View source for Watsco Center

{{Short description|Arena in Florida, United States}}
{{Infobox venue
| name                = Watsco Center 
| nickname            = 
| fullname          = Watsco Center at the University of Miami 
| former_names      = Ryder Center {{small|(construction/planning)}}<br>UM Convocation Center {{small|(2003–05)}}<br>BankUnited Center {{small|(2005–16)}}
| logo_image        = Watsco center logo.png
| logo_size         = 200
| image             = Watsco center 2009 cropped.jpg
| caption           = The stadium in May 2009
| type              = [[Arena]]
| currentuse        = [[Basketball]]<br>[[Ice hockey]]
| city              = [[Coral Gables, Florida|Coral Gables, FL]] 
| country           = [[United States|U.S.]]
| image_map           = {{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=250|zoom=15|type=point}}
| location            = 
| address             = 1245 Dauer Dr 
| coordinates         = {{coord|25|42|54|N|80|16|45|W|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| broke_ground        = April 4, 2001<ref>{{cite news |title=Finally! Work to Start on UM Basketball Arena|author=Palm Beach Post Wire Services|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=PBPB&p_theme=pbpb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EBC1B2D77DE22BD&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|newspaper=[[The Palm Beach Post]]|date=April 5, 2001|access-date=November 22, 2011}}</ref>
| built               = 
| opened              = {{start date and age|January 4, 2003}}
| renovated           = 
| expanded            = 
| closed              = 
| demolished          = 
| owner               = [[University of Miami]]
| operator            = Oak View Group Facilities
| surface             = 
| construction_cost   = $48 million<br>{{small|(${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US|43000000|2001}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}})}}
| architect           = {{hlist|[[Ellerbe Becket]]|Spillis Candela}}
| structural engineer = 
| services engineer   = 
| general_contractor  = [[Turner Construction]]<ref>{{cite web |title=What's on Deck?|url=http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2001/07/20010730/Special-Report/Whats-On-Deck.aspx|work=[[American City Business Journals|Sports Business Journal]]|publisher=[[Advance Publications]]|date=July 30, 2001|access-date=March 13, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112214811/http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2001/07/20010730/Special-Report/Whats-On-Deck.aspx |archive-date=November 12, 2013}}</ref>
| project_manager     = 
| main_contractors    = 
| dimensions          = Arena size: {{convert|200000|sqft}}
| capacity            = 7,972 (basketball) <br> 5,990 (ice hockey)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://watscocenter.com/venue-info/|title=About Us|publisher=Watsco Center|website=watscocenter.com|access-date=November 29, 2019}}</ref>
| record_attendance   =
| publictransit       = {{rint|miami|metro}} [[University station (Miami-Dade County)|University]] <br> {{rint|bus|1}}[[Metrobus (Miami-Dade County)|56, 500]]
| tenants             = {{plainlist|
* '''[[Miami Hurricanes]] ([[NCAA]]) teams''':
* [[Miami Hurricanes men's basketball|men's]] and [[Miami Hurricanes women's basketball|women's]] basketball (2003–present)
* '''Professional teams''':
* [[Miami Vice Squad]] ([[National Indoor Football League|NIFL]]) (2007)
* [[Miami Inferno]] ([[Ultimate Indoor Football League|UIFL]]) (2014)
* [[Florida Mayhem]] ([[Overwatch League|OWL]]) (2018–2023)
}}
| website             = {{url|https://watscocenter.com/|watscocenter.com}}
}}
The '''Watsco Center''' (originally named the '''University of Miami Convocation Center''') is an 8,000-seat multi-purpose [[arena]] on the campus of the [[University of Miami]] in [[Coral Gables, Florida]]. The venue hosts concerts, family shows, trade shows, lecture series, university events and sporting events, and serves as the home court to the [[Miami Hurricanes]]' [[Miami Hurricanes men's basketball|men's]] and [[Miami Hurricanes women's basketball|women's]] basketball teams.

