Who's NOT Going?

[uh_no]

So friends and I in the durham area are trying to figure out where we would want to watch.

1) It's claimed that you'll need a duke card to get on campus, and "undergraduate and graduate students"will be allowed in cameron. Does anyone know if they swiped or just checked cards?
2) It's also claimed that you'll only need to show a card to get on campus....which means failing watching the game in cameron, it would be nice to be somewhere near by should an abundance combustion reactions take place. Is there anywhere within walking distance of west campus suitable for watching the game? (less the bull durham)
3) I've been to tobacco road for big games (UNC), and I"m assuming it will be ridiculously nuts for a REALLY...like get there at 4pm to get a table for the game nuts. Having never been around for a national championship game, where would be the good places to be? I've heard fullsteam suggested, do they show the games?

Basically, where are y'all watching?

[blazindw]

So friends and I in the durham area are trying to figure out where we would want to watch.

1) It's claimed that you'll need a duke card to get on campus, and "undergraduate and graduate students"will be allowed in cameron. Does anyone know if they swiped or just checked cards?
2) It's also claimed that you'll only need to show a card to get on campus....which means failing watching the game in cameron, it would be nice to be somewhere near by should an abundance combustion reactions take place. Is there anywhere within walking distance of west campus suitable for watching the game? (less the bull durham)
3) I've been to tobacco road for big games (UNC), and I"m assuming it will be ridiculously nuts for a REALLY...like get there at 4pm to get a table for the game nuts. Having never been around for a national championship game, where would be the good places to be? I've heard fullsteam suggested, do they show the games?

Basically, where are y'all watching?

I believe for alums, there is a watch party at the Washington Duke.

This map shows every Duke watch party in the world...everyone check this map out and find the one nearest you!

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=zUtQ0nTl5eZ4.k_8iZ_bSCgLY

[CDu]

And here I thought this was going to be another thread about Kentucky...

[DU82]

I believe for alums, there is a watch party at the Washington Duke.

This map shows every Duke watch party in the world...everyone check this map out and find the one nearest you!

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=zUtQ0nTl5eZ4.k_8iZ_bSCgLY

They missed one watch party. Lucas Oil Stadium.

[Newton_14]

I believe for alums, there is a watch party at the Washington Duke.

This map shows every Duke watch party in the world...everyone check this map out and find the one nearest you!

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=zUtQ0nTl5eZ4.k_8iZ_bSCgLY

D, assuming this one is also private and not open to fans?


Either way, I will likely be watching at home, but was curious nonetheless.

But, the Newton_14 home is open to any DBR's that want to join me! 60 in HDTV with great picture. :)

[weezie]

They missed one watch party. Lucas Oil Stadium.

I'm nominating myself for Life Of That Party in advance.

[Newton_14]

I'm nominating myself for Life Of That Party in advance.

Question to those fortunate souls that are in Indy... do any of you have decent seats? I texted with Kedsy last night and he is close to the top of the lower level but at least has a decent viewing angle.

There was a large Duke contingent in the section behind the Duke bench last night but I assume most those are parents, friends of the players, former Duke players, etc.

It looked like Native and his fellow students were directly behind the basket that Duke shot on in the second half.

What say ye? Are you seats good enough to have a decent view of the action?

[weezie]

No, the ID seats are terrible. There was great consternation in our section 245 as people found their seats to be across from bench but hard angle to left rear of basket. We have some level one and two donors who were/are furious. Others in 244 upsold for better elsewhere in arena. Plenty of people bought from brokers in that section so it's fairly obvious the IDs have no bite to their bark. Folks are clearly selling, at a hefty premium, what Duke allows them to buy.

So def the home TV is a far better viewing experience. Now if I had a spare 100k to give on a yearly basis, I might not sound so grumpy, but we're here so I gots to roll with it.

[blazindw]

D, assuming this one is also private and not open to fans?


Either way, I will likely be watching at home, but was curious nonetheless.

But, the Newton_14 home is open to any DBR's that want to join me! 60 in HDTV with great picture. :)

I am not sure...the alumni watch parties in the various cities are open to anyone, fan or alumni, but I'm not sure about the Washington Duke party specifically.

