New stadium setup makes for crowded field

DETROIT -- The future of Final Four seating -- a look that will be similar to the one used at the new Dallas Cowboys stadium if college basketball’s premier event winds up there -- is on display here at Ford Field.

Using a portable seating system that the NCAA designed and owns, the attendance of 57,028 at Friday night’s Midwest Regional semifinal games set an NCAA Tournament record. The previous for a semifinal session was 42,400 for the Midwest Regional in St. Louis in 1999.

The new seating configuration fits well in football stadiums. The court is placed in the middle of the field with half-court at the 50-yard line and the court pointing toward the two end zones.

Using four-inch risers, staggered seats around the court allow for sight lines for approximately 14,000 fans surround the court. The portable back row of the portable seats connect with the stadium’s fixed seating. Approximately 3,000 of Ford Field’s lower-level seats a

Increased end zone seating means that approximately 4,000 tickets will be available for the students of participating Final Four schools. Those tickets for future Final Fours will be available at $10 to $15. The NCAA is designing a system that will assure only students will be able to use those tickets.

Each April, the NCAA takes over 100,000 ticket applications for the next year’s Final Four. That demand indicates that fans are interested in being in the arena even if they might need binoculars or Lasik surgery to follow the action.

The typical seating arrangement in domed stadiums -- such as what will be used in San Antonio’s Alamodome this year _ involves putting the court in one end of the stadium floor.

“We compared the worst seats in that format to the new format,’’ said Greg Shaheen, NCAA senior vice president of basketball and business strategies. “What we found with the new format is that there are not only more total seats but there are more good seats.’’

Houston’s Reliant Stadium, which will host the 2011 Final Four, is using modified version (no end zone seating) for the South Regional. The NCAA will use information from both venues to tweak the set up for future Final Fours.

The NCAA also used Reliant stadium to test the new seating concept. Using computer-generated models, it was able to show how the old seating arrangement compared with the new one.

Ford Field will be the site of next year’s Final Four. The attendance record (64,959 set during the 1987 Final Four in New Orleans) could be surpassed.

“I think that's a really impressive setup,’’ Villanova coach Jay Wright said Thursday. “The seats are closer to the court than anywhere I've ever seen.

“Having the floor elevated even makes it feel … closer. It seems much more closed-in than any domed arena that I've been in. I really like it.’’ One of the biggest adjustments for players and coaches is the raised court, which is 27 inches above the arena floor. The players benches are on the arena floor. Court access requires climbing four steps.

During timeouts at Detroit, six folding stools were brought to the court for the five players and the coach. Assistant coaches and reserves huddled around those that were seated.

During the game, Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan and Davidson coach Bob McKillop stayed on the court. When McKillop turned to talk to his reserves, he was like an actor conversing with the orchestra pit.

During is team's game with Villanova Friday night, Kansas coach Bill Self spent much of his court time sitting on a stool near his team's bench.

A concern with the raised court is player safety. At Ford Field, the border at each end is 23 feet, 10 feet longer than usual. The sideline border is 10 feet, twice as wide as normal.

Eight minutes into the Wisconsin-Davidson game, the Badgers’ Michael Flowers chased down a blocked shot and ran out of runway. He leaped over the Wisconsin bench and landed safely on the arena floor.