Midseason Modification to Ohio State's Court

Matt Rachmiel has brought to my attention a rare midseason change in court design, which is taking place at Ohio State. Here's an article I found on the matter.

UCLA Floor at Renovated Pauley Pavilion

Based on a Pac-12 Network video feed of tonight's Stanford at UCLA women's volleyball match, we can see that the center-court logo at the renovated Pauley Pavilion has been changed. Before closing for the 2011-12 academic year, Pauley's center-court area had always featured a traditional circular design, with angular "UC" and "LA" lettering facing viewers either behind press row or on the opposite side of the court.

As can be seen below, however, the school has switched to a cursive "Ucla" with underline, on which it says "BRUINS." You may click on the screen-captured photo to enlarge it.

New College-Court Designs

Uni Watch's college basketball preview reports some new court designs, along with changes in some schools' uniforms. Matt Rachmiel, who brought the Uni Watch column to my attention, highlights the new Long Beach State court as one warranting attention.

New NBA Court Designs for 2012-13

Paul Lukas's NBA preview of new uniforms and other designs provides links to new court images for many teams (thanks to Matt Rachmiel). Many of the changes seem fairly modest, although there are exceptions. The new court for the Phoenix Suns seems to be a pretty radical departure from their previous minimalist design. The Charlotte Bobcats also have a fairly extensive redesign, moving from orange and blue as their primary colors to dark and light blue (maybe a Duke/Carolina type of motif?).

Brooklyn Nets' New Court

A photo of the Brooklyn Nets' court at the new Barclays Center has been released. The hardwood features what is described as a "herringbone" pattern, commonly used in brick and tile designs.

WNBA's New York Liberty Using Newark's Prudential Center

From 2011-2013, the New York Liberty of the WNBA is playing its home games in Newark, New Jersey at the Prudential Center. The Liberty's usual home, Madison Square Garden, is undergoing a major renovation, apparently with large amounts of work taking place during each of the summers the Liberty will be away. (Updates on the MSG renovation are available here.)

I like the way the floor design combines royal blue, light blue, and orange, as shown below. The Liberty's MSG court is a little different, and personally, I like the Prudential Center version better.

Screen captures are from this YouTube video.

What a Women's Final Four Court in Denver!

In stark contrast to the uniformity of the men's NCAA Division I tournament courts, the women's Final Four has for several years given us interesting designs. From last year's Indianapolis throwback to the old-style thin key, to previous years' St. Louis Arch, Tampa Bay Citrus fruit, and Cleveland (home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame) Guitar themes (all shown here), the women's Final Four aims to provide a geographically relevant, colorful motif. Some observers admire the creativity of these designs, whereas others find them over the top.

Denver is the host city for this year's women's Final Four and, as revealed a short time ago with the start of the first semi-final between Notre Dame and UConn, the court pays tribute to Denver's presence alongside the Rocky Mountains. As shown below in a screen-capture from ESPN.com's highlights, the design features a mountain range painted the entire length of the court, from baseline to baseline, covering the lower one-third of the court as would be seen on one's television screen (updated 9:00 pm Central).

Photo Essay on Making of Final-Four Floor

Via Matt Rachmiel, here's a link to a USA Today photo essay on the making of the floor for the men's Final Four in New Orleans, from the chopping down of the trees to the laying down of the court in the Superdome.

2012 College Postseason Open Thread

The same standardized court design is back again for the men's NCAA Division I tourney. Maybe there will be an interesting floor at some other level of competition (women's D-I NCAA, men's or women's NIT, D-II or III NCAA, or NAIA). Let us know of anything interesting you see.

Court at Oral Roberts Says "Expect a Miracle"

Matt Rachmiel e-mailed me about the unique phrase that appears on at least one of the baselines of the court at Oral Roberts University. Here is a picture of the baseline phrase (captured from this highlights video).

This ESPN.com article alludes to the "Expect a Miracle" message.

Charlotte's Arc

In a previous posting, I noted that the three-point arc for men's and women's college basketball was now the same, as the women's distance was brought out to match the men's beginning this season. Some courts still have two arcs, however, which I speculated may be because those arenas host high school tournaments and thus continue to need the inner arc.

The Charlotte 49ers' court has a unique approach to retaining the two arcs, namely painting in a solid zone between the two curves. The court is shown below (as captured from this highlights video).

I suppose this set-up might make it easier for referees -- either in a college or high school game -- to keep track of whether a shooter's feet are behind the applicable distance.

Maybe the Biggest Center-Court Logo Yet (UCF)

Here's a screenshot from highlights of the closing moments of Central Florida's upset win over Memphis a couple days ago. I've been blogging extensively about the new trend toward huge center-court logos and this one for the Knights may very well take the cake!

Ryerson University (Toronto)

While doing some web searching, I somehow came upon this YouTube video of a Canadian college basketball game at Ryerson University. Many courts now feature different shades of shellac wood finish to distinguish different areas of the playing surface (e.g., keys, three-point areas).

I don't recall seeing a court quite like Ryerson's, however, where the surface is predominantly such a dark shade, with the center circle and two-point areas (inside the arcs) set off in such a light shade.

Also note the trapezoidal key, which until 2010 was used for international competition (there are lines painted within the trapezoid to also allow a rectangular key to be used on Ryerson's court).

Single 3-PT Arc for College Men and Women

Sorry for not picking up on this earlier, but it just hit me that a great many college-basketball courts now feature only a single three-point arc at each end, not the two separate arcs for men and women that we'd grown accustomed to. Here's the University of Michigan's Crisler Arena, as one example.

Last summer, the NCAA voted to bring the men's and women's arcs into sync. I had always found having two arcs right near each other to be a distraction, so am glad to see the change.

Not all schools have erased the previous women's inner arc, however. As seen in the lower-left of the adjoining screen capture from highlights of last Saturday's Baylor at Texas Tech men's game, the United Spirit Arena's floor still has two arcs.

My guess is that, because the arena hosts games every year in the Texas high school state championship tournament, the inner arc may still serve a purpose.