SoonerTraveler
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True to my nickname, I spent last Friday and Saturday nights in Lawrence, Kansas. I paid through the nose and bought great seats on Stubhub, and sat 10 rows from the floor, opposite OU’s bench. Here are some of my impressions.
The number one thing that makes Allen Fieldhouse special is ... it is full of fans. While it is a very nice arena built for basketball, it would not seem so special if there were 8,500 fans in there. Instead, there are 16,300 fans at every game. Kansas fans love their basketball.
The KU band plays a lot, and there is no loud dude with a microphone walking around inside the arena during timeouts. These, of course, are huge positives that add to the traditional college basketball atmosphere.
With one or two exceptions outside the arena, KU fans were nice. My experience as a visiting fan was fun. I did not experience any buffoons or moronic fans. I can only hope that fans that visit Norman are treated as well.
Except for some small donor sections at midcourt, all the seating is bench seating (i.e., bleachers). To get 16,300 people inside the building, they pack you together like sardines in a can. It takes effort to keep your knees out of the back of the person sitting in front of you. If you turn or bend quickly, you are likely to hit the person in front of you in the head accidently, which I did three times. I was accidently hit in the head twice by the person sitting behind me. It is almost unavoidable in such tight quarters. If comfortable seating is important to you, then do not go to see a game at Allen Fieldhouse.
The students filled up both lower end zones, one upper end zone, and one entire upper corner section. The students did not sit on the sidelines. I estimate that 1/4th of the arena was filled with students, or approximately 4,000.
Fans sit in their seats virtually all game. Of course they do come to their feet following a steal-and-dunk, or other exciting play by the Jayhawks.
The traditions. The fight song. The banners. The Rock Chalk chant. It is all good.
I am hopeful that Coach Kruger continues to advance the OU program so that the OU-KU game becomes a big game. The KU fans were never concerned that they might lose. (Just like OU fans before an OU-KU football game.)
The Booth Family Hall of Athletics is on the east side of Allen Fieldhouse. This “hall of fame” like facility is first rate, and allows fans to experience the history and tradition of Kansas Athletics. Before viewing the championship trophies, I had no idea that KU once was such a NCAA powerhouse in track and field. If you are in Lawrence, the Booth Family Hall of Athletics is worth a visit.
Allen Fieldhouse is on campus. We parked in a visitors parking lot on campus near the Oread Hotel. We had lunch before the game at the Oread Hotel. It was beautiful weather for January in Kansas, so the 20 minute walk from our car to the Fieldhouse was scenic and enjoyable. The KU campus is situated in a hilly area, and appears to be a very nice campus.
For those parking closer to the Fieldhouse, traffic appeared to be a bit of a mess; however, after the game a policeman was standing at each major intersection helping the flow of traffic. (I wish OU would do this for football games.)
We stayed at a hotel one block from Massachusetts Street in downtown Lawrence. Massachusetts Street is like Norman’s Main Street and Campus Corner combined into one place. Lots of shops, restaurants and pubs. Lots of activity. Lawrence is a very nice college town.
If you are a college basketball fan, I highly recommend that you go see a game at Allen Fieldhouse. I plan to go back.
The number one thing that makes Allen Fieldhouse special is ... it is full of fans. While it is a very nice arena built for basketball, it would not seem so special if there were 8,500 fans in there. Instead, there are 16,300 fans at every game. Kansas fans love their basketball.
The KU band plays a lot, and there is no loud dude with a microphone walking around inside the arena during timeouts. These, of course, are huge positives that add to the traditional college basketball atmosphere.
With one or two exceptions outside the arena, KU fans were nice. My experience as a visiting fan was fun. I did not experience any buffoons or moronic fans. I can only hope that fans that visit Norman are treated as well.
Except for some small donor sections at midcourt, all the seating is bench seating (i.e., bleachers). To get 16,300 people inside the building, they pack you together like sardines in a can. It takes effort to keep your knees out of the back of the person sitting in front of you. If you turn or bend quickly, you are likely to hit the person in front of you in the head accidently, which I did three times. I was accidently hit in the head twice by the person sitting behind me. It is almost unavoidable in such tight quarters. If comfortable seating is important to you, then do not go to see a game at Allen Fieldhouse.
The students filled up both lower end zones, one upper end zone, and one entire upper corner section. The students did not sit on the sidelines. I estimate that 1/4th of the arena was filled with students, or approximately 4,000.
Fans sit in their seats virtually all game. Of course they do come to their feet following a steal-and-dunk, or other exciting play by the Jayhawks.
The traditions. The fight song. The banners. The Rock Chalk chant. It is all good.
I am hopeful that Coach Kruger continues to advance the OU program so that the OU-KU game becomes a big game. The KU fans were never concerned that they might lose. (Just like OU fans before an OU-KU football game.)
The Booth Family Hall of Athletics is on the east side of Allen Fieldhouse. This “hall of fame” like facility is first rate, and allows fans to experience the history and tradition of Kansas Athletics. Before viewing the championship trophies, I had no idea that KU once was such a NCAA powerhouse in track and field. If you are in Lawrence, the Booth Family Hall of Athletics is worth a visit.
Allen Fieldhouse is on campus. We parked in a visitors parking lot on campus near the Oread Hotel. We had lunch before the game at the Oread Hotel. It was beautiful weather for January in Kansas, so the 20 minute walk from our car to the Fieldhouse was scenic and enjoyable. The KU campus is situated in a hilly area, and appears to be a very nice campus.
For those parking closer to the Fieldhouse, traffic appeared to be a bit of a mess; however, after the game a policeman was standing at each major intersection helping the flow of traffic. (I wish OU would do this for football games.)
We stayed at a hotel one block from Massachusetts Street in downtown Lawrence. Massachusetts Street is like Norman’s Main Street and Campus Corner combined into one place. Lots of shops, restaurants and pubs. Lots of activity. Lawrence is a very nice college town.
If you are a college basketball fan, I highly recommend that you go see a game at Allen Fieldhouse. I plan to go back.
