GDT: @ Vermillion, Home of the Coyotes

[JackJD]

Re: GDT: @ Vermillion, Home of the Coyotes

Soon-to-be conference mate UND's basketball arena does not have a center-hung scoreboard either. Some of their fans would prefer to have center-hung boards.

[FeaRed]

Re: GDT: @ Vermillion, Home of the Coyotes

Low ceiling was by design. With seating arrangement and the court side suite, no need for a higher ceiling. Construction of a higher ceiling just to have a center hung scoreboard would be a huge waste of money. Scoreboard set up on 2 corners of the ribbon is fine if you are sitting in the center or right hand sections, but not if you are sitting in the left hand sections. Displaying the time & score in all 4 corners of the ribbon would make the time and score easy to read for all. However, every foot of the ribbon devoted to game info is one less foot to generate advertising dollars. Am guessing that the clock and score will be displayed in all 4 corners next year.

I wasn't a fan at first but once you get used to where you need to look it's not that bad. It's big and in your face, you really can't miss it. That being said... I don't think anyone would've complained if they put a center hung board in

[JackJD]

Re: GDT: @ Vermillion, Home of the Coyotes

Looks like a nice basketball venue from the pictures I've seen and watching a couple of games on Midco.

[Jacked_Up]

Re: GDT: @ Vermillion, Home of the Coyotes

I went to the SDSU basketball game at USD and got my first look inside one of the newest Sanford sports buildings in the Dakotas. The Coyotes' basketball arena is nice. There are no bad seats. However, it also struck me as kind of small. It looks like it was built for right now with no room for possible future growth. Not sure how that will play out in the next decade or two. Just think of all the changes that Frost has gone through during the past 40 years and will go through again in the next two or three years.

[CondeJack]

Re: GDT: @ Vermillion, Home of the Coyotes

Yeah it is a good thing we have 6500 seats at Frost. We could barely fit in the 2854 we had for the NDSU men's game and the 2518 we had for the USD men's game in late December. Not exactly the best attendance for our two rival games. At least we had 3200 in attendance to watch Daum put up 42 against IPFW. To be fair we had 5532 last year when the women played Notre Dame, but still not close to a sellout at either Frost or the new arena in Vermillion.

Also, if I understood correctly, both the new NDSU arena and USD arena are able to have standing room viewing around the arena if ever needed. Not sure that is the best way to watch a basketball game but the Fargodome does have standing room only for football games.

[FeaRed]

Re: GDT: @ Vermillion, Home of the Coyotes

Yeah it is a good thing we have 6500 seats at Frost. We could barely fit in the 2854 we had for the NDSU men's game and the 2518 we had for the USD men's game in late December. Not exactly the best attendance for our two rival games. At least we had 3200 in attendance to watch Daum put up 42 against IPFW. To be fair we had 5532 last year when the women played Notre Dame, but still not close to a sellout at either Frost or the new arena in Vermillion.

Also, if I understood correctly, both the new NDSU arena and USD arena are able to have standing room viewing around the arena if ever needed. Not sure that is the best way to watch a basketball game but the Fargodome does have standing room only for football games.

Agreed... Personally I'd rather see a couple of sellouts every now and then instead of seeing 6000 empty seats every game. SRO at the USD arena would still be a great view and it could go pretty much all the way around the concourse

[UWMandSDSU]

Re: GDT: @ Vermillion, Home of the Coyotes

Yeah it is a good thing we have 6500 seats at Frost. We could barely fit in the 2854 we had for the NDSU men's game and the 2518 we had for the USD men's game in late December. Not exactly the best attendance for our two rival games. At least we had 3200 in attendance to watch Daum put up 42 against IPFW. To be fair we had 5532 last year when the women played Notre Dame, but still not close to a sellout at either Frost or the new arena in Vermillion.

Although I am not happy with the attendance. The two rivalry games you mentioned above took place during student's Christmas break, NDSU was on a Wednesday night and USD game was being played the same night when Women were playing in Vermillion.

[THE PRIDE IS BACK!!!]

Re: GDT: @ Vermillion, Home of the Coyotes

Although I am not happy with the attendance. The two rivalry games you mentioned above took place during student's Christmas break, NDSU was on a Wednesday night and USD game was being played the same night when Women were playing in Vermillion.

All of those really do play a huge factor in attendance. I actually thought attendance was pretty good considering the timing of them.

[goon]

Re: GDT: @ Vermillion, Home of the Coyotes

All of those really do play a huge factor in attendance. I actually thought attendance was pretty good considering the timing of them.

I feel like it wasn't that long ago I was a student when we were D-2 and playing rivals had 8k-9k in there. Those were some great games. Took for ever to wash the body paint off those. Got some good pictures with Jerry. When we use to have cowbells and students would chant jerry, Jerry, Jerry. When he walked in. Sort of like they do on jerry springer show. Man those games were fun. Miss those Friday and Saturday double headers.

