Just a few minutes to tip now. I'm on press row, which is on the second deck in the northeast corner.
Because the ribbon-cutting started about 45 minutes late, I didn't get as much time as I hoped to explore. But I did post a bunch of pictures on Twitter. Check them out:
@WildcatReport
Walking around, though, it's difficult to even figure out where things used to be. The bump outs on each side make such a difference in terms of the size of concourses. That's gonna be great for fans. They also have a lot more concessions areas (and the already famous potato bar) and bathrooms.
They used all of the space on the north end that used to house the locker rooms and practice facilities. So the seating areas around the court is so much wider. Seating rows are a lot less steep than they used to be -- and, of course, they're seats and not benches. They have stool seating along the rails near the main concession stand, too.
The Wilson Club for the high rollers is REALLY nice. It has glass walls so they can watch the game from inside. It's like an upscale restaurant, with a nice buffet counter with beer taps, and then a seating area with tables. Then they have a walkout area where they can sit and watch the game along the rail, outside the club.
As I said earlier, it reminds me of Wintrust Arena, DePaul's home court that opened last year. This is more like an arena, though, while that felt more like a hotel ballroom that got converted. It's VERY purple in here, too. Looks great.
As far as the media goes, it's the same old, same old: Hecky's pulled pork sandwiches and chips.
Patrick Baldwin Jr. is here, along with his parents (Pat Sr. came back home). He is LONG and thin. I saw Max Christie, too.
