How does Alexander Memorial Coliseum grade out?

	Georgia Tech fans step up their enthusiasm when the Bulldogs come to town. US Presswire
	More Arena Evaluations Georgia Tech UConn Washington Texas Tech Cal UNC Minnesota Maryland UCLA Kentucky Oklahoma

By Cory McCartney

What's the atmosphere like inside some of college basketball's most renowned arenas? Over the next few months, we'll be traveling to as many schools as we can and giving a 10-point evaluation on each one. Today's stop: Georgia Tech.

The trumpeting sounds of I'm a Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech blared from the 21-member 6th Man Pep Band, rocking Alexander Memorial Coliseum, and on this night in particular, the line "To hell with Georgia," was delivered with special emphasis with the Yellow Jackets en route to a win over those hated Bulldogs.

The school's media guide pimps the home of the Yellow Jackets as "one of the toughest arenas for opposing teams in the nation." But what's it really like? Here's a rundown of some sights and sounds from the Thrillerdome.

Attire

The Georgia Tech student section keeps it uniform, and the uniform is old gold. The majority of the Techies were sporting "Swarm" T-shirts with a likeness of mascot Buzz on them, though there was the occasional "Beat The Dawgs" Ts scattered about with the rival Bulldogs in town. The most concerning fashion statements had to be the Treasure Troll-like yellow wigs that were sprinkled throughout the crowd, one guy in "GT" pajama pants -- and a Tech fan wearing a Davy Crockett coonskin hat. I'm willing to overlook the egregiously bad headwear, but pajama pants?
Score: 7.0

Volume/Disruptability

What? I didn't hear you. The Thrillerdome, as Nigel Tufnel would say "goes to 11." It's so loud that another media-type leaned in and yelled "NEXT TIME I NEED TO REMEMBER EAR PLUGS," though I didn't catch it until the third time he said it. The crowd wasn't exactly incessant with their yelling, dying off during lulls in play, but when it was rolling, the Swarm was rocking.
Score: 8.0

Venue

The stairways are narrow, and steep enough to evoke a mild case of acrophobia, but accessibility to the nosebleed sections is a small price to pay in a stadium that doesn't know the definition of "a bad seat." All 9,191 seats are surprisingly close to the action and making a climbing expedition to those top-level seats gives you the impression you're looking down on the action. The unmistakable domed roof earns the Thrillerdome a special nod.
Score: 8.5

Chant/Sign quality

Chants of "LET'S GO TECH" don't exactly scream creativity, but there's something to be said about tradition. Though the highlight of the night came when a GT fan in pajama pants and a "Beat The Dawgs" shirt berated Georgia's 6-foot-9, 230-pound Steve Newman, yelling "O'DOYLE RULES" and "HEY O'DOYLE, WHEN ARE YOU GETTING IN?" in reference to the family of bullies from Billy Madison. Signs weren't exactly a must-have on this night. I saw only two, one was on a dry erase board, which read "Sit Down, Dennis," and was directed at Georgia coach Dennis Felton, who notoriously stands during the entire game, while the other was held by Tech mascot Buzz letting fans know "The Exit Is This Way," and had an arrow pointed toward the exits.
Score: 6.5

Student Body

The Georgia Tech crowd keeps it lively and spent the entire game on its feet. The only setback is that there are just two rows of students on each end of the floor, while the rest of the student body is back behind a seven-foot wall. It kills the intimidation factor isn't exactly the Cameron Crazies, but the Swarm gets the job done. Outside of the student sections, it was a decisively older crowd, though the most abusive fan I saw came from the latter group as one middle-aged fan made one referee in particular the object of his expletive-laced tirades for the night. Score: 8.0

Final Score: 38