University of Dayton Arena (commonly known as UD Arena) is a 13,409-seat multi-purpose

arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...

located in

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater D ...

. 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. Overall, the arena has hosted more men's NCAA Division I basketball tournament games than any other venue. 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 Donald Donoher (born January 21, 1932) is an American retired college basketball coach and athletics administrator. He served as the head men's basketball coach at the University of Dayton from 1964 to 1989, compiling a record of 437–275. His ...

, 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. 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 High-definition television (HD or HDTV) describes a television system which provides a substantially higher image resolution than the previous generation of technologies. The term has been used since 1936; in more recent times, it refers to the g ...

) broadcast for

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...

Construction

UD Arena was designed by Pretzinger & Pretzinger Architects and Engineers. Construction commenced on November 7, 1968. The arena was opened on December 6, 1969.

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

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 The First Four is a play-in round of the NCAA Division I men's and women's basketball tournaments. It consists of two games contested between the four lowest-ranked teams in the field, and two games contested between the four lowest-seeded "a ...

("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). Through March 13, 2019, it has hosted 123 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.

Other events

As the largest indoor arena between

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

and Columbus, UD Arena is a regular stop for concert tours. Elton John,

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

, Aerosmith, Rush, Bob Seger, Mötley Crüe, George Strait,

Kenny Chesney Kenneth Arnold Chesney (born March 26, 1968) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He has recorded more than 20 albums and has produced more than 40 Top 10 singles on the US ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs and Country ...

, Usher, Lupe Fiasco, Jay-Z and others have performed there. It has been host to the

Winter Guard International Winter Guard International (WGI) is an American performing arts association, governing body, and the producer of regional championship events for three activities: color guard (known as winter guard), percussion ensembles, and small marching ban ...

color guard, indoor percussion and winds World Championships since 2005. It hosted the

Royal Hanneford Circus The Royal Hanneford Circus is an American-based touring family circus. With origins dating back to 1690, it has been called the oldest circus in the world. The family first performed as a traveling troupe in 1807. In 1903, the family began its own ...

for most of the 1990s.

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vari ...

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.

References

External links