Assembly Hall
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS (CHAMPAIGN)
Opened: 1963
Seating capacity: 16,618
Ticket availability: Tough to get
Ticket information: 866-ILLINI-1 or 217-333-3470
Distance from Chicago: 140 miles
Imagine a turtle shell and a spaceship, and you’ll get a picture of what Assembly Hall looks like.
What turned Assembly Hall into a great venue was when the Orange Krush student section was moved to court level. And the “Paint the Hall Orange” concept, in which every fan came dressed in orange, gave the once-dull arena an electric look.
Kohl Center
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN (MADISON)
Opened: 1998
Seating capacity: 17,142
Ticket availability: Sold out
Ticket information: 800-GO BADGERS or 608-262-1440
Distance from Chicago: 148 miles
The old Wisconsin Field House was hot, damp and not nice to look at. The Kohl Center is spacious and plush. It doesn’t really have any bad seats, and the seats themselves are the most comfortable you’ll ever find.
The student section — called “The Grateful Red” — keeps the crowd energized. And the players too. The Badgers won 38 games in a row here a few years ago.
Assembly Hall
INDIANA UNIVERSITY (BLOOMINGTON)
Opened: 1971
Seating capacity: 17,456
Ticket availability: Sold out
Ticket information: 866-IU
SPORTS or 812-855-4006
Distance from Chicago: 237 miles
Although it recently got a new scoreboard, this Assembly Hall is as old-school as you will get. The place also is an enigma. On one hand, you have the feeling of a high school gym with all the bleacher seats surrounding the court. But from the outside it has an elegant look, much like a concert hall.
The steep angle of the seats makes it look as if fans are on top of each other. Get a courtside seat, and a player might fall into your lap.
Part of Assembly Hall’s mystique stems from it being the site of so many Bobby Knight meltdowns. The former coach was responsible for the 1976, 1981 and 1987 national championship banners swaying from the rafters.
Fifth Third Arena
UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI
Opened: 1989
Seating capacity: 13,176
Ticket availability: Easy to get
Ticket information: 877-CATS-TIX
Distance from Chicago: 297 miles
From its inception, Fifth Third has been loud. The arena has a different look with mostly sideline seating, just like Assembly Hall at Indiana, and its high-altitude court view seats remind you of a hockey arena. There is a cozy lounge and restaurant high behind one of the baskets.
“For a fan it’s great unless you are high up in the nose-bleed section,” said Chicago Prosser’s Marquee Perry, who played at St. Louis University. But for players, “You can’t hear yourself talk or what the coaches are saying on the sidelines.”
Get there for the game against crosstown rival Xavier. The fans hate each other.
Freedom Hall
UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE
Opened: 1956
Seating capacity for basketball: 18,865
Ticket availability: Tough to get
Ticket information: 800-633-7105 or 502-852-5151; uoflsports.cstv.com/tickets/lou-tickets.html
Distance from Chicago: 300 miles
The days of playing in Freedom Hall are numbered with a fantastic 22,000-seat arena opening in 2010.
Designed to house the Kentucky State Fair Horse Show at the state fairgrounds, Freedom Hall is dark, hot and smells like horses. It’s also dripping with college basketball history. Louisville has been to the Final Four eight times, most recently in 2005, losing to Illinois. It won national championships in 1980 and 1986.
Freedom Hall regularly has more than 19,000 fans shoehorned inside. Sideline seats offer the best views of any venue in the country.
