UD Arena

Last updated

University of Dayton Arena
UD Arena
Arena 2 - BONA 2-2-24 esJPG.jpg
UD Arena
Location1801 Edwin C Moses Blvd. Dayton, OH 45417
Owner University of Dayton
Capacity
    • 13,409 (basketball)
    • 14,000 (full-house events)
    • 5,500 (half-house events)
Construction
Broke groundNovember 7, 1968
OpenedDecember 6, 1969 (1969-12-06)
Renovated
  • 1998
  • 2002
  • 2017–2019
Construction costapproximately $4.5 million
($39.4 million in 2023 dollars) [1]
Architect
Tenants

University of Dayton Arena (commonly known as UD Arena) is a 13,409-seat multi-purpose arena located in Dayton, Ohio. The arena opened in 1969. It is home to the University of Dayton Flyers basketball teams. From 2001 to 2010, the facility hosted the annual "play-in" game in the NCAA men's basketball tournament (officially the "opening round" game) which featured the teams rated 64th and 65th in the tournament field. Beginning in 2011, when the tournament expanded to four opening-round games, the arena continued to host all "first four" games. [2] Overall, the arena has hosted more men's NCAA Division I basketball tournament games than any other venue.

Contents

The playing court is known as Blackburn Court, named after historic UD coach Tom Blackburn. The Donoher Center expansion on the southwest corner of the arena was completed in 1998. Named for former Flyers basketball coach Don Donoher, the Center provides an NBA-caliber facility for conditioning and game preparation. The arena was extensively renovated during the summer of 2002. The additions include concession areas, luxury boxes, disabled access improvements, and a restaurant/bar. The venue was awarded the 2003 and 2004 Atlantic 10 Conference men's basketball tournaments. In 2010, four new video screens were installed, one in each of the arena's corners. Following the 2016–17 basketball season, a 3-year renovation project began at UD Arena. The renovations were completed by the 2020-2021 season, albeit no fans were permitted in the arena due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. [3]

Since its opening in 1969, over 14 million visitors have attended events at the arena. In 2002, the arena was the site of the first ever high-definition television (HDTV) broadcast for ESPN. [2]

Construction

UD Arena was designed by Pretzinger & Pretzinger Architects and Engineers.[ citation needed ] Construction commenced on November 7, 1968. [2]

The arena was opened on December 6, 1969. [2]

Arena attendance

As of 2017, the University of Dayton has ranked in the top 25 in the nation for attendance at the arena 21 times. [4]

For the 2021-22 Men's basketball season, the team accounted that every game was sold out prior to the season beginning. [5]

NCAA basketball tournament hosting

The arena has hosted NCAA Tournament games 24 times since it opened. Along with its hosting duties for the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Opening Round game ("play-in" game), it also served as the host of the Midwestern Collegiate Conference (now Horizon League) men's basketball conference tournament from 1989 to 1991 and was the host of the Atlantic Ten Basketball tournament in 2003 and 2004. The arena hosted the Opening Round game through 2010, when it was also a regional venue for the women's tournament. It then became the first location for the revised opening round of four games for the men's tournament in March 2011.

The University of Dayton Arena hosted the Round of 64 and Round of 32 games of the 2001, 2009, and 2013 NCAA men's basketball tournaments. UD Arena hosted the First Four games every year since 2011, with the exceptions of 2020 (in which the entire tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States) and 2021 (in which the entire tournament was moved to within the state of Indiana due to logistical concerns amid the pandemic). [6] Through the 2024 tournament, it has hosted 135 games in the NCAA men's basketball tournament over its history, making it the most used venue to host NCAA Men's Tournament games ahead of Kansas City's Municipal Auditorium which has hosted 83. [7]

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Other events

As the largest indoor arena between Cincinnati and Columbus, UD Arena is a regular stop for concert tours. Elton John, Elvis Presley, Aerosmith, Rush, Bob Seger, Mötley Crüe, George Strait, Kenny Chesney, Usher, Lupe Fiasco, Jay-Z and others have performed there. It has been host to the Winter Guard International color guard, indoor percussion and winds World Championships since 2005. It hosted the Royal Hanneford Circus for most of the 1990s. WWE has hosted matches at the UD Arena since the 1980s. The Flyer Pep Band, UD's basketball pep band, plays at every UD basketball game at the arena. The University of Dayton holds its graduation ceremonies at the arena.

