Vanderbilt Univ Memorial Gymnasium

As a huge college basketball fan, I’ve been waiting to attend a game here after seeing it on TV countless times. Unfortunately, our visit was plagued by a poor announcer, inconsistent sound, a bumbling production crew, and poorly planned parking arrangements (there was a $ 15 for all tickets sign above the box office, but we’d scored ours for $ 2.50 each on StubHub, albeit in pretty awful seats, which were not accessible from nearly anywhere else, another flaw). The fan base around us was admirably knowledgeable, but there weren’t many, being winter break for students and a non-​conference game (I guess the facilities folks were also on vacation, as the restrooms [with urinals way too close] were not maintained).

Memorial Gym is always a great place to watch a basketball game. I enjoy going several times a year to watch SEC basketball. Even though I am a UK fan and Vanderbilt basketball is down this year, the Gym was still rocking on Saturday. Kudos to the Vandy students who kept the energy up with a great fight from the Dores.
If you haven’t visited Memorial, please note that if you are in looking for seats in section 3 you might want to sit in the first 10 rows so you can see clearly without being slightly blocked from the banners and overhang.

The streak continues! Did you know that Vanderbilt is one of two teams in the country that has hit a three pointer in every game since the rules were changed to allow a 3-​point shot?
I attend a game or two every year at Vanderbilt. We always see the Georgia/​VU game, and every other year we catch their game against Mississippi State (my alma mater). It’s always a lot of fun and Vanderbilt is definitely passionate about basketball.
Memorial Gymnasium is one of the last true gyms in big-​time college basketball. It has a few flaws in design, but the tradition and style are a nice change of pace. The view can be challenging in some spots and making your way around the gym can take some time. There are many narrow corridors to navigate along the way.
In addition to the unique features of playing in a gymnasium, you will immediately notice the odd arrangement of benches. Instead of having them along the side of the court, the coaches and teams actually sit behind the goals. This is so bizarre and watching a point guard completely turn around to get the play from the coach is certainly interesting. I’m waiting for the day when a coach and his players drag their chairs from the end to the side to set up shop. That would be hilarious.
If you get the opportunity to take in a game at Memorial Gym, take advantage of it. There are not many structures still standing in this style for college basketball.

Wandered in to explore the gym this weekend and it was pretty cool. The layout is very unique and I can imagine if you’re watching a game you would feel very connected to the court because the seats are so close to the floor.
Vanderbilt is located in the city so all of its sports facilities are on top of one-​another to maximize space. They managed to design it so that space is used to the max and the area is still beautiful and neatly structured and designed. A wonderful afternoon exploring the campus!