View source for Truist Arena

{{Short description|Multi-purpose arena in Highland Heights, Kentucky}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2022}}
{{redirect|BB&T Arena|the arena in Sunrise, Florida|BB&T Center}}
{{Infobox stadium
| stadium_name        = Truist Arena
| logo_image          = Truist Arena logo.svg 
| logo_size           = 100
| image               = Northern Kentucky University arena.jpg
| caption             = Truist Arena, also referred to as "The Bank"
| image_map           = {{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=250|zoom=15|type=point}}
| coordinates         = {{coord|39.032273|-84.458864|type:landmark|display=it}}
| former_names        = The Bank of Kentucky Center (2008&ndash;2015)<br>BB&T Arena (2015–2022)
| location            = 500 Nunn Drive<br />[[Highland Heights, Kentucky|Highland Heights]], [[Kentucky]] 41099
| broke ground        = May 20, 2006
| built               = 
| opened              = {{start date and age|May 10, 2008}}
| closed              = 
| demolished          = 
| owner               = [[Northern Kentucky University]]
| operator            = [[Anschutz Entertainment Group|ASM Global]]
| construction_cost   = $64 million<br />(${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US|64000000|2008}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}})
| architect           = [[360 Architecture]]<br />GBBN Architects
| structural engineer = THP Limited Inc.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.thpltd.com/portfolio/structuralengineering/sports.aspx |title=THP Limited Inc. &#124; Portfolio &#124; Structural Engineering &#124; Sports |access-date=2012-01-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110909055126/http://www.thpltd.com/Portfolio/structuralengineering/sports.aspx |archive-date=2011-09-09 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| general_contractor  = [[Turner Construction]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://arenadigest.com/in-the-arena/visits/bank-of-kentucky-center-northern-kentucky-norsemen |title=Bank of Kentucky Center / Northern Kentucky Norsemen &#124; Visits &#124; Arena Digest |access-date=2012-01-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111225011452/http://arenadigest.com/in-the-arena/visits/bank-of-kentucky-center-northern-kentucky-norsemen |archive-date=2011-12-25 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| tenants = [[Northern Kentucky Norse]] ([[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]]) 2008–present<br>[[Northern Kentucky River Monsters]] ([[United Indoor Football League|UIFL]]/[[Continental Indoor Football League|CIFL]]) 2011, 2014<br>[[Black-n-Bluegrass RollerGirls]] ([[Women's Flat Track Derby Association|WFTDA]]) 2012&ndash;2013<br>[[Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball|Cincinnati Bearcats]] (NCAA) 2017&ndash;2018
| seating_capacity = 8,427 (basketball)<br />9,400 (concerts)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://nkunorse.com/facilities/truist-arena/25 |title=Truist Arena |publisher=Northern Kentucky Norse |access-date=June 15, 2025}}</ref>
| website = {{url|https://thetruistarena.com/|thetruistarena.com}}
}}

'''Truist Arena''', formerly '''The Bank of Kentucky Center''' and '''BB&T Arena''', is a 9,400-seat multi-purpose [[arena]] in [[Highland Heights, Kentucky]], on the campus of [[Northern Kentucky University]]. The arena was topped off on June 21, 2007, and the first event held there was NKU's graduation ceremony on May 10, 2008. A grand opening ceremony was held on September 22, 2008.

The NKU men's and women's basketball teams are the main tenants,
<ref>{{cite web|title=NKY.com|access-date=2007-07-11|url=http://news.nky.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20070622/NEWS0103/706220407}}</ref> but many outside events are booked at the center.  Among the first were country music star [[Carrie Underwood]], comedian [[Jeff Dunham]], and the cast of the reality television show ''[[So You Think You Can Dance (US)|So You Think You Can Dance]]'' as well as [[Cirque du Soleil]], and the ''[[Walking With Dinosaurs#The Arena Spectacular|Walking With Dinosaurs]]'' live production.  It hosted the [[Elite Eight]] of the [[NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Championship|NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Tournament]] in 2012.<ref name=NCAA>{{cite press release|url=http://nkunorse.com/news/2010/6/11/MBB_0611103213.aspx |title=NCAA selects NKU as host for 2012 and 2013 Division II Elite Eight for men's basketball |publisher=Northern Kentucky University Athletics |date=June 11, 2010 |access-date=July 21, 2010}}</ref> It was again set to host the Division II 2013 Elite Eight,<ref name=NCAA/> but the NCAA moved the event to [[Freedom Hall]] in [[Louisville, Kentucky|Louisville]] as NKU joined Division I (the NCAA would later go further by only holding the Elite Eight and Final Four matchups in Louisville; the Division II championship game was moved to [[Atlanta]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]'s [[State Farm Arena (Atlanta)|State Farm Arena]] with the Division III championship game as part of the celebration of 75 years of the men's Division I tournament, the Final Four of which was held in the [[Georgia Dome]]).<ref name="2013 NCAA">{{cite press release|url=https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2012-08-22/division-ii-elite-eight-be-played-louisvilles-freedom-hall-20 |title=Division II Elite Eight to be played at Louisville's Freedom Hall in 2013 |publisher=NCAA |date=August 23, 2012 |access-date=November 2, 2012}}</ref> On May 10, 2011, The Bank of Kentucky Center hosted [[WWE]] live. Other artists/performers that have visited the arena include [[Alan Jackson]] with [[Jana Kramer]], [[Barry Manilow]], [[Bill Engvall]], [[Jeff Foxworthy]], and [[Larry The Cable Guy]], [[Blake Shelton]], [[Bob Dylan]], [[Dane Cook]], [[Jason Aldean]], [[Luke Bryan]], [[Martina McBride]], [[Trace Adkins]], [[Jay-Z]], [[REO Speedwagon]], and [[Styx (band)|Styx]] among others.

