Reed Arena

After my first trip to College Station for a football game at Kyle Field, I made my way back to campus to see the other side of Aggie athletics. On January 18, 2020, Texas A&M hosted South Carolina at Reed Arena in an SEC basketball matchup. The Aggies were in their first season under head coach Buzz Williams, and both teams came into the afternoon trying to climb out of the middle of the conference standings.

Here are my thoughts on Reed Arena.

Pros

The arena itself is very nice. Reed Arena is the home of Aggie basketball and sits right on the Texas A&M campus, a short trip from Kyle Field.

The pricing makes it an easy visit. My seat was in Section 112, Row J, Seat 7, and the ticket cost $30. Parking was free, which is hard to beat for an SEC game.

The game had a little bit of everything. South Carolina took a 39-33 lead into halftime, and Texas A&M fought back to grab a 49-48 lead in the second half. Then the Gamecocks got hot from the outside. South Carolina made 16 of 30 three-pointers, tying a school record, and pulled away for an 81-67 win. Jair Bolden led the Gamecocks with 19 points, and Josh Nebo scored 18 for the Aggies.

Cons

There was not a large crowd for the game. For a building of this size and a school with the kind of fan base that fills Kyle Field every fall, the stands were not as full as I expected.

Overall Game Day Experience

I would give Reed Arena an 8 out of 10. The game was a good one, but to be honest, it was not one that will stick with me. The arena itself was the highlight of the day. It is a nice building, the tickets were affordable and the parking was free. The only thing missing was a bigger crowd to bring the building to life. If you find yourself in College Station during basketball season, Reed Arena is worth the visit.