Tennessee's Thompson-Boling Assembly Center and Arena is widely recognized as one of the nation's premier basketball facilities. Only Syracuse's Carrier Dome, which is also utilized for football, can seat more on-campus basketball fans.

Named for the late B. Ray Thompson and former UT President Dr. Edward J. Boling, the arena is set for another busy sports schedule this year with the Vols and Lady Vols playing host to some of the nation's top teams in their home schedules. In addition to basketball games, the venue also hosts concerts, camps, conferences and other special events throughout the year.

UT hosted the NCAA Tournament's South Regional Finals in 1999 and 1994 in the spacious facility. The 1990 NCAA Southeast Region's first and second round games, followed by the NCAA Women's Final Four made Knoxville a basketball hotspot. The 1989 SEC Tournament was the first, of what promised to be many, postseason tournaments to be held in the Thompson-Boling Arena. The riverfront arena has drawn rave reviews from the teams, administrators and media for the building's modern facilities needed for hosting major tournaments.

The Vols opened the facility in grand fashion during the 1987-88 campaign. The opening game saw the Vols thrash Marquette 82-56 before a then-record crowd of 25,272. The 1987-88 season saw the Vols shatter all of their previous attendance records, finishing third nationally by averaging more than 20,000 per game.

Entrances to the building are located on the east and west ends, with protection from the elements provided by tucking the doors under the structure. There are a total of 132 entrance doors to the arena.

A continuous-ring concourse encircles the building permitting entrance to eight large restrooms, six concession areas and 32 portals leading to the arena. The playing floor level provides access to team dressing rooms, press work areas and storage rooms.

The distance from the playing floor to the roof is 120 feet, the equivalent of a 12-story building. The arena is 448 feet long and 310 feet wide. It contains more than 411,000 square feet of floor space and more than 17 million cubic feet of space. The structure's roof measures 142,000 square feet, which is approximately three-and-one-quarter acres.

DIRECTIONS TO THE ARENA
From airport: Turn north on U.S. Highway 129 leaving airport. After crossing the Tennessee River bridge just outside of Knoxville, exit onto Neyland Drive (Tennessee Highway 153). Turn left (south) at the bottom of the exit ramp and follow road until Thompson-Boling Arena is visible. Turn left onto Lake Loudoun Boulevard. Turn right at stoplight. Follow Phillip Fulmer Way to parking garage.

From I-40 east (from Nashville) and I-75 north (from Chattanooga): Follow I-40 and I-75 to I-40/I-75 junction in west Knoxville. Continue on I-40 east to U.S. Highway 129 south. Follow 129 south to the exit for Neyland Drive (Tennessee Highway 153). Turn left (south) at the bottom of the exit ramp and follow the road until Thompson-Boling Arena is visible. Turn left onto Lake Loudoun Boulevard. Turn right at stoplight. Follow Phillip Fulmer Way to parking garage.

From I-40 west (from Asheville, N.C.): Follow I-40 west to the James White Parkway exit and exit to the left. Follow Parkway to Neyland Drive (Tennessee Highway 153) until Thompson-Boling Arena is visible. Turn right onto Lake Loudoun Boulevard. Turn right at stoplight. Follow Phillip Fulmer Way to parking garage.

From I-75 south (from Lexington, Ky.): Follow I-75 south to I-275 south just past Merchants Road. Follow I-275 to I-40 east. Exit I-40 east onto James White Parkway and follow Parkway to Neyland Drive (Tennessee Highway 153) until Thompson-Boling Arena is visible. Turn right onto Lake Loudoun Boulevard. Turn right at stoplight. Follow Phillip Fulmer Way to parking garage.

Campus Maps
Directions to UT Campus

THOMPSON-BOLING ARENA TOP 10 CROWDS

* SEC Regular Season Record Crowd