[Newton_14]

No, the ID seats are terrible. There was great consternation in our section 245 as people found their seats to be across from bench but hard angle to left rear of basket. We have some level one and two donors who were/are furious. Others in 244 upsold for better elsewhere in arena. Plenty of people bought from brokers in that section so it's fairly obvious the IDs have no bite to their bark. Folks are clearly selling, at a hefty premium, what Duke allows them to buy.

So def the home TV is a far better viewing experience. Now if I had a spare 100k to give on a yearly basis, I might not sound so grumpy, but we're here so I gots to roll with it.

Wow. Sorry to hear that Weezie. Being at a game is normally such a great experience, but the money-whore NCAA has ruined the Final Four for College Basketball fans in my opinion. Basketball should be played in a basketball arena, period. I have said it many times before, but it needs to be repeated loudly, and often. It is not fair to the players or the college fans. You don't see the NBA Finals played in a Football Stadium. It would be absurd and the Players Union would never allow it. The NCAA makes plenty of money off of the tourney and they don't need to play these games in Football Domes to survive. If they want to play the Final Four in an NBA arena, then fine, but the practice of using not only Football Stadiums, but the largest of the large Football Stadiums should be stopped.

When the alums of the four schools get put in nosebleeds with terrible angles, so that the rich corporate fat cats can have prime seats, that is a problem. There should be alums/school fans in the good seats, and those attending with no allegiance to any of the four schools should be put elsewhere. At least the students are in the endzones but even there, the court is above you and there is no elevation in the seats as you go from front row to back row. the last row is no higher up than the front row which sucks.

Sorry you guys got done wrong like that. It just isn't right. You spend all that money to go and end up with a terrible viewing experience.

[royalblue]

I was in 220 last night but have upgraded to 116 for Mon eve 220 is an ok seat 116 looks to be very good
A win on Monday would really make Indy "Our House"

[hurleyfor3]

I'm nominating myself for Life Of That Party in advance.

Is that due to whom you're partying with?

[blazindw]

Wow. Sorry to hear that Weezie. Being at a game is normally such a great experience, but the money-whore NCAA has ruined the Final Four for College Basketball fans in my opinion. Basketball should be played in a basketball arena, period. I have said it many times before, but it needs to be repeated loudly, and often. It is not fair to the players or the college fans. You don't see the NBA Finals played in a Football Stadium. It would be absurd and the Players Union would never allow it. The NCAA makes plenty of money off of the tourney and they don't need to play these games in Football Domes to survive. If they want to play the Final Four in an NBA arena, then fine, but the practice of using not only Football Stadiums, but the largest of the large Football Stadiums should be stopped.

When the alums of the four schools get put in nosebleeds with terrible angles, so that the rich corporate fat cats can have prime seats, that is a problem. There should be alums/school fans in the good seats, and those attending with no allegiance to any of the four schools should be put elsewhere. At least the students are in the endzones but even there, the court is above you and there is no elevation in the seats as you go from front row to back row. the last row is no higher up than the front row which sucks.

Sorry you guys got done wrong like that. It just isn't right. You spend all that money to go and end up with a terrible viewing experience.

There's two sides to that coin though...if the Final Fours are played in basketball arenas, then there would be tens of thousands of people who may want to go to a Final Four but would never be able to afford it. The happy medium may be the football stadium setup where the floor is set up in one endzone and you end up using only half the stadium. There, you can still maintain sightlines and still get as many people in as you can fit.

[uh_no]

There's two sides to that coin though...if the Final Fours are played in basketball arenas, then there would be tens of thousands of people who may want to go to a Final Four but would never be able to afford it. The happy medium may be the football stadium setup where the floor is set up in one endzone and you end up using only half the stadium. There, you can still maintain sightlines and still get as many people in as you can fit.

the big curtain usually looks terrible, though, IMO.

the real answer is someone needs to build a 100k seat stadium specifically for basketball, and the final 4 can be there every year.

Heck I'd even be open to allowing hockey

[weezie]

Is that due to whom you're partying with?

Absolutely!

Wait a sec, trying to pull a fast one, I caught you....

