Epic game at Kansas’ Allen Fieldhouse proves it: College hoops needs more marquee matchups on campus | Michael Lev

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Allen Fieldhouse is rocking, pulsating, possibly shaking and indisputably deafening.

A matchup 64 years in the making is coming down to the wire.

The energy in this hallowed building hasn’t waned since well before tipoff.

A final shot will decide whether the hometown faithful head to Mass Street happy or endure five more minutes of nail-biting, edge-of-their-bleacher-benches bedlam.

More of this, please.

Thanks to the generosity of my wonderful friend Tom, I had the distinct pleasure of attending the North Carolina-Kansas men’s basketball game on Nov. 8. It was a truly historic occasion — the Tar Heels’ first visit to Allen Fieldhouse since 1960, an extremely rare on-campus meeting between the second- and third-winningest programs in college basketball annals.

The matchup represented everything that’s right about college basketball — and stood as a rebuke against everything that’s wrong about where it’s going.

A UNC-KU matchup would have been fun if it had been staged at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, where No. 1-ranked Kansas faced Michigan State on Tuesday, followed by Duke-Kentucky in a made-for-ESPN doubleheader. It would have been interesting. It would have been exciting.

It wouldn’t have been this.

No place like home

It’s impossible to fully and accurately describe what the atmosphere was like at Allen Fieldhouse for two-plus riveting hours on a chilly, misty autumn evening in the Midwest. But I know this: It’s not something that can be replicated at some far-flung neutral site that’s normally home to an NBA or NFL team.

Arizona experienced the craziness of Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium last year — and the deep satisfaction of silencing the crowd by upsetting the then-No. 2 Blue Devils.

Duke comes to McKale Center on Nov. 22 to complete the home-and-home agreement. With UA football cratering, it’s the highlight of the fall.

The two will meet again on Nov. 12, 2027 — at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. That’s the football stadium where the Wildcats opened the Jedd Fisch era against BYU in 2021. It’s where the Raiders play their home games.

With the Big 12 Tournament ensconced in Kansas City, Missouri, UA fans surely will appreciate the opportunity to resuscitate “McKale North.” I have no doubt it’ll be a good time. Who wouldn’t want to watch four iconic programs square off in the so-called Entertainment Capital of the World?

But if you’ve been to a Final Four at a football stadium, you know how it can feel. Cavernous. Distant. Inauthentic.

That doubleheader in Vegas isn’t a multiple-team event, or MTE. It’s a one-off — or two-off in this instance. Those are becoming increasingly popular because promoters typically offer financial incentives to the programs and even the players.

MTEs are mini-tournaments staged in places like Paradise Islands, Bahamas, where Arizona will play later this month. They are opportunities for teams to play multiple games in one locale against high-profile opponents with national TV exposure. They are all the rage.

MTEs appeal to coaches because they provide strong competition with postseason-tournament-like turnarounds. They appeal to TV networks such as ESPN because they’re convenient from a production standpoint and supply attractive programming between football weekends.

For fans? It depends on who you are and where you live. It’s hard for many to afford going to games down the street.

And the environment is never quite the same without the student section — or sections, as is the case at Allen Fieldhouse (more on this momentarily).

Back to homepage

Subscriber Login

Keep reading with a digital access subscription.

Subscribe now

It’s an upset these days — an unexpected delight — when programs the caliber of Arizona, Duke, Kansas and North Carolina agree to home-and-home series. Unlike football, there’s little downside to an early-season loss to a highly-ranked opponent. But some coaches remain reluctant to take what they perceive as a risk — even though the rest of us view those games as win-wins.

UNC coach Hubert Davis planted the seed for a Tar Heels-Jayhawks series during the 2021-22 season, according to the News & Observer of Raleigh, North Carolina. Later that season, UNC faced Kansas in the NCAA title game. The two sides talked after years of avoidance — they weren’t going to face each other on purpose while ex-Kansas coach Roy Williams was at UNC — and reached an accord.

Loud and proud

The excitement in Lawrence was unavoidable. We received an informal tour of Allen Fieldhouse — aka “The Phog” — more than 24 hours before tipoff. Students were sitting on the floor of the concourse in the “Camping Zone.” Most had laptops. Some had blankets. Each student — about 130 in all — represented a group of 30 others.

Allen Fieldhouse has been modernized to a degree, including a new video board that features “underbelly” screens for easier on-court viewing, and a fancy — but unobtrusive — club area for big-time donors. But it retains its old-school charm, including steel beams that jut out from the highest rows of seats and windows that ring the upper bowl.

If you’re into the history of the sport, put this place on your bucket list. (Arizona is set to visit March 8 to wrap up the Big 12 regular season.) You can view Dr. James Naismith’s “Original 13 Rules of Basket Ball” in the adjoining DeBruce Center. They are also etched into the exterior walls of a bridge that connects the center to Allen Fieldhouse.

The entryway to the men’s locker room showcases the 43 players who’ve made it to the NBA since Bill Self succeeded Williams as KU’s coach in 2003. We just so happened to bump into Jayhawks star Hunter Dickinson in the locker room. He was asked which games he’d played in here had been the loudest. He cited UConn and Houston from the previous season. That would be put to the test the next day.

On Friday afternoon, we walked down Naismith Drive from Mount Oread — aka “The Hill” — alongside hundreds of KU students. Almost all of them wore KU basketball jerseys. I might have been the only person in town who wasn’t wearing Jayhawks gear or Carolina blue.

About two hours before tipoff, thousands of students gathered in the walkway under the bridge. Some held signs representing their groups. The highest number I spotted was 114. Other students formed a line that stretched at least 100 yards back to Naismith Drive and up the sidewalk.

Once inside, we made our way to the Booth Family Hall of Athletics to check out the displays and memorabilia honoring KU’s rich athletic history. At one point, scores of students came sprinting through like Gale Sayers, carrying copies of the University Daily Kansan, which they would hold in front of their faces during UNC’s player introductions — then crumple and toss skyward to celebrate KU’s lineup. Who says newspapers aren’t useful anymore?

Allen Fieldhouse boasts two student sections, one at each end of the court. The students are organized and active.

After the National Anthem, the crowd sang the KU alma mater. Then came the hypnotic “Rock Chalk ... Jayhawk” chant. It felt almost spiritual — but appropriate for this setting, the cathedral of basketball.

Self was the last one to arrive. The students on that side greeted his dramatic entrance with “We’re not worthy!” bows.

Just before tipoff, the video board showed decibel readings of over 125. Students jumped up and down, waving the towels that had been handed out upon entry. They commemorated the 70th anniversary of Allen Fieldhouse and contained an undeniable message: “The best arena in sports just got better.”

Kansas seized control in the first half, leading by as many as 20 points. Down 15 at the break, UNC improbably rallied. Despite the students’ best efforts — swaying side to side, rolling their arms, randomly standing and sitting — the Tar Heels sank 28 of 31 foul shots. They led by four with 3:28 to go.

With the throng cheering them on, the Jayhawks fought back. Dickinson’s layup gave Kansas a 91-89 lead with 1:17 left.

Eleven seconds later, during a timeout, the decibel meter hit 130.3, per HoopsHQ.com. If so, it was just 0.1 shy of the Guiness World Record for an indoor sporting event — Kansas vs. West Virginia at Allen Fieldhouse on Feb. 13, 2017.

Down by three with 12 seconds to play, UNC had one final possession. Elliot Cadeau’s 3-pointer at the buzzer ticked off the front rim.

The Jayhawks and their fans celebrated. Davis and Self shook hands. They’ll do it again next year, meeting in Chapel Hill for the first time.

Hopefully not the last.