Whatever anyone thinks about IU, Assembly Hall is one of the greatest places to see a college basketball game. It was beautifully renovated several years ago without diminishing its atmosphere. It won’t be quite as frenetic tonight, but listen to the fans go crazy at this “special event” versus Purdue back in 1985 to get an idea of what it can be like. Speaking of “like,” I’ll be there with my new “I Like Pike” shirt, thanks to bk. Don’t expect it to make the Jumbotron, though.
Assembly Hall
- Thread starter IndianaKnight
- Start date
hopefully no metal bars/stanchions fall from the center court scoreboard on any of our players!
It's a dump and somewhere around half the seats you wouldn't want to sit in. It has history and has hosted some great teams but, as far as a basketball venue, it's not hard to see why no other arena is structured this way.
False, it’s a very cool venue to play and observe in.
Indiana fans adore it
You think so? Why are the balcony seats mostly empty for 3/4 or more of their games?
It looks amazing on TV with the wall of fans going straight up. It’s hard to even see where the aisles are. Just a sea of people..…
Love the unique stadiums rather than the cookie cutter bowls.
Love the unique stadiums rather than the cookie cutter bowls.
They average around 16,000 a game, not to bad.
They just beat Purdue infront of over 17,000
Cookie cutter? LOL they may be mostly like that because it's the most sensible way to arrange 10k+ seats around a basketball court so that people can actually have a good view of the game.
That's paid attendance and that's a great number. But students get season tickets and they don't get lower arena for all games. The games they don't get lower arena for they are in the balcony.
The balconies for all but their top games are sold but many won't even come to sit up there. If you don't take my word for it, search it on Twitter and view some photos for yourself.
You’re allowed your opinion, I’m sticking with mine since I’ve been there.
I thought it was tremendous
I'm not stating opinion. I'm stating a fact that their balconies are mostly empty for many games. Whether you think that makes for a great arena is opinion and you are entitled to that. My opinion is that a bunch of consistently empty seats does not make for a great arena.
Reminds me of Fenway Park. Worst place to see a baseball game. Many of the seats don’t face the field and the field is the worst in all of sports.
How is the field at Fenway the worst in all of sports?
I’d love to hear this because outside of Wrigley and Dodger Stadium there wasn’t a cooler field to play on
People go to games for the experiences not the view. The best view is on the couch.
By the way, if you thought Fenway was a horrible place to see the Red Sox play…I simply don’t have a response.
AH looks awesome, a little bit like the RAC with the steep sides but on steroids.
Would love to get out there some day.
Would love to get out there some day.
Can only speak for myself, but being able to view the game greatly enhances my experience.
I’d bet a lot that Milwaukee’s County stadium was cooler than Wrigley and Dodger Stadium because of the beer slide and because it’s farther north.
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Haven't been to the RAC yet but if the capacity is 8k then that configuration may work much better than an arena that seats over twice that.
Yeah kinda blows my mind that it holds 17K. It looks like it should probably hold about 12k.
I loved going to see the Mets play up there. The whole experience was great. Pre-game, game, post-game.
The wall in left field (distance, height) changes the way the game is played in a non uniform way. If only one basketball team had a slanted court in random spots, a different size rim or backboard, or different placement of free throw lines, it would be deemed irregular and unfair. But because Fenway was makeshift built in 1762 and people attach subjective importance to age, Fenway criticisms are regarded as sacrilegious. I also didn’t care for how a pop-up down the line at the pre-2009 Yankee Stadium (308 feet) went over the fence when at Shea (338) it would be an out.
If only we can make them all like the old riverfront stadium. Those were the days.
Lots of older stadiums had unique stuff. - Polo Grounds for example, shirt left and right field fence, deep center field. Richie Ashburn had something like 7 HR there in 62, never had more than two or maybe three in all his years with Phillies.
I am biased. But here:
Assembly Hall is uniquely awesome, like Fenway and Wrigley, and has an unusual way of seating 17,000+.
The main level seats are the vast majority and go up 46 rows. They are steep, very, very close to the court, and completely awesome -- unless you are above row 37, in which case you have a low cement balcony hanging over and near your head, which sucks a lot.
The balconies are the 16 rows above the main level sideline seats, and aren't as bad as described IMO. They are about 20% of the arena. The first five or so rows are a really good view, though if you're back to rows 10 to 16 you're watching ants down below.
Behind the baskets are about 20 rows of bleachers. About half of those are student/band seats. They are incredibly close to the court and fantastic seats, but not a comfy chair.
For any B1G game that's a hot ticket it will be packed, even on a weeknight, and Stubhub tickets for the worst seat in the house will be $150+. For a weeknight B1G the balcony will be maybe half full, for a cupcake in November it will be basically empty. For this Rutgers game the balcony should be at least half full.
The configuration makes the sound and fan interaction truly special. IU also holds the most seats for students of any team in D1, which definitely helps to amp up the crowd, especially during student-drinking-friendly tip times. There also 'old stadium' features - no plastic, new-age feel to be found, even with the renovations.
Bloomington isn't really on the way to anywhere else, but Assembly Hall is truly a bucket list place for a college hoops junkie.
Assembly Hall is uniquely awesome, like Fenway and Wrigley, and has an unusual way of seating 17,000+.
The main level seats are the vast majority and go up 46 rows. They are steep, very, very close to the court, and completely awesome -- unless you are above row 37, in which case you have a low cement balcony hanging over and near your head, which sucks a lot.
The balconies are the 16 rows above the main level sideline seats, and aren't as bad as described IMO. They are about 20% of the arena. The first five or so rows are a really good view, though if you're back to rows 10 to 16 you're watching ants down below.
Behind the baskets are about 20 rows of bleachers. About half of those are student/band seats. They are incredibly close to the court and fantastic seats, but not a comfy chair.
For any B1G game that's a hot ticket it will be packed, even on a weeknight, and Stubhub tickets for the worst seat in the house will be $150+. For a weeknight B1G the balcony will be maybe half full, for a cupcake in November it will be basically empty. For this Rutgers game the balcony should be at least half full.
The configuration makes the sound and fan interaction truly special. IU also holds the most seats for students of any team in D1, which definitely helps to amp up the crowd, especially during student-drinking-friendly tip times. There also 'old stadium' features - no plastic, new-age feel to be found, even with the renovations.
Bloomington isn't really on the way to anywhere else, but Assembly Hall is truly a bucket list place for a college hoops junkie.
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As a student back in the 80’s, I felt rows 1-5 of the balcony, especially between the FT lanes, were better than seats higher than row 36 in the main concourse. It’s certainly a unique design. I’m not going to say there aren’t bad seats there, There certainly are. As the previous poster said, rows 10-16 in the balcony, not so good. A floor seat behind the north basket (where I’ve not sat since I was a student) was absolute gold!! I saw games vs Michigan, Louisville, PU, Illinois and others and never once thought of selling them.
Cheers to a good, injury-free game tonight.
Cheers to a good, injury-free game tonight.
Great venue but I prefer Mackey
And it isn’t even close
Mackey is the most underated arena in the nation IMO
And it isn’t even close
Mackey is the most underated arena in the nation IMO
A lot of our fans love Jersey Mikes/RAC but a lot of visiting teams/fans consider it a dump.Never been to Assembly Hall and it does look small. Was surprised it holds approx. 17,000?