Grand Canyon University is the largest Christian college in the nation and more famous for scandal than sport. But that might be changing as their basketball team has made a name for itself under Bryce Drew, appearing in the NCAA tournament four times in the past five years, including an upset win over St. Mary's in 2023. The school is also known for an energetic student section that gives them a home advantage unlike most other mid-majors. I've wanted to attend a game here for a while and the Stadium Journey meetup provided a perfect chance as the Antelopes were home on the Monday evening after our gathering on Sunday.
GCU used to play at GCU Arena, and they still do, but the acronym changed back in 2023 when Global Credit Union bought the naming rights. The venue opened in 2011 and officially holds 7,000 rowdy fans after undergoing a renovation in 2014 in anticipation of the school's jump to Division I. However, the students stand so there are more bodies than seats and attendance is regularly above that number; there were 7,008 on hand on this night. Parking is free in the 31st Garage, from where you walk a couple of minutes to reach the main entrance (above), across from which is a large lawn with several games. I had picked up a cheap ticket on the secondary market and did not visit the box office, though there were plenty of seats available upstairs.
Upon entering, you are at the northeast corner and you can walk into the arena at floor level (above). You could enter the seating bowl from here, or take the stairs or escalators to reach the carpeted concourse.
The picture below was taken well before the game from the northeast corner of the seating bowl. The student section is directly in front and although it wasn't full at this point, it sure was by the time the game started.
That's the student section near the start of the game. They were singing and dancing and really loud, adding a lot to the atmosphere. The arena is very compact, so any noise they make reverberates around the entire gym.
The band takes up nearly an entire baseline section as well. This is a school that really turns out for its team, and the band and the students work together to put on a show.
There are two levels of seating here, with the upper section having just five rows. But it sits right on top on the court and I preferred being up here as you get a much different angle.
Compare the above and below photos to see what I mean; the one above is taken from the last row behind the band, while the one below is taken from the seats in the second level on the other side. I don't know of another gym with this view, where you are almost on top of the baseline. I spent most of the game standing above the seats as there was a lot of space and you could move around easily.
One thing to note here is the concessions. There are four stands, one at each corner, and each has a different specialty item. The healthiest choice was a California Roll with 10 pieces for just $6.49, but there are also Poke bowls and loaded Lope Fries, where one pound of fries is topped with two chicken tenders, jalapenos and ranch and purple cheese. It probably needs to be shared but at $10, it is one of the best deals I have seen.
The team has a few WAC trophies, but they moved to the much tougher Mountain West this season, so it remains to be seen if they can duplicate their success come tournament time.
There are also banners atop one end. The school was in the NAIA way back when and won three national titles in the 1970s and 80s.
Overall, GCU Arena is a fantastic basketball venue, with a great student section, excellent concessions, and an ease of navigation that made moving around simple. I only wish that the game was a little more entertaining.
The Game
The Northern Illinois Huskies were visiting and at 22.5-point underdogs, unlikely to pose much of a threat. But they started well, draining three treys early to take a 9-8 lead, only for GCU to go on a 10-0 run to make it 18-9, and follow that up with an 18-10 stretch for a 36-19 advantage. A late Huskie three (they were 6 of 9 from downtown in the first half) got them to within 43-29 at the break.
Unfortunately, that was as close as they would get as the Lopes started the second half with a dominating 17-2 spell that ensured the visitors would not cover.
The last 15 minutes were evenly played as GCU romped 88-59. There were 37 fouls in the game, but 'only' 40 free throws, with the Antelopes hitting 18 of 19. They could have gone 0-19 and still won easily. Five Lopes reached double figures in a balanced attack, while NIU committed 21 turnovers leading to 33 Grand Canyon points.
These early season mismatches are tough to watch, but you don't get much choice as a traveler.
Notes
The Suns were hosting the Pelicans at the same time and the result was pretty much the same, with the home team winning in a blowout, though obviously by a much higher score at 121-98.
Best,
Sean
I always remember the Uber driver telling me when driving to GCU baseball saying “you know we are driving to the ‘hood, right? I could only laugh. Yup.
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