As long as the capacity stays above 10,000, I don't think there's any way a renovated Fifth Third Arena could have a negative impact on realignment or recruiting. I would prefer 11-12k, as I believe we could get back to that point eventually, but 10,000+ is fine. The days of averaging 12-13k for us are probably over regardless of what happens. Attendance has been trending downward nationwide for a long time now and the Bengals, Reds, and Bearcats football are MUCH more competitive than they were during the Huggins era -- meaning more competition for entertainment dollars.

I think Cinci is going in the right direction. If you going to spend the money, then do it on something you control 100%. I did just an overhead look of the arena and it looks to be roughly the same as USFs in total sq footage but just a bit larger. I think were at about 10,400 so I dont doubt depending on design that you could do over 11K.

Awesome move by your school. Your really dropping the cash and building quality. We got the SunDome looking top notch, just hoping our AD can now get the $150 million for our stadium but I think its a ways away.

UC 2013-14 5/3rd Arena Basketball Attendance

UNC Central 6,532
NC State 7,028
Appalachian st 6,194
Campbell 6,011
Umass Lowell 5,477
Kennesaw St 6,627
USC Upstate 5,113
Middle Tenn St 5,424
Chicago St 5,564
Nebraska 8,254

SMU 7,239
Rutgers 10,872
Temple 9,864
UCF 10,242
USF 10,367
UConn 12,432
Houston 13,167
Louisville 13,167
Memphis 13,167

Total Average 8,565
Non Conf Avg 6,222
Conf Avg 11,169



As you can see UC attendance between non conf games in Nov and Dec and conference games in Jan-Mar is night and day .

Reducing capacity from a 13k to around 10k … would make every conference game a “hot ticket” and thus able to charge more for a seat . Right now you can get season tickets in the upper bleachers for $99 a seat . Those days will be over . With the additional club seating and Suites, UC will probably double their revenue in a 10,000 seat premium arena , than the current 13,000 outdated facility.

"Houston 13,167
Louisville 13,167
Memphis 13,167"

Just like the good old days in CUSA, lol

When CUSA had Louisville, Memphis, Cincy, Marquette, St. Louis, Charlotte, and UAB....it was a pretty good hoops conference.

The bleachers in the upper areas are just bad, and since it was built as multi-purpose, the upper corner seats are really bad. Still, the place holds a lot of good memories of beer and basketball.

(11-03-2014 10:38 AM)mlb Wrote:  The arena was built with crappy bleachers and as a multipurpose facility. Therefore it wasn't built to be a great place for the people in the arena. Most of the seat loss will be due to removal of bleachers while also completing the lower bowl as a true bowl.

It was an awesome league.

(11-03-2014 03:27 PM)UofMemphis Wrote:  "Houston 13,167
Louisville 13,167
Memphis 13,167"

Just like the good old days in CUSA, lol

When CUSA had Louisville, Memphis, Cincy, Marquette, St. Louis, Charlotte, and UAB....it was a pretty good hoops conference.

(11-03-2014 05:49 PM)eastside cat Wrote:  It was an awesome league.

(11-03-2014 03:27 PM)UofMemphis Wrote:  "Houston 13,167
Louisville 13,167
Memphis 13,167"

Just like the good old days in CUSA, lol

When CUSA had Louisville, Memphis, Cincy, Marquette, St. Louis, Charlotte, and UAB....it was a pretty good hoops conference.

Cincy-Marquette, March 2002, one of the greatest hoops games I have ever seen.

This is going to be INSANE nice when it's done. I think we end up with 10 or 11k seating which is perfect and with the team we should have in a year or two we are doing this at the perfect time.

Add in the Nip and UC is looking sharp

(11-03-2014 01:54 PM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  

(11-03-2014 01:38 PM)robertfoshizzle Wrote:  Renovating Fifth Third is the right move. The city and the owners of US Bank have done nothing to assure me they will do what is necessary to make it a viable arena. It's embarrassing that a metro area the size of Cincinnati has US Bank as its flagship arena. Only way I would move downtown if I'm UC is if they tear US Bank down and build a brand new arena with Cincinnati basketball as its primary tenant -- banners, memorabilia, color scheme, the whole nine yards.

^^^^^
THIS!!!

The larger issue is that the City of Cincinnati (and Hamilton County) refuse to take any responsibility for UC. UC is a gem, it is now the single largest employer in the City of Cincinnati, it is a top-notch University with a world-class Conservatory of Music. Hell, Neil Armstrong went to teach there after his astronaut days were over. But you rarely hear the City or the County brag on, work with, or value the University of Cincinnati. In fact, the history has been one of acrimony and obstruction between the City and the University. Benign Neglect is actually an improvement in the climate.

When UL needed a new arena, the City of Louisville bent over backwards to get an amazing new arena built for UL. When the University of Pittsburgh decided that old Pitt stadium was a liability, the City went to bat and designed Heinz Field as a joint-use facility between the Panthers and Steelers. (Not saying I want to go this route, but...) You would NEVER see this happen in Cincinnati. You just wouldn't. This City and County worked out a sweetheart deal for the Bengals (the Brown family, really...) and the Reds, but the Bearcats were never given thought. Again, hell, the Brown family ends up using the UC bubble facility for THEIR playoff practices.

When the City was courting the Republican National Convention and was looking to suddenly revamp USBank Arena, suddenly they expected the University to jump on board with $$$ and a commitment to move all the BB games downtown. They looked at the University as a tool, a means to an end. How about this... Build the damn arena for us, and then we'll talk. But the way things work in the Queen City, they'd build a brand-new arena on the back of the University, and then evict the Bearcats at the first possible opportunity.

No thanks. I'd rather spend the money on-campus.

Sounds like Temple's relationship/status in Philly.