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re: Best Facilities in the SEC?
Posted on 4/16/15 at 4:40 pm to madmaxvol
Posted on 4/16/15 at 4:40 pm to madmaxvol
quote:
Rupp is nearly 40 years old, and is past its prime.
Memorial is one of the oldest "new" venues in the SEC and it is still a great venue for college basketball. Until UK built Rupp the gym in Nashville was the largest in the SEC. For those who have not actually been to Rupp there are reasons why it is the best that may not be noticed by the younger folks on this board. If you have never been there or do not actually follow live basketball sit down and listen to some facts
#1 UK is the biggest and loudest venue in the SEC and I have been to BWA and TB. I am also old enough to have attended games in Stokley and Barnhill and both were better places to watch a game than the current venues.
#2 UK is old enough to not be ADA compliant which means the fans are close to the court and the worst seats in Rupp are better than the worst seats in other big venues. Look in terms of modern venues YUM is a great place to watch a game but it will never get louder than Rupp has been in the past. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) means all modern venues are much less steep so Row 10 in an ADA venue is like being on Row 5 in Rupp. This is most obvious when you get past the first 20 to 40 rows.
#3 UK is new enough to be big but old enough not to have 1 corporate suite or any luxury box. While corporate boxes have become status and used to conduct deals they do not have loud fans or ones that are actually fully engaged in the game. While I think BWA and TB are fine facilities, having corporate seats dulls the ardor of the fans. I have been in both facilities and viewed this first hand. New and Luxury do not mean great facilities or viewing experience.
#4 UK has facilities as part of the complete package and most are not open to the public which means a school should be viewed in totality and not just a building when you say "facilities" as it is the collective not the singular. Between Craft Center, Coal Lodge, and the facilities under Rupp (and the original Memorial) I have yet to see any facilities in the SEC that even approach UK basketball.
2
Posted on 4/16/15 at 4:41 pm to Farmer1906
quote:
# of suites isn't the be all end all. Size of suites and capacity of the suites would be more useful. Basically what I'm saying is not all suites are created the same. The 12 founders suites at Kyle probably trump any other single suite anywhere else.
Tiger Stadium does pretty well in this regard, too. The 136 suites at Tiger Stadium have a uniform capacity of 26...22 seats, four standing room spaces. The suites at Alabama's BDS, by comparison, the vast majority have a capacity of 16, with four larger suites having a capacity of 22.
Kyle Field suites are 16 capacity, with the Founder's Suites having a capacity of 28.
So Tiger Stadium actually has the most overall seats in suites.
This post was edited on 4/16/15 at 7:15 pm
Posted on 4/16/15 at 4:45 pm to Farmer1906
Posted on 4/16/15 at 4:46 pm to Cheese Grits
quote:
I have yet to see any facilities in the SEC that even approach UK basketball.
IIRC, LSU Basketball Practice Facility at 58,960 sq ft was the largest in the SEC at the time of it's completion in 2010.
Posted on 4/16/15 at 4:47 pm to Cheese Grits
quote:
#4 UK has facilities as part of the complete package and most are not open to the public which means a school should be viewed in totality and not just a building when you say "facilities" as it is the collective not the singular. Between Craft Center, Coal Lodge, and the facilities under Rupp (and the original Memorial) I have yet to see any facilities in the SEC that even approach UK basketball.
:lol
Posted on 4/16/15 at 4:48 pm to Farmer1906
quote:
Watch the video. This is what I'm talking about.
I've seen, ty. But I did miss the 8 bar stools in counting the capacity, so that would be 28 instead of just 20.
Posted on 4/16/15 at 4:52 pm to VFL1800FPD
quote:
Lose some weight, fatasses
Umm, you first?
Posted on 4/16/15 at 4:53 pm to TigersOfGeauxld
quote:
LSU Basketball Practice Facility at 58,960 sq ft was the largest in the SEC at the time of it's completion in 2010.
I have actually been in it and would say it is in the top in the SEC. One of those you have to see it because folks forget there was a time when the Tigers were good in basketball. I like that they did a dual facility as the followed the Joe Craft model when they built it. Still, UK in the private places is most jaw dropping. I do like football and basketball at LSU being so close and having Mike right there is pretty cool.
When it comes to site location, Vanderbilt may be the best because it is so old school and all 3 major facilities are right on top of each other.
Posted on 4/16/15 at 4:55 pm to VFL1800FPD
quote:
lol
Have you been behind the scenes at Rupp and Joe Craft or are you just trolling and rolling your eyes from never actually having been there.
