The Game - Indiana State Sycamores at IUPUI Jaguars, Friday, November 14, 2014
The Venue -
The Seat - Section 109, Row C, Seat 15 ($18.40 total cost from Ticketmaster)
Fairgrounds Coliseum originally opened in 1939 and was built as part of the Works Progress Administration. The central building at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, the Coliseum was the original home of the Indiana Pacers during their ABA days. From 2012-2014, the Coliseum underwent a 22-month, $63 million renovation. During the renovation, the IUPUI Athletic Department and the Indiana State Fair Commission reached a partnership which move the Jaguars' basketball games from its on campus site to the Fairgrounds. On December 2, 2014, the arena became Indiana Farmers Coliseum as the mutual insurance company purchased naming rights for ten years.
November 14, 2014 marked the first regular season game at the Coliseum for the Jaguars in their new home. In addition to its new digs, IUPUI also had a new face leading from the sidelines. Jason Gardner, a former Indiana Mr. Basketball and second-team All-American at Arizona, was hired to lead IUPUI during the previous off-season. Not only was opening night Coach Gardner's first game as a college head coach, it was also his 34th birthday.
Pulling into the State Fairgrounds on a chilly November evening is definitely a different experience than the pomp and heat usually associated with the Indiana State Fair in late August. On site parking cost $5 and my parking space ended up being right next to the Grandstand. From there it was a short walk to the Coliseum entrance. Every ticket at the Coliseum costs $15, no matter where the seat is located. I ordered my ticket online through Ticketmaster, which charged an extra $3.40 of fees, but it did allow me to snag a ticket in the front row at mid-court.
The Fairgrounds Coliseum is a major step up from the Jaguars' former home, the IUPUI Gymnasium, otherwise known as "The Jungle". The Jungle is a decent facility, but it has the look and capacity of a well-kept high school gym. The move across town increased capacity for Jaguars games from 1,215 to a listed 6,841. As an off-campus facility (and home to a minor league hockey team, the Indy Fuel) the Coliseum has vastly improved concession options, including alcohol. Local craft beer options from Carson's and Sun King Brewery were available for $9, as well as mixed drinks.
If every game at the Fairgrounds Coliseum is as good as the house warming event between Indiana State and IUPUI, Jaguar basketball is going to be a must-see event. According to projections, Indiana State should have run away with the game, but things don't always go according to projections. IUPUI used a balanced attack to take a 34-32 lead at halftime. The game remained close throughout the second half, with the Sycamores leading for most of the time, but never by more than four points. Leading by two, Indiana State missed a free throw with 7 seconds left, giving Marcellus Barksdale (great name, by the way) a chance to sprint down the court with a chance to tie or win. Barksdale's shot glanced off the iron, BUT... he was fouled. With .3 seconds remaining in regulation, Barksdale knocked down two free throws to send the game to overtime. In the extra session, the Sycamores flexed their muscle, going on a 11-0 run to start OT that put the game out of reach.
The renovated Fairgrounds Coliseum is a very nice looking facility. The concourses and seating areas look excellent, and every seat in the house is a good one. The folding chairs that make up the first few rows of seats on the sidelines are spaced a bit close together, but that's about the only negative as far as the seating area. The biggest drawback from attending a game at Fairgrounds Coliseum. Every seat is $15 for the general public, which is pretty steep for a program that has the status of IUPUI. Add $5 for parking and a Jaguars game may be a tad more expensive than seeing a Pacers game this year. The move to Fairgrounds Coliseum gives the IUPUI basketball program a chance to build itself to a higher level, and the announced attendance of 3,159 is almost three times the size of IUPUI Gymnasium. It is a gorgeous facility, and it would be a great venue for some neutral site games, like a holiday tourney. I would really like to see IUPUI, Indiana State, Evansville, Valparaiso, IPFW, and Ball State put together a showcase of the state's mid-major talent in an annual event similar to the Connecticut Six, perhaps during the same weekend of the Butler/Indiana/Purdue/Notre Dame Crossroads Classic. The Coliseum would be a fantastic venue for such an event. It would also be great to lure the Summit League basketball tournaments to the Circle City.
However, it may take a while for the IUPUI students and the citizens of Indianapolis a while to buy into the Jags basketball program. IUPUI offers free tickets and a free shuttle from campus to the fairgrounds for students, but there were only about 100 students in the student section on this night. Those few students that make the crosstown journey were a great deal less rowdy and organized than the group of students that made the trip from Terre Haute. (According to IUPUI Associate AD, there were 450 students at the game -ed.) The IUPUI student section desperately needs a few superfans to show up and help pump up the rest of the crowd. The IUPUI pep band was serviceable but not sensational. IUPUI has a game night host/DJ that is set up near the corner hockey sidewall, but as the game wore on, he was met with more groans than cheers. However, Jawz the Jaguar mascot is an A+ character and should probably be at every basketball game ever.
Overall, a IUPUI game at Fairgrounds Coliseum is a fair affair at the fairgrounds, but it is fairly pricey and until Coach Jason Gardner improves the product on the court, basketball fans will likely stick to the other basketball options in town, the Indiana Pacers and the Butler Bulldogs. However, you most certainly would not be able to snag a center court, front row seat for those other options at the $15 price tag at any other Indianapolis pro or college venue.
STARS OF THE GAME
★★★ Khristian Smith, Indiana State. The junior guard put his team on his back to win the game, especially late in regulation and in overtime. He finished with 27 points and 9 boards.
★★ The Forest, Indiana State student section. This was a game in Indianapolis. Indianapolis, not Terre Haute. You would not have known that from the noise level from the respective sides. Around 200 Indiana State students took the trip to the state's capital to watch their Sycamores, and they were loud!
★ Marcellus Barksdale, IUPUI. The junior guard didn't shoot well (2-12 from the floor), but he still led the Jaguars in scoring, as well as drilling two super clutch free throws to send the game to overtime.
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