Bud Walton Arena

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Bud Walton Arena

The Basketball Palace of Mid-America
Location	1270 W Leroy Pond Drive Fayetteville, AR 72701-5570
Broke ground	Spring, 1992
Opened	November 29, 1993
Owner	University of Arkansas
Operator	University of Arkansas
Surface	Hardwood Floor
Construction cost	$30 Million
Capacity	19,368
Record attendance	20,320 (01-26-1997 vs. Kentucky)
Tenants
Arkansas Razorbacks and Lady'Backs basketball teams

Bud Walton Arena (also known as the Basketball Palace of Mid-America) is the home to the men's and women's basketball teams of the University of Arkansas, known as the Razorbacks (men) and Lady'Backs (women). It is located on the campus of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas and has a seating capacity of 19,368, which is the fifth largest for an on-campus arena in the United States.

Contents 1 Construction 2 Early years 3 Improvements 4 Statistics of Bud Walton Arena 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Construction

The arena is named after James "Bud" Walton, cofounder of Wal-Mart, who donated a large portion of the funds needed to build the arena. Walton purportedly gave 15 million, or around half of the construction cost. ^[1] Construction of the arena took only 18 months, a short time considering the size of the undertaking.

[edit] Early years

The arena has been the home to the Razorbacks and Lady'Backs since November of 1993; the men's team won the national championship^[2] in the arena's first season of operation. The previous arena in which both teams played, Barnhill Arena, was renovated into a volleyball-specific facility and now houses the Lady'Backs volleyball team.^[3] Bud Walton Arena has more seats in less space than in any other facility of the same type anywhere in the world.^[4]

[edit] Improvements

The past few years have brought a number of enhancements and improvements to the arena. In 2004, a new custom scoreboard was debuted which is 24 feet, three inches wide by 22 feet tall, features four video screens, each 12 feet, six inches wide by eight feet, 10 inches tall. (Also, there is an LED ring at the top that is used to display game statistics.) In 2005, the locker rooms were remodeled, and a lounge and meeting area were added. Prior to the 2008-09 season, the University of Arkansas expanded the arena by eight luxury suites, raising the total to 47. In addition, courtside seating was added, the student section was reconfigured, and press seating was moved to the East side of the arena behind the basket. LED ribbon boards were also installed around the ring between the upper and lower decks and were first used during Arkansas's upset of #4 Oklahoma on December 30, 2008.^[5] The addition of these improvements expanded seating to 19,368.

[edit] Statistics of Bud Walton Arena

Average attendance (16 seasons ranked in the top 15 in the country): 17,160

Attendance Record: 20,320 vs. Kentucky January 26, 1997

Attendance Chart (men) for every year Bud Walton Arena has been in operation^[5]

Season	Overall Record	SEC Record	Overall Attendance	Average Attendance	Rank Nationally
1993–94	16–0 (1.000) (NCAA National Champions)	8–0 (1.000)	322,146	20,134	4th
1994–95	14–1 (.933) (NCAA Runner-Up)	7–1 (.875)	301,212	20,081	4th
1995–96	14–4 (.778)	6–2 (.750)	346,698	19,261	5th
1996–97	15–3 (.833)	6–2 (.750)	329,540	18,308	5th
1997–98	15–0 (1.000)	8–0 (1.000)	291,089	19,406	4th
1998–99	14–2 (.875)	6–2 (.750)	292,704	18,294	5th
1999–00	9–5 (.643)	5–3 (.625)	249,300	17,807	6th
2000–01	16–2 (.889)	7–1 (.875)	292,057	16,225	9th
2001–02	11–5 (.688)	5–3 (.625)	241,033	15,065	13th
2002–03	8–8 (.500)	3–5 (.375)	236,638	14,790	14th
2003–04	10–6 (.625)	4–4 (.500)	236,676	14,792	13th
2004–05	13–3 (.813)	5–3 (.625)	252,608	15,788	9th
2005–06	15–1 (.938)	7–1 (.875)	239,336	14,958	12th
2006–07	13–3 (.813)	5–3 (.625)	267,520	16,720	9th
2007–08	15–1 (.938)	7–1 (.875)	274,360	17,148	8th
2008–09	12–6 (.667)	2–6 (.250)	288,781	16,043	8th
Totals	210–50 (.808)	90–38 (.703)	4,461,698	17,160	Avg. Rank: 8th

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Bud Walton Arena overview by RazorbackFacilities.com (official facilities site of Arkansas men's athletics)
• Google Maps Satellite/Map of Bud Walton Arena
• Bud Walton Arena overview at LadyBacks.com (official site of Arkansas women's athletics)
• FayettevilleTourism.com information on Bud Walton Arena
• RateItAll.com Rating of Bud Walton Arena

Coordinates: 36°03′41″N 94°10′41″W / 36.061518°N 94.1781877°W / 36.061518; -94.1781877

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v • d • e Basketball arenas of the Southeastern Conference Eastern Colonial Life Arena (South Carolina) • Memorial Coliseum (Kentucky women) • Memorial Gymnasium (Vanderbilt) • Rupp Arena (Kentucky men) • Stegeman Coliseum (Georgia) • Stephen C. O'Connell Center (Florida) • Thompson-Boling Arena (Tennessee) Western Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum (Auburn) • Bud Walton Arena (Arkansas) • Coleman Coliseum (Alabama men) • Foster Auditorium (Alabama women) • Humphrey Coliseum (Mississippi State) • Maravich Assembly Center (LSU) • Tad Smith Coliseum (Ole Miss)