[Tripping William]

We grabbed reservations for tomorrow night at the WaDuke early last week (after beating Gonzaga), intend to roll into Durham mid-afternoon and, from there, just make the best of what's around. :)

[DU82]

No, the ID seats are terrible. There was great consternation in our section 245 as people found their seats to be across from bench but hard angle to left rear of basket. We have some level one and two donors who were/are furious. Others in 244 upsold for better elsewhere in arena. Plenty of people bought from brokers in that section so it's fairly obvious the IDs have no bite to their bark. Folks are clearly selling, at a hefty premium, what Duke allows them to buy.

So def the home TV is a far better viewing experience. Now if I had a spare 100k to give on a yearly basis, I might not sound so grumpy, but we're here so I gots to roll with it.

Better than a ID group four who was told the ordering window was 11-1, got back to his computer (after landing from HOuston and the Regional) at 12:45 to find out that Duke sold their allotment. Put on a "waiting list" by tHe IDs, then not hearing a single thing from them the rest of the week. (At least I, I mean he, was covered by others ordering earlier.)

The busiest stand in the place was probably the binocular rental, at $10 a day.

(I'm guessing the worst seats for actually watching the game were the back row student ones, especially for the shorter students.) (ETA: Newton14 already mentioned this.)

Basketball wasn't made to watch in a football stadium. But then the NCAA couldn't brag about the 72K people there, biggest crowd to "see" a college ball game in history live.

[MarkD83]

And here I thought this was going to be another thread about Kentucky...

You mean like this...I don't see a watch party in Lexington, KY or anywhere else in Ky.

[howardlander]

I believe for alums, there is a watch party at the Washington Duke.

We were at the Washington Duke last night. I don't think it was just for alums. Certainly no one was checking. I suppose that could change for tomorrow, but nobody said anything abut that.

Howard

[blazindw]

the big curtain usually looks terrible, though, IMO.

the real answer is someone needs to build a 100k seat stadium specifically for basketball, and the final 4 can be there every year.

Heck I'd even be open to allowing hockey

You're thinking of how they did it in NRG Stadium in Houston this year. I'm thinking of how it's done in the Carrier Dome or how they set up the Georgia Dome for the Champions Classic, where there usually isn't a curtain. The length of the court goes across the endzone and there are temporary stands on the other side of the court. Usually allows for about 30-35K fans and the sightlines for people in the lower bowl are pretty good.

[NSDukeFan]

I believe for alums, there is a watch party at the Washington Duke.

This map shows every Duke watch party in the world...everyone check this map out and find the one nearest you!

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=zUtQ0nTl5eZ4.k_8iZ_bSCgLY

Don't think I'll make the 10&1/2 hour drive to Boston, so I think I will continue with my living room with good selection of craft beers. The rest of the house should be asleep so I should be able to watch live and crazietalk.

[burnspbesq]

After a terrible experience at the women's FF in Atlanta in 2003, I said "never again."

At least the Angels open on the road, so that traffic around the ESPN Zone at Downtown Disney will be semi-manageable if I decide to watch there.

[sagegrouse]

Where is the team staying, in case I want to stop by tomorrow night?

I am about twice as far from the court as five years ago, but my Zeiss 10x42 binoculars work really great.

[hurleyfor3]

I am about twice as far from the court as five years ago

Everyone is, unless you're a partner in a private-equity firm. Center court in that stadium is clearly redshifting.

[Thurber Whyte]

No, the ID seats are terrible. There was great consternation in our section 245 as people found their seats to be across from bench but hard angle to left rear of basket. We have some level one and two donors who were/are furious. Others in 244 upsold for better elsewhere in arena. Plenty of people bought from brokers in that section so it's fairly obvious the IDs have no bite to their bark. Folks are clearly selling, at a hefty premium, what Duke allows them to buy.

So def the home TV is a far better viewing experience. Now if I had a spare 100k to give on a yearly basis, I might not sound so grumpy, but we're here so I gots to roll with it.

I am glad I came. It is a great atmosphere and I have seats I am happy with.

