WKU Basketball: An Honest Review Of The Conference USA Tournament In Frisco

The infamous curtain at the Star

Last week I traveled down to Texas to attend the Conference USA Tournament in Frisco. After all of the internet hoopla about the controversial location, I wanted to see firsthand why the conference chose a location that is over a ten-hour drive from most of the larger basketball fan bases in the conference.

I went into this trip with an open mind and wanted to see a new part of the country that I’ve only traveled to on business to find out in person if WKU could capture its first NCAA tournament bid since 2013.

For a decade now, I have followed WKU teams on trips across the country to see them on the road. My travels have taken me on big college football road trips (LSU, Alabama, Wisconsin), Conference USA college towns (FIU, MTSU, Marshall), bowl games (Little Caesars Bowl, Boca Raton Bowl, Cure Bowl), and conference tournaments. To me, it is fun following the underappreciated team I love even if they don’t always win. I can usually get my wife or a few of my old friends to join me on these trips.

On this trip, I got both with my wife, infant daughter and former college roommate (Logan Parke) to join me to watch the conference tournament and experience several things that the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex had to offer.

Here are my thoughts on the Conference USA tournament experience in Frisco:

• Frisco was the third city that I’ve watched WKU play a conference tournament in, joining Hot Springs (2010) and Birmingham (2016). I had a fun time at each location despite WKU bowing out in the semifinals each time. Each tournament offered unique things to do and a glimpse of life in a mid-major league with a smaller base of fans. I know that with Conference USA’s spread out nature (El Paso to Norfolk) there is no perfect location to have the tournament and these events will always be sparsely attended unless a few regional or host teams are having amazing seasons and they make the finals of the tournament. With UTSA (4.5 hours away) being the only top pod team within easy driving distance, I didn’t have high expectations that I’d be attending a packed event with a lot of interest like the major conferences. When I arrived in Frisco, my preconceived notions were generally proved.
• Frisco is a 25-minute drive straight north of downtown Dallas on the North Dallas Tollway. The first thing I realized about the city (177,000) is that just about everything in town is brand new. There were nice gated neighborhoods, brand new corporate campus’ and cranes building more high rises all around the area. This was a great departure from previous trips to Hot Springs Arkansas or Birmingham and gave it a unique experience.

The area in front of the Star

• The tournament was held at the Star, the headquarters of the Dallas Cowboys that was built in 2015. Around it is the Omni Hotel, shops and various bars and restaurants. They had a fan interaction area in front of the Ford Center. While all of this was nice and Conference USA-centric, you wouldn’t really know that the tournament was going on unless you saw fans of other teams. There wasn’t much local attendance of the events other than a few kids playing in front of the arena. In the area that I stayed, just 2.5 miles away (Legacy West), most people had zero idea that the event was going on. Immediately around the Star, there were many nice things to do but you didn’t get a real feel of a conference tournament buzz, which is probably the difference between a mid-major league and a power conference.
• The best part of the tournament being in Frisco was the area attractions. Since I brought my wife, I used most of the mornings to take advantage of visiting a top American city with endless possibilities. We made the short drive down to Dallas and saw the Dallas World Aquarium, The George W. Bush Presidential Center and the Perot Museum of Science. Those were just a few of the possibilities for non-basketball entertainment as DFW offers world-class entertainment, shopping and dining options (Texas Barbecue, Texmex and any other style you want). If you want to tie nonbasketball adventures into a conference tournament trip, this was perfect for you.
• The Ford Center, the arena that the games were held in is very nice as well but weird for basketball. It is mainly used for watching the Cowboys practice and high school football games. The temporary bleachers on one side and obvious football design make for a cavernous feel at the sparsely attended event that never really got loud, even during the best-attended games. Knowing that would be the case it didn’t bother me much but I could see casual fans using this to knock the set up. Overall, the arena was nicer than the previous ones that I witness WKU play in but there were little things that definitely bugged me compared to arenas specifically designed for basketball (more below).

• The curtain in between the two courts is often used to put down the tournament but it really isn’t as big of a deal as detractors made it out to be. It was kind of cool just walking back and forth between two games and getting to watch another game immediately after the one you were watching was finished. The only thing that stinks about it is the fact that you definitely could hear what was going on across the other side when something happened, that took a little getting used to but wasn’t a big deal at the end of the day.
• One thing that the conference has to improve is the scoreboards. They had three large screens on three different corners of the court. While it was good if you were at a certain level, it was almost always blocked by the baskets so seeing the score, stats and other information was always incomplete no matter which side you were on. They should move those up so they are entirely viewable in the future. Also, unless you were following on your phone, there wasn’t a ticker or anything to let you know the score of the game next door. These are easy improvements that should be made.

