Bobinski not able to land NCAA tournament games in Cincinnati

[XUOWNSUC]

The NCAA recently announced tournament sites for 2014 and 2015:

http://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2012-11-12/preliminary-round-sites-announced-2014-2015-ncaa-tournaments

I know Bobinski was working to get 2nd/3rd round NCAA tournament games to be played at US Bank Arena in 2014. I guess he wasn't successful. It's been a long time since Cincinnati has hosted a NCAA tournament game. It sucks that we have such a crappy arena downtown...

[GoMuskies]

Good for the NCAA.

[XUFan09]

Good for the NCAA.

Agreed.

[JAX 3758]

I am sorry but US Bank is a dump.

Actually I am not sorry. Place sucks

[xubrew]

I know someone has got to do it, but there is no reason to host NCAA Tournament games. The school has to put in a bid, and if they get it then their own team can't play there, which means that if you're NCAA Tournament that you'll probably be placed further away. Then, you get to set everything up in accordance with every ridiculous specification that the NCAA has for its championships (the court, the ticket distribution, the multiple press rooms, the video board specification, etc). You also get to do all the event management, and maybe you'll make back whatever money you spent on bidding to host. So, you're doing all this work on the NCAA's behalf free of charge.

No thanks. It's better to let UD or UC do it. That way we could be placed at the site and not have to worry about anything other than playing in the games. Playing in the games is much more important than hosting the games.

[BBC 08]

No thanks. It's better to let UD or UC do it.

I believe it was a joint bid with UC. I could be wrong though.

[Kahns Krazy]

My response is exactly the same as when the Olympics committee elected not to pursue Cincinnati as an Olympic site.

"Duh".

US Bank Arena is an undersized, bad sightline, outdated physical facility. The only place I would rank below US Bank to watch a basketball game is the Shoe.

[xubrew]

They actually don't care about any of that. If they'll put it at the Allstate Arena in Chicago, they'll put it anywhere if the school is willing to do the work for them.

[QueensbridgeMF]

MSG hosting NCAA's for first time in 53 years, East semis/finals in 2014. The entire 3 phase, $1 billion renovation will be completed next summer so that should be an awesome ticket. Even better if X is there.

[Smails]

It's the only arena i've been in where the luxury boxes are literally the worst seats in the house..

[ammtd34]

My response is exactly the same as when the Olympics committee elected not to pursue Cincinnati as an Olympic site.

"Duh".

US Bank Arena is an undersized, bad sightline, outdated physical facility. The only place I would rank below US Bank to watch a basketball game is the Shoe.

I hate US Bank, but I saw the Bucks play the Celtics last weekend at the BMO Harris Center in Milwaukee. That is the absolute worst arena I've ever seen.

[Masterofreality]

I am sorry but US Bank is a dump.

Actually I am not sorry. Place sucks

Yep, we've got games in Cleveland...including Regional Finals.

US Bunk Arena is Is a dump. No more NCAA's there.

Cincy needs a major league building like the Q to lure the Dance. Just fact.

[bigdiggins]

No-one is arguing that US Bank is a dump, but I can't see how the NCAA takes that into consideration. They allow UD Arena to host games. #sh!thole.

[Masterofreality]

No-one is arguing that US Bank is a dump, but I can't see how the NCAA takes that into consideration. They allow UD Arena to host games. #sh!thole.

UDump sells out the first four.

Enough said.

[paulxu]

No-one is arguing that US Bank is a dump, but I can't see how the NCAA takes that into consideration. They allow UD Arena to host games. #sh!thole.

It's because the home team can't play on their own court....so neither side has to worry about the games.

[danaandvictory]

Yep, we've got games in Cleveland...including Regional Finals.

US Bunk Arena is Is a dump. No more NCAA's there.

Cincy needs a major league building like the Q to lure the Dance. Just fact.

After the PBS debacle, I hope Cincinnati is well and truly out of the stadium-building business.

[GoMuskies]

I think Cincinnati did a perfectly competent job with GABP. Not great, but competent.

[Cheesehead]

I hate US Bank, but I saw the Bucks play the Celtics last weekend at the BMO Harris Center in Milwaukee. That is the absolute worst arena I've ever seen.

Having grown up in Milwaukee, I must partially agree. The Bradley (Allen-Bradley corp) family that literally paid for and donated the arena to the city wanted to lure an NHL team and the arena was designed for that. I went there several years ago and had my XU roommates come up over x-mas break to watch X play Marquette and we were in upper level and it literally felt like you were going to fall out of your seat and onto the court. The pitch was ridiculous. They have done some renovations to buy some time but it is now one of the oldest arenas in the NBA. The old MECAA arena was great but too small at 11,000 seats. That's where I watched Marquette games as a kid. Not a bad seat in there.

[coasterville95]

I can also see US Bank Arena's side.

