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My Experience: Volvo Biggest Fan of the Big East

by JT

What’s up everybody? This is the 8th and FINAL post of the Volvo Biggest Fan of the Big East contest. It has been a fun journey, the contest started on November 10th and will be over March 5th, to say time flies is an understatement. It seems like yesterday when I received the email that I had been picked to represent the University of Cincinnati in this contest. I’ve been very blessed to have this opportunity and hopefully when this contest is said and done I will be victorious. I need to win this Volvo S60, my Dodge has seen better days lol. This final contest post will be a summary of my whole experience as the Volvo Biggest Fan of the Big East, so take a few minutes get a breakdown of my lovely experiences.

As a contestant in the Biggest Fan contest I was invited to the Men’s Big East Conference Media Day, which was an honor. Volvo and Cake Group flew me to Manhattan, New York, paid for everything from the food and hotel to transportation. This was my first media event and visit to New York, so it was like killing two bird’s with one stone. The media day was an awesome experience, I was able to see how much work goes into the media day and also got to see all of the coaches and players that you see everyday on your cable networks. New York have the biggest billboards I’ve ever seen and really is a city that doesn’t sleep, I was able to find food and snacks at 1am while in most other cities you would have to wait til the morning and even if you were able to find snacks and food you wouldn’t see a lot of people doing the same thing as you on a Tuesday night. This all happened before the contest officially started and was a great experience.

While in New York we (the 13 of 16 contestants who came to New York) were filmed all day. It was like I was on a reality tv show for less than 24 hours, I had never been followed by a camera crew in my entire life, so I felt like a superstar for a little bit. How sweet is that to be followed around by a professional camera crew? Check out how it came out once they edited all of the footage, I only got a minimal amount of time on the final cut but at least I made the cut.

Out of the eight challenges I had to complete the #Garden30 and Customizing the Volvo S60 were my favorite. Of course customizing the Volvo S60 challenge would be one of my favorites, I won that post challenge. I was also able to enhance a car I’m hoping to win on March 5th. The #Garden3o challenge was probably the hardest challenge we had because it took a lot of time and effort to complete but it also allowed me to research a lot of fun Big East basketball facts. The Big East Conference has a rich history and the #Garden30 post is a collage of it’s 30 year history at the Madison Square Garden.

My Return Weekend to UC was nothing short of amazing. I was able to drive the Volvo S60 all weekend, attend the UC vs. St. John’s game, visit campus, party, go to some nice eateries, and promote the contest. The Volvo S60 is so nice I didn’t want to give it back to the dealership. Yes, it was that nice, that’s why Volvo needs to give me the car on March 5th…see what I did there? The UC game was exciting even though we allowed St. John’s to steal a win in our house where Moe Harkless had the game winning put back as the time expired. All the trash I talked to the St. John’s representative Mike G. came back to bite me, but it still was fun, you can’t win them all, unless you are the ’72 Dolphins.

Check out my trash talking session with Mike Gambardella the St. John’s representative.

I also had my first interview with a fellow contestant which she posted on her site. Lisa Kelly is the Notre Dame representative and her site is http://www.bridgetmcguiresfillingstation.com/.  Check out my first interview, made possible by me being in this contest. I made a few predictions that were pretty close to being right on. Check out the embedded tweet it has my interview and see how close I was to having it right, as the Bearcats won 71-55.

Since the contest started the @FrontOfficeNews twitter handle has doubled in followers and the site gets more hits on a daily basis which is a blessing. For a guy like me, a sports nut, for people to check the site out on a daily basis is great even if they disagree with my opinion or not, but this contest has helped The Front Office to get a wider fan base to say the least.

It’s been a pleasure to be a part of this contest! Thank you!

