Welsh Ryan Arena

Its an old building.
Its a great venue to watch a game.
Theres really not a bad seat in the house.
The fans need more energy for sure, its not rockin like it should be.
But great venue for watching a game.

Oh Northwestern… you and your no-​frills athletic stadiums.
Welsh-​Ryan Arena is certainly nothing to write home about. It has the look and feel of a high school gymnasium that’s been modified to accommodate more people. I’ve sat in the nosebleed sections which, as others have stated, include some obstructed-​view seats. I’ve also sat courtside, two rows up from the Big Ten media folks and at eye-​level with the players, so I’ve experienced the best and worst seats in the house. The jumbotron is indeed jumbo, and the venue was kept pretty clean for the most part.
Concessions are standard fare – $ 5 nachos, $ 4.50 hot pretzels, $ 4.75 popcorn tub, etc. The ‘souvenir’-size pop was $ 5, but it came in a nifty collegiate cup. Parking was $ 10, which pleasantly surprised my dad and I (we expected upwards of $ 15). Good lighting, no issues with sound, and I loved the dual-​chamber T-​shirt launcher they brought out at halftime.
Seating is super uncomfortable. The less desirable sections are bleachers (hard wood benches), while the more desirable sections have purple padding for your heiney, but neither have seatbacks so hopefully you have good posture. Both my dad and I have long legs and we felt cramped the entire time, even in our ‘VIP’ seats. Lots of jostling and rubbing elbows with your neighbor (quite literally) can get irritating, but that’s to be expected at a Big Ten game.
There’s tons of better places to catch college basketball action (Purdue’s Mackey Arena comes to mind…), but if all you’re interested in is watching the game, Northwestern’s b-​ball venue fits the bill just fine.

NU not being the powerhouse of college basketball you will find that many high schools have better facilities. On a positive side because the gym (this is not an arena) is small you are pretty close to the action regardless of your seat. Tickets are cheap and like NU football, the basketball team draws the families from the area.
While NU may not be a consistent winner, you do get the opportunity to come here and see some the of the elite Big 10 teams.

This gym is reminiscent of your local high school. About 70% of the crowd was cheering for the visiting team and the student and alumni section (I’m guessing that was the section with actual seats) were more than half empty. Probably the best option near Chicago to see your favorite B1G team. Most of the «arena» seemed to have bench seating and was fairly cramped. I will probably pay more money and drive to U of I next time.

What the other reviews say is true… it is very much like a high school gym.
I went to a smaller and much less wealthy school and our arena was better!!! Over half the seating is really uncomfortable, closely pack benches. About 30% are individual chairs.
The only upside is that the stadium is so small, you are pretty close to the floor. But we had fairly close seats too, so I’m not sure about the ones really high up.
Almost everything about the arena is very outdated including the scoreboards and speaker system. Overall, really needs an update. I would not come back unless I had a individual seat so I’m not getting kicked, bumped and pushed by other fans around me.‘

I love this place.
Welsh-​Ryan Arena is a very small gym. And as most other reviewers have noted it is not much bigger than a high school gym. I like this though. It has a very nostalgic feel to it almost like Wrigley Field. It being connected to the football field with the original scoreboard and lighting makes it a traditional venue. For a Big Ten school it is quite small so I’d imagine tickets can get pricey. But it can also be a gift in disguise.
For Chicagoans that went to any other Big Ten school this offers them the opportunity to see their team play close to home for a reasonable price.

This seems like a high school basketball court! I was sitting with friends all the way on the top (section 306) which has limited visibility. Additionally, there is no sound up there… so, there’s no way of knowing what’s going on the court.
I love basketball games and especially ones where my team wins! but if you can sit near the court, that’s about your only chance of seeing anything.
Bathrooms are lacking based on the fact that the men’s room like had about 50 people in it. and the woman’s room had about 4… I’m not sure how this happens, but it seemed to be an issue for the men.
The building seems like it’s had plenty of good times, but could use a refresher.

I came here to watch #2 ranked Michigan destroy Northwestern a couple of days ago!
This gym/​alleged arena is slightly bigger than my high school gym. As Dennis S said, this is a Big 10 School and they charge the students up the ass in tuition so you would think they would be able to pony up the dough for a collegiate style «arena».
I guess they don’t have people working the stands as so many people were lost in finding their seats and no one was around to help.
I would probably come back to watch them get their ass beat by another major squad.

