Tournament Site
The Pit hosted the 1983 NCAA Basketball Tournament Final Four, which was the scene of a memorable championship game upset by North Carolina State over heavily favored Houston. The video clip of NC State coach Jim Valvano running around the court at the end of the game documents one of the most famous moments in NCAA basketball history and is now a staple of Final Four television coverage.
The Pit hosted Men's NCAA tournaments in 1968, 1978, 1985, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2002, and 2005, making it a common venue for NCAA Tournament games. It also hosted the 1987, 1995, and 1996 Western Athletic Conference men's basketball tournaments and the NCAA Women's host for the 2003 Regional, 2004 1st and 2nd round, 2006 Regional, 2008 1st and 2nd round, 2009 1st and 2nd round, and 2011 1st and 2nd round. The Pit has also hosted the Men’s 2012 2nd and 3rd round.
Men's NCAA Tournaments:
| Event | The Game | Attendance |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 West Regional | UCLA 58 New Mexico State 49
Santa Clara 86 New Mexico 58 New Mexico State 62 New Mexico 58 UCLA 87 Santa Clara 66 |
15,345
15,010 |
| 1978 West Regional | Sweet 16th
Arkansas 74 UCLA 70 Cal State Fullerton 75 San Francisco 72 Elite Eight Arkansas 61 Cal State Fullerton 58 |
17,750
18,144 |
| 1983 Final Four | Final Four
North Carolina State 67 Georgia 60 Houston 94 Louisville 81 Championship North Carolina State 54 Houston 52 |
17,300
17,327 |
| 1985 West First & Second Rounds | First Round
Texas-El Paso 79 Tulsa 75 North Carolina State 65 Nevada 56 Alabama 50 Arizona 41 Virginia Commonwealth 81 Marshall 65 Second Round Alabama 63 Virginia Commonwealth 59 North Carolina 86 Texas-El Paso 73 |
11,932
12,256 13,833 |
| 1992 West Regional | Sweet sixteen
Indiana 85 Florida State 74 UCLA 85 New Mexico State 78 Elite Eight Indiana 106 UCLA 79 |
15,914
16,160 |
| 1996 West First & Second Rounds | First Round
Syracuse 88 Montana State 55 Drexel 75 Memphis 63 Purdue 73 Western Carolina 71 Georgia 81 Clemson 74 Second Round Georgia 76 Purdue 69 Syracuse 69 Drexel 58 |
14,283
14,762 15,792 |
| 2000 West Regional | Sweet 16
Wisconsin 61 LSU 48 Purdue 75 Gonzaga 66 Elite Eight Wisconsin 64 Purdue 60 |
16,004
16,004 |
| 2002 First and Second Rounds | First Round
Missouri 93 Miami(FL) 80 Ohio State 69 Davidson 64 Wyoming 73 Gonzaga 66 Arizona 86 UC Santa Barbara 81 Second Round Missouri 83 Ohio State 67 Arizona 68 Wyoming 60 |
13,661
15,626 15,867 |
| 2005 Albuquerque Regional | Sweet 16
Louisville 93 Washington 79 West Virginia 65 Texas Tech 60 Elite Eight Louisville 93 West Virginia 85 |
15,792
15,896 |
| 2012 2nd and 3rd round | Second Rounds
Vanderbilt 79 Harvard 70 Wisconsin 73 Montana 49 UNLV 64 Colorado 68 Baylor 68 South Dakota State 60 |
Read more about this topic: The Pit (arena)
Famous quotes containing the word site:
“I am not aware that any man has ever built on the spot which I occupy. Deliver me from a city built on the site of a more ancient city, whose materials are ruins, whose gardens cemeteries. The soil is blanched and accursed there, and before that becomes necessary the earth itself will be destroyed.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)