CINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati men’s basketball team will play its 2017-18 schedule at Northern Kentucky University’s BB&T Arena, UC Director of Athletics Mike Bohn announced.
The offsite schedule is due to the upcoming $87-million renovation of Fifth Third Arena which begins in earnest this March and will conclude in October 2018.
“We are excited for the opportunity to play in one of the newest facilities in the area,” Bohn said. “This was a long, thorough and engaging process with numerous stakeholders throughout our region. Hamilton County officials were all in for the right reasons and a key part of our discussions. The tri-state area is unique because of its regionality which encompasses a large swath of our fan base. All of those factors helped us make the right decision for our department and University while being fiscally responsible and providing an outstanding experience for our student-athletes, fans, students, donors and supporters.”
“We are pleased to assist the University of Cincinnati and its men’s basketball program for the 2017-18 season and to host the Bearcats in BB&T Arena during their renovation of Fifth Third Arena,” said Ken Bothof, Northern Kentucky University’s Director of Athletics. “We certainly appreciate the great working relationship we have had with Mike Bohn and his staff throughout this process.”
BB&T Arena was built in 2008 and will provide the Bearcats a state-of-the-art facility a short drive from UC’s campus.
“The modern amenities of BB&T Arena will mimic some of the improvements UC fans will experience when we return to Fifth Third Arena in 2018 more closely than other facilities in the area which was important to us,” Bohn said. “The convenience of parking and the arena being less than a 10-mile drive from our campus was also appealing. We will be transporting a UC-branded floor to BB&T Arena to enhance the offsite home-court advantage. We are grateful to Ken Bothof and Andy Meeks from the NKU administration and Darren Stearns and the BB&T Arena staff for allowing us an opportunity to share their arena for a season.”
For men’s basketball season-ticket holders and prospective buyers, open house events will take place at BB&T to allow patrons to get a look at the Bearcats 2017-18 home court. Season ticket costs and donation levels will not increase and patrons will have the opportunity to select seats in August or will be allocated the best available seats in a comparable location.
Season ticket holders are strongly encouraged to maintain season tickets in BB&T Arena in order to maximize their priority for the reseating of Fifth Third Arena prior to the 2018-19 season. Bonus priority points will be awarded to 2017-18 season ticket holders in BB&T Arena as well as bonus points for outright gifts to the renovation project. Individuals interested in supporting the Fifth Third Arena project should call UCATS at 513-556-4884.
Complimentary parking will be provided to season ticket holders and students. Season ticket holder parking will be allocated based on UCATS priority. Athletics will provide transportation to students for games at BB&T Arena, similar to how students were bussed to Paul Brown Stadium for football games during the 2014 season. More details on the student program will be released as they are finalized.
New season-ticket deposits for the 2017-18 season in BB&T Arena can be made now by calling the UC Ticket Office at 513-556-2287. Additional information regarding tickets, seat locations and schedules will be announced as it becomes available. For more information on the Fifth Third Arena renovation, please visit OurHouse2018.com.
// BB&T ARENA
Address: 500 Louie B Nunn Dr, Newport, KY 41099
The $60-million BB&T Arena opened in 2008 and is one of the newest entertainment venues in the greater Cincinnati area. The facility, the home court for Northern Kentucky University Division I Athletics, has hosted many concerts from artists including Jay Z, Blake Shelton, Bob Dylan as well as other events like Cirque du Soleil, WWE Live, comedy acts Larry The Cable Guy, Jeff Foxworthy, Dane Cook and many more.
The 9,400 seat multipurpose arena is located seven miles from downtown Cincinnati and features 12 luxury suites, a pair of party suites and 8,000 parking spaces within a five-minute walk to the arena. A four-sided video board, statistics boards and ribbon boards will keep fans up-to-date on what is going on in game.
In 2012, NKU hosted the NCAA Division II Men's Elite Eight basketball tournament, which saw Western Washington win its first ever national championship, defeating Montevallo (Ala.) in the championship game, which was televised nationally on CBS. The BB&T Arena also plays host to prominent regional and national events like the KHSAA women’s high school basketball tournament in 2016 and 2017.