PBA (where to sit)

[Blindcheck]

I live in Eastern Iowa and am going to be able to make it to the game on Tuesday night as I will be in Nebraska for work on Tuesday.

 

I am looking for tickets on stub hub..  Prices are dirt cheap up high and some are pricy down low.

 

For those that went, will I be disappointed if I sit in any particular place for a game...or is it a venue that has no bad seats, just get in the door.

[HB]

Just like many things on here, you will get a variety of opinion. 

 

From my standpoint, most anything in the lower bowl is decent.  The end zone seats are much further away form the court than at Devaney.  The first 3 rows in the end zone have some obstructions--basket apparatus, cheerleaders, scarlets (some may call this a good thing).   There are also some first row seats on the sides that are obstructed--inexcusable. 

 

During the open house, I sat in the 200 and 300 level upper deck seats.  I thought they were way too high and far away from the action.  I would rather stay home and watch any televised game than sit in those, even if the tickets were free.  However, others have said they aren't bad.  If you do go for upper bowl seats, watch out for the the first couple of rows, which have obstructed views due to the safety rails or whatever you want to call them. 

[ajb5856]

I usually don't endorse or support the scalpers but...I think in this case it might be worth it if you're willing to pay a little above face to sit in a decent location. On Friday there were quite a few scalpers south of the arena in the street by the railyard area. Something new for Husker hoops. Not just the one guy standing at the bottom of Devaney's ramp, but guys with big signs saying 'need tickets'. I would think you could get yourself some good seats without paying stubhub prices. And if you strike out, there will still likely be some people down there getting rid of cheap tickets.

There's only been a couple complaints about locations that I'm aware of. Sounds like the first couple rows of the 200 and 300 levels might have sight issues with the cables and wires keeping you from falling. Also there might be some partial obstruction on some 300 seats that are behind the stairs cutout because of the same cables on the railing.

[meerkat68901]

My seats are in the 300 section on the side of court, 6 rows up.  I thought the view was very good from there for the price.  I moved down a row as people left, and the railing started to obstruct the view a bit.  So, if you decide to go with the really cheap seats, I would stay out of rows 1-5.

[hhcmatt]

I would guess that the attendance will probably be around 10k.

If you're not too bashful, you can probably buy the cheapest ticket you can find and just keep moving seats until someone doesn't kick you out.

Otherwise, I'd recommend you get a 100 level/lower bowl seat.

 

Depending on how much time you put into it you might be able to find someone willing to give you a ticket/willing to part with it for next to nothing.  A lot of people would rather eat the ticket or give it to a fan than give it away to a scalper

[HuskerActuary]

In my opinion, the seats in the 200 level weren't bad at all except for rows 1-2 (obstruction). The 300 level was a little high but I definitely disagree with the poster that said he would rather stay  home. That said, yeah, the 100 level is pretty awesome.

[Nighthawk]

  On 11/11/2013 at 3:46 AM, meerkat68901 said:

My seats are in the 300 section on the side of court, 6 rows up.  I thought the view was very good from there for the price.  I moved down a row as people left, and the railing started to obstruct the view a bit.  So, if you decide to go with the really cheap seats, I would stay out of rows 1-5.

 

lol..in that case...everyone should stay out of the 200 section as the railing is an obstruction. still go with a previous posting of mine. plexiglass!

[Silverbacked1]

I have front row in 302. The wire really isn't that big of a deal. I kind of disappears as the night goes on. The railing can get in the way, but I chose those seats so I can live with it.

Besides aren't we suppose to stand for the whole game, I believe that is what Tim wants isn't it?

It did however get very warm.

[NeeandMe]

I'd get a ticket outside.  Most nights I have an extra ticket or three because of friends/family not being able to use theirs.  I usually give them away outside to someone I see trying to buy from a scalper or at the gate and there are usually a couple other guys out there doing the same.  Even if you aren't lucky enough to get a free one, you'll find cheaper than what's online and find a better seat once inside... it will not be a packed house Tuesday.

 

If you want to buy online anyway I'd try for lower bowl as 200 and 300 feel a bit removed from the action (just my opinion) but in my wandering I never found a truly bad seat in the entire place.