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See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dayton Flyers men's basketball</span> Mens basketball team representing the University of Dayton

The Dayton Flyers men's basketball team is a college basketball program that competes in NCAA Division I and the Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) representing the University of Dayton in Ohio. The Flyers play their home games at University of Dayton Arena. The Flyers are coached by Anthony Grant who is in his seventh season. In March 2020, Dayton was ranked #3 in the AP Top 25 Poll, its highest ranking since the 1955–56 season when it was ranked #2. The Flyers have never been ranked #1, but Dayton did receive a lone first place vote in the final AP poll of the 2019–2020 season. When the 2020 seasons was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Flyers did not get to participate in the 2020 NCAA Tournament, despite being projected as a #1 seed by several outlets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020–21 Dayton Flyers men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2020–21 Dayton Flyers men's basketball team represented the University of Dayton in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach was Anthony Grant, in his fourth season with the Flyers. The Flyers played their home games at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. They finished the season 14-10, 9-7 to finish in 7th place. They defeated Rhode Island in the second round in the A10 Tournament before losing to VCU in the quarterfinals. They were invited to the NIT where they lost in the first round to Memphis.

The 1983–84 Dayton Flyers men's basketball team represented the University of Dayton during the 1983–84 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Flyers, led by head coach Don Donoher, played their home games at the University of Dayton Arena and were an NCAA independent. Dayton received a bid to the NCAA tournament as No. 10 seed in the West region where they made an unexpected run to the Elite Eight. They defeated No. 7 seed LSU 74–66 in the opening round, upset No. 2 seed Oklahoma 89–85 in the second round, and advanced over No. 6 Washington to reach the West regional final. They lost to eventual National champion Georgetown, 61–49, and finished the season 21–11.

The 1966–67 Dayton Flyers men's basketball team represented the University of Dayton during the 1966–67 NCAA University Division men's basketball season. The Flyers, led by head coach Don Donoher, played their home games at the University of Dayton Arena and were an NCAA independent. Dayton received a bid to the NCAA tournament as a participant in the Mideast region where they made a run to the national championship game. The Flyers upset No. 6 Western Kentucky 69–67 in overtime in the opening round, No. 8 seed Tennessee 53–52 in the regional semifinal, and advanced to the school's only Final Four with a victory over Virginia Tech, 71–66 in overtime. They beat No. 4 North Carolina in the national semifinal, 76–62, before falling to unbeaten No. 1 UCLA and sophomore phenom Lew Alcindor, 79–64. Dayton finished the season 25–6.

The 1984–85 Dayton Flyers men's basketball team represented the University of Dayton during the 1984–85 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Flyers, led by head coach Don Donoher, played their home games at the University of Dayton Arena and were an NCAA independent. Dayton received a bid to the NCAA tournament as No. 9 seed in the Southeast region. They were defeated by No. 8 seed Villanova, 51–49, in the opening round. and finished the season 19–10. Villanova would go on to complete one of the most famous Cinderella runs in tournament history as they won the National championship. To this date, Villanova remains the lowest-seeded team to win the NCAA Tournament. For the second straight season, Dayton was knocked out of the NCAA Tournament by the eventual National champion.

References

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  2. 1 2 3 4 "University of Dayton Arena". University of Dayton Athletics. Archived from the original on June 12, 2010. Retrieved February 19, 2009.
  3. "Transform UD Arena". transformudarena.com. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  4. "NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Attendance Leaders Year-by-Year (1970–2010)" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved October 19, 2012.
  5. "Men's Basketball Sells Out Season & Single-Game Tickets Before 2021-22 Opener". Dayton Flyers. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
  6. "NCAA Tournament Returns To UD Arena - UD Men's Basketball News Story - WHIO Dayton". www.whiotv.com. Archived from the original on November 26, 2009.
  7. Harris, Doug (February 13, 2012). "UD pushing toward First Four sellout". Dayton Daily News . Retrieved February 14, 2012.