View source for UD Arena

{{Short description|Multi-purpose arena in Dayton, Ohio, US}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox venue
| name = University of Dayton Arena
| nickname = UD Arena
| image = Arena 2 - BONA 2-2-24 esJPG.jpg
| image_size = 250px
| caption = 
| location = 1801 Edwin C Moses Blvd. Dayton, OH 45417
| coordinates = 
| broke_ground = November 7, 1968
| opened = {{Start date|1969|12|06}}
| renovated = {{hlist|1998|2002|2017–2019}}
| expanded = 
| closed = 
| demolished = 
| owner = [[University of Dayton]]
| operator = 
| construction_cost = approximately [[United States dollar|$]]4.5 million<br />(${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US|4500000|1968}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars){{inflation-fn|US}}
| architect = {{ubl|
* [[Pretzinger|Pretzinger & Pretzinger]] (original design)
* GBBN Architects & [[360 Architecture]] (2002 renovation)
}}
| former_names = 
| tenants = {{ubl|
* [[Dayton Flyers]] ([[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]]) (1969–present)
* NCAA's [[First Four]] (2001–present)
}}
| capacity = {{ubl|
* 13,409 (basketball)
* 14,000 (full-house events)
* 5,500 (half-house events)
}}
}}
'''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 Men's Basketball|University of Dayton Flyers basketball team]]s. From 2001 to 2010, the facility hosted the annual [[First Four|"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. Since 2011, when the tournament expanded to four opening-round games, the arena continued to host all "first four" games.<ref name="udarena1">{{cite web|url=http://www.daytonflyers.com/facilities/arena/|title=University of Dayton Arena|publisher=University of Dayton Athletics|access-date=February 19, 2009|archive-date=June 12, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100612230941/http://www.daytonflyers.com/facilities/arena/|url-status=dead}}</ref>  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 (basketball)|Tom Blackburn]].  The Donoher Center expansion on the southwest corner of the arena was completed in 1998. Named for former [[Dayton Flyers|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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://transformudarena.com|title=Transform UD Arena|website=transformudarena.com|access-date=2018-03-12}}</ref>

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 ([[High-definition television|HDTV]]) broadcast for [[ESPN]].<ref name="udarena1"/>

==Construction==
UD Arena was designed by [[Pretzinger|Pretzinger & Pretzinger]] Architects and Engineers.{{citation needed|date=April 2020}} Construction commenced on November 7, 1968.<ref name="udarena1"/>

The arena was opened on December 6, 1969.<ref name="udarena1"/>

==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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://web1.ncaa.org/web_files/stats/m_basketball_RB/Reports/attendanceYBYtop25.pdf|title=NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Attendance Leaders Year-by-Year (1970–2010)|publisher=NCAA|access-date=October 19, 2012}}</ref>

For the 2021-22 Men's basketball season, the team accounted that every game was sold out prior to the season beginning.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://daytonflyers.com/news/2021/11/4/mens-basketball-mens-basketball-sells-out-season-single-game-tickets-before-2021-22-opener.aspx|title=Men's Basketball Sells Out Season & Single-Game Tickets Before 2021-22 Opener|publisher=Dayton Flyers|access-date=December 1, 2012}}</ref>

==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 [[Horizon League|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 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|2001]], [[2006 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|2006]], [[2009 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|2009]], and [[2013 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|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). The arena hosted the final game of legendary Kentucky head coach [[Adolph Rupp]]'s career in 1972 as Kentucky fell to Florida State. <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.whiotv.com/ud/21059563/detail.html |title=NCAA Tournament Returns To UD Arena - UD Men's Basketball News Story - WHIO Dayton |website=www.whiotv.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091126050810/http://www.whiotv.com/ud/21059563/detail.html |archive-date=2009-11-26}} </ref> Through the [[2024 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|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 (Kansas City)|Municipal Auditorium]] which has hosted 83.<ref>{{cite news |title=UD pushing toward First Four sellout|first=Doug|last=Harris|url=http://www.daytondailynews.com/dayton-sports/university-of-dayton-flyers/ud-pushing-toward-first-four-sellout-1328150.html|newspaper=[[Dayton Daily News]]|date=February 13, 2012|access-date=February 14, 2012}}</ref> 

Because of its unique hosting position within the NCAA tourney, this creates a situation where the Flyers cannot play as the home team if invited to a non-NCAA tournament, which happened in 2025 when the Flyers were drawn as the #1 seed in the [[2025 National Invitation Tournament|2025 NIT]] in their region; the Flyers had to then play the [[2024–25 Florida Atlantic Owls men's basketball team|Florida Atlantic Owls]] at their [[Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena|home arena]] in [[Boca Raton, Florida]] instead.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wdtn.com/sports/college/dayton-flyers/flyers-to-play-in-nit-for-fourth-time-in-eight-seasons-earn-no-1-seed/|title=Flyers to play in NIT for fourth time in eight seasons, earn No. 1 seed|last=DeBerardino|first=Joey|date=16 March 2025|work=[[WDTN]]|publisher=[[Nexstar Media Group]]|access-date=19 March 2025}}</ref>

[[File:Stadium2 YSU 11-24-23 ES.jpg|thumb|300x300px]]

==Other events==
As the largest indoor arena between [[Cincinnati]] and [[Columbus, Ohio|Columbus]], UD Arena is a regular stop for concert tours. [[Elton John]], [[Elvis Presley]], [[Aerosmith]], [[Rush (band)|Rush]], [[Bob Seger]], [[Mötley Crüe]], [[George Strait]], [[Kenny Chesney]], [[Usher (entertainer)|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. 
[[File:Red Scare vs STL 1 16 24 els.jpg|thumb|252x252px]]

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

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.daytonflyers.com/facilities/arena/ daytonflyers.com: UD Arena] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100612230941/http://www.daytonflyers.com/facilities/arena/ |date=June 12, 2010 }}
* [https://archive.today/20070311001228/http://www.collegesportingnews.com/article.asp?articleid=8966 College Sporting News]
* [http://www.daytondailynews.com/search/content/shared/oh/mm/venues/udarena/index.html UD Arena Interactive Seating Chart]

{{University of Dayton}}
{{Dayton Flyers men's basketball navbox}}
{{Atlantic 10 Conference basketball venue navbox}}
{{Ohio NCAA Division I college basketball venue navbox}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:College basketball venues in Ohio]]
[[Category:Dayton Flyers basketball]]
[[Category:Basketball venues in Ohio]]
[[Category:Sports venues in Dayton, Ohio]]
[[Category:1969 establishments in Ohio]]
[[Category:Sports venues completed in 1969]]