Aug. 22, 2003
NORFOLK, VA -- In a recent survey compiled by the Sports Information Office at Louisiana Tech, the Lady Monarchs were among the top teams with home court advantage in Division I women's basketball. Norfolk, Virginia, was listed as the seventh toughest place to play in the country, while the Lady Monarchs' former home court, the ODU Fieldhouse (1969-2002), was 13th all-time among Division I arenas.
Playing at the ODU Fieldhouse, Scope, and the Ted Constant Convocation Center, the Lady Monarchs have compiled a 397-78 record for an 83.6 winning percentage in Norfolk, Va. Ruston, Louisiana, home of Louisiana Tech, topped this list with a 400-24 record (94.3%) followed by Knoxville, Tennessee, the home of the University of Tennessee, with a 380-35 overall mark (91.6%).
In Norfolk, the Lady Monarchs have attracted the some of the top squads in women's basketball throughout the years. Among those squads to visit the area multiple times include Tennessee, Louisiana State, Stanford, Duke, North Carolina, Penn State, Notre Dame, Rutgers, Texas, and UCLA. The city has played host to numerous tournaments including Lady Monarch appearances in the NCAA Tournaments in 1982 - 1987, 1989-1990, 1993-1994, and 1996 - 2000.
In the 31 seasons at the Old Dominion Fieldhouse, the Lady Monarchs earned a 383-74 record, winning 83.8 percent of their home court match-ups. Old Dominion endured only one losing season in the Fieldhouse and compiled one of the nation's longest home court winning streaks at 64 straight games from Feb. 4, 1997 to Feb. 16, 1981. At the time, the streak was the longest for any men's or women's basketball program.
Tennessee's Thompson-Boling Arena tops the list as the toughest arena in women's basketball all-time with the Lady Vols holding a 95.1 home court winning percentage (227-11) since the arena opened in 1987. The Lady Monarchs will visit Thompson-Boling this season for a January 4th contest with the Lady Vols.
Old Dominion opened the state-of-the-art Ted Constant Convocation Center last season and earned a 14-4 record on the new home court. The Constant Center was not listed among active arenas since the survey required a minimum of 50 games played on the arena floor. However, in one season, the Lady Monarchs hold a 77.7 home court winning percentage.
The new arena continues Norfolk's tradition of hosting women's basketball events on a national stage. Last season, the venue was one of 16 sites to host the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament's First and Second Rounds. In 2004, the Constant Center will be the site of the NCAA Women's Basketball Mideast Regional, playing host to the "Sweet 16" and "Elite 8," sending one team to the Final Four in New Orleans, La.
All-time Best Women's Basketball Home Court and Home City Records for Division I Women's Basketball Programs(Through games of 2002-03)Cities (Program)Record (%) Conference1. Ruston, La. (Louisiana Tech)400-24 (94.3%) Western Athletic2. Knoxville, Tenn. (Tennessee)380-35 (91.6%) Southeastern3. Missoula, Mt. (Montana)342-37 (90.2%) Big Sky4. Salt Lake City, Utah (Utah)332-40 (89.2%) Mountain West5. Austin, Texas (Texas)353-56 (86.3%) Big 126. State College, Penn. (Penn State)287-51 (84.9%) Big 107. Norfolk, Va. (Old Dominion) 397-78 (83.6%) Colonial8. Bowling Green, Kent. (W. Kentucky)331-68 (82.9%) Sun Belt9. Lubbock, Texas (Texas Tech) 288-60 (82.8%) Big 1210. Jersey City, N.J. (St. Peters)313-67 (82.4%) Metro Atlantic11. Cookeville, Tenn. (Tennessee Tech)292-65 (81.72%) Ohio Valley12. Oxford, Miss. (Ole Miss) 295-66 (81.79%) Southeastern13. Emmitsburg, Maryland (Mt.St. Marys) 288-67 (81.1%) Northeast14. Palo Alto, Calif. (Stanford)327-77 (80.9%) Pac 1015. Fayetteville, Ark. (Arkansas)278-67 (80.6%) SEC16. Miami, Fla. (Florida International)266-67 (79.9%) Sun Belt17. Green Bay, Wisc. (Wis.-Green Bay)286-73 (79.7%) Horizon18. Natchitoches, La. (Northwestern St)256-67 (79.3%) Southland19. Raleigh, N.C. (NC State) 293-77 (79.2%) ACC20. Des Moines, Iowa (Drake)297-80 (78.8%) Missouri Valley21. Athens, Ga. (Georgia)281-79 (78.1%) Southeastern22. Chapel Hill, N.C. (North Carolina)311-89 (77.8%) ACC23. Buies Creek, N.C. (Campbell)167-48 (77.7%) Atlantic Sun24. Boulder, Colo. (Colorado)310-89 (77.7%) Big 1225. Philadelphia, Penn. (St. Josephs)284-82 (77.6%) Atlantic 1026. Long Beach, Calif. (Long Beach St.) 162-48 (77.1%) Big West27. Greensboro, N.C. (UNC-Greensboro) 278-86 (76.4%) Southern28. Chicago, Ill. (DePaul) 277-87 (76.1%) Conference USA29. Manhattan, Kansas (Kansas State) 331-107 (75.6%) Big 1230. Springfield, Mo. (SW Missouri St.)266-87 (75.3%) Missouri Valley31. West Lafayette, Ind. (Purdue)273-90 (75.2%) Big 1032. Las Vegas, Nevada (UNLV)327-108 (75.2%) Mountain West33. Kent, Ohio (Kent State)236-78 (75.2%) Mid American34. Columbia, Missouri (Missouri) 275-91 (75.1%) Big 1235. Ft. Collins, Colo. (Colorado State)167-56 (74.9%) Mountain West36. Eugene, Ore. (Oregon) 270-91 (74.8%) Pac 1037. College Park, Md (Maryland) 306-106 (74.1%) ACC38. Tuscaloosa, Ala. (Alabama)235-83 (73.9%) SEC39. Hattiesburg, Miss. (S. Mississippi)268-95 (73.8%)Conference USA40. Lincoln, Neb. (Nebraska)268-98 (73.2) Big 1241. Louisville, Kent. (Louisville)274-102 (72.8%) Conference USA42. Omaha, Neb. (Creighton)252-94 (72.8%) Missouri Valley43. Provo, Utah (BYU)211-79 (72.8%) Mountain West44. Durham, N.C. (Duke)259-99 (72.4%) Atlantic Coast45. Youngstown, Ohio (Youngstown State)225-87 (72.1%) Horizon46. Bozeman, MT (Montana State)237-95 (71.4%) Big Sky47. Statesboro, Ga. (Georgia Southern)230-97 (70.3%) Southern48. Santa Barbara, Calif. (UCSB)222-95 (70.0%) Big West49. Bowling Green, Ohio (Bowling Green)242-105 (69.7%) Mid American
Arenas (Active)(Must have played at least 50 games in the arena)
1. Thompson-Boling Arena (Tennessee: 1987-present) 227-11 (95.4%)2. Thomas Assembly Center (Louisiana Tech: 1982 to present) 316-18 (94.6%)3. Gampel Arena (Connecticut: 1989-present) 201-15 (93.1%)4. Dahlberg Arena (Montana: 1978-present) