Thompson-Boling Arena

Infobox_Stadium
stadium_name = Thompson-Boling Arena| nickname = "The Summitt"


location = 1600 Phillip Fulmer Way
Knoxville, TN 37916
broke_ground =
opened = December 3, 1987
closed =
demolished =
owner = University of Tennessee
operator =
surface = Wooden Court
tenants = Tennessee Volunteers (men's basketball)
Tennessee Lady Vols (women's basketball)
seating_capacity = 21,000 [http://www.tbarena.com/aboutUs.asp]

Thompson-Boling Arena is a 21,000 seat multi-purpose arena on the campus of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The arena opened in 1987. It is home to the Tennessee Volunteers (men) and Lady Vols (women) basketball teams. It is named after B. Ray Thompson and former university president Dr. Edward J. Boling. The basketball court is named "The Summitt" after Lady Vols basketball coach Pat Summitt. It replaced the Stokely Athletic Center. The mammoth octagonal building lies just northwest of the Tennessee River, and just southwest of Neyland Stadium. As an echo to its neighbor, the endzones of the court are now painted in the familiar orange-and-white checkerboard pattern.

History

In terms of seating capacity, Thompson-Boling was at one time the largest facility ever built specifically for basketball in the United States with a seating capacity of 24,678 until its 2007 renovation. The men's record crowd was 25,610 for a game against Kentucky on January 21, 1989, which is also the SEC record for a regular-season game. The Lady Vols record crowd of 24,653, set at their win over archrival UConn on January 7, 2006, is also the all-time record for an NCAA regular-season women's game.

The facility hosted the 1989 Southeastern Conference men's basketball tournament. It hosted games of the NCAA men's basketball tournament in 1994 and 1999, and the 1990 NCAA Women's Final Four.

It is also a concert venue, holding up to 25,000 for many concerts.

In August 2006, ground was broken for the Pratt Pavilion, a basketball practice facility to be located adjacent to the arena. It was ready for use in early November, but not all exterior construction were finished

On November 30, 2006, plans were announced at utsports.com to add new renovations to Thompson-Boling Arena. Renovations included black seats, a center hung scoreboard and concourse refurbishments, such as graphics and other amenities. Also added were luxury suites and loge seating. Construction began in March 2007. Phase I was finished in late October 2007 with an opening game against the Temple Owls of the Atlantic 10 Conference.Phase II is scheduled to include a new lighting system, new ticket kiosks and new food courts.

The outer volume of Thompson-Boling Arena is approximately convert|17|Mcuft|m3. [ [http://www.utsports.com/facilities/page.aspx?id=9732 UT Sports Official Site ] ]

During the 2006-2007 year, The University of Tennessee Men's Basketball team went 16-0 in Thompson-Boling Arena. That has continued into the 2007-2008 year, as the Vols have won 15 games this season stretching their home-winning streak to 31.

As of January 29, 2008, Bruce Pearl's home record at Thompson-Boling Arena is 41-2, a home winning percentage at Tennessee of 95%.

Many artists including Prince, KISS, Aerosmith, Garth Brooks, Kanye West, Hannah Montana, Keith Urban, Shania Twain, Britney Spears,Cher and The Jonas Brothers have performed at the Thompson-Boling Arena.

References

External links

* [http://www.tbarena.com Official Website]
* [http://www.utsports.com/facilities/page.aspx?id=9732 UT Sports Official Site]