Posted on 4/16/15 at 4:56 pm to Cheese Grits
I haven't been to Rupp but UT's arena is nicer than some NBA ones.
Posted on 4/16/15 at 4:56 pm to Cheese Grits
My granddad played BBall at Vandy in the early 50s, so I am partial to Memorial Gym from being there so much. I think it's a pretty cool place. Other than that I dislike Vandy with a passion.
Posted on 4/16/15 at 4:58 pm to Cheese Grits
quote:
Have you been behind the scenes at Rupp and Joe Craft or are you just trolling and rolling your eyes from never actually having been there
Have you been behind the scenes at every BBall facility in the SEC or are you just claiming UK is the best?
Posted on 4/16/15 at 4:58 pm to VFL1800FPD
quote:
Everybody hates on Neyland, I think it's the best place to watch a game in the world. Lose some weight, fatasses
Was it in the 80s or 90s when the Vol powers decided that Neyland needed to be able to advertise that it would seat over 100,000, SO they went in and took up all the stadium seats by about 1 1/2 inches, and got over 100,000 capacity without adding a brick! 
...Tennessee engineering!This post was edited on 4/16/15 at 4:59 pm
Posted on 4/16/15 at 5:00 pm to VFL1800FPD
quote:
My granddad played BBall at Vandy in the early 50s, so I am partial to Memorial Gym from being there so much. I think it's a pretty cool place.
Lordy that makes me feel ancient. How old were you and what year was it when you first saw a game at Memorial?
Posted on 4/16/15 at 5:00 pm to coachcrisp
That exactly not what happened. Neyland designed all the stadium upgrades before he died. His plans included raising the capacity to over 105,000, and we followed them to the T until they were complete. But don't let your fat face get in the way of facts.
Posted on 4/16/15 at 5:03 pm to Cheese Grits
Phew, i'm only in my early 20s, I probably saw my first game there when I was 3 or 4.
I remember I went there once when I was younger and I thought basketball games had 4 quarters instead of 2 halves. It was a crazy tight game, and it ended with a buzzer beater for a Vandy win. Everyone went crazy, and I was sitting there confused
like "Why is everyone so excited, it's only halftime?"
I remember I went there once when I was younger and I thought basketball games had 4 quarters instead of 2 halves. It was a crazy tight game, and it ended with a buzzer beater for a Vandy win. Everyone went crazy, and I was sitting there confused
like "Why is everyone so excited, it's only halftime?"
Posted on 4/16/15 at 5:16 pm to VFL1800FPD
quote:
Have you been behind the scenes at every BBall facility in the SEC or are you just claiming UK is the best?
Been to most all of them and not just basketball but most other sports as well. Been to lots of basketball venues that are no more. Saddest may have been the implosion of the old Checkerdome in STL. Again, folks need to separate the "new" from the "experience" as with the advent of texting, video games on phones, and selfies the "experience" may have peaked in the 80's and it has been going down since. The more you add things that distract from the games the more it shifts from a game to a light and sound show.
The most sparkle in college basketball venues may be YUM in Louisville with booze on site and food for the wine and cheese crowd it certainly is an elegant and visually distracting venue. It is like the older woman who tries to out dress a bride at her wedding. If you are swayed but light and sounds not related to the game then the modern age of marketing has done its job to distract you from the actual games being played.
All this said, the topic was best facilities, and when it comes to basketball UK has the best. Their venue is fan driven not corporate driven and their non public facilities are off the hook.
Posted on 4/16/15 at 5:18 pm to VFL1800FPD
quote:
"Why is everyone so excited, it's only halftime?"
When it come to actually attending a live basketball game Memorial may be my favorite venue in the SEC but they do need to upgrade the bathrooms.
Posted on 4/16/15 at 7:10 pm to AmazinGrace
To get this thread back on track:
Football - LSU
Basketball - Tennessee
Baseball - Arkansas
And overall school facilities - Tennessee
Tennessee is the first and so far only school in the country with a 100,000 seat football stadium and a 20,000 seat basketball arena. Plus the Vols have top four in the conference facilities in every sport.
Football - LSU
Basketball - Tennessee
Baseball - Arkansas
And overall school facilities - Tennessee
Tennessee is the first and so far only school in the country with a 100,000 seat football stadium and a 20,000 seat basketball arena. Plus the Vols have top four in the conference facilities in every sport.
Posted on 4/16/15 at 7:27 pm to TigersOfGeauxld
So it sounds like UT does less with more. 
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