I'm still here in Gainesville, booked a hotel room for the night.
I for one was excited about this opportunity to see UCF play Florida on their home court. There haven't been many opportunities to do so over the last 20+ years as a couple games had football conflicts (I remember one game going head-to-head with a C-USA Championship Game). I think the only UCF MBB game I attended in the O'Connell Center was the one in 2012. I did go to a UCF Volleyball game in 2006, which was the night before the UCF football game at UF.
I've been to some UCF-UF neutral site games, like in Jacksonville and Amway in 2010.
Anyway, took exactly two hours to get up there. The parking situation was a breeze. I got to the arena around 6 p.m., and the parking lot/garage adjacent was free for everyone. No parking pass or money required.
The O'Connell Center is basically a carbon copy of the usf Sun Dome, both were constructed in the same time frame. Obviously both have been refurbished in recent years. Both are kind of cramped in terms of spacing, though I'd say usf is much worse in that regard.
The club was very nice, and had a seamless transition from club to viewing area. That's a big problem with the UCF Arena - the primary club is underneath the stands. You really need something that offers a view, like the Cabana at football.
Comparing it to the UCF Arena, I'd say UCF is much more impressive and a superior facility in terms of seating. A plus for UF is they can have way more branding in the facility whereas UCF Arena is pretty generic in the lobby and concourse.
UF has a larger media press conference area.
Attendance was below average at best, though I don't know how to judge how typical UF games are. It's spring break so student attendance was going to be paltry. The band wasn't even there.
UCF fan showing was sparse... maybe a few dozen people at most.
I barely paid attention to UF basketball this year, though I knew they weren't the same team without Colin Castleton. However, just from the eye test, the team as a whole just didn't look imposing. Definitely not Big 12 worthy if you look at the guys on those rosters.
The game was very quick - the refs seem to swallow their whistles, hardly any fouls were called.
I wasn't really surprised by the result... but nothing would have surprised me either way. This UCF team can be Jekyll and Hyde. I know they're capable of playing at a high level, and other times not.
I've felt this way for a few years, probably since the 2017-18 era, but at least to me I feel like UCF is becoming more of a peer with UF. It's not downplaying UF"s historical success, but rather no longer being in "awe" that UF is the superior program. Obviously the Gasparilla Bowl win cemented this feeling, and the Big 12 move and competing head-to-head in recruiting of late is forcing others to recognize.
UF is no longer the national power they once were - we're far removed from Urban/Tebow and Billy D winning back-to-back titles.
I also feel like Orlando hasn't been a UF town for a long time. The late 1990s and early 2000s? Sure. But UCF's rise over the last decade has changed that.
Y'all heard some of the condescending questions from UF media. Those could have been asked without the backhanded commentary, but they couldn't resist.
Those were probably more appropriate questions to ask in 2010. At that point, the win over UF Hoops in the Amway Center probably was one of the biggest moments in program history. Back then, UCF hadn't even won a bowl game yet (they would beat UGA in the Liberty Bowl a few weeks later).
Photo gallery link is below. I included a few photos of the arena and concessions. The food you see was from the club. They had complimentary hot dogs, popcorn and drinks.
I for one was excited about this opportunity to see UCF play Florida on their home court. There haven't been many opportunities to do so over the last 20+ years as a couple games had football conflicts (I remember one game going head-to-head with a C-USA Championship Game). I think the only UCF MBB game I attended in the O'Connell Center was the one in 2012. I did go to a UCF Volleyball game in 2006, which was the night before the UCF football game at UF.
I've been to some UCF-UF neutral site games, like in Jacksonville and Amway in 2010.
Anyway, took exactly two hours to get up there. The parking situation was a breeze. I got to the arena around 6 p.m., and the parking lot/garage adjacent was free for everyone. No parking pass or money required.
The O'Connell Center is basically a carbon copy of the usf Sun Dome, both were constructed in the same time frame. Obviously both have been refurbished in recent years. Both are kind of cramped in terms of spacing, though I'd say usf is much worse in that regard.
The club was very nice, and had a seamless transition from club to viewing area. That's a big problem with the UCF Arena - the primary club is underneath the stands. You really need something that offers a view, like the Cabana at football.
Comparing it to the UCF Arena, I'd say UCF is much more impressive and a superior facility in terms of seating. A plus for UF is they can have way more branding in the facility whereas UCF Arena is pretty generic in the lobby and concourse.
UF has a larger media press conference area.
Attendance was below average at best, though I don't know how to judge how typical UF games are. It's spring break so student attendance was going to be paltry. The band wasn't even there.
UCF fan showing was sparse... maybe a few dozen people at most.
I barely paid attention to UF basketball this year, though I knew they weren't the same team without Colin Castleton. However, just from the eye test, the team as a whole just didn't look imposing. Definitely not Big 12 worthy if you look at the guys on those rosters.
The game was very quick - the refs seem to swallow their whistles, hardly any fouls were called.
I wasn't really surprised by the result... but nothing would have surprised me either way. This UCF team can be Jekyll and Hyde. I know they're capable of playing at a high level, and other times not.
I've felt this way for a few years, probably since the 2017-18 era, but at least to me I feel like UCF is becoming more of a peer with UF. It's not downplaying UF"s historical success, but rather no longer being in "awe" that UF is the superior program. Obviously the Gasparilla Bowl win cemented this feeling, and the Big 12 move and competing head-to-head in recruiting of late is forcing others to recognize.
UF is no longer the national power they once were - we're far removed from Urban/Tebow and Billy D winning back-to-back titles.
I also feel like Orlando hasn't been a UF town for a long time. The late 1990s and early 2000s? Sure. But UCF's rise over the last decade has changed that.
Y'all heard some of the condescending questions from UF media. Those could have been asked without the backhanded commentary, but they couldn't resist.
Those were probably more appropriate questions to ask in 2010. At that point, the win over UF Hoops in the Amway Center probably was one of the biggest moments in program history. Back then, UCF hadn't even won a bowl game yet (they would beat UGA in the Liberty Bowl a few weeks later).
Photo gallery link is below. I included a few photos of the arena and concessions. The food you see was from the club. They had complimentary hot dogs, popcorn and drinks.