[Bugeaters1]

  On 11/11/2013 at 7:05 PM, Nighthawk said:

 

  On 11/11/2013 at 3:46 AM, meerkat68901 said:

My seats are in the 300 section on the side of court, 6 rows up.  I thought the view was very good from there for the price.  I moved down a row as people left, and the railing started to obstruct the view a bit.  So, if you decide to go with the really cheap seats, I would stay out of rows 1-5.

 

lol..in that case...everyone should stay out of the 200 section as the railing is an obstruction. still go with a previous posting of mine. plexiglass!

 

I would agree with the plexiglass I don't understand that if it can be placed in Haymarket park why not in PBA.

[Bugeaters1]

Why not try calling the ticket office on Tuesday when the visiting team returns their allotment of tickets. And they should be behind the bench just a thought.

[49r]

  On 11/11/2013 at 7:10 PM, Silverbacked1 said:

I have front row in 302. The wire really isn't that big of a deal. I kind of disappears as the night goes on. The railing can get in the way, but I chose those seats so I can live with it.

Besides aren't we suppose to stand for the whole game, I believe that is what Tim wants isn't it?

It did however get very warm.

 

Yes, it was quite warm, wasn't it?

[Jadler]

  On 11/11/2013 at 8:33 PM, 49r said:

  On 11/11/2013 at 7:10 PM, Silverbacked1 said:

I have front row in 302. The wire really isn't that big of a deal. I kind of disappears as the night goes on. The railing can get in the way, but I chose those seats so I can live with it.

Besides aren't we suppose to stand for the whole game, I believe that is what Tim wants isn't it?

It did however get very warm.

 

Yes, it was quite warm, wasn't it?

Very warm. I had to shower before returning to the bars warm.

[uneblinstu]

I'm in the row 2 of the 200 level. Rail is a minor disturbance, but not a huge issue, at least it wasn't for me.

[dskurz]

  On 11/11/2013 at 2:38 AM, Blindcheck said:

I live in Eastern Iowa and am going to be able to make it to the game on Tuesday night as I will be in Nebraska for work on Tuesday.

 

I am looking for tickets on stub hub..  Prices are dirt cheap up high and some are pricy down low.

 

For those that went, will I be disappointed if I sit in any particular place for a game...or is it a venue that has no bad seats, just get in the door.

 

You aren't kidding about the dirt cheap.  Less than $2...granted you then have to pay the $5 stubhub fees, still cheap IMO.

[Nighthawk]

Makes you wonder how much of a "sell out" it actually was and how much of those sales went to scalpers and ticket brokers instead of actual people that are using the tickets. I'm guessing they must have lowered the temp for the Pink concert as I asked about the temp and people that went said they didn't notice it being super warm.

[hhcmatt]

  On 11/12/2013 at 9:21 AM, Nighthawk said:

Makes you wonder how much of a "sell out" it actually was and how much of those sales went to scalpers and ticket brokers instead of actual people that are using the tickets. 

 

For a lot of people, Nebrasketball is a fad.  There are a lot of people who bought tickets only for 6-8 of our 20 home games.  There are also plenty of people who live 1+ hours away who aren't going to get in the car for schools like Western Illinois on a weekday.

 

Honestly if we were ever to become truly elite you would see a bunch of these tickets available for more money instead of dirt cheap....not people hanging onto them.

[Silverbacked1]

There were two almost whole sections empty in the 3 tier for the first game.  We (my family) was thinking it might have been for the band to sit if they wanted to stay. 

 

It did fill in a bit after the first tv time out. 

 

Otherwise it was fairly full up in the mist.

 

Also agree with dimes, once the shiny wears off...  Like Jadler said at the Endzone it could be mostly empty for the Nov. 30th game. 

[Norm Peterson]

For the money that was spent building the place, I can't understand why we don't have Plexiglas barriers on top of the ledges around the 200 and 300 levels of the arena.  Something you can see through easily. 

 

And what is the inexcusable obstruction for the first row of 100 level seats?  Can someone explain that?

[HB]

  On 11/12/2013 at 3:48 PM, Norm Peterson said:

For the money that was spent building the place, I can't understand why we don't have Plexiglas barriers on top of the ledges around the 200 and 300 levels of the arena.  Something you can see through easily. 

 

And what is the inexcusable obstruction for the first row of 100 level seats?  Can someone explain that?

