Ask columnist Jason Williams about any topic, sports or otherwise, and he’ll select a few of your questions and answer them on Cincinnati.com. Email: jwilliams@enquirer.com
Issue: Kentucky Wildcats and Indiana Hoosiers should play in Cincinnati exhibition game
Message: Here’s a suggestion to add to the new sports commission’s list of potential events. Host an annual KY-OH-IN basketball showcase with four D-1 teams playing a doubleheader on a Saturday afternoon during the holidays. There would be six teams involved and two teams not participating each year.
The teams would be Kentucky, Louisville, UC, Xavier, Indiana and Purdue. Other regional teams could be in the mix if necessary. To maintain rivalries throughout the season (UC vs. Xavier, Kentucky vs. Louisville, Indiana vs. Purdue), those rival teams would not schedule each other. Games could be played at Heritage Bank Center.
Reply: Bring. He. In.
This is exactly the kind of creative thinking the next revitalized sports commission needs to have.
Such an event could help revitalize our national brand as a college basketball hub. The brand has lost a bit of its luster in recent years, mainly because UC is no longer a team that regularly participates in the NCAA tournament. A showcase event would be a celebration of our rich college basketball history.
Okay, so the NCAA tournament ignores us because of the outdated Heritage Bank Center. The showcase could still be a way to bring a big college basketball event to the city.
Getting Kentucky and Indiana to play would be key to increasing attendance. Fans of both schools travel a lot. Kentucky has averaged 15,033 fans for 12 regular-season games at the Heritage Bank Center. Kentucky hasn’t played at the stadium since 2005.
It wouldn’t be easy to achieve a showcase. Major sponsors and a television network would be needed to support this. Would there even be room on the calendar? There are already several well-established early season tournaments and exhibition events on neutral courts. The sports commission would come in to see if something like this is possible.
The stadium has hosted occasional four-team regular season basketball events. They generally haven’t received much fanfare.
In December 2008, the Heritage Bank Center hosted the Big East/SEC Invitational doubleheader. UC, then in the Big East, played Mississippi State. Louisville, the No. 9 team, also in the Big East, faced Ole Miss. The announced crowd for both games: 5,922.
Keynote USA
For the Latest Sports News, Follow Keynote USA Sports on Twitter.