McKale Center, athletic arena

McKale Center is a sports venue on the University of Arizona campus that holds over 14,000 spectators. The building features a well-lit, polished court, seating arranged for good sightlines, offices for the athletic department, a modern weight room, and a hall honoring outstanding athletes.

The center opened in 1973, replacing the smaller Bear Down Gymnasium as the home for the Wildcats. It was named after legendary coach and athletic director James F. 'Pop' McKale, whose leadership from the early 1900s laid the foundation for the university's sports success.

The name honours J.F. "Pop" McKale, Arizona's coach from 1914 to 1957 and at one time head coach of every Wildcat team. A 1914 Los Angeles Times reporter, impressed by Arizona's effort in a 14–0 loss to Occidental, wrote of "the fight of wild cats", and the nickname stuck. The playing surface is Lute and Bobbi Olson Court, renamed in 2001.

The arena sits on the University of Arizona campus in Tucson, at about 2,450 feet (750 m) above sea level. The Eddie Lynch Athletics Pavilion, a 36,000-square-foot addition completed in 2002 at the north end, holds a 10,000-square-foot display area on its upper level that is open to the public. Renovation work from 2014 to 2017 kept the building open, with most construction scheduled outside the basketball season.

From 1987 to 1992, the Arizona Wildcats won 71 straight home games here, an NCAA record that shows the extraordinary power of playing at home. This winning streak is proof of the incredible dominance and the devoted fan base that filled the arena during that era.