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#Garden30: Bearcats Edition

by JT

What’s up everybody it is your Cincinnati Bearcat Volvo Big East Biggest fan checking in. If you didn’t know the Big East is celebrating its 30th year at The Garden aka Madison Square Garden, for those who didn’t know. The Big East has started a Garden 30 campaign, which they are compiling the 10 best Big East teams in the history of the conference, 10 best players in the history of the conference and the 10 best moments in the history of the conference, compiling the Garden 30. So, this exciting but difficult post will insist of me, the Bearcats representative compiling my own Garden 30. So, sit back in relax and enjoy the ride.

10 Best Big East moments of all times: (not in any order)

1. Sean Kilpatrick (UC) hits game winner on UConn’s home court 2012

2. 6 OT game Syracuse and UConn in 2009

3. Gerry McNamara (Syracuse) hits game winner to beat UC in the 2006 Big East tourney

4. Michael Jordan makes game winner to beat the Georgetown Hoyas in the 82 National Title Game

5. Ray Allen hits the Huskies game winner to beat Allen Iverson’s Hoyas in 96 Big East Championship Game

6. Scottie Reynolds (Villanova) hits game winner to beat Pitt to advance to the 2009 Final Four

7. Richard Hamilton (UConn) hits game winner in the 98 NCAA Tournament to be the Washington Huskies

8. Kemba Walker (UConn) crosses Gary McGhee of Pitt makes him fall and hits game winner in the 2011 Big East Tournament

9. Nova shocks the world and beats Georgetown in the 85 NCAA Title game

10. Ronald Ramon (Pitt) hits game winning 3 to beat West Virginia in 2008

I have the tough task of picking the 10 best Big East teams of all-time, this is going to be rough but I’m going to give it a good shot, let me know how y’all think I did. I also made a bonus category for the teams who were not in the Big East at the time.

10 Best Big East Basketball teams of all time & top contributors (not in any order):

02-03 Syracuse Orange - This team centered around Freshman Carmelo Anthony, Gerry McNamara and Sophomore Hakim Warrick led by coach Jim Boeheim. This talented trio was very fun to watch as they finished the season with a 30-5 record and went on to win the National Title against a great Kansas Jayhawks team.

Carmelo Anthony- 22.2 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 1.6 SPG

Hakim Warrick- 14.8 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 1.4 SPG, 1.3 BPG

Gerry McNamara- 13.3 PPG, 4.4 APG, 2.2 SPG

86-87 Syracuse Orange - The Orange finished with a 31-7 record, led by Coach Jim Boeheim. This team lost a heart breaker in the National Title game to the Indiana Hoosiers 74-73. The Orange trio of Derrick Coleman, Sherman Douglas and Rony Seikaly led the charge on the court.

Derrick Coleman- 11.9 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 1.2 SPG, 1.8 BPG

Rony Seikaly- 15.1 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 2.1 BPG

Sherman Douglas- 17.3 PPG, 7.6 APG, 1.7 SPG

84-85 St. John’s Red Storm - The Red Storm had Chris Mullin, Walter Berry, Bill Wennington and Mark Jackson. This team only had one loss during Big East play and if it wasn’t for Georgetown taking them out in the Final Four the Red Storm would have had a shot at the title that year. The Storm led by coach Lou Carnesecca finished the season with a 31-4 record in this team may be the best team in their long history.

Chris Mullin- 19.8 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 4.3 APG, 2.1 SPG

Walter Berry- 17.0 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 1.3 BPG

Bill Wennington- 12.5 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 1.5 BPG

98-99 Connecticut Huskies – The Huskies went 32-4, led by Coach Jim Calhoun on their way to a National Title. Led by Richard Hamilton, Khalid El-Amin and Kevin Freeman this team pulled off a very exciting run to the title.

Richard Hamilton- 21.5 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 1.2 SPG

Khalid El-Amin- 13.8 PPG, 3.9 APG, 1.6 SPG

Kevin Freeman- 12.2 PPG, 7.3 RPG

03-04 Connecticut Huskies – This team has a plethora of talent everywhere, from the starters to deep on the bench. Starting with National Player of the year and Defensive Player of the year Emeka Okafor. Okafor was a man amongst boys as he controlled the front-court and Ben Gordon controlled the back-court for the Huskies. These two players were the cornerstones of this championship team. This team had Hilton Armstrong, Marcus Williams, Josh Boone and Charlie Villanueva all as role players, all 6 of these players made the NBA. Coach Jim Calhoun had a lot to work with that year and he defiantly made it work for the best as they finished with a record of 33-6.

