University of Dayton Arena
University of Dayton Arena is a 13,409-seat multi-purpose
arena in
Dayton, Ohio. The arena opened in
1969. It is home to the
University of Dayton Flyers
basketball team, and has hosted 66 games in the
NCAA men's basketball tournament over its history, the fourth most prolific venue in NCAA history and the second most prolific among active venues[
1]. Since
2001, the facility has hosted the annual
"play-in" game in the
NCAA men's basketball tournament (officially the "opening round" game) which features the teams rated 64th and 65th in the tournament field[
2]. The Donoher Center expansion on the northwest corner of the Arena was completed in
1998. Named for former
Flyers basketball coach
Don Donoher, the Center provides a state of the art,
NBA caliber facility for conditioning and game preparation. The arena was extensively renovated during the summer of
2002. The additions include new and expanded concession areas, luxury boxes, disabled access improvements, and a restaurant/bar named the Time-Warner Flight Deck. Because of this, the venue was awarded the 2003 and 2004
Atlantic Ten Conference men's basketball tournaments.
The Arena has been hailed by sportscasters and opponent coaches alike as one of the greatest venues in college basketball [
3]. Since its opening in
1969, over 14 million visitors have witnessed events at the Arena. In
2002, the Arena was the site of the first ever high-definition television (
HDTV) broadcast for
ESPN.
During the 2004-2005 season, the University of Dayton ranked 18th in the nation in attendance at the arena.
Along with its hosting duties for the NCAA Tournament "play-in" game, the UD Arena will serve as first and second round hosts for the 2006 tournament. Games will be played on Friday, March 17th and Sunday, March 19th, 2006. It additionally served as the host of the
Midwestern Collegiate Conference men's basketball conference tournament from 1989-91 and as the host of the Atlantic ten Basketball tournament in 2003 and 2004. In 2006 the Arena will host regional games for the NCAA Women's basketball tournament.
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University of Dayton*
University of Dayton Arena*
College Sporting News*
UD Arena Interactive Seating Chart