 

Supposedly the first rows on the sides aren't elevated enough for anyone to see over the team/coaches, or scorers/media tables.  After the first couple of women's games, many people in those seats went to the ticket office and got new seats, which they were able to do since many prime lower bowl seats weren't sold out.  Ironic since those folks got the choicest seats based on previous BDSC seating locations, but they didn't translate so well to the new place.  One somewhat annoyed longtime booster said "The only thing I could see was Connie's butt, and that's not what I came to watch".   It would just seem to me that with the high level engineering involved, all sight lines would have been figured out.

[HuskerActuary]

  On 11/12/2013 at 3:36 PM, Silverbacked1 said:

There were two almost whole sections empty in the 3 tier for the first game.  We (my family) was thinking it might have been for the band to sit if they wanted to stay. 

 

It did fill in a bit after the first tv time out. 

 

Otherwise it was fairly full up in the mist.

That is also what I was thinking. There were definitely no tickets available to buy the week of the game (I tried).

[Norm Peterson]

  On 11/12/2013 at 3:56 PM, HB said:

 

  On 11/12/2013 at 3:48 PM, Norm Peterson said:

For the money that was spent building the place, I can't understand why we don't have Plexiglas barriers on top of the ledges around the 200 and 300 levels of the arena.  Something you can see through easily. 

 

And what is the inexcusable obstruction for the first row of 100 level seats?  Can someone explain that?

 

Supposedly the first rows on the sides aren't elevated enough for anyone to see over the team/coaches, or scorers/media tables.  After the first couple of women's games, many people in those seats went to the ticket office and got new seats, which they were able to do since many prime lower bowl seats weren't sold out.  Ironic since those folks got the choicest seats based on previous BDSC seating locations, but they didn't translate so well to the new place.  One somewhat annoyed longtime booster said "The only thing I could see was Connie's butt, and that's not what I came to watch".   It would just seem to me that with the high level engineering involved, all sight lines would have been figured out.

 

Yeah, there was a step down from the first row of Devaney to the floor.  Without that one step up, all those people in the benches, the scorers tables, the people in the black folding chairs would all be in your way if you were in row 1.  How the hell did that happen?  Seriously?  How the hell do you wind up with a $200 million brand new arena where people in the first row of seats have their view blocked?  How does that happen?  Did they not factor in a 8-10 inch rise from the floor to the first row of seats?

[ajb5856]

  On 11/12/2013 at 5:05 PM, Norm Peterson said:

  On 11/12/2013 at 3:56 PM, HB said:

  On 11/12/2013 at 3:48 PM, Norm Peterson said:

For the money that was spent building the place, I can't understand why we don't have Plexiglas barriers on top of the ledges around the 200 and 300 levels of the arena. Something you can see through easily.

And what is the inexcusable obstruction for the first row of 100 level seats? Can someone explain that?

Supposedly the first rows on the sides aren't elevated enough for anyone to see over the team/coaches, or scorers/media tables. After the first couple of women's games, many people in those seats went to the ticket office and got new seats, which they were able to do since many prime lower bowl seats weren't sold out. Ironic since those folks got the choicest seats based on previous BDSC seating locations, but they didn't translate so well to the new place. One somewhat annoyed longtime booster said "The only thing I could see was Connie's butt, and that's not what I came to watch". It would just seem to me that with the high level engineering involved, all sight lines would have been figured out.

Yeah, there was a step down from the first row of Devaney to the floor. Without that one step up, all those people in the benches, the scorers tables, the people in the black folding chairs would all be in your way if you were in row 1. How the hell did that happen? Seriously? How the hell do you wind up with a $200 million brand new arena where people in the first row of seats have their view blocked? How does that happen? Did they not factor in a 8-10 inch rise from the floor to the first row of seats?

The other factor here is that the seating rests on the concrete arena floor and the basketball floor is built up on top of the concrete floor. The seating at Devaney rested on the floor that was also the playing surface. May only be 3 or 4 inches that the new arena floor is elevated but still it makes a difference. I didn't pay this close attention on Friday but did anybody notice...did the team benches and scorers table sit up on top of the playing surface or did they rest on the concrete just off the side of the playing surface?