Blocked stats board

• We got credentialed by Conference USA to cover the event and it was interesting and a little weird to see how the press gets accommodated at these events. There was a hospitality area up an elevator where you could take a break, get some snacks (Papa John’s Pizza, chips, cookies and soft drinks/water) and mingle with other writers/guests (I met Todd Stewart in the elevator) of the event. It was cool seeing the event from that perspective and definitely helped me appreciate the professionals that cover teams for a living. (Ed. note — it ain’t all butterflies and roses being a professional sports reporter! Granted, all of the things Ross said are indeed nice and sweet.) While I took advantage of the amenities I still felt more at home covering the team from the stands so I decided to cover the games there instead of press row.

Our credential

View from press box hospitality area

• One thing I’ve figured out over the course of my WKU travels is that WKU fans care. Whether it be a trip to Murfreesboro, South Florida or Texas, WKU is very well represented on these trips. Besides North Texas, WKU arguably had the next best base of support despite the event being 11 hours from Bowling Green. It really does make you appreciate that the fan base is passionate despite being perceived as the other way.
• The North Texas game was the only game that WKU was at a fan disadvantage and yet it wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I would say it was a 60/40 split despite being only 25 miles from Denton. That was disappointing to me and helped me realize that this event will probably never have a special atmosphere. Maybe if they make the final one day but the fact they didn’t take over the court during an 8:30 p.m. game was depressing as a fan that wants the conference to do well
• Here are my rankings of the fan presence in Frisco:

1. UNT (obviously until they were knocked out)
2. WKU
3. Marshall
4. Louisiana Tech
5. Rice (they showed out for their women's team comparatively)
6. UAB
7. ODU (disappointing but not surprising considering distance)

8–14(in no order): Middle, UTSA, Southern Miss, FIU, FAU, Charlotte, UTEP all of these teams have small sprinkles of band members, family, and friends some had more than others but were all mediocre comparatively

• Southern Miss’ presence was very disappointing since they were a top three seed, they were looked at as one of the pre-tournament favorites and they may have had only a few dozen fans at both games
• One funny moment that I experienced was at the Marshall/USM game (after the WKU/UNT game). After the victory, Logan and I moved to watch the end of the game with 12 minutes left. We wanted to see who WKU would be playing next and knew that USM would be the better matchup for WKU. Sitting in front of Marshall fans on the temporary bleachers, I cheered half-heartedly when USM made a clutch three to extend their small lead. Right after that, a Marshall fan directly behind me kicked the bottom of my chair and was loudly offended that I had the audacity to cheer for the visitors in front of him at a neutral event. I looked over to Logan in disbelief wondering if that really happened, I then made it a point to cheer loudly the next time that Southern Miss scored another basket. The Herd fan groaned again and asked why we weren’t sitting in the Southern Miss section (they maybe had a few dozen fans on the other side). I told him it was a free country and we could sit wherever we wanted. He quickly got up and moved after that. I guess some people can’t handle opposition in life.

• The concourse of the Ford Center is nice but rather empty. There weren’t any TV’s to see the action while you were on the way to the bathroom or grabbing concessions. That definitely made it feel small time even compared to Birmingham a few years back.
• The concessions were solid, even if they were a little overpriced, until the championship game. Prior to that game, they had a concession area on the visitor side where you could easily buy drinks (beer, water or soft drinks). For some reason, they closed that down on the last day and the lines at the other concession area were unbearable. This left a dry, bad taste in my mouth on the last night.
• I always feel bad for schools that get knocked out early at these events. I saw some stick around but it would definitely suck if you ponied up the money to travel (probably fly) to Dallas and not get to see your team play at least two games.
• Mid-major tournaments definitely have a homey feel to them. You can tell that the few who go truly care about their programs they’re supporting and you get an intimate feeling mingling with other diehards, bands, parents, administrators, and even the teams as they finish up their games. That is definitely something you won’t experience at a Power Conference tournament
• After experiencing the event, I think Frisco is a solid location (at least for now) but could make the event better. CUSA could do better with their set-up and promotion in the community. To me, most of that would include getting North Texas to better embrace the event. With no other fan base less than four and a half hours away they’ve got to do a better job of getting local support. I’m begrudgingly okay (even though I’d rather it be drivable) with it being there two more years because of the lack of suitable alternatives.
• Unless CUSA and the Sun Belt realign their conferences to better match geography (makes sense with budgetary issues they are encountering) this may be the best option for now. Dallas is an easy area to fly to (two airports with multiple direct flights from Louisville and Nashville) and at least there is tons of stuff to do during, in between and after the conference tournament. With WKU looking to stay in the top tier of the league over the next two years, I would definitely recommend checking it out at least once. I was able to plan a fun sports trip, see a lot of cool areas that I wouldn’t normally visit and still keep my wife happy with the vacation we took. If you are on the fence about going I’d give it a try.

Overall I had a good experience in Frisco, I probably won’t be going back in the next two years (I've got my second child due in June) but I would totally recommend checking it out if you’re looking for something different to experience. I think Frisco would be a great rotation spot for future conference tournaments with other cities (Birmingham, Nashville, Memphis, even Huntsville)and would totally be okay coming back in five to ten years.