They really have no incentive to try to modernize/expand/replace it. They have one major tenant, the Cyclones, and IIRC correctly they don't even use the 200 level. Until your main tenant is selling out games on a regular basis, no reason to expand. As long as Hockey doesn't demand the modern ammenities both front and back of house, they have no need to foot the bill. And if the Cyclones can't fill the seats from hockey deprived Columbus Blue Jackets fans right now...

Every now and again they host an NBA exhibition game, and play to a half full house. Can you really argue that if somebody dropped an ultra modern state of the start 28,000 seat multi purpose arena in that they would suddenly have the interest and support it would take to attract an NHL and NBA franchise to fill the seats and make it worth while?

Outside of the Cyclones they draw the Disney Ice shows, the circus, and a few concerts and novelty acts. Arena shows aren't selling like they were. US Bank's main competitor in the arena business right now might be NKU. I'm sure part of that is newer facility, but also because a 9,000 seat arena makes the smaller crowds look stronger. I don't know if Xavier just isn't interested in becoming a major player in the arena show business, instead focussing on basketball, or if its the parking and distance from the freeways that are keeping promoters away.

Really the best thing to happen to US Bank Arena short term is for UC to move ahead with the Shoemaker replaceemnt project (yeah right, given the state of the athletics budget over there), and for UC to have to move all their games down there for a season or three. Then again, given UC's attendance maybe that wouldn't help.

Point is though - US Bank Arena seems to be right sized for the market, and until the Cyclones or their other book in acts demand a more modern venue, they have no need or incentive to really do anything with it. I think the NCAA toruney idea gets batted around every couple years, and one time they gave a cost estimate on behind the scenes upgrades (media rooms, technology hook ups, practice facilities, that kind of thing) that would make it cost prohibitive, and not the kind of thing you want to spend capital dollars on. I did note they seemed to have replaced the video boards in the scorecube, so that's something. Next thing they really need to do to that place to improve the customer experience is add railings to the aisles.

We'll get reminded of those sight lines in a few weeks....

[GoMuskies]

28,000 seats? What kind of arena is that? No one builds arenas that big.

[coasterville95]

The Arena of Overbuilding.

Rupp is what 24 or 25k and has a basketball size floor right, take that same layout and lengthen for hockey size floor would be around 28, wouldn't it?

[GoMuskies]

But no one builds them like that. Modern arenas are in the 20k range.

[wkrq59]

MOR is right. But a few things to consider. The U.S. Bank Arena , nee Crown, nee Riverfront Coliseum, was built as a model of the arena in Minneapolis which has since been razed I believe. It's a hockey arena with lousy sightlines, terrible maintenance, overpriced rotten concessions and piss poor management and is owned by a concert promoting and managing organization.
As far as Bobinski is concerned, this is his last year as NCAA Basketball Tournament committee chairman.
As far as Dayton is concerned, the U D arena hosting NCAA basketball tournament games goes back to the administration of the late Tom Frericks, (1960s-70s) one of the great gentlemen involved with college athletics and a close friend of our own late Jim McCafferty. U of D Arena used to be one of the fine arenas in the country and the people of Dayton have traditionally filled that arena for NCAA tournament games no matter what team was playing there. Money still talks and BS walks.
Frankly, I don't want to see X or UC or whomever host the damned NCAA basketball tournament. No local teams can play here and the Riverfront Mausoleum has such a bad reputation they need not try.
:cursingmad::stickmove::rant:

[CinciX12]

US Bank arena is a joke. When are the people who want NCAA games to come here going to realize this. Its never going to happen and we shouldn't expect it to.

We have a better shot at dreaming for an MLB All-Star Game.

[drudy23]

The next phase down near the Banks should be a new multi-purpose arena. Tear down that dump US Bank and build a new arena. The location of Cincinnati would be an IDEAL spot for NCAA tournament games, both women and men. It's very central located, and the addition of the Banks makes it very attractive, and the City is ever improving in the national image as somewhere to spend a weekend.

Indy does it well...Columbus does it well...Nashville does it well...why can't we?

[Cheesehead]

The next phase down near the Banks should be a new multi-purpose arena. Tear down that dump US Bank and build a new arena. The location of Cincinnati would be an IDEAL spot for NCAA tournament games, both women and men. It's very central located, and the addition of the Banks makes it very attractive, and the City is ever improving in the national image as somewhere to spend a weekend.

Indy does it well...Columbus does it well...Nashville does it well...why can't we?

Drudy, I actually agree w/ you as long as it's privately funded. We have seen the fiasco that took place w/ Bengals & Reds.

[CinciX12]

The next phase down near the Banks should be a new multi-purpose arena. Tear down that dump US Bank and build a new arena. The location of Cincinnati would be an IDEAL spot for NCAA tournament games, both women and men. It's very central located, and the addition of the Banks makes it very attractive, and the City is ever improving in the national image as somewhere to spend a weekend.

Indy does it well...Columbus does it well...Nashville does it well...why can't we?

I love Cincinnati. I really do.

But we are not Indianapolis. We are not Columbus. And we are not Nashville.

We do not deserve tournament games over those sites.