Iowa State is known for having one of the best basketball arenas in the country, with the elite environment that is Hilton Coliseum. Still, oddly enough, the place is getting roasted on social media this week over the attendance of the recent whiteout game, a 72-69 win over Baylor, for some upper sections of Hilton looking empty.
There were plenty of individuals who shared similar photos on social media, but the open seating near the top certainly opened the floodgates for some interesting commentary.
“Wow. That is a sad look to see at Hilton Colliseum, especially on a Saturday afternoon and when there is a significant demand for Cyclone Basketball tickets from alumni/fans,” one Iowa State alum wrote. “Pollard & Co. needs to address this with Cyclone Alley immediately before it gets worse.”
Now, there are two ways to look at this, in my opinion. You can either chalk it up as just a handful of seats and move on, or you can ask the question of why Hilton isn’t sold out for one of the nation’s best teams. Plenty of teams in the Big 12 will miss the tournament this season and should have barren attendance given what we’ve seen from them, but not Iowa State! The Cyclones have a real shot at earning a No. 1 seed in the Big Dance this season if they can keep trending in the right direction, and if they do, fan support shouldn’t be an issue one bit in Ames, Iowa.