Ben Gordon- 18.5 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 4.5 APG, 1.4 SPG

Emeka Okafor- 17.6 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 4.1 BPG, 1.0 SPG

Rashad Anderson- 11.2 PPG, 41% 3-PT

83-84 Georgetown Hoyas – Coach John Thompson led the Hoyas to a 34-3 record as they won the National Title. This Hoyas team star player was the great Patrick Ewing, David Wingate, Michael Jackson and Reggie Williams.

Patrick Ewing- 16.4 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 1.0 SPG, 3.6 BPG

David Wingate- 11.2 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 1.4 SPG

Michael Jackson- 10.2 PPG, 1.2 SPG, 51% FG

84-85 Georgetown Hoyas- Following their National Title win Coach Thompson led them to a 35-3 and a back to the National Title game but this time Villanova pulls off the biggest upset in National Title Game history. Even with the loss this team had made it to the Final Four 3 years in a row. The Hoyas still had the same cast headed by Patrick Ewing.

Patrick Ewing- 14.6 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 1.1 SPG, 3.6 BPG

David Wingate- 12.4 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 1.6 SPG

Billy Martin- 12.3 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 1.0 SPG

95-96 Georgetown Hoyas – This team might have been my favorite of the 10 I’ve picked, for one reason and one reason only Allen Iverson. Watching A.I. in his prime was a treat for all to see and by himself almost changed how I viewed basketball and this team will always be remembered by me. Coach Thompson led the Hoyas to a 29-8 record and an Elite 8 appearance.

Allen Iverson- 25.0 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 4.8 APG, 3.4 SPG

Othella Harrington- 12.2 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.6 BPG

Jerome Williams- 10.3 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 1.9 SPG

06-07 Georgetown Hoyas – Coach John Thompson III aka JT3 led the Hoyas to a 30-7 record and a Final Four appearance. The Hoyas were led by the duo of Roy Hibbert and Jeff Green. Besides the two leaders this team had two other future NBA’ers on the team (DeJuan Summers and Pat Ewing, Jr.).

Jeff Green- 14.3 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.2 BPG

Roy Hibbert- 12.9 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 2.4 BPG

Jonathan Wallace- 11.4 PPG, 3.1 APG

84-85 Villanova Wildcats - This Nova team was the biggest underdog ever in the conference and pulled off the biggest National Title upset in the non-shot clock era when they took out the mighty Hoyas of Georgetown. Led by Coach Rollie Massimino, Nova had a record of 25-10. Ed Pinckney was the star of this underdog team whose story is still showed and told to this day.

Ed Pinckney- 15.6 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 1.5 SPG, 1.8 BPG

Dwayne McClain- 14.8 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 1.0 SPG

Harold Pressley- 12.0 PPG, 7.9 RPG

Note 5 Teams  that would have gotten consideration if they would have been in the Big East at the time of their dominance: (I’m going to have a lil UC bias, but hey let me have some fun.)

00-01 Cincinnati Bearcats

01-02 Cincinnati Bearcats

91-92 Cincinnati Bearcats

60-61 Cincinnati Bearcats

02-03 Marquette Golden Eagles

Our first post in the Volvo Big East Biggest Fan Contest was to make our ultimate Big East team. We got to pick from 12 players in that post but in this one we only have 10 to work with. Check out my old post and see if there are any changes in my list. Check out my new top 10 players.

10 Best Big East Basketball players of all times (in order by last name):

Ray Allen, Connecticut, Guard(93-96) - 19.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.6 SPG, 45% 3 PT. Big East Player of the Year. Allen had one of the smoothest games ever seen on a hardwood court.

Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse, Forward(02-03) - 22.2 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 1.6 SPG. Melo led his team to a National Title as a true freshman not much more needs to be said.

Troy Bell, Boston College, Guard(99-03) - 21.6 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 3.5 APG, 2.2 SPG. 2 time Big East Player of the Year. Bell was the most exciting player to watch 2nd to Allen Iverson in my opinion.

Derrick Coleman, Syracuse, Forward(86-90)- 15.0 PPG, 10.7 RPG, 1.3 SPG, 2.2 BPG. Big East Player of the Year. DC was one of the first big men that could score from anywhere on the floor.

Sherman Douglas, Syracuse, Guard(85-89)- 14.9 PPG, 7.0 APG, 1.7 SPG. Arguably the best Pure Point Guard to ever play in the Big East. His nickname was “The General” in he led a few great Cuse teams.

Patrick Ewing, Georgetown, Center(81-85)- 15.3 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 3.4 BPG. Two time Big East Player of the Year and National Title winner. Ewing was the 1st great big man to play for Georgetown.

Allen Iverson, Georgetown, Guard(94-96)- 23.0 PPG, 4.6 APG, 3.2 SPG- A.I. was a trail blazer on how he changed the way the game was played.  The best guard to ever play at Georgetown.

Alonzo Mourning, Georgetown, Center(88-92)- 16.7 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 3.8 BPG. One time Big East Player of the Year. Zo was left off where Ewing started as he dominated the paint with the same kind intesty.

Chris Mullin, St. John’s, Guard-Forward(81-85)- 19.5 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.7 SPG. Three time Big East Player of the Year. Chris averaged 19.5 over his career without a 3 point line.

Emeka Okefor, Connecticut, Center(01-04)- 13.8 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 4.3 BPG. One time Big East Player of the Year and National Title winner. Okafor was a defensive marvel for the Huskies.

5 players that would’ve had consideration if their team was playing in the Big East:

Dwayne Wade, Marquette, Guard

Danny Fortson, Cincinnati, Forward

Kenyon Martin, Cincinnati, Forward

Jerry West, West Virginia, Guard

Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati, Guard

Well everybody this is my Garden 30, let me know if you agree or disagree.  This was one of the hardest contest posts but I think I did a good job, don’t forget to vote for Jesse.

Until next time everybody, Peace!

My Return Weekend To UC

by JT

During the weekend of January 7th the good people at Volvo sponsored a return weekend to my school, the University of Cincinnati. Volvo let me hold the S60 for the weekend, and I’ll go into more detail a lil’ later. They secured me tickets to the Bearcat game against St. John’s, gave me Volvo Big East merchandise to pass out to promote the contest, sponsored a hotel for me to stay in over the weekend and even provided me a little spending money to enjoy myself over the weekend.

Throughout the entire weekend I took a ton of pictures and recorded a little footage that I will sprinkle into this post.

Friday

I picked up the Volvo S60 and just to be upfront that car is dope! The features, the way it handled, the look were all top-notch. It was red with black interior, all Bearcat colors how sweet is that!? After I got off of work I cruised around the city, explored the Clifton area and finished my night off with a party put on by OTR at the old Exchange downtown. It was a fun time, as I was able to hang out with a lot of my good friends who are Bearcat alums too. I passed out some Volvo Big East merchandise at the party, check out some of the pics.

Saturday

The day we all have been waiting for, gameday, UC took on St. John’s at Fifth Third Arena. My homeboy Don rolled with me and I actually arrived early to the game and thank the lord I did because there was a little mix up at will call, but during the short wait passed out some Volvo Big East gear and met Dominick Pointer’s family – who all were very nice and said they would vote for me and took a ton of pics. Shoutout to Aaron of Cake Group for working hard on this saturday to fix the lil mix-up, he had my back like I was the Verizon man.

