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!