Rupp Arena gets a lot of flak. And honestly? Some of it is deserved.
People who are older (and wealthier) buy up the high-dollar seats in the lower bowl and sit on their hands for large stretches of the game; it just is what it is. When you think of a hostile, deafening arena, you probably don’t think of Rupp.
Going into Rupp is often like going to a museum of basketball. You go to appreciate the history, look at the banners, and politely clap. But every now and then, there are real moments that remind
you of just how loud this old building can get. We had one of those on Saturday night.
The moment
After trailing for most of the game, Kentucky finally had a chance to take the lead in the final minute. Otega Oweh drove the baseline, but the defense collapsed. He was crowded out. In the past, that play ends in a forced shot or a turnover. But Oweh did what Mark Pope has been preaching all season long: MP4T (Making Plays For Teammates).
He kicked it out to Collin Chandler. Of course, he made it. And Rupp Arena didn’t just get loud, it went into delirium.
Just listen to this crowd:
The reality
When the Cats are rolling in a big game, there are few places on Earth that can match the intensity and roar of that crowd. It is a wall of sound.
People often say we need to build an on-campus arena, reconfigure the seating chart, or move the students down to fix the atmosphere. Let’s be real: That is never going to happen. The amount of money the university makes on those lower-bowl seats will never allow it to be the constant, raucous environment that it could be, probably should be. The suits aren’t giving up their seats.
So for now, we have to settle for moments. We have to settle for the flashes where the museum turns into a madhouse. And one of those happened Saturday night against Tennessee.