The first basketball event at the arena saw the NKU [[Northern Kentucky Norse men's basketball|men's]] and [[Northern Kentucky Norse women's basketball|women's]] basketball teams play [[Louisville Cardinals|Louisville]] on November 8, 2008.<ref>{{cite web|title=NKU ticket information |url=http://www.nku.edu/~athletics/WBasketball/2007-08/releases/2008-09%20ticket%20info.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080731070912/http://www.nku.edu/~athletics/WBasketball/2007-08/releases/2008-09%20ticket%20info.html |archive-date=2008-07-31 }}</ref>

The arena hosted the [[Kentucky High School Athletic Association|KHSAA]] [[Sweet Sixteen (KHSAA State Basketball Championship)|Girls' Sweet Sixteen]] in high school basketball from 2016 through 2018, after which the event moved to [[Rupp Arena]] in [[Lexington, Kentucky|Lexington]].<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://khsaa.org/051214-board-of-control-approves-future-championship-sites-football-alignment/ |title=Board of Control Approves Future Championship Sites, Football Alignment |publisher=Kentucky High School Athletic Association |date=May 12, 2014 |access-date=July 14, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release|url=http://khsaa.org/051017-board-of-control-addresses-championship-sites-for-football-girls-basketball-dance/ |title=Board of Control Addresses Championship Sites for Football, Girls' Basketball, Dance |publisher=Kentucky High School Athletic Association |date=May 10, 2017 |access-date=May 10, 2017}}</ref>

==Sponsorship==
The Bank of Kentucky agreed to cover 10% of the cost of the arena, up to $6 million, in exchange for naming rights. It will also get a luxury suite, access to premium tickets and free use of the facility rent free for one special event each year.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.kypost.com/2005/02/19/kyweekreview021905.html|title=Battles over taxes on several fronts|first=Dan|last=Hassert|work=[[The Cincinnati Post|The Kentucky Post]]|publisher=[[E. W. Scripps Company]]|date=2005-02-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060228022106/http://www.kypost.com/2005/02/19/kyweekreview021905.html|archive-date=2006-02-28}}</ref>

In 2015, the name of the arena was changed to the BB&T Arena after [[BB&T]] Corp. bought out The Bank of Kentucky. In 2020, BB&T merged with [[SunTrust Banks|SunTrust]], with the merged company renaming itself [[Truist Financial|Truist]]. However, the arena continued to bear the BB&T name because Truist did not start rebranding its Kentucky locations with the new corporate name until late 2021. The Truist name was adopted for the arena shortly after the 2021–22 basketball season, taking effect on April 5, 2022.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wlwt.com/article/bb-t-arena-northern-kentucky-truist-arena/39640994# |title=Northern Kentucky's BB&T Arena changes name to Truist Arena |publisher=[[WLWT]] |location=Cincinnati |date=April 5, 2022 |accessdate=April 7, 2022}}</ref>

==Tenants==
Beginning in spring of 2011, Truist Arena was home to the [[Northern Kentucky River Monsters]] of the [[Ultimate Indoor Football League]]. After the season, the River Monsters agreed to part ways with the UIFL. The UIFL still had rights to place a team in the arena, so there will be an expansion team placed there, the [[Kentucky Monsters]].

Truist Arena has also played host to the [[Black-n-Bluegrass Roller Girls]] since 2012.<ref name="bnbr">{{cite web|last1=Erpenbeck|first1=Kevin|title=Roller derby takes over BOKC – The Northerner|url=https://www.thenortherner.com/sports/2011/12/07/roller-derby-takes-over-bokc/|website=www.thenortherner.com|publisher=The Northerner|access-date=13 September 2017|date=7 December 2011}}</ref> The home dates for the league in 2012 were: May 19, June 16, July 21, August 18, September 22, and October 20.

The [[Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball|Cincinnati Bearcats]] from the [[University of Cincinnati]] played their home games at what was then BB&T Arena during the 2017–18 season while [[Fifth Third Arena]] underwent renovations.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.wcpo.com/sports/college-sports/university-of-cincinnati-sports/uc-mens-basketball-to-play-at-bbt-arena-in-2017-18-season |title = Bearcats to play at BB&T Arena in 2017-18 season|date = 10 February 2017}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of NCAA Division I basketball arenas]]

==References==
{{reflist}}<!--added under references heading by script-assisted edit-->

==External links==
*{{oweb}}
*[https://cincymusic.com/calendar/the-bb-t-arena Concert Calendar]

{{Northern Kentucky Norse men's basketball navbox}}
{{Northern Kentucky Norse women's basketball navbox}}
{{Horizon League basketball venue navbox}}
{{Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball navbox}}
{{Kentucky college basketball venues}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Truist Arena}}
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Campbell County, Kentucky]]
[[Category:Indoor arenas in Kentucky]]
[[Category:College basketball venues in Kentucky]]
[[Category:Northern Kentucky Norse basketball]]
[[Category:Cincinnati Bearcats basketball venues]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Campbell County, Kentucky]]
[[Category:2008 establishments in Kentucky]]
[[Category:Sports venues completed in 2008]]