Rupp Arena Adds Upper Level Chair Back Seats
The one and only time I went to Rupp Arena was for a boys' state basketball game in 1991 and I was in a nosebleed section. We're talking so high the court was barely visible. Fast forward 28 years later and the home of the most storied basketball program in NCAA history is taking the sting out of the nosebleed experience.
Rupp Arena last did big renovations in 2015. A lot of those were cosmetic enhancements such as new goals and shot clocks, updated video and audio equipment, and LED static panels in the four corners of the facility.
Fourteen sections in the upper level of the massive arena will now house chair back seats, take a look:
The official seating capacity is 23,500, the attendance record is 24,480 for the Cats' 2010 win over Louisville. The new chairback seats are ready to go for this Friday night's Big Blue Madness. March 2021 is the next time Rupp Arena is scheduled to host first and second-round games for the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.