12 reasons to see a UK women's game at Memorial Coliseum

Published: September 22, 2011

If you are a proper Kentuckian, the sound of a basketball being dribbled on any floor should be enough to send shivers up your spine.

If that sound is made on the floor at storied Memorial Coliseum, also known as the house that Adolph Rupp built, it should be enough to send the shiver back down your spine as well.

There are certainly more than 12 reasons to attend a women's basketball game at Memorial Coliseum at the University of Kentucky, but here are 12 of the best:

■ There are no bad seats at Memorial, where the Kentucky women will play all of their home games this season except against Duke, which they will play at Rupp Arena on Dec. 8.

■ Those seats generally come at a good price, even if you take a whole family. A season ticket can be had for as low as $45.

■ For the best games, Memorial Coliseum becomes a great place for star-watching. Tons of current and former UK athletes and coaches can be spotted in the crowd and on the mezzanine overlooking the court.

■ After rehabbing her second torn ACL in three years, Amber Smith is back as the point guard and senior leader for this year's team. Just watching all 5-foot-5 of her fire up her teammates during pre-game warm-ups is worth the price of admission.

■ The coliseum's kettle corn is one of the most perfect foods on the planet.

■ UK has had an influx of transfers and freshmen who will give the team a new look. It will be interesting to see how players such as UConn transfer Samarie Walker add to the team.

■ See if Walker can become the team's next Victoria Dunlap, who now plays in the WNBA after being a four-year star for UK.

■ By the time junior guard A'dia Mathies graduates, she could be one of the Cats' most celebrated players. She is likely to join Dunlap at the next level. You can go and say you saw her back when.

■ This season's rivalry game with Louisville will be especially heated given both team's recent trips to the NCAA Tournament and their top recruiting classes the past few seasons.

■ For the first time in school history, Kentucky will have three McDonald's All-Americans on its roster in Walker, guard Jennifer O'Neill and California transfer DeNesha Stallworth, who will have to sit out this season per NCAA transfer rules. But she still will be in the building.

■ Coach Matthew Mitchell has been asked to teach clinics and camps around the country about his aggressive, up-tempo defensive attack. You can see it live every game.

■ After each win, the team leads a chorus of On, On U of K, so even if you're not a Kentucky alum, you can learn the words to the fight song. Or if you are a UK alum who never learned the words, you have your chance.

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