I am small potatoes in the Iron Dukes so I was not able to get a ticket through them. They sent around a link to the NCAA's official exchange and that is how I got my seat. I am in the 500s, which is the lower upper deck, and I am on the sideline at about what would be the endzone of the football field. I am actually located right above the Duke section. Being higher up helps. I can see the action just fine. I would not like to be any lower because I am not sure I would be happy with the sight lines. Even so, my agenda was to get into the building so, if I had had the opportunty to buy a ticket at face value through the Iron Dukes, I would probably still have been happy. My strategy in buying through the ticket excahnge was to find the best cheap seat I could find and I think I got the best combination of value and quality I could. The irony is that seats in the lower bowl similar to those distributed to each of the schools, the ones that some of the Iron Dukes members are unhappy with, were going for twice what I paid and many times face value on the exchange.

Yes, the players are much farther away than they would be in a typical basketball arena. However, the way I look at is that I like to watch football live and it is no different than watching football players when they are lined up at midfield. Indeed, they never stray past the 30 yard line if they are downfield of you. If you can follow a baseball from the upper deck, a big orange ball is even easier. I echo the sentiment that, if the game were not played in a huge stadium like this, the prices for seats, especially on the secondary market, would be prohibitive to most fans.

This is my first Final Four. I have been to two bowl games and three lacrosse final fours to support Duke teams (how lucky are we as fans of college sports in our choice of college!) and enjoyed each imensely, but this tops them all in terms of fan experience.

[Stray Gator]

Where is the team staying, in case I want to stop by tomorrow night?

I am about twice as far from the court as five years ago, but my Zeiss 10x42 binoculars work really great.

The team is staying at the Sheraton.

Our seats are located about 10 rows further back and a full section further removed from midcourt than our seats at the 2010 games. But a few friends who have even higher priority have also moved back and over relatively the same distance. While I can't guarantee that the information is from an authoritative source, I understand that this "migration backward" of the seats purchased through the Iron Dukes is mainly a function of (a) the NCAA allocating the front portions of some of our Level 1 sections to other fans (the area in front of us looked like mostly a mix of Wisconsin and Kentucky fans, who probably purchased those tickets on the open market from the original recipients, which I'm guessing may have been event sponsors); (b) the fact that more seats went to the team (including coaches, players, managers, etc. and their family members): and (c) the extraordinary demand for tickets from the Priority 1 and 2 Iron Dukes. From what I can tell, it appears that, due to the confluence of these factors, all of the Iron Dukes ended up with less desirable seats than they had in 2010. And since our section is, as in 2010, on the side opposite the team benches, we also suffer the disadvantage of being separated from the floor by the numerous rows of press tables.

[Stray Gator]

Everyone is, unless you're a partner in a private-equity firm. Center court in that stadium is clearly redshifting.

Keep in mind that the center sections on the side with the team benches at the Final Four are always reserved for the coaches attending the NABC Convention.

[hurleyfor3]

Keep in mind that the center sections on the side with the team benches at the Final Four are always reserved for the coaches attending the NABC Convention.

Like Mitt Romney?

[captmojo]

Could be worse.
We've come a LONG way from the Astrodome.

[blazindw]

Also, here are the official watch party venues for several Duke alumni chapters. Check to see if the city you're in is listed:

http://dukealumni.com/alumni-communities/regional-programming/hoops-watch

[UrinalCake]

I was at the watch party in Cameron on Saturday and they definitely do swipe ID's. The video quality wasn't great on the scoreboard, and the announcers were a little hard to understand. Still, it was great to be surrounded by fellow Duke fans. My wife is a grad student and got an email from Sue Wasiolek stating that they would be checking ID's around campus today. I guess they don't want random people wandering around campus.

[Tripping William]

The WaDuke scene is great. Projection screen TVs on the terrace, flat screens scattered about, a buffet food option, good local draft beer, etc. And the weather outside is awesome right now.

[The Gordog]

I believe for alums, there is a watch party at the Washington Duke.

This map shows every Duke watch party in the world...everyone check this map out and find the one nearest you!

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=zUtQ0nTl5eZ4.k_8iZ_bSCgLY

At Laughing Man now. It's nearly full. Good party DW and all your minions.