Now that we were in the arena, I had to make sure I got some nachos and cheese with jalapeno’s, a must have at any UC game, trust me. Now that we were at our seats we had the opportunity to watch a good game. The Red Storm played scrappy the whole game and had the game under control most of the 2nd with two strong scoring spurts. A combination of bad 3-pt shooting and refs turning the blind eye to obvious foul calls had the Storm sitting comfortably almost all of the 2nd half. UC finally decided to take the ball to the rack a lil bit more in the 2nd half, hit a few timely 3′s and tied the game up. With the arena rocking with less than 4 seconds left in the game the Storm had the ball and a chance to steal the game from the Bearcats. As Harrison drove right and shot a floater the ball bounced off of the rim and because the defense had to collapse on Harrison, who had hit big shot after big shot all afternoon the Bearcats forgot to box out and before the buzzer sounded Harkless tipped in the miss to win the game 57-55. I literally sat at my seat for at least 5 minutes as the crowd left, messed up way for my return weekend to end right? After I got over the disappointment of the loss, I remembered I still had the keys to the Volvo S60 so that turned my frown upside down, even though I never thought we would lose to the Storm.

With the day still young I picked my fiance up and took her to Pappadeaux, a nice seafood restaurant in Cincinnati. After we ate we caught a movie, which is a lot harder to do when you have two kids, parenthood life lol. It was a enjoyable way to cap off the night.

Sunday

The last day of the return weekend, I rolled back up to campus and took a lot of pics of the new Clifton shopping strip and the old Clifton strip. I even went to see what once was Sawyer Hall *pours a little drink out for my fallen dorm. Check out the pics and video that was taken on Sunday below.

Overall, the whole weekend was great, and I hope this won’t be the last time I drive the Volvo S60. The S60 definitely beats my current car. I had a blast promoting the contest all weekend, got to hang with friends and got to visit my old stomping grounds. What can be better than that? Oh yeah, winning this contest, getting the Volvo S60, getting the free trip to the Big East Tournament and winning $10k in scholarship money for the Bearcats.

Hope everybody liked my return weekend videos and pics don’t forget to vote for Jesse.

Volvo S60: Cincinnati Bearcats Edition

by JT

Challenge #4 is here and honestly this might be the best challenge yet. I must create the ultimate Cincinnati Bearcats Volvo S60. How would I customize my Volvo S60 to show my school spirit? Let’s see…

So in this edition of “Pimp My Ride”I’ll be your host “J to the T.” Yes, I’m taking over for Xzibit this episode, and yeah so I stole his “X to the Z” quote. This Volvo S60 doesn’t need any pimpin’ because it’s already a luxury car so we will just call these enhancements and all the enhancements will be done by Midwest Customs.

First off we will tell you about the paint job for the Bearcat inspired Volvo S60. We will make it two-tone with the primary color being black with two big strips of red going down the middle. We also will add a white bearcat paw on the tip of the hood and on the end of the trunk. Check out my drawing below for the example.. I haven’t drawn in a while so please don’t laugh too hard at my artistic abilites.

image.image

Now that we have the paint job looking immaculate, we at Midwest Customs will concentrate on the rims. We’re going to keep them as stock Volvo rims but like I said before we are going enhance them. The enhancement made to these nice 18 inch Ixion wheels will be a nice red paint job to off set with the black and red paint already on the body. Now we have the outside of the car pretty much set, how do you like what JT has done to the car so far?

Now Midwest Customs must attack the inside of the S60. I’ll say it one more times these are enhancements, just enhancements, lol. The first thing we will enhance will be the seating inside the S60 by making all of the seats two-tone similar to the exterior of the car. All of the seats middle cushion will be black including the head rests and the outside cushion will be Bearcat red. You like that don’t you!? Black and red go so well together, so lovely, don’t you agree? To set off the seating I’m going to add a Cincinnati C paw logo in each headrest with white stitching.

image

Now that the seats are done we are going to move to the mats in the car. Each mat will be all back with a Bearcats logo with a basketball on the mat. This is just another small enhancement that will be made to pimp out my Bearcat Volvo S60.