[THE PRIDE IS BACK!!!]

Re: GDT: @ Vermillion, Home of the Coyotes

I feel like it wasn't that long ago I was a student when we were D-2 and playing rivals had 8k-9k in there. Those were some great games. Took for ever to wash the body paint off those. Got some good pictures with Jerry. When we use to have cowbells and students would chant jerry, Jerry, Jerry. When he walked in. Sort of like they do on jerry springer show. Man those games were fun. Miss those Friday and Saturday double headers.

The transition didn't help. There were some tough years in there, and State's two biggest D2 rivals were being left behind. If usd had transitioned at the same time, it would have kept the rivalry alive instead of having to try and resurrect it with students who didn't have it passed down to them from upperclassmen (Augie is dead; sorry alumni.) As a current student, I see both ndsu and usd as rivals, but most students see ndsu as the main rival. Both schools transitioned together and have been rather competitive in the top money-maker sports (football and men's basketball.) Some alumni are believing the rivalry is slowly returning as usd becomes better in athletics, but I don't think it will ever get to the level it once was. Both schools will grow as D1 programs, and the people will come back to the games, especially the rivalry games. It will happen in time (when I'm an old alumni .)

[jackrabbit1979]

Re: GDT: @ Vermillion, Home of the Coyotes

I went to the SDSU basketball game at USD and got my first look inside one of the newest Sanford sports buildings in the Dakotas. The Coyotes' basketball arena is nice. There are no bad seats. However, it also struck me as kind of small. It looks like it was built for right now with no room for possible future growth. Not sure how that will play out in the next decade or two. Just think of all the changes that Frost has gone through during the past 40 years and will go through again in the next two or three years.

Honestly, the biggest changes Frost has seen had been a reduction in capacity/seats. Based on that trend, and other new arenas being built a bit smaller than in the past, I'm thinking the gym at USD is sized just fine. If they start averaging twice as many as they are right now and sell it out every game, I'm sure they'd be fine with that.

[Nidaros]

Re: GDT: @ Vermillion, Home of the Coyotes

Honestly, the biggest changes Frost has seen had been a reduction in capacity/seats. Based on that trend, and other new arenas being built a bit smaller than in the past, I'm thinking the gym at USD is sized just fine. If they start averaging twice as many as they are right now and sell it out every game, I'm sure they'd be fine with that.

I was reading in the Sunday Argus someone close to USD was hoping at best 3500 to 4000 average attendance. So USD has built for near future. Two trips to Final four might change that, but I doubt that will happen with out a scandal. SDSU played a a then obscure school from Spokane called Gonzaga about 1960. We didn't fill the Barn that night but did play a good team.

[Nidaros]

Re: GDT: @ Vermillion, Home of the Coyotes

The transition didn't help. There were some tough years in there, and State's two biggest D2 rivals were being left behind. If usd had transitioned at the same time, it would have kept the rivalry alive instead of having to try and resurrect it with students who didn't have it passed down to them from upperclassmen (Augie is dead; sorry alumni.) As a current student, I see both ndsu and usd as rivals, but most students see ndsu as the main rival. Both schools transitioned together and have been rather competitive in the top money-maker sports (football and men's basketball.) Some alumni are believing the rivalry is slowly returning as usd becomes better in athletics, but I don't think it will ever get to the level it once was. Both schools will grow as D1 programs, and the people will come back to the games, especially the rivalry games. It will happen in time (when I'm an old alumni .)

What you have said are not alternative facts, but we have a different product. We are watching better athletes and it's an opportunity to raise more revenue, which is probably a harder sell and takes time to build a following. We are getting there. I suppose one could argue Frost was over built. Under D2 two big crowds and other games many empty seats such as the UNC game. I like progress so far. Now if Summit can figure out scheduling that will be more attendance friendly.

[Southeast]

Re: GDT: @ Vermillion, Home of the Coyotes

6,000 seats in a (non-Sioux Falls) arena in South Dakota seems like plenty to me. With all the other entertainment options, people just don't seem that interested in going to local college games. I've heard that "winning will fix that" for a decade now. What do we have, 3 recent NCAA trips for the MBB team and 7 for the women - too many 20-win seasons to count? Similarly, USD's women had a fantastic run in the WNIT and I heard their hardcore fans say over and over "this will carry over to big crowds next year". Wrong - it's like it never happened, even with a new arena. It is what it is, and I definitely agree with FeaRed that 6,000 seats that sell out once or twice a season is a better situation than a bigger place that is an empty echo chamber 90% of the time.

[Jacks-02]

Re: GDT: @ Vermillion, Home of the Coyotes

I think the combination of much higher ticket prices, along with a majority of the high profile games now being televised, and just more entertainment options available to people in general, will keep attendance from ever consistently reaching the DII levels again.