The Comcast Center promotional spread is certainly inviting, with its factoids on more seats, concession stands and bathrooms. Then there are all the amenities, from locker rooms, to weight facilities for the players, to offices for coaches and administrators when the University of Maryland moves its basketball operations into the 21st Century come September.

Oh, and there will also be 37 bathrooms, rather than four (that's right four) in Cole. So, maybe the students and everyone else will at last be more comfortable for the two-hour experience when games start in the 2002-03 season.

But the one thing that can't be guaranteed next season is that the atmosphere will be better than it was at Cole Field House. This is the necessary evil when doing away with an ancient facility by today's standards and moving into a state-of-the-art all-purpose basketball facility.

The atmosphere usually isn't transferred. In fact, it tends to be a faint memory, with the newer facilities more sterile and less intimidating.

It happened at Wisconsin when the Badgers moved out of the creaking Fieldhouse and into the professional, NBA-looking Kohl Center. The Fieldhouse was an old barn, with holes that let the light shine through during a day game. The benches were hard and uncomfortable, but certainly made a ton of noise. The Kohl Center is beautiful and a perfect place to play both basketball and hockey, but that doesn't mean it strikes the same fear into an opposing team.

In the Fieldhouse, the quarters were cramped for the opposing coaches. The media facilities were about as antiquated as they could be for a building. But the Badgers had to move to attract recruits, NCAA regionals and essentially cut cost by having its own facility for two sports rather than rent another one in Madison for hockey.

Out with the old and in the spanking new facility occurred at N.C. State and North Carolina, where the Wolfpack moved out of Reynolds Coliseum -- an arena that ESPN's Digger Phelps said was the toughest place to coach in during his tenure -- and into the off-campus Raleigh Entertainment and Sports Arena. It's a typical pro arena, perfect for basketball and hockey and with plenty of the amenities. But it's off campus and could never have the same feel, no matter how successful the Wolfpack become over the next five seasons. The fans aren't on top of the opposing teams. Can't be in a pro arena.

Carmichael had apparently the same feel for those who had to go travel to the Tar Heels homecourt. The Dean Dome is certainly comfortable for the fans, and now with refurbishments, is a lot more upscale for the players and coaches.

Maryland has gone to great strides to try and keep the same intimidating feel of Cole at the Comcast Center. The students will be seated around the court, 10 rows deep, with the hope of it making the Comcast Center just as loud and imposing. And the arena is still on campus, a must to ensure that this is still the students team.

But, there is something about the students camping out, standing in line for the big game, like they have they done outside Cole, like they do at Cameron or at Phog Allen or at Mac Court that makes the arenas something special.

Cole Fieldhouse has loads of memories from Final Fours, to every great Maryland basketball experience from the Bud Millikan to the Lefty Driesell to the Gary Williams era spanning five decades. The NCAA has come calling, No. 1 teams have fallen, and the Terps have rightfully owned the building.

Cole is musty, creates a sweaty environment for the fans and media just as much as for the players and coaches. But it's got character. It's loud, and it's messy, which makes it one of the top five places to watch a game in college basketball.

The Comcast Center has a tough act to follow, like all new buildings.

Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.