I credit my hairdo to the snow that fell ALL DAY in Nashville.
Last night’s visit to Nashville started off pretty exciting, but the game itself lacked the fast-paced, tense ending we enjoyed in Cincinnati.
Memorial Gym was unlike any college basketball stadium I’ve visited before, which is entirely refreshing. The building was older, with a classic and original feel. They boast the first raised court in college bball, which also makes it unique. Also unlike other courts, the team benches were seated underneath their respective baskets, rather than on the side of the court.
Overall, the feel of the gym was like a theater rather than a basketball court. There were bleachers (I think I forgot to mention Cincy had actual seats with backs, which I always prefer) throughout most of the stadium, and though our seats were on the 3rd level we easily snagged a pair in the second.
So while the court itself was pretty cool, the spirit of the game was lacking a little oomph. There was no band (Cincy didn’t have one either), and there weren’t any cheerleaders or dancers! The husband wanted me to note that had there been dancers, he would’ve liked to refer to them as the “Commo-whores.” So perhaps it’s best they weren’t present.
Cincy had a bowl game at the same time as basketball, and still managed to scrounge up plenty of ladies to get us hyped up. One security person told us that the band leaves for winter break. Hope they had a good time relaxing while the basketball team was getting slaughtered.
The game began with even less fanfare than in Cincinnati, save for a few commercials for Vanderbilt on the big screen. Vandy was full-on in the game in the first half, though neither team did anything spectacular. Similarly to the Cincy halftime score, Butler had the lead at the half, 25-22.
The halftime show was the worst I’ve ever seen, because it didn’t exist. One kid had to walk around blindfolded to find a fiberglass house in the middle of the floor, and that was about it. We took that opportunity to try out the nachos and hotdogs. The husband gave the hotdogs a solid 7 (Cincy had a 6) and the nachos were the same salty chips with orange goop. But, I got to select my own hot peepers, which means I had lots and lots.
The second half was rather dull, and probably upsetting if you’re a Commodores fan. Butler started to heat up, and Rotnei Clarke (who pissed me off when Illinois played Butler in Maui) went off and plopped in some 3’s. All of a sudden, Butler was up by nearly 30 points and the crowd got frustrated and antsy. The game went by rather quickly, clocking in at barely two hours. The stadium was practically empty by the end, with a final score of 68-49, Butler.
It was dark and snowy, but the campus still looked lovely. Everyone was friendly, and no one seemed to mind our Orange and Blue getup. Cincy had a more “college-y” feel, but that might because it’s a bigger school, and a larger amount of students live in the immediate area. There was no student section to speak of, and in general the fanbased skewed a lot… more mature.
We’ve arrived in Memphis, and bless the Comfort Inn for having free wi-fi. Now to find a place with tasty snacks (vegetarian preferred) and the Bears game. Thankfully, the snow didn’t follow us.
