Fifth Third Arena

Knowing a full blown renovation is coming probably helps. As a UC student many moons ago, this arena was new at the time, but it was already outdated, which was sad. It hasn’t changed much, which if you’re nostalgic, you’ll love visiting. The seats in the upper level may be the worst place in the World to watch a basketball game. The climb up there is straight up, you sit on a bench with no back and you have to look through the rafters to watch the game. In addition, there are no concessions or bathrooms up there, if you’re claustrophobic, steer clear, you are so close to the ceiling you will hate it. I’ll still go to games until the renovate, but it can’t come soon enough. Go Cats!

Visited UC’s Arena for my brother’s graduation ceremony. Can’t speak to the normal game-​time accommodations, but the sound was good and I’m not sure there was a bad seat in the whole place. Plenty of visibility to the court. The bleachers were plastic and a tad uncomfortable (felt sorry any long-​legged spectators) but overall a good experience with sight & sound!

I love it here! This school is always the home of the UC Bearcats! UC Bearcats are awesome and always winners to me! LETS GO BEARCATS!!! I LOVE THE BEARCATS SO SO SO MUCH!!!

Oh ⁵⁄₃^rd. I love you. I love you so much. This place, no doubt, is rockin’ when full. It’s an experience like any other. However, it’s obviously in need of renovation on almost every level (especially if they want to charge what they are charging currently for seats).
Try to sit on the lower level, in the student section (if you can get a guest ticket), or at least a chair-​back seat in the upper level. Steer very clear of the corners. Reference
for parking information — it’s not totally bad, usually between $ 10-​$ 15 to park on campus.
Go Cats!

Oh, Oh, Oh, (clap, clap) A-​OK!
Being a grad student at UC, I haven’t had too much of a chance to cheer on the Bearcats in person, but I finally made the pilgrimage to the Old Fifth Third Arena during the most recent sporting match between between the Ferociousness Bearcats and the Endangered Marquette Golden Eagles.
I have heard that this place was legendary for its poor sight lines and bad seats, and well… that is what I saw. Basically there are three sections: student section bleachers on both sides of the end court, the lower level section that basically covers the length of the court, and then the massive upper deck. Our seats were towards the bottom of the upper deck, but looking up, I thought I was gazing at the side of a mountain. During my stay I still couldn’t quite see the peak of the Matterhorn that is how high these seats went. Further, based on our sight lines at the lower tier, I am convinced that the people at the very top could only see the iron roof supports.
Overall for some reason it reminded me of a high school gym. Aside from the high seats, the layout is a little funky in that there is a lot of dead space in the corners, and the connecting hallways might remind you of walking to your 11^th grade physics class.
OK enough hating. Despite the poor design– ironic because of UC’s architecture program– this place rocks! The student sections on both ends of the court really emphasizes that this indeed this sport still has a student focus, rather than the farm league the NCAA has become, and allows for the place to get loud and rocking. The arena also does a solid job of celebrating the storied history of the program and reminds you of how special hoops is for the region.
Best of all since this is Cincinnati and we have an excess of Germans and Catholics, they sell beer here. Yes Virginia, we all know that college and sports usually equals beer, an equation that is tired and true, yet sadly ignored by other more «self righteous» schools. They might have more wins and national championships, but gosh darn it, the Bearcats know how to do it right. Best of all, a large beer costs 6.50! What a deal! (Its a sad day in life when you cheer that a watered down domestic is 6 bucks, and worse yet that you will pay more at professional stadiums.)
Finally the crowd was a good mix of college kids, alumni, and even families bringing their children. At half time it reminded me of a Lenten Fish Fry. To me this is what college hoops is all about. Great crowd, great history, beer, and sports, make this a really enjoyable place to watch a game.

The home of the Bearcats, period! The arena itself is not the best, but when the crowd is on their feet this place is awesome! I have been coming to Bearcats games for my entire life and this arena holds so many great memories! My wife and I come to several games a year and we look forward to continuing the tradition with our children someday. Tickets are aways available (with exception to The CrossTown Shootout and maybe a select few Big East games) so you should definitely go whenever you can!
Go Cats!

This is going to be a biased review because I went to the fifth third arena for my first US basketball game ever… And wow, what an experience! I felt like I was dropped into a US movie about basketball and cheerleaders etc. Turns out it’s all real.
The game was sold out, so there was a great vibe in the arena and on top of that the Bearcats won! Amazing evening.
In terms of the venue itself, it’s what I expect from a sports venue — not very comfortable, floors dirty with beer, junk food… The stewards were very friendly though and we had great seats so no complaints about the visibility of the field. It did feel like it was quite an old arena but I don’t have any complaints other than that. It’s nice that people can drink beer (apparently this is not that normal for a sports game in the US — it is in Belgium).
Great first experience of American basketball in this 5^th 3^rd arena!

