I didn’t know that game was the last one in a smaller arena until a lady here was telling me about it. I thought, “Wow, that’s crazy.”
Getting to the Final Four, we played our regional in a dome in Minneapolis. It helped that we arrived there a few days before. I was a senior, and playing in domes throughout my career helped a little. (Delk shot 15-for-28 from the floor in two games there.)
The fans are so far away that you don’t get a feel for them. When you go from an arena to a dome, sometimes players don’t always adjust that fast, especially the shooters.
In the 1995 SEC tournament, when it was in the Georgia Dome, I never played well. (In three games, all Kentucky victories, Delk was a combined 12-for-38 on field-goal attempts, including 3-for-17 on 3-pointers.)
I just like the atmosphere in an arena better — the background, the setting, the fans. You play in arenas every game, and you get used to that background. When you are in a closer environment, you can adjust your shot a lot quicker.
I thought the Izod Center was a good shooting arena. It was an NBA arena. The rims were different; it seemed like they were bigger. I made six 3-pointers in the first half and thought I was going to make four or five more.
I felt close to the fans there. I felt like I could reach out and touch then. When you play in domes, it kind of takes the fan out of it. In an arena, it helps that everyone can see. Everyone is involved in the game.
I went to the Final Four last year in New Orleans, but didn’t go to the games because I didn’t want to jinx Kentucky. I haven’t been to one in a dome.
Will the Final Four ever be held again in an arena? I don’t think so. The reason being, money. It’s about money now.
I would have it in a smaller setting again because I think it would be great for the college game. It would make tickets scarce, driving up the value. I say, move it around and keep it in arenas so you have that college campus effect.
But it is definitely not going to happen again.