[ajb5856]

  On 11/12/2013 at 5:05 PM, Norm Peterson said:

  On 11/12/2013 at 3:56 PM, HB said:

  On 11/12/2013 at 3:48 PM, Norm Peterson said:

For the money that was spent building the place, I can't understand why we don't have Plexiglas barriers on top of the ledges around the 200 and 300 levels of the arena. Something you can see through easily.

And what is the inexcusable obstruction for the first row of 100 level seats? Can someone explain that?

Supposedly the first rows on the sides aren't elevated enough for anyone to see over the team/coaches, or scorers/media tables. After the first couple of women's games, many people in those seats went to the ticket office and got new seats, which they were able to do since many prime lower bowl seats weren't sold out. Ironic since those folks got the choicest seats based on previous BDSC seating locations, but they didn't translate so well to the new place. One somewhat annoyed longtime booster said "The only thing I could see was Connie's butt, and that's not what I came to watch". It would just seem to me that with the high level engineering involved, all sight lines would have been figured out.

Yeah, there was a step down from the first row of Devaney to the floor. Without that one step up, all those people in the benches, the scorers tables, the people in the black folding chairs would all be in your way if you were in row 1. How the hell did that happen? Seriously? How the hell do you wind up with a $200 million brand new arena where people in the first row of seats have their view blocked? How does that happen? Did they not factor in a 8-10 inch rise from the floor to the first row of seats?

And I'm wondering if this can be fixed in any way. The first 10 rows all the way around are retractable. On the student section side, the entire section is sunken down so the seats behind the students are not obstructed when the students stand. I'm wondering if they could make it so those lower sections started so row 1 was elevated just a few inches from where it is at now. Could make a huge difference. Maybe something that could be addressed and worked on with those retractables.

[HuskerBB]

I don't think the first row thing is a big problem for men's games.   I sat in row 1 for the exhibition and row 2 for FGCU.  Row 2 is better but row 1 was not bad in terms of obstructed view.  It is lower than it was in BDSC but still a little above court level at the base.  This is on the outer edge of the side opposite the benches.  I would probably not want to be in row 1 behind the benches or the scorers table.  Those were real problem seats for women's games but that is where we have students for the men's games and they are supposed to stand up anyway.   On the other sides you have the courtside seats which you sort of have to look over or through - but it is not a big deal.  As I said, the row 1 seat base is at least a little bit higher than court level so you are looking above those heads.  The courtside people never stand up so they are not really in your way.   For the exhibition game they had 2 rows of courtside seats on that opposite side and that was not good.

 

The real problem they have at the men's games is at the base of the two middle sections on the side opposite the benches which are the club seats (sections 117 and 118).  The original plan and the ticket sales had them putting two rows in the front of those sections below row 1.  (Not sure but I think they were designated A and B.   There is a little riser that they extend below row 1 that is about 3-4 inches off the floor and 3-4 inches below the base of row 1.  That riser is probably about the same level as the court which does sit off the floor a bit.  They realized too late that if they put 2 rows in front of them they either had to put them both on the same level or the front one all the way down to the floor (below court level).  Neither of those were workable and they have not set it up that way for either game.  They put 1 row on that riser so it is below row 1 (and I think probably would be too low - especially for the people behind the radio table at midcourt).   The other people who were supposed to be in that bottom row of those sections have been shifted around.  For the exhibition they moved them behind the courtside seats on that side.  That got them closer to the court but still behind seats at the same level - and as mentioned above it was more obstructive for the people in row 1 of the regular seating behind those courtside seats.  For FGCU they put them somewhere else - I think maybe set up more courtside seats on the ends - and maybe also a row of seats in front of the regular seats on the end opposite the students.   Not sure if that was a better and more permanent solution or not.  I would guess going forward they will elminate that row of seating - but they can't do it this year and will have to do it from attrition in the future.   It wasn't particularly good planning - but really it is something the arena designer should have specifically realized when they did the seating diagram - probably not really the fault of anyone at UNL.  Those extended rows of club seats work just fine for concerts -but not for basketball.

 

They will get the lower seats figured out over time.  Hopefully they will also come up with a better solution for the wire obstruction in the first few rows of the 200 and 300 levels.   I think you are always going to have these kinds of things with a new building where you have to work out a few kinks.  

 

The inexcusable problem with the new arena that really needs to be fixed is the absence of Runzas.  Somebody's head should roll for that one!