Halfway into Miami's game thread, they start debating the Millett Hall experience. Good discussion towards seating arrangements, promotions, student sections, etc.
https://miamihawktalk.fans/t/ohio-at-miami-7-00-friday-on... I especially like the call out that having half a dozen inflatables on the concourse is just begging for any warm body to come through. My family came in about an hour early because I wanted to snag those general admission seats right by the visiting team tunnel. My son and I have had those the past two years. This was my son's dozenth (dozenth?) or so college hoops game, but my five year old daughter's first, so it was good to have those to pass the time, but they did wear her out some.
In the second half, they ran a promotion where you scan a QR code off the video board, agree to receive some sponsor emails, and then you can redeem a prize (a deck of Miami playing cards) at the marketing table which is right by the visiting team tunnel. So you end up with a mass of humanity flocking to this area, obstructing traffic and sight lines, during the live ball. That's an odd one.
Is it me or does Miami change their seating chart, tarps, and curtains every year? They can't settle on an arrangement they like? Those rec center bleachers they have on the baseline serving as the "student section" couldn't look any cheaper. I've heard they cannot move their scoreboard location and therefore wouldn't move the court closer to the closed end of the horseshoe, so if I were in charge at Miami, here's what I would do:
-Temporary bleachers at least 15 rows tall at both baselines for students. Get dueling student sections like you have at Kent and CMU. Route all students there first. If you happen to have games with a bigger student turnout, keep a section or two close to the baselines or in the upper deck reserved for student overflow.
-Tarp off the lower bowl seats in the closed horseshoe that are obstructed by the student bleachers.
-Keep two or three sections on each sideline as reserved seating but whatever is left in the lower bowl and the entire upper bowl sideline are general admission.
-Tarp or curtain off the upper bowl end zone, but in the event of a larger crowd based on early ticket sales, these could be opened up as the last bit of general admission seats.