn State, so I missed the experience of a game at Rec Hall, what was known to some as the "Cameron Indoor of the North". Bobby Knight hated playing there and considered it an escape if his teams won. It was hot, sweaty, cramped, and louder than a jet engine. If ESPN Classic would ever find a reason to re-broadcast a pre-1994 Penn State basketball game (and frankly, why would they?), you'd see what I mean. It also had the uniqueness that the fans were literally less than a foot from the playing floor. Opposing teams routinely had to make inbounds passes while standing in the middle of the student section. Talk about home court advantage! While I was at PSU, I hoped that just once they'd have an 80's night or something and hold a game at Rec Hall. The building still stands, waiting for the magic to be revived.
13. Cole Field House, College Park, MD (Maryland)
While on the subject of closed arenas, we'll add Cole Field House to the list. It was bigger than the typical "fieldhouse" style of arena but still had the charm. And the noise. Like the Pit, it hosted its share of big time games too - including the Texas Western upset of Kentucky in the 1959 national championship, the first time 5 black players started in NCAA Division 1 basketball (thanks, Wikipedia!).
14. Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY (Kentucky)
I've driven by it, and it literally looks like a big box. It's quite rectangular. But it's huge and always packed, no matter who Kentucky plays (or how bad they are).
15. Freedom Hall, Louisville, KY (Louisville)
Staying in Kentucky, we'll close our tour in Louisville. Freedom Hall is another historic old arena, and one that's also large and loud and usually packed.
Next week: I have no idea. I have to go back and figure out what won't be abjectly pointless to avoid being a real hypocrite!
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