With the mats done we will move on to the dash. We will stay with an all black stock frame but what we will do to enhance this dashboard is change the air vent gates to Bearcat red for a little extra flash. We also will make the buttons on the radio and air conditioning console red.

Now we move to the speaker covers we will make them all black with a red C paw giving our speakers some style as we turn that volume up. Now that the inside is complete we are done right?….Wrong! We still have to hook the trunk up, yes, the trunk.

The last enhancement will be done in the trunk. We are going to hook the truck up with a miniature replica of the Fifth Third Arena floor. How sweet is this enhancement? This is dope to say the least. Along with the hardwood floors we will also add mini rims so you can get the full feel of the court.

Now that we have done a few enhancements at Midwest Customs, how do you like the pimped out Volvo S60? Let us know how you feel about these great enhancements and don’t forget to vote for me.  Feel free to check out Volvo’s site to get a look at their new line of cars. Til the next challenge Oooooooooo UC!!!

Let’s Road Trip With A Bearcat!

by JT

What’s up everybody! Your Bearcat Big East Biggest Fan is back with Challenge #3.

The challenge is to pick the top 3 Big East road trip towns and why? (Cool College town, beautiful drive, best bars, etc.) Honestly, I feel any road trip will be great if Volvo let’s me permanently get the keys to the new S60, wouldn’t you agree?…Ok, I think we all agree. Do you guys want to take a virtual trip with me? Ok, it’s not really a question I’m forcing you to come on the trip. In Challenge #2 I got to see how the S60 rode but during this challenge we will become closer than ever. Give me a second let me load my iPod with a few traveling playlists so we can listen to some good sounds while we are riding. Ok I’m ready to hit the road…

I’m currently rolling down I-71 and I-75 South enjoying this nice scenery. As both highways separate I stay on 71 South as my hour and 15 min drive is complete (No, I don’t do the speed limit folks) and I arrive in Louisville, Kentucky.

The University of Louisville has a brand new basketball arena named KFC Yum! Center, who doesn’t like KFC? Besides being new, its right smack-dab in the middle of downtown which in my opinion makes it the centerpiece of the city. You can catch a game at the KFC Center and then be minutes away from some fun downtown nightlife. Cardinal fans are die-hard fans and I respect that, and with Louisville having no pro sports teams Cardinal fans bleed white and cardinal red for their team. Rick Pitino and his style of play are always exciting to watch, plus Pitino is a living legend who doesn’t want to watch a living legend.

Besides the Hall of Fame coach and the great fan base, let’s get back to the night life @ U of L. Fourth Street Live is minutes away from KFC Yum! Center is a low cost fun time for anybody who wants to have a little fun and this is the icing on the cake when making a trip down to Louisville. Ok time to gas up the S60 and head to another town.

Now that the Volvo is gassed up I’m getting on I-65 South riding it until it connects with I-75 south, me and the Volvo are heading south. Not many Big East supported schools down south, so it’s only one place that I might be heading and that is Tampa, Florida.

Heading to the University of South Florida’s town the Bulls are honestly a young up and coming program so I’ll tell the truth I’m not here to see them play, I’m here to enjoy what Tampa has to offer. I’ve been to Daytona Beach, Orlando and Miami so it’s only right I add Tampa to the list. I’m sure just like all other major Florida cities they have an awesome nightlife. All Bulls fans don’t take this as a slight, we all know it’s the truth, maybe one day people will want to travel to Tampa to catch a USF game but right now it’s not why I’m having fun in your town. After enjoying what the city has to offer I won’t make it a completely empty trip for USF I’ll make sure I check out their athletic facilities, even it was for pics and not a Big East game. Since I’ve accomplished all I’ve wanted to do in Tampa it’s time to gas up the Volvo in hit the road again.

