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Now for the more technical post on the topic of premium seating:

There are a lot of great ideas here and good conversation. First my nondisclosure. I have worked on 5 large sports stadiums/arenas and am currently working on one in Europe at the moment. I would not call myself an expert but I have sat in at minimum 100 hours listening to those that are "experts" in stadium/sports venue economics.

Good or Bad: There are a lot of studies that go back and forth on the value of premium seating. As noted by others above premium seating is important to those with money, however empty box seats means venues are losing money and aesthetically demoralizing if always empty. But what every study does say is without them the opportunity lost is too great a risk than not having at least some. From there it is a matter of economics and metrics. what you want is to have premium seats but not have too many. they must be in good locations with good line of sight. they have to be more than just a box. service is important. maximize the value add to maximize the attraction.

Some Key Points:

1. Demand for large suites is down significantly but typically every sports venue should have 1 option. Again the location, sight line and size are important. These are usually only affordable for large companies and donors. There are also membership suites where you "buy" into communal suite at a 2 seat increment. Beyond that you have party suites and bunker suites that are typically only found in professional sports stadiums.
2. Demand for non-suite premium seating on "mezzanine" levels is the lowest. Nobody wants to be elevated far away from the action if you are not in a party type atmosphere provided by a suite.
3. Demand for non-suite premium seating in premiere location is rapidly increasing. These include several types. 1) "Color" Seating: marked off rows of alternative color seats that are highly visible in great locations that usually come with 1 or 2 add value perks 2) Lounge Seating: seats that are of increased quality also in great location in row setting 3) Loge Boxes. open-air "gated" boxes that small businesses and donors can buy to host that typically seat 4 to 6 people.

Courtside seating is obviously the other option but I am of the opinion that in college students should be on the floor.

There is a lot to be said about Cassell good and bad in terms of its use as a venue. From a design perspective the option of a brand new arena is cool because its a new toy. From a planning point of view it maybe is not the best option due to the cost of such a large ticket item. That is something we would need to get state funding for as well as school and donor dollars. Alternatively, keeping Cassell as only a basketball arena and building an entertainment venue would be much less costly as it could be a relatively light structure built specifically for concerts etc. This is the route I would go if I was writing the checks (ie. Dr Sands)

In regards to Cassell itself, I think the exterior is quaint enough to be somewhat iconic but it needs some work in my opinion. I would like to see some modernization on the outside to make it more of a feature building that works with sports today. The interior needs a lot of work but I don't see any reason why it cannot be renovated to support both premium seating. Again the opportunity cost here is key.

Does Cassell need suites? that's a good question. One that I can only speculate on without seeing the actual returns. My personal opinion is that it does need suites. I like what Richmond has done by putting them up in the corners. It looks good there, but at Cassell likely wouldn't be as successful given our sloping rooflines. Plus corner suites are inherently less desirable than those that have direct line of sight to the floor.

I have marked where I would suggest some level of premium seating for Cassell.
RED is Suite: Centered but elevated above the rest of the seating. Loss of normal seating minimal given the nose bleed area and that we rarely sell out. If we are winning and selling out donors will buy these suites every game. Worth it to me. 1 - 3 only
Orange is Loge Box: Open-Air gated box seats midway up the seating with premiere sight lines. Great for small and mid-size business to host and allows easy access for premiere food and beverage service.
Green is Color Seats: A 2 - 4 row swatch right in the middle of the lower level seats running parallel to the court. These seats should have better leg room, better seats and perhaps some food service as a perk, and maybe some swag.

Note: This is just based on economics of maximizing premium seating, not necessarily what would be the exact location. I have not been to a VT bball game since I was a student and the dynamics of where different groups sit I know have changed.

Dang!

Nothing against Burden but I think it's odd that there was no improvement in the receivers other than what you would expect from naturally talented receivers getting a year older. Except for maybe blocking. "Bucky Rogers" had a great block on the long Ryan Malleck reception.

Unfortunately, this year they have done away with the stand by line. There has been a recent problem of people winning the lottery and not showing up, which is why Whit introduced the rule that if you win and don't show 3 times, you lose the opportunity to enter the lottery.

I should point out that my friend applied for the lottery for the VMI game and did not win. The student section was embarrassingly empty and he still couldn't get into the game. Doesn't seem to make sense.

Another friend forgot to sign up for the Northwestern game and once again, the student section was embarrassingly bare, and he was still denied entrance because of the lack of the standby line.

So long story short, yes, the standby line has been done away with.

I don't think the Ladies have had that kind of shooter since Carrie Mason

Did they do away with standby student tickets? When I was there my last year they would let in non-ticketed students just before the tip to take any available seats (not just in the student section). One game in '07 during a snow storm against Maryland, there were only students there because no one could drive to Blacksburg because of the weather (I think this was the start of the standby idea). The place was packed and very loud, and a fun win.

I like this Fuente guy.

Glad to see Patterson back on board.

The entire Duke game was a major head scratcher. I've never felt so dejected losing a game since the 2006 Peach Bowl loss to Georgia.

So, who's shirt is it?

I understand the stupid ACC rules keeping us out of the BELK, but, the Hokies should have gone to the Military again, especially against a tough opponent like Navy. Plus, the NOVA HOKIES would have filled the stadium again. Oh well, I'll be hosting a viewing party in my Hokie Cave.

Doesn't play "smallish," has reach like Jayron Hosely. Not sure the level of competition in the film, but if decent I'm surprised he's only a 3-star.

I doubt anyone in Clemson gives a flip about what we think about this.

Meh, ya never know.