Having been to games here and sitting in each different section like the upper level, behind the benches, and now student section I agree with a lot of reviews saying the sight lines are bad. While it’s cool that students stand behind the basket I would love to have a student section like Duke, where the student section is on the court opposite the bench.
I agree that UC should build a new basketball arena, but where? The campus doesn’t have room build a new arena. Plus when a big east foe like St. Johns only draws 8300 fans while build a new 15k arena.
I show up for every home game and stand and cheer on the bearcats to victory. Heck it seems I even get on TV a few times a game when going to a game.
ooh ooh ooh let’s go UC!

Not the oldest, nor the newest of the arenas in the area, but quite possibly the worst! The place was built primarily for basketball, yet has the charm of a convention center. The lower level seats are narrow, and on the endzones are the bleachers. The upper deck seats are permanent, but no better.
I know the place is used for practice courts for the basketball teams, but still, I just think this place was not designed for people, with all the steps you have to climb, even to get to the lower seats! It was built on the cheap, I’m sure, and seems to be kind of an eysore, if not a dud, when compared to the signature starchitecture and classic older buildings in the vicinity.
There has been talk of a new basketball arena on campus somewhere, but considering UC athletics doesn’t have a huge pile of money, and pretty much every parcel of land on campus has been developed, it won’t be soon. But I don’t see «The Shoe» being the best asset to draw recruits to the Bearcats (who I really support and believe in!)

Ah… Fifth Third Arena, aka the «Shoe». How I love thee… How I hate thee…
The Shoe is full of contradictions that lead to this love-​hate relationship.
It’s biggest plus is that it definitely is perfectly situated in the middle of campus. However, it also becomes a drag because when you’re going to basketball games in the middle of winter, the parking garages seem miles away.
It’s pretty spacious for a gym, but then again looks are deceiving. There’s a lot of dead air in the gym from an older design, and the upper decks feel like you’re watching the game on a 13″ television.
Beer is actually served here which is always a plus. But you’re going to be waiting in line for awhile.
And students and the team are kind of ebb and flow too, but you just can’t root against the Bearcats when you’re here.
So if it’s love-​hate, why 4 stars? Because when you love something, you just have to overlook it’s faults…

Fifth Third Arena gets the job done. There are many BAD seats in the arena. Some deep in the corner and some that make you feel like you are watching a baseball game. They serve beer though, and it usually is not too crowded so you can move down to an acceptable seat. Catch a good game though, and the stands will be packed!

13,176. To the average person, that five digit number means nothing, but to me it means a lot… a sell out crowd at UC’s Fifth Third Arena to be exact. For all the restaurants and places in Cincinnati I love, there is no place I would rather be than at a Bearcats men’s basketball game. Being a die-​hard UC fan and only going to a game or two each year, it always a special place each time I step in the Myrl H. Shoemaker Center.
While the word arena may have originated from the circular or ovular center area of a Roman amphitheatre (see
definition), UC’s gym is actually shaped like a shoebox, and coincidentally named after a man named Shoemaker. Round or not, the arena opened in 1989 and for most of the next 16 years under Bob Huggins, the Bearcats’ home was one of the toughest in the nation for opposing teams in which to win games. Between 1997 and 2005, UC won 334 of its 399 home games.
Although I strongly feel UC needs a new round arena to replace its current box of a gym renamed in 2004 after Fifth Third Bank, it still is one of the nicest gyms in the country. Fifth Third Arena has 16 private suites (very unique to college teams not playing in an NBA arena) and a restaurant and lounge area for athletic boosters overlooking Ed Jucker Court. They have also done a great job commemorating all-​time UC greats with large signs just inside the doors (see photo) and a display of the names of Bearcat All-​Americans above one of the student sections.
While the Bearcat teams have been struggling through a rebuilding process for over two years, when the team does get back to typical UC form, Fifth Third Arena again will be a scary place for opposing teams to play. When it is sold out, the place gets rockin’, and when Fifth Third Arena is rockin’ there ain’t no stoppin’ the ‘Cats. Although I love Fifth Third Arena, I will withhold a bit of my bias and drop one star from its rating, in part due to its shape and resulting bad seats in the corners of the arena.