Tournament Crowds/FB arenas

[Vincetaylor]

It seems like there are lots of empty seats at the different venues. Is it usually like this in rounds 3 and 4? I know the stadiums are huge, but I've seen empty seats in the lower seats. Could be lots of reasons...big name teams are out, bad economy, ticket prices are too high given today's economy, poor choice of venues, etc.

[basket1544]

I know a lot of St. Louis hotels had a lot of cancellations after Kansas' loss. I would assume others felt the upsets in other ways.

[uh_no]

It seems like there are lots of empty seats at the different venues. Is it usually like this in rounds 3 and 4? I know the stadiums are huge, but I've seen empty seats in the lower seats. Could be lots of reasons...big name teams are out, bad economy, ticket prices are too high given today's economy, poor choice of venues, etc.

it'll always emptier than the number of tix sold because lots of the baylor/st mary's fans wouldn't stay for the duke game

the stadium was also set up for 70k seats, not because they were expecting that many, but because it is a trial for next years final four

if you look at stadiums like the carrier dome, which are more appropriately sized for these rounds, you'll see many fewer empty seats, and they likely sold about the same number of tix in houston, it just looks ridiculously empty

[4decadedukie]

"Whine and Cheese fans," reminiscent of the Dean Dome . . .

[kexman]

I was at the dome in St. Louis for the games and it was fairly empty. It seats 40K for basketball which is way to many. Plus there is the other half of the dome which is totally empty that looks weird. Attendance was 26K for the game which was almost exactly the number that attended in 2007 for the regional final so it is not really a reflection of the economy.
It probably hurt that the kansas fans didn't come, but all four schools were in driving distance which had to help. The UNI fans were out in force and probably had the greatest number of fans at the arena. There are probably some occasions like Kentucky close to Lexington or UNC in Carolina that could sell out any arena.
I wish they would hold the games at Scott Trade Center, but it only seats about 22K which is a few thousand short. I wish they would pick a basketball arena that would sell out instead of a dome that it is empty.

[Atlanta Duke]

I wish they would pick a basketball arena that would sell out instead of a dome that it is empty.

It's all about the Benjamins, as evidenced by the proposal to expand the field to 96 teams

The NCAA could not care less if a dome is half-empty if the total ticket revenue is greater, even though basketball in a dome provides a difficult backdrop for shooting and pretty mediocre viewing opportunities upstairs unless you have a good video screen to watch

It also makes a bad visual for TV when a wide shot shows an empty upper deck and (after all the Baylor fans went home last night) lots of empty seats downstairs, but unless that costs the NCAA $ that is another non-issue for them.

[78Devil]

I was at Reliant in Houston, and there were lots and lots of folks there. Remember, this is a 70,000 plus stadium. They didn't even really try to sell the long end zone seats (1/2 a football stadium away), and that's what you saw on the tv. Those will never be filled except for a Final 4 (which Houston hosts next year).

I didn't realize that it looked empty until I played the replay, and realized that the camera tends to show the stands at the ends, but not up the sides. The seats were significantly filled on the sides even up to the nosebleed levels. But after the first game, most of the Baylor people were hopping in and out, partying (despite no alcohol per NCAA) in the food courts and not watching the game. Can you blame them -- that first half was unwatchable for any normal person.

I don't think that big modern football venues are necessarily ever filled for Regionals, but the alternative -- basketball stadiums, even pro ones -- may be too small.

[RoyalBlue08]

I was at Reliant in Houston, and there were lots and lots of folks there. Remember, this is a 70,000 plus stadium. They didn't even really try to sell the long end zone seats (1/2 a football stadium away), and that's what you saw on the tv. Those will never be filled except for a Final 4 (which Houston hosts next year).

I didn't realize that it looked empty until I played the replay, and realized that the camera tends to show the stands at the ends, but not up the sides. The seats were significantly filled on the sides even up to the nosebleed levels. But after the first game, most of the Baylor people were hopping in and out, partying (despite no alcohol per NCAA) in the food courts and not watching the game. Can you blame them -- that first half was unwatchable for any normal person.

I don't think that big modern football venues are necessarily ever filled for Regionals, but the alternative -- basketball stadiums, even pro ones -- may be too small.

I think NBA arenas would be just fine actually. You are talking about regional games where no one even knows who is going to be playing until a week before hand. I just don't think the demand is ever going to be all that high. I can see these huge arenas for the Final Four, as those tickets are always going to be in demand. I think we need to go back to reasonable sized arenas for the regional games however.

[SCMatt33]

I think NBA arenas would be just fine actually. You are talking about regional games where no one even knows who is going to be playing until a week before hand. I just don't think the demand is ever going to be all that high. I can see these huge arenas for the Final Four, as those tickets are always going to be in demand. I think we need to go back to reasonable sized arenas for the regional games however.

