UC Bearcats: Fifth Third Arena renovations in home stretch, as Ohio State looms for opener

Tom Groeschen | Cincinnati Enquirer

Show Caption Hide Caption UC AD Bohn gives update on Fifth Third Arena renovations Cincinnati Bearcats athletic director Mike Bohn on Wednesday gave an update on UC's $87 million Fifth Third Arena renovations.

Mike Bohn was about to jump out of his hardhat with joy Wednesday afternoon, as the University of Cincinnati athletic director took local reporters on a tour of the school's $87 million Fifth Third Arena renovations.

The arena is set to reopen this fall, headlined by a Nov. 7 men's basketball season opener between UC and Ohio State. The UC women's basketball and women's volleyball teams also will be returning home to the arena, which is undergoing its largest renovations since opening in 1989 as the Myrl Shoemaker Center.

The always-effusive Bohn could not contain his glee on the construction tour, the media's first look inside the building in several months. The privately funded project is on time and on budget, Bohn said, with Skanska-Megen the primary construction partner. Construction began in March 2017.

"We're thrilled with the progress of the arena," Bohn said. "I think (Skanska Project Manager) Bryan Ramsey and his staff, and obviously our staff and the institution as a whole, their passion and commitment to this project has been inspiring. We're inside four months of being able to open the arena."

Recent highlights include the installation of the wood playing surface, an NBA-grade permanent floor. The new video boards, including a nine-display, center-hung LED video display with an accompanying halo ring, should be installed within a few weeks.

Wednesday's media tour showed the arena still very much a construction site, with a fine, dusty haze in the air and workers scattered about. Bohn, some UC staffers and local reporters joined the construction staff in donning hardhats along with safety vests, glasses and gloves.

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"From Day 1, the vision on this arena was to make the fan experience a premier experience," Bohn said. "There are large video boards and new ribbon boards, plus some stat boards in the corners. They represent seven million lights as part of our ribbon board presentation and scoreboard. We're going to have a lot of opportunities to inform our fans, entertain our fans and salute our fans, and obviously provide a great stage for our team to be able to perform."

At its peak, the construction staff had about 250 workers going six days a week. The crew now is less than 200, Skanska's Ramsey said. Most of the seats are now in, including the student sections that still will be behind both baskets (North and South end zones).

NOTEWORTHY: The UC men's basketball team played its 2017-18 home games at Northern Kentucky University's BB&T Arena, while the women's basketball team and volleyball played most home games at St. Ursula Academy in Walnut Hills.

Multiple arena enhancements will include two 360-degree concourses and permanent lower-level bowl with new padded chairback seating, and cup holders throughout most of the facility. Previously, several seats were angled away from the court and there were poor views from the upper decks.

A new upper-level concourse will include more restrooms and concession stands. There will be new premium seating options, including 16 suites and three exclusive club areas. A new outdoor HD videoboard also is being added.

The arena capacity will change from its former 13,176 to 12,012 for its reopening.

HOT TICKET: UC announced Wednesday that season ticket sales are trending near record levels for the return of UC men’s basketball to Fifth Third Arena.

An estimated 76 percent of the arena’s 12,012 seats have been sold for the coming season, leaving only three of 12 pricing points and approximately 2,000 seats remaining.

UC basketball spokesman Andre Foushee said that the school is nearing 6,000 season tickets sold for 2018-19. The record is 7,707 for the 1999-2000 season, the senior year of national Player of the Year Kenyon Martin. UC had a sellout crowd of 13,176 for each home game that season.

Fans can still secure seats by placing a $50 per seat season ticket deposit at GoBearcats.com/tickets or by calling 1-877-CATS-TIX. The season ticket deposit deadline is Friday, July 27. The athletics ticket office will contact these season-ticket deposit holders during the week of Aug. 13 to select their seats.

A limited number of seats remain in the Incline (sections 208-212 and 220-224), Upper Sideline (sections 202-206 and 214-218) and Bearcats Lair (sections 201-207 and 213-219) areas of the arena.

BUCKEYES BACK: UC will reopen the arena with the aforementioned men's basketball game against Ohio State, beginning a home-and-home series with the Buckeyes. UC will visit OSU to start the 2019-20 season.

UC and OSU have not met in the regular season since 1921, which was the home opener for the Buckeyes and the only time the teams opened the season against one another. The Bearcats won that game 33-17. Ohio State has not played the Bearcats in Cincinnati since Jan. 3, 1920, a 35-13 win for the Buckeyes.

The two programs last met in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 in 2012, with OSU winning 81-66.

BUT FIRST: The UC men probably will play an exhibition game in the new Fifth Third before the OSU opener, with opponent and date to be announced.