Auburn's Dylan Cardwell on Coleman Coliseum: 'I enjoy the ugliness of it'

The Iron Bowl of Basketball is once again taking the national stage, with Auburn traveling to Tuscaloosa and Coleman Coliseum as the No. 8 team in the country. Alabama might be unranked in the AP poll but the metrics love Nate Oats‘ team, with KenPom having them as a top-10 team. It’s a rivalry that has always been alive for decades but certainly elevated in recent times under Oats and Bruce Pearl.

A big recent talking point between the two fanbases on social media has been Coleman Coliseum. Whether the size is being poked at or how it looks, Auburn fans are quick to take jabs at Alabama’s home arena. Even Dylan Cardwell had to get in on the fun, giving his thoughts on what some people describe as an airplane hangar.

“I enjoy it,” Cardwell said. “I don’t know why it gets so much hate. I enjoy it, I enjoy Coleman Coliseum. Everybody says it’s ugly. It’s ugly when it’s empty but when it’s full, it’s cool looking in the corners and seeing all types of different fans. Obviously, I like to see Auburn fans more. But I enjoy the ugliness of it, it’s like an abstract art.”

Cardwell is in his senior year at Auburn, having a 1-2 record in Coleman Coliseum. His win came during the 2021-22 season when both teams were ranked inside of the top 25. A four-point win in Tuscaloosa, followed by taking down Mississippi State took the Tigers to No. 2 in the country the following week.

One more opportunity presents itself for Cardwell to soak in the “ugliness” of the arena. He hopes to see some Auburn fans making the drive across the state on Wednesday night. Alabama fans will certainly be looking to make life difficult for Cardwell, with Oats calling for an intense atmosphere.

Ugly or not, Coleman Coliseum always comes alive when Auburn is in town. A rivalry best known for football, it’s growing to be just as intense on the hardwood. And defending home court will be just as important to Alabama as anything.

Alabama still working toward building a new arena

Now, Alabama fans could hop on board with Cardwell’s comments as some are not too thrilled with Coleman Coliseum either. There are plans to build a new arena just West of McFarland Boulevard, near Rhoades Stadium — the home of Alabama softball. It would shrink the crowd size to just over 10,000 people to create a better overall atmosphere, being used to watch men’s and women’s basketball plus gymnastics.

There has been no official timeline to get the project started though, with athletic director Greg Byrne citing costs continuing to rise. Byrne says attempting to gain financial support is still ongoing.

“We’ve been very active in fundraising,” Byrne told BamaCentral in September 2023. “We’ve had actually some very positive, continued positive financial support for the project. We are having further conversations with Dr. [Stuart] Bell and our Board of Trustees and know that this needs to be addressed, and we’re working diligently to address it.”