I think 20-22K would be fine for any single game, but the problem is that there is one ticket for both sweet 16 games, and this can't really change. It's not like you could turn over an entire arena in a half hour, so no matter how small the arena is, there will always be empty seats because of people who don't want to watch more than 1 game. Given the fact that you can't really play games for the same regional on different days, giving someone a big rest advantage, and the NCAA rightfully doesn't want to put sweet 16 games out of prime time on a weekday, they have no choice but to sell one ticket for both games.

[kexman]

In the paper today they said that the 1999 regional had 42K attending. It had Kentucky which travels really well and is within driving range of st louis. I guess it depends on who is playing in your regional.

[BearlyHere]

Houston is doing a trial run for next year's Final Four. That's why there are no curtains up on the ends and all 77,000 seats are visible. They sold about 45,000 tickets for Friday night. That's second all time for a regional tourney. They have just announced today that there will be $20 nose bleed seats for tomorrow. Expect a significant rise in attendance for Sunday. Probably ~70% of the Baylor alumni base and the campus are within a three hour drive (DFW, Austin, San Antonio, & Waco). Should be a rockin' good time.

[anon]

Can anyone with high Iron Dukes priority (1 or 2) tell me how much the tickets cost?

http://goduke.com/tickets

[Bluedog]

I'm not an Iron Duke, but just got an e-mail (supposedly given to all alumni volunteers) offering me tickets to all three games for $337/person. Anybody doing that? I can't decide and need to decide by 9 AM tomorrow!

Edit: Looks like they've sold out already....bah!

[cspan37421]

whoa! I got that email too. Sold out already?

Do you think they'll set up a big screen at Butler's home court? They ought to, place looks very cool (but better for daylight games).

[DukieBoy]

whoa! I got that email too. Sold out already?

Do you think they'll set up a big screen at Butler's home court? They ought to, place looks very cool (but better for daylight games).

Heard nothing of this and have many friends who are students there

But I do know Butler students get tickets for $25

[anon]

Can anyone with high Iron Dukes priority (1 or 2) tell me how much the tickets cost?

http://goduke.com/tickets

Tickets are $270 through Iron Dukes

[tecumseh]

Thinking of going to Indy but hear mixed things about watching a basketball game in a football stadium anyone who has been there input would be welcome

[duke2x]

It all depends on where you sit. 100/200 level type tickets are usually basketball stadium quality. 300+ level tickets get iffy, and you might be watching the game through binoculars. You have to balance that with the thrill of being there.

[Kedsy]

Thinking of going to Indy but hear mixed things about watching a basketball game in a football stadium anyone who has been there input would be welcome

Up until last year, Final Fours in domes placed the court in one corner of the stadium, and didn't sell the seats on the far side, so that the crowd was around 45,000 or so, and about half the seats were good ones. I had great seats, for example, for the 1989 Final Four in Seattle, the 1991 Final Four in Indy, the 1992 Final Four in Minneapolis, the 1999 Final Four in St. Pete, the 2004 Final Four in San Antonio, and the championship game in 2008. The exception to this was New Orleans, where for some reason they put the court in the middle, allowing them to sell 70,000+ seats, but none of them truly good ones. For the 1993 Final Four in New Orleans, I sat in the second row (in the end zone) and was so far from the court I had to watch most of the game on the jumbotron.

Last year in Detroit, they went with the New Orleans model (court in the center; sell all the seats), and the word was if it was successful it would become the norm. I didn't hear a lot of complaints, so I assume they'll do it that way this year and in most future years.

Assuming that's correct, the answer depends on your seat. The good seats will be adequate; the distant view seats will be distant. If you bring binoculars you'll probably be able to enjoy the game from most parts of the stadium. To me, however, the key here is being in the building, at the Final Four, which is an amazing feeling, especially if you've never done it before.

[SharkD]

Up until last year, Final Fours in domes placed the court in one corner of the stadium, and didn't sell the seats on the far side, so that the crowd was around 45,000 or so, and about half the seats were good ones. I had great seats, for example, for the 1989 Final Four in Seattle, the 1991 Final Four in Indy, the 1992 Final Four in Minneapolis, the 1999 Final Four in St. Pete, the 2004 Final Four in San Antonio, and the championship game in 2008. The exception to this was New Orleans, where for some reason they put the court in the middle, allowing them to sell 70,000+ seats, but none of them truly good ones. For the 1993 Final Four in New Orleans, I sat in the second row (in the end zone) and was so far from the court I had to watch most of the game on the jumbotron.

I guess I'm spoiled for having only attended the 1994 Final Four, which was played in a true basketball arena, the last one to host the Final Four. Ironically, the Coliseum felt more intimate than the smaller Thompson-Boling, which hosted the regional that year.