Thompson-Boling Arena is a 21,000 seat multi-purpose arena on the campus of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The arena opened in 1987. It is home to the Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Vols basketball teams. The basketball court is named "The Summitt" after Lady Vols basketball coach Pat Summitt. The mammoth octagonal building lies just northwest of the Tennessee River, and just southwest of Neyland Stadium. As an echo to its neighbor, the endzones of the court are now painted in the familiar orange-and-white checkerboard pattern. In 2007 the arena underwent renovations including black seats, a center hung scoreboard and concourse refurbishments, such as graphics and other amenities. Also added were luxury suites and loge seating. In terms of seating capacity, Thompson-Boling was at one time the largest facility ever built specifically for basketball in the United States with a seating capacity of 24,678 until its 2007 renovation. The men's record crowd was 25,610 for a game against Kentucky on January 21, 1989, which is also the SEC record for a regular-season game. The facility hosted the 1989 Southeastern Conference men's basketball tournament. Thompson-Boling has also hosted games of the NCAA men's basketball tournament in 1994 and 1999, the 1990 NCAA Women's Final Four and multiple NBA exhibition contest. With both the Tennessee Vols and Lady Volunteers basketball consistently in the top 25, Thompson–Boling Arena has received much attention as one of the premier college basketball facilities in the country. Location: 1600 Phillip Fulmer Way -
Knoxville, TN 37916
PRATT PAVILION
In August of 2006, ground was broken for construction on the Pratt Pavilion, one of the nations’ premier basketball facilities located adjacent to Thompson-Boling arena. This state-of-art basketball practice facility is named in honor of UT alumnus Larry F. Pratt for his $5 million lead gift to the basketball programs. The Pratt Pavilion is a 70,000-square-foot structure which houses two full-size gymnasiums, one for each of the men’s and women’s varsity basketball teams, as well as space for an athletic training room, a weight room, a film study room and a place to host recruits. Balconies at the south side of the building will overlook the practice courts. The west facade of the building is glassed from the first floor to the second floor, allowing visibility of gallery and display areas from the street.
