TBA Student Seating

#1
RockyTop572

RockyTop572

Speaker of truth.
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#1
I was just wondering what yall thought about the student seating at TBA. Student seating is obviously a huge part of home court advantages and a lot of talk has been made recently of: 1. students not filling their quota of seats 2. the upper deck being used to house part of the student section and 3. the new proposed online registration system. What are yalls thoughts?
 
#2
#2
RockyTop572 said:
I was just wondering what yall thought about the student seating at TBA. Student seating is obviously a huge part of home court advantages and a lot of talk has been made recently of: 1. students not filling their quota of seats 2. the upper deck being used to house part of the student section and 3. the new proposed online registration system. What are yalls thoughts?
Click to expand...

The only thing worse than a gapping hole in the upper deck of TBA is a gapping hole in the LOWER deck of the arena.
 
#3
#3
adidasorange said:
The only thing worse than a gapping hole in the upper deck of TBA is a gapping hole in the LOWER deck of the arena.
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There hasn't been a gaping hole in the lower deck once all season. The seats that aren't getting filled are at the top and that's because students are getting to the arena, swiping their cards, seeing all that's left, and deciding to go watch it on TV. I'm not saying that's the right thing for them to do I'm just saying that's what's happening.
 
#4
#4
RockyTop572 said:
There hasn't been a gaping hole in the lower deck once all season. The seats that aren't getting filled are at the top and that's because students are getting to the arena, swiping their cards, seeing all that's left, and deciding to go watch it on TV. I'm not saying that's the right thing for them to do I'm just saying that's what's happening.
Click to expand...

Well, what are you suggesting then with your Pt #2???

Sounds to me like your suggesting more students in the lower deck.

I'm just telling you the consequences of that.
 
#5
#5
I'm a current student and I agree with RockyTop. MANY students (not me haha) are showing up and not wanting to hike to the upper deck when they can watch on tv. Other students just assume we will win every game so why bother and show up.

Also, a lot of students have the impression (falsely) that in order to get any seat you have to show up 2 hours before tip. Granted, in order to get seats in the front 10 rows you have to do that, but I think that is a good thing. It ensures that the fans that actually care about the game are in front, not the ones that constantly complain about standing up in the student section. That's one reason I'm against any ticket system unless its still general admission.

I used to think it would be a great idea to fill both sides of the court with a Rocky Top Rowdies section (the standing student section behind the goal). Now I have serious doubts that both would be filled.
Haha maybe at half time, we could switch the student section with the fans.
 
#6
#6
until they fill their allotted seats there should be no change.
 
#7
#7
When you literally can't see the court from some of the allotted seats, you can expect no change.
 
#8
#8
Haha that's actually true. I had a friend that wouldn't stop complaining about that after the Mississippi game.
He ended up in the "obstructed view" seats.
 
#9
#9
I'd rather the students be along the sides of the court, too, but it's unrealistic to expect Hamilton to take those seats away from paying customers and give them to students for free when the students can't be bothered to use what they have now.

I watched Wade Houston basketball from up there. Come on, guys.
 
#10
#10
That's what I've thought. Yes it would be nice to have the seats wrapping around the court, or at least move the section to straight back behind the goal, but it's not going to happen any time soon.
Especially when the alumni that helped purchase TBA are in those seats.
 
#11
#11
OK, here is my question about the student seats, if I was a student and I wanted to sit in the lower arena behind the basket, does that require me to just show up earlier or do I have to be an upperclassman or what?
 
#12
#12
I don't think you understand. Many of the seats have no visual line to the court due to the screens and stat boards in the corners, and/or the giant jumbotron device hanging from the middle of the arena. You don't watch anything live, except maybe the edges of the court. You watch the jumbotron screen. Hence, you might as well watch it on TV and you turn around and go home.
 
#13
#13
Ohiovol09 said:
OK, here is my question about the student seats, if I was a student and I wanted to sit in the lower arena behind the basket, does that require me to just show up earlier or do I have to be an upperclassman or what?
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It is 99% first come, first serve. Keep in mind, less than half of the student allotment is in the lower deck. Many people just turn around and leave if they can't get in down there. There is usually a pretty good sized mob two or more hours before the game, trying to get those seats. That is why I think it is funny to hear people bash the students, when I know hundreds of us stand outside in February hours before the game to get in.
 
#14
#14
So basically, if you show up outside about 2 hours prior to tipoff, a student can get those seats? How many hours prior to tipoff do they open the gates?
 
#15
#15
The section behind the basket is actually easier to get into than the section with the seats. To me it makes no sense- I love to heckle the players and be as close as possible, but 9 times out of 10, the section behind the goal fills up after the lower level seats.
 
#16
#16
yeah, it's ridiculous.

why would i get there an hour and a half early. watch everyone in front of my throw down jackets over 6 seats that stay empty until tip off and i get stuck in the upper deck for 90 minutes pregame?

they need to go ticket distribution or there will be even less students next season.
 
#17
#17
Gates open 90 minutes before tip.
Depending on the game you get there between 2-4 hours early.
For Florida its the worst. People camp out and skip class all day.
 
#18
#18
If they have made changes to the arena such that you cannot see the court from up there, and if those obstructed seats are the only ones that are not being used, then I take back my criticism of the students.

There were 1400 unused student tickets at the Florida game. Are all of those seats obstructed?
 
#19
#19
Why dont they just do an online registration for the more die-hard fans to register and get seats in the lower arena, and then for the students that just want to casually watch the game or that dont register, have them sit in the upper arena. If you are a registered student and you do not show up for a game, you could be penalized or something... I read an article with a similar idea to fix the student seating.
 
#20
#20
Ohiovol09 said:
OK, here is my question about the student seats, if I was a student and I wanted to sit in the lower arena behind the basket, does that require me to just show up earlier or do I have to be an upperclassman or what?
Click to expand...

I go an hour to 45 minutes early and get usually anywhere from the 5th-10th row up behind the basket. And anyone can sit there. Hell you could go at game time and still get a seat down behind the basket...it would just be up at the top of the students section behind the basket. As for the subject, we need to kick the geesers along the sidelines out and move the student section there like every other college. It would make our arena much louder. Won't happen, but it should.

Edit: This differs for various opponents of course but it's the norm
 
#22
#22
Ohiovol09 said:
So basically, if you show up outside about 2 hours prior to tipoff, a student can get those seats? How many hours prior to tipoff do they open the gates?
Click to expand...

Gates open an hour and a half before games.

Bruce Pearl usually hands out pizzas to students who get there 3 to 4 hours before the gates open.

Some SEC games, people camp out and stay there all day.

Usually good seats can be had if you show up about 2 and a half hours before tip-off, depending on the opponent.
 
#23
#23
For Florida, Im not sure how many were in the obstructed view section and how many were just upper deck.

I like that we have to wait outside and work for our seats. I think it would be intimidating to walk in and see that corner of the arena packed with rabid students (aka the Mississippi game this year).

It's great when the opposing team is going through shoot around and getting heckled. I've had conversations with opposing players (by that I mean we've yelled back and forth at each other). That's awesome.

With ticket distribution it wouldn't matter how early I got there, I could be banished to the upper deck. I don't like that.
 
#24
#24
OK, here is my next question, are there any other lower arena seats for students than the ones behind the basket?... I have been to many UT bball games but none at TBA... making the first trip to TBA against Kentucky
 
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