What is the worst SEC basketball arena
- Thread starter Dinkle
- Start date
Ranked IMO
1. Kentucky - Rupp
2. Arkansas - Bud Walton
3. Vanderbilt - Memorial
4. Tennessee - "The Summitt"
5. LSU- Pete Marovich
6. Florida - Swamp Jr
7 Mississippi St. - The Hump for Hoops
8. Alabama - Coleman
9. South Carolina - never been ?
10. Auburn - booo , next year should move them up a couple of spots
11. Georgia - uhhh, i think about 2k is there average attendance
12. Ole Miss - high school gymnasium
1. Kentucky - Rupp
2. Arkansas - Bud Walton
3. Vanderbilt - Memorial
4. Tennessee - "The Summitt"
5. LSU- Pete Marovich
6. Florida - Swamp Jr
7 Mississippi St. - The Hump for Hoops
8. Alabama - Coleman
9. South Carolina - never been ?
10. Auburn - booo , next year should move them up a couple of spots
11. Georgia - uhhh, i think about 2k is there average attendance
12. Ole Miss - high school gymnasium
Out of the six arenas I've been to.
Vanderbilt. It's just so unique and fun.
Alabama-Tuscaloosa. The broken up "ROLL TIDE" on the scoreboards are pretty lame, though.
Tennessee-Knoxville (pre-renovation). Nothing special here, just big. Haven't been since the changes, though.
Georgia. Unique design. Small. Only one video screen. Not bad, though.
Auburn. It's age shows through.
Mississippi. Dump. Dump. Dump.
Vanderbilt. It's just so unique and fun.
Alabama-Tuscaloosa. The broken up "ROLL TIDE" on the scoreboards are pretty lame, though.
Tennessee-Knoxville (pre-renovation). Nothing special here, just big. Haven't been since the changes, though.
Georgia. Unique design. Small. Only one video screen. Not bad, though.
Auburn. It's age shows through.
Mississippi. Dump. Dump. Dump.
You can't really say Tad Smith hands down unless you've also been to Georgia and Auburn. That said, it's definitely one of the three. I still think Tad Smith could be fine if they'd completely update the concourse and improve the lighting, but we aren't making that kind of investment anytime soon.
That place is AWFUL. I was there for the 49pt loss, and I wasn't even facing the court. Had to turn my head to see the action. That's a HUGE drop off from The Hump to the airplane hanger that alabama has. I would rank South Carolina ahead of them by default.
And I went to Vandy, and it was interesting, but the only thing I really liked was their "hall of fame" section. I was in the upper deck and our section was in a little boxed room. I wasn't fond of it. Nice place, new facility, just not too fond of the upper deck layout.
And I went to Vandy, and it was interesting, but the only thing I really liked was their "hall of fame" section. I was in the upper deck and our section was in a little boxed room. I wasn't fond of it. Nice place, new facility, just not too fond of the upper deck layout.
I think Auburn's gym is worse than the Tad Pad. It looks like the arena was built for something other than basketball the way the seats stretch so far away from the court. And it is never even half full. Of the one's I've been to, Vandy is my favorite just for the uniqueness of it. Bama is an airplane hanger, Auburn and Ole Miss are dumps, LSU and the Hump are fairly equal in my opinion.
Ole Miss and Auburn are neck and neck for the worst. The lamest feature of Ole Miss is the horrible Ole Miss hologram thing on the ceiling of the Pad. The lamest feature at Auburn are the sections of seats curtained off so maybe you won't know there are a couple thousand MORE empty seats. UGA is close in that race too. Stegeman is not only bad, but they almost always suck. I am also not a fan of the O'Connell Center but it's been about 10 years since I've been there so maybe I need to go back. My favorites are Rupp, LSU, and of course the Hump. Bama is bad but at least it's not a complete dump like the other three. Vandy is.....interesting. They turn the lights off in the upper deck so it's hard to see if you have a game program or scorecard (yes sometimes I keep score). I've always thought that the Hump was one of the best arenas to watch a game. All the seats are good, even the ones that Desoto and MSU87 sit in.
I have never been to Auburn, so I can't judge it, but the Tad Pad and Stegeman are both horrible. I have seen Sun Belt schools with nicer arenas.