Great place to watch a basketball game. Definitely has a bit of an old school feel to it. Game presentation was stellar, good enough to keep the fans entertained without being a distraction, and featured some fresh takes on contests from years past. Two gripes — cabs in Evanston are hard to get and crazy expensive ($ 8 in extras? Really?) and the bathroom situation… well if the place is packed, the lines are ridiculous. Other than those relatively minor gripes, I’m more than happy to return for a Wildcats basketball game.

I love this place. As an NU grad and a season ticket holder I might be biased, but I have been to a ton of college gyms and this place is one of my favorite. The student section (when they show) is right on top of the court and the place gets loud. I love that it has the feel of a high school gym. The could use some renovations, but the last thing that NU needs is another cavernous monstrosity of a stadium.

I have a mixture of love/​hate for this place.
Love:
— The small-​school atmosphere. With the capacity of just 8,117, it is by far the smallest of all the Big 10 schools. There are some high school gyms that can seat more.
— Home court advantage. Okay, I know that much of the time, the stadium is half filled with opposing fans. But on those magical nights when the stadium is full, and the action intense (see last year’s Purdue and Illinois upsets), it can be one of the best home court advantages in the Big Ten. The student section is right on top of the the court at both ends, and can be a huge factor when the other team is shooting free throws.
Hate:
— Comfort. If you are scalping tickets, shoot for sections 101 – 106 or 202 – 206. It may be difficult to get those seats since they are all season ticket holders, but it’s probably worth paying extra if possible. Those are the only sections that are actual seats. The rest are bleachers. The bleachers are horribly uncomfortable, and if the game is sold out there will be nowhere to put your coat. If you are over 6 feet tall, you will also have a huge problem with legroom.
— Food. It’s basically hot dogs, and some Hecky’s barbecue. You might be able to find personal pizzas and Dippin Dots if you look hard enough. Terrible selection.
— Amenities. The scoreboard is basically a souped up Lite-​Brite. Don’t expect to see any stats besides points and fouls, and no highlights or video.
— Temperature. When it’s crowded it can be very warm in there. And if you sitting there with a sweater because it’s winter, you’re going to bake.
— Views. If you sit too high you may have your view obstructed by wires or beams, so watch out for that. Also, if you sit in the first couple rows of the 200 level your view may be obstructed by horizontal bars and railings.
Geez, looking back that seems pretty bad, huh? But seriously, I actually love the atmosphere and the fact that it feels like I’m transported to the gym from Hoosiers. When NU is playing a bad non-​conference opponent the place is going to be half empty, but the atmosphere is among the best in the country when the game is important and the fans are into it. Then again, I have season tickets in the non-​bleacher section so that really helps with the comfort aspects :)
I have heard that NU is undergoing surveys to look to improve their athletic facilities. Welsh-​Ryan could use a LOT of improvement, but I certainly hope they don’t tear the place down and build a cookie-​cutter gym like some other Universities offer.

I couldn’t disagree more with the previous assessment of Welsh-​Ryan. I went to the University of Arizona, one of the most prestigious basketball programs in the country. I have been to many arenas around the country and W-​R and Pauley Pavilion are my two favorite arenas.
To compare W-​R and NU to the other Universities and Arenas in the Big Ten is totally unfair. NU is a much smaller school and attracts smaller crowds. NU draws well for Big Ten games (usually outdrawn by the other team mind you) and it gets loud during those games. It’s an intimate setting and the vast majority of the seats have great views. One side of the stadium even has theater style seats (mostly, if not all for season ticket holders). This was definitely a rarity when W-​R opened in 1984.
I love going to W-​R and look forward to the 2009-​10 season when Northwestern should have one its most competitive teams in decades. Maybe even a chance at its first NCAA appearance.

Like going to a high school basketball game.
This is Big Ten basketball??? An area that seats 8,000 at capacity? No parking to accommodate that crowd? Quite an experience!
We went for the Illinois/​Northwestern basketball game, a key game for both teams this year. Illinois played horribly, but pulled off an unbelievable upset, coming from 11 behind with three minutes to go and 6 behind with 0:59 to go. So we were happy with the outcome. But this is not a major university gymnasium. It’s a nice high school gym. Blocked views everywhere, lousy concessions, halftime entertainment that was a joke. Where are the Jesse White Tumblers when you need them?
A great university, but a lousy sports facility.