Since 2011, there have been 12 new arenas opened in Division I college basketball, with just one of them being an off-campus venue, and two of them in the state of Nebraska. Three of the arenas belong to power conference schools: Nebraska, Oregon and Ole Miss.
Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon: January 13, 2011
Named after Nike Phil Knight’s son, the arena met quite a lot of criticism for its location on campus and for the costs ($227 million). It seats 12,364, and the record attendance was in the 2010-2011 season, when 12,369 showed up to watch the Ducks play Oregon State.
GCU Arena in Phoenix, Arizona: September 1, 2011
Home of the Grand Canyon Antelopes, the GCU has a capacity of 7000. It was opened with a capacity of 5000, but the jump to division I led to a massive remodelling, and the increase in size.
Stroh Center in Bowling Green, Ohio: September 9, 2011
Home of the Bowling Green Falcons, the Stroh Center is the home to the university’s basketball and volleyball teams, seating 4387. The official opening game in the arena was on November 11, 2011, beating Howard 63-48.
Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana: November 5, 2011
The Ford Center is home to the Purple Aces, who also share the building with the Thunderbolts of the Southern Professional Hockey League. Evansville’s first game in the arena was a 80-77 win over Butler. It has a capacity of 10,000
Kimmel Arena in Asheville, North Carolina: November 7, 2011
Home of the UNC Asheville Bulldogs, is named for local businessman Joe Kimmel. It’s first official home game was a 91-75 loss against North Carolina. It has a capacity of 3200.
College Park Center in Arlington, Texas: February 1, 2012
Home of the UT Arlington Mavericks, it replaced Texas Hall as the home of the basketball team. It is also the home of the WNBA’s Dallas Wings. It has a capacity of 7000, and it opened in the middle of the 2011-2012 season, with the Mavericks beating UTSA 67-66 on the court’s debut.
HTC Center in Conway, South Carolina: August 1, 2012
Home of the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, the HTC center is a 3212 seater, hosting its first official game in the opening of the 2012-2013 season, as Coastal Carolina beat Akron 74-70. HTC bought the naming rights a day after it opened.
Trojan Arena in Troy, Alabama: August 10, 2012
Home of the Troy Trojans, the Trojan Arena has a capacity of 5200. It never sold out in a basketball game, the closest coming on opening night of the 2012-2013 season, when 5120 showed up to see Troy beat Mississippi State 56-53. Last season an attendance of 2224 in a loss to South Alabama was the best they could do.
SECU Arena in Towson, Maryland: June 19, 2013
The home of the Towson Tigers since the beginning of the 2013-2014 season, it opened with three consecutive home wins against Navy, Morgan State and Temple. It has a capacity of 5200, with Towson averaging 1914 fans per game last season.
Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska: August 16, 2013
Home of the Nebraska Cornhuskers, it replaced the Bob Devaney Sports Center, with Pinnacle Bank purchasing the naming rights two years before the arena opened. The first official game was played against Florida Gulf Coast, a 79-55 win. Nebraska ranked 11th last season in average attendance with 15,429 showing to games.
Baxter Arena in Omaha, Nebraska: October 23, 2015
Home to the Omaha Mavericks of the Summit League, the Baxter Arena can seat 7898. It opened in a 60-59 loss to UC Santa Barbara, with 3538 in attendance. On average, 2265 show up to their games, with their opening night still being their most attended game.
The Pavilion at Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi: January 11, 2016
The newest division I basketball arena, the Pavilion opened in the middle of the 2015-2016 season, in time to hose Ole Miss’ first SEC home game of the season. The Rebels beat Alabama that night, and made it two in a row as it opened, also beating Georgia. It can seat 9500, a number they reached four times last season, including the game against the Crimson Tide.