The home of Ole Miss basketball is C.M. "Tad" Smith Coliseum, and the Coliseum, affectionately known as the "Tad Pad," has become one of the toughest arenas in the country for opponents to play. Named for the legendary Ole Miss athlete, coach and athletics director, the Coliseum opened in 1966.MEN 1. 9,452 vs. Alabama 2-10-07 (W, 75-69) 2. 9,328 vs. LSU 1-12-08 (W, 74-71) 3. 9,321 vs. Kentucky 2-11-81 (L, 62-55) 4. 9,318 vs. Mississippi State, 1-19-80 (W, 75-64) 5. 9,311 vs. Alabama 3-3-02 (W, 84-56) 6. 9,304 vs. Florida 1-16-08 (W, 89-87) 7. 9,224 vs. Mississippi State 1-12-02 (W, 66-59) 8. 9,217 vs. Memphis 12-7-01 (W, 71-67) 9. 9,210 vs. Tennessee 1-8-83 (W, 56-55) 10. 9,167 vs. Mississippi State 2-20-08 (W, 74-63) I don't care the place is a **** hole
The worst to me is Vandy. The concourse is nice and the place looks good, but I'm not there for that. I'm there to watch basketball, and the sitting in a dark box overlooking the game from above thing is lame. Bama's is next because, again, I'm there to watch basketball, and I want my seat to actually face the floor. Ole Miss and Auburn equally sucked, but Ole Miss' crowd is at least capable of getting into the game (maybe just against us, I don't know). Auburn's crowd was awful, and I was there when we were a top 10 team, and the game was really close.
The Hump is like what pro sports arenas were before they went to luxury box city. Reunion Arena in Dallas was The Hump, just with more people. Lots of folks in a relatively small space, practically on top of the court. The atmosphere doesn't get any better than that.
Unfortunately, revenue needs have made modern arenas a lot more airy. The stands slope away from the court at a much shallower angle, putting lower deck fans and the fans above them as far away from the action as possible. Also, the upper deck is higher off the ground to make room for a middle tier often multi-story suites filled with people who don't give much of a damn except for displaying their status.
The likes of American Airlines Center which replaced Reunion Arena is incapable of being loud without the injection of fan noise through loudspeakers. It would be tragic to see college arenas go that way.
Unfortunately, revenue needs have made modern arenas a lot more airy. The stands slope away from the court at a much shallower angle, putting lower deck fans and the fans above them as far away from the action as possible. Also, the upper deck is higher off the ground to make room for a middle tier often multi-story suites filled with people who don't give much of a damn except for displaying their status.
The likes of American Airlines Center which replaced Reunion Arena is incapable of being loud without the injection of fan noise through loudspeakers. It would be tragic to see college arenas go that way.
FlabLoser said:
When I attended the George Mason game in Starkville a few years ago and sat a few rows up from the floor in the lower level, I felt I was on the court. Contrast that to the arena in New Orleans with its size and multi-levels and you lose that intimacy. The $ is king and you will see more arenas retrofitted with suites (Tennessee) or newly constructed.
The Colonial Center is not just an athletic arena. The basketball team is one of the main users of the building but it is much more of a multi purpose facility. That being said, it is sweet. And the thing is, the one they had before that (Carolina Coliseum i think?) was nice too.
and there is little doubt among people that have visited them all that Oxford and Auburn are the two fighting for worst.
I'm not sure how you can have LSU as your favorite, I always thought that place was a big dump as well. Bud Walton and Rupp are nice because they are big, loud, and always full. I don't really like the upper deck bleacher areas at Rupp, I think they look tacky. The colonial center is nice as well, especially since we've won every time I've been there. Like everything else at Tennessee, their place is way too orange so I hate it as well.
Here is the Brutius rankings (from worst to first)
OleMiss
Auburn
LSU
Georgia
Tennessee
Vanderbilt
Alabama
Florida
MSU
USC
UK
Arkansas
I'm not sure how you can have LSU as your favorite, I always thought that place was a big dump as well. Bud Walton and Rupp are nice because they are big, loud, and always full. I don't really like the upper deck bleacher areas at Rupp, I think they look tacky. The colonial center is nice as well, especially since we've won every time I've been there. Like everything else at Tennessee, their place is way too orange so I hate it as well.
Here is the Brutius rankings (from worst to first)
OleMiss
Auburn
LSU
Georgia
Tennessee
Vanderbilt
Alabama
Florida
MSU
USC
UK
Arkansas
I had a press pass for Saturday's OM/VU game in Memorial and it astonishes me to see such an old building as that still have superior facilities. And SPACE. Jesus Christ, why is the Tad Pad so small?
Off topic a bit, but Conseco Fieldhouse is the best venue for basketball I've ever been in.
Best on campus I've been to is the Dean Dome.
Cameron Indoor has its charm, but it's basically a dump.
Best on campus I've been to is the Dean Dome.
Cameron Indoor has its charm, but it's basically a dump.