NCAA Basketball


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Independence Arena

2700 East Independence Blvd

Charlotte, NC 28205

Opened: January 1, 1955

Independence Arena, originally known as Charlotte Coliseum, then later known as Cricket Arena and now called Bojangles Coliseum, is an 8,600 seat multi-purpose arena located in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is operated by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, which also oversees nearby Ovens Auditorium and the uptown Charlotte Convention Center. The naming-rights sponsor is the Bojangles restaurant chain. The building's signature domed roof is made of tin instead of steel or iron. The dome spans 332 feet in diameter and rises to 112 feet tall.

Construction began on the Coliseum in 1953 after some delays. Gouldie Odell, who later founded Odell and Associates, Inc., served as project designer, his first major project. James C. Hemphill, Jr. oversaw the project. Another important Charlotte figure of the time, Frederick Thompson of FN Thompson Construction, had the daunting, yet, highly successful task building the coliseum. In September 1955 the building was opened and dedicated by Billy Graham as the Charlotte Coliseum. At the time, it was the largest unsupported dome in the world and the first free-spanning dome in the United States. Numerous newspapers and architectural magazines ran stories about the building over the following years, especially its dome. Total evacuation time for the entire structure was just four minutes, while seating capacity could be anywhere between 10,000 and 14,000 seats, approximately, depending on the event.

The arena hosted the ACC men's basketball tournament from 1968 to 1970, the Southern Conference men's basketball tournament from 1964 to 1971 (and again in 2010 for the tournament's first three days), and was the site of the Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament from 1977 to 1980. Overall, the Coliseum has held no fewer than 15 tournaments between the three conferences and has also hosted 13 NCAA Tournaments. The Coliseum hosted the Charlotte 49ers basketball teams from 1976 to 1988, and again from 1993 to 1996. In 2017, the first two rounds of the CIAA men's and women's basketball tournaments were played at the Coliseum. This marked the 29th college tournament played at the building. In 2022, the Coliseum is set to host the Big South Conference men's and women's basketball tournaments.

After the new Charlotte Coliseum opened in 1988, the original Coliseum was shuttered since the new building effectively took over all the original Coliseum's duties. However, people soon realized the original Coliseum was nowhere near the end of its useful life. Over the next five years, an extensive refurbishment was made to the structure. This included technology, infrastructure, and accessibility upgrades.

Last 10 Games
Date	Opponents	Result

Mar 2, 1996	Southern Miss @ Charlotte	66 - 77
Feb 29, 1996	DePaul @ Charlotte	69 - 81
Feb 19, 1996	UNC Greensboro @ Charlotte	58 - 62
Feb 15, 1996	Louisville @ Charlotte	67 - 64
Feb 8, 1996	Memphis @ Charlotte	68 - 55
Feb 3, 1996	James Madison @ Charlotte	41 - 55
Jan 25, 1996	Marquette @ Charlotte	69 - 79
Jan 20, 1996	South Florida @ Charlotte	56 - 89
Jan 18, 1996	Davidson @ Charlotte	56 - 47
Jan 14, 1996	Tulane @ Charlotte	58 - 60