Landsdowne Park will be more accessible to students, provide better atmosphere than Canadian Tire Centre
The 2020 Capital Hoops Classic will move across the city from the Canadian Tire Centre (CTC) to TD Place arena, according to a press release.
“We at TD Place are thrilled to be hosting the biggest USPORTS rivalry games this side of Panda,” president and CEO of OSEG Mark Goudie said in the release. “This will be the first time the Capital Hoops Classic has been held within walking distance of both campuses so it’ll be a big crowd and a great fan experience.”
The Gee-Gees will now play all three of their rivalry series matchups (Panda Game, Colonel By Classic, and Capital Hoops Classic) at Landsdowne Park.
“Capital Hoops is an essential event to each basketball season,” director of Sports Services Sue Hylland said in the release. “As we gear up for the men’s and women’s Final 8, this will be a fantastic opportunity for both campus communities to come together for an amazing night of basketball between four of the nation’s best teams.”
Rumours of the move from the CTC in Kanata to TD Place arena in the Glebe had been swirling around since January.
After last year’s Capital Hoops Classic, men’s basketball head coach James Derouin would neither deny or confirm any rumours of the move in his post-game interview with the Fulcrum.
For students, this means they won’t have to make the nightmarish treck at rush hour to Kanata, as Landsdowne Park is close to both U of O and Carleton University campuses.
This will be advantageous for the women’s game, which was very poorly attended last year since students and fans struggled to make it out to the CTC for the 6 p.m. start time.
With about 9,000 fans attending the games last year, thousands of empty red seats were observable at the CTC and took away from the atmosphere. TD Place arena, with it’s smaller seating arrangement, has the potential to provide a much better atmosphere than the CTC.
Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams host the Nipissing Lakers on Friday night at Montpetit Hall Gym. Tipoff for the women’s game is at 6 p.m. while the men’s tips off at 8 p.m.
Read More:
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- No. 4 Gee-Gees rebound from tough first quarter to beat York 59-47
- No. 3 Gee-Gees beat Guelph, Algoma to stay perfect in 2019-20
