Love - and basketball - will be in the air on Saturday night at Bridgestone Arena.
This Valentine’s Day, the home of the Predators will play host to the Nashville Hoops Showdown, which features a pair of top NCAA programs. Virginia and Ohio State are set to tip off at 7 p.m. CT on Feb. 14 in the major neutral site contest.
With the NHL currently on hiatus for the Olympic Winter Games, the Arena’s schedule is a bit lighter than normal, thus presenting the perfect opportunity for a couple of collegiate powerhouses to take the court.
And with a venue like Bridgestone Arena in a place like Nashville? It’s an easy decision to bring a game to town.
“It's a fantastic city, and it's a good destination city, too,” Intersport Senior Vice President Mark Starsiak said. “That’s always the thing you're looking for when you take games off of campus like this, whether it's in November, December, during the non-conference season, or at a unique time like this, during conference play. You have to have an attraction and a reason to get fans and people to travel with the team and go away from campus, which is a great environment, right? It's hard to replicate that in neutral sites. I think that you have to have the right place to go, and Nashville speaks for itself from a destination perspective.”
Bridgestone Arena is known for hosting an SEC Basketball Tournament each March, but events like this are becoming more frequent, and for good reason. In the past 15 years, there had been just five standalone college sporting events at the Arena, but Saturday’s game will mark the fourth standalone college sports event at Bridgestone Arena this year, including a pair of college basketball games earlier in the season.
“It’s a fun place for people to go…and you’ve got to have other places and things to do to enjoy,” Starsiak said. “Nashville checks that box big time with where the Arena is located, how the infrastructure of downtown is there…and that's been an appeal for me for a while to try and get to Nashville for a game in an event. We've been working with [Predators and Bridgestone Arena Chief Venues Officer] David [Kells] for a couple years trying to find the right opportunity, and thankfully, this one kind of bubbled up is working for both of us.”
So, what should fans expect if they’re thinking of paying a visit to 501 Broadway and taking in what’s sure to be an excellent matchup?
“They're two of the biggest brands in the country from college athletics in general, and then certainly basketball,” Starsiak said. “Just the quality of the game this time of year is the hook that we're hoping for. I think that basketball fans, just people who are fans of downtown Nashville, should be in the scene, because it'll be a compelling game.”
Tickets for the Nashville Hoops Showdown are available by clicking here - and for all of the options available on a Saturday night like the one ahead, this option promises to be one of the best in town.
“The chance to see these two teams in town and be in downtown Nashville - I think it's a good weekend to be down there,” Starsiak said. “And if you’ve got any significant others who are basketball aficionados, it's a good way to spend your Valentine’s Day.”