Now it’s time to hit my third and final stop…hmmm where should I go? I would come back home to Cincy, but I won’t be bias so others better have picked Cincy because its definitely fun. I’m riding up I-75 North now riding a few connectors until I get to I-77 North meaning I’m in transit to Morgantown, West Virginia.

The main reason I’m coming to visit West Virginia is because my main man Bob Huggins is holding it down for the Mountaineers. Me and Bob go way back to our UC days we used to hit up the local bars together and get a drink or two after the games. Ok ok ok, I’m lying about the drinking part but Huggins was the coach while I attended UC so in my mind we go back like extended family.

The Mountaineers have a really strong fan base. I’ve been to a few UC vs WVU games in my day (football & basketball) and I can say they travel in packs.  At the games sometimes they would be just as loud as the UC crowd chanting, going back and forth, so it’s only right to want to visit a college town that treats their sports like religion. I would like to experience their campus and sports arena live because I know TV doesn’t do the noise level any justice. So now that I’ve experienced the great college town of Morgantown I’m off to gas up the Volvo and hit the road back to Bearcat land.

Now that I’m back in Cincy, I’m tired from the 35 hours and 36 minutes and give or take 2232.88 miles of traveling to all of these great Big East schools. I hope everybody has enjoyed our virtual trip. Don’t forget to vote for your Bearcat Big East Biggest Fan. Drop a line until next challenge, PEACE!

What To See @ UC

by JT

Finally, I received the email for our 2nd challenge for the Big East Biggest Fan sponsored by Volvo.

The 2nd challenge is to pick 5 or more things I have to do when I return to the University of Cincinnati’s campus for the Big East game Volvo has hand picked for me to attend. Of the 5 or more things they can consist of: places to see, best bars, best food, cool places on campus and whatever else we find cool.

When I return to my school for my hand picked weekend, I’ll have the luxury of driving a Volvo S60 around to all the landmarks that I want to see. Hopefully after that weekend it won’t be the last time I get drive the S60. With that said let’s look at the places I’ve picked that I must see when I return.

List:

The “Big O” statue - Oscar Robertson is a UC living legend. His statue sits right in the entrance to the Richard E. Lindner Athletics Center and is a must see for me during my return weekend. This statue has been around since 1994. Oscar might even be in attendance at the game as he’s often a regular at the UC home games.

Sawyer Hall – Sawyer Hall has actually been torn down, but I have to go to the grounds where it stood because that dorm room has sentimental value to me. I know I’m going soft on everybody right now but its the place I met my fiancé and a lot of my best friends. My daughter is named Sawyer because that’s where me and my fiancé met. There was a lot of fun had in that dorm, some of my friends believe we are the reason it got torn down lol.

Adriaticos - The home of the pizza named “The Bearcat”. This pizza is huge and a staple to for any current student or alumni.

Mac’s Pizza Hub- Mac’s always has great pizza deals at lunch time. Has always been a good place to get a slice, beer and watch the game.

Holy Grail- Holy Grail was my favorite place to watch March madness while I was in school. This place shows all the sports, has a decent food menu and of course you can’t forget about the drinks. This place was a regular hang out for a drink or two during the weekend.

Bearcat statue - The Bearcat statue is a newer addition to the must see things. While I attended UC this hadn’t been sculpted yet, so when I return I’ll make sure I take a picture of our mascots statue.

TUC - Tangeman University Center gives you a great view of the campus. Its one of the main hangouts for all students. Parties & events are held there, you can study there and even grab a bite to eat from one of the multiple fast-food choices.

These are just a few of the places I’ll make sure I see when I return to UC on Big East challenge weekend. I’ll get to feel how smooth the Volvo S60 rides and catch a great Big East game. St. Johns better be ready January 7th @ Fifth Third Arena because the Bearcats will be waiting and ready to prove a point. I know the return weekend will be fun and I personally can’t wait, oh and one more thing, GOOOOO UC!!!

Let me know what places you have to go to when you return to UC’s campus and drop a vote for me!