==History==
[[File:The Miami Hurricanes Men's Basketball Team hosts Clemson for an ACC conference game on January 3, 2024.jpg|alt=The Miami Hurricanes Men's Basketball Team hosts Clemson for an ACC conference game on January 3, 2024|thumb|left|The [[Miami Hurricanes men's basketball|Miami Hurricanes Men's Basketball Team]] hosts [[Clemson Tigers men's basketball|Clemson]] for an [[Atlantic Coast Conference|ACC]] conference game on January 3, 2024]]
The arena opened in 2003 and was originally named the University of Miami Convocation Center. The arena is home to the [[Miami Hurricanes]] [[Miami Hurricanes men's basketball|men's]] and [[Miami Hurricanes women's basketball|women's]] [[basketball]] teams. Additional events held in the Watsco Center include concerts, sporting events, lectures, award shows, high school graduations, and men's and women's basketball games. It is the largest arena ever built on the [[University of Miami]] campus.

In 2005, the arena was renamed the '''BankUnited Center''', after [[Miami Lakes, Florida|Miami Lakes]]-based [[BankUnited]]. In 2016, [[Miami]]-based air conditioning company [[Watsco]] acquired the naming rights.

Prior to the opening of the Watsco Center, from 1988 until 2002, the school's basketball teams played their home games at [[Miami Arena]].

===U.S. presidential debates===
{{Further|2004 United States presidential debates|2016 Republican Party presidential primaries}}
The Watsco Center has hosted two U.S. presidential debates to date:

On September 30, 2004, the University of Miami hosted one of the three nationally televised [[2004 United States presidential debates|U.S. presidential debates]] between presidential candidates [[George W. Bush]] and [[John Kerry]] during the [[2004 United States presidential election|2004 presidential election]] at the Watsco Center. The debate, which was moderated by [[Jim Lehrer]] of ''[[PBS NewsHour]]'', was viewed by 62.5 million people.<ref>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080611180215/http://www.debates.org/pages/his_2004.html|url=http://www.debates.org/pages/his_2004.html|title=CPD: 2004 Debates |access-date=October 6, 2009|publisher=Commission on Presidential Debates|archive-date=June 11, 2008}}</ref>

On March 10, 2016, the University of Miami hosted the [[2016 Republican Party presidential primaries|2016 Republican presidential primary]]'s [[2016 Republican Party presidential debates and forums|twelfth and final debate]] at Wastso Center, which aired nationally on [[CNN]] and featured Republican presidential candidates [[Ted Cruz]], [[John Kasich]], [[Marco Rubio]], and [[Donald Trump]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/10/politics/republican-debate-what-to-watch/|title=Republican Debate in Miami: What to Watch |publisher=CNN.com |date=March 10, 2016}}</ref>

==Ranking==
The 2007 issue of ''Venues Today'', an entertainment industry publication, reports that the Watsco Center outperformed all but one other venue in Florida in its size category for number of concerts and touring events held in 2006.<ref>{{cite web |title=University of Miami's BankUnited Center Ranks Second Among Florida Venues By National Magazine|first=Heidi M.|last=Palmer|url=http://www6.miami.edu/UMH/CDA/UMH_Main/0,1770,2593-1;54245-3,00.html|work=University of Miami News|date=April 4, 2007|access-date=January 31, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110523055429/http://www6.miami.edu/UMH/CDA/UMH_Main/0,1770,2593-1;54245-3,00.html|archive-date=May 23, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>

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

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{commons cat}}
* {{official website}}

{{Miami Hurricanes men's basketball navbox}}
{{navboxes
| titlestyle ={{CollegePrimaryStyle|Miami Hurricanes|color = white}}
| list = 
{{University of Miami}}
{{Atlantic Coast Conference basketball venue navbox}}
{{Florida NCAA Division I college basketball venue navbox}}
{{Coral Gables, Florida}}
{{Greater Miami}}
{{Music venues of Florida}}
{{UIFL Arenas}}
{{Florida Mayhem}}
}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:2003 establishments in Florida]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Coral Gables, Florida]]
[[Category:College basketball venues in Florida]]
[[Category:Coral Gables, Florida]]
[[Category:Esports venues in Florida]]
[[Category:Miami Hurricanes basketball venues]]
[[Category:Mixed martial arts venues in Florida]]
[[Category:Music venues completed in 2003]]
[[Category:Music venues in Florida]]
[[Category:Sports venues completed in 2003]]
[[Category:Sports venues in Florida]]
[[Category:University of Miami]]