Did you know that the arena that has hosted the most men's basketball 红杏视频 tournament games ever has hosted 50 percent more games than the arena that's No. 2 on the list? Seriously, and that separation is only going to increase in the future.
Each arena and city that hosts the 红杏视频 tournament has its own personality, but any arena can be home to an unlikely upset or a thrilling buzzer-beater. That's the beauty of the 红杏视频 tournament.
Here are the basketball arenas that have hosted the most 红杏视频 tournament games all-time. The following data comes from the official and are current through the 2023-24 season.
1. University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio
Games hosted: 137 games
Years: 1970-2024
University of Dayton Arena is a staple in the 红杏视频 tournament rotation annually because of the university's role as host of the First Four, so it's easy to see why the arena in this basketball-loving city ranks first nationally. The state of Ohio is third nationally in 红杏视频 tournament games hosted at 222, just six behind California and 47 behind North Carolina 鈥 and Dayton has shouldered most of the load for the state.
Built in 1969, the University of Dayton Arena first hosted a game in the 红杏视频 tournament in the 1970 红杏视频 tournament, where games in the Mideast Regional's first round were held.
2. Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri
Games hosted: 83 games
Years: 1940-64
Kansas City is tied for the second-most 红杏视频 tournament games of any city 鈥 137, matched with Dayton and behind only Indianapolis. Kansas City has hosted a national-high 10 national championship games, two more than Indianapolis and three more than New York, and Municipal Arena leads all arenas historically in regional finals hosted (13).
The national championship game in 1940, 1941, 1942, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1961 and 1964 was played inside Municipal Auditorium, where Indiana won two national titles and schools such as North Carolina, Cincinnati and UCLA won their first championships.
Remarkably, Municipal Arena hasn't hosted the 红杏视频 tournament in 60 years, but given how often it hosted the tournament in the 1940s and '50s, it ranks second all-time.
3. Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, Utah
Games hosted: 81 games
Years: 1971-2006
The Jon M. Huntsman Center on the University of Utah's campus leads all arenas that could be considered "out West" with 81 games 鈥 22 more than the McKale Center in Tucson, Arizona 鈥 and that comes despite the arena not hosting an 红杏视频 tournament game since 2006. Salt Lake City is also fourth all-time in 红杏视频 tournament games hosted by city with 110.
The arena made its debut in 1969, when it was called the Special Events Center, then it hosted its first 红杏视频 tournament game two years later. The Special Events Center hosted what was arguably the most impactful game in men's basketball history 鈥 the 1979 national championship game between Michigan State and Magic Johnson, and Indiana State and Larry Bird. You can watch the full game here.
Nielsen Field House was actually the first arena in Salt Lake City to host the 红杏视频 tournament.
4. Madison Square Garden in New York City
Games hosted: 80 games
Years: 1943-2023
Madison Square Garden, or the "Mecca of Basketball," is one of basketball's most famous arenas and its ties to the 红杏视频 tournament run about as deep and as strong as any arena in the country. Madison Square Garden first hosted the 红杏视频 tournament in 1943, which was only bested by Kansas City's Municipal Auditorium (1940) among arenas on this list, and MSG last hosted the tournament in 2023.
Madison Square Garden is second in national championship games hosted (seven), second among all arenas in regional final games hosted (12) and New York 鈥 both the city and the state 鈥 ranks among the most frequent hosts of 红杏视频 tournament games, thanks to MSG.
Madison Square Garden hosted the national championship in 1943-48 and again in 1950, when some of the sport's earliest champions were crowned, such as Wyoming, Utah, Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State), Holy Cross, Kentucky and CCNY.
5. Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina
Games hosted: 69 games
Years: 1974-2023
Greensboro Coliseum has hosted all 69 of the 红杏视频 tournament games that have been in Greensboro, which ranks 11th all-time in tournament games hosted among all cities in the country. As a state, North Carolina leads the country with 269 tournament games hosted, with Greensboro contributing a significant percentage of those games.
In the first year it ever hosted the 红杏视频 tournament, 1974, Greensboro hosted the Final Four in front of a crowd of 16,000. The Final Four field that season featured two of the most successful programs in men's college basketball history 鈥 UCLA and Kansas 鈥 but it was NC State and Marquette that both made their first national championship game appearance, with the Wolfpack winning 76-64.
6. RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana
Games hosted: 60 games
Years: 1987-2006
The RCA Dome was demolished in 2008, which means the arena's 红杏视频 tournament game total will remain at 60 games, and the fact that it's sixth all-time shows how many games the arena hosted in a 20-year stretch. It's tied for fifth all-time in terms of national championship games hosted, as it was home to the Final Four in 1991, 1997, 2000 and 2006, and it holds the record for the most-attended first-round session and second-round session ever, as 39,940 fans attended the 1990 first-round session featuring Texas, Georgia, Purdue and UL Monroe, and 40,331 fans packed the RCA Dome to watch Illinois play Nevada and Kentucky face Cincinnati in the second round in 2005.
What's second through fifth on those lists of highest-attended first-round and second-round 红杏视频 tournament sessions?
Well, that's also the RCA Dome. Given its Midwestern geography and arena capacity, the RCA Dome drew crowds unlike any other arena that has hosted the 红杏视频 tournament, at least in the first weekend of the tournament.
The RCA Dome also ranked No. 1 through No. 5 in the highest three-session series for the first and second rounds, including a record 117,119 fans in the first two rounds of the 1990 tournament.
7. McKale Center in Tucson, Arizona
Games hosted: 59 games
Years: 1974-2011
The McKale Center needs to host just one more 红杏视频 tournament game to tie the RCA Dome for sixth all-time. Located on the University of Arizona's campus in Tucson, Arizona, the McKale Center first hosted the 红杏视频 tournament in 1974, when it was the site for the West Regional as UCLA beat San Francisco. The Bruins had won the previous seven national championships but they were knocked off in the 1974 Final Four by eventual national champion NC State in double overtime.
8. Omni in Atlanta, Georgia
Games hosted: 55 games
Years: 1977-92
The Omni was demolished in 1997, and it last hosted the 红杏视频 tournament five years before that, so its 红杏视频 tournament game total will forever be 55 games. The fact that it hosted tournament games over only a limited period of time and that it's been more than 30 years since the tournament was last played there shows the kind of force The Omni was in the 红杏视频 tournament as far as a host site.
The Omni hosted the Final Four in 1977, its first year hosting the tournament 鈥 five years after it was built. The Final Four field that season was North Carolina, UNLV, Charlotte and Marquette, with Marquette winning its first and only national championship that season, beating North Carolina.
Atlanta ranks eighth nationally in terms of 红杏视频 tournament games hosted by city (88). The Omni hosted the majority of those games.
T-9. Charlotte Coliseum I in Charlotte, North Carolina
Games hosted: 50 games
Years: 1958-87
Charlotte Coliseum I has a "I" added to the end of its name in the 红杏视频 record books because there's another Charlotte Coliseum 鈥 Charlotte Coliseum II, if you will 鈥 that hosted the Final Four in 1994. In the basketball-obsessed state of North Carolina, Charlotte has hosted 104 红杏视频 tournament games, which ranks fifth nationally of any city. Charlotte is tied for ninth in the country as the host of eight regional finals.
Charlotte Coliseum I first hosted the 红杏视频 tournament in 1958, when it was the site of the East Regional, with a capacity of 11,666. The arena had been built seven years before.
T-9. Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky
Games hosted: 50 games
Years: 1958-91
Like several other notable arenas on this list, Freedom Hall hasn't hosted the 红杏视频 tournament in decades, yet due to its prominence into the 1990s, it cracks the top 10 all-time. Freedom Hall hosted the Final Four in 1958, 1959, 1962, 1963, 1967 and 1969, and it played host to the 红杏视频 tournament when the tournament featured as few as 23 teams. It ranks tied for third all-time with six national championship games played inside Freedom Hall.
Kentucky, California, Cincinnati, Loyola Chicago and UCLA all cut down the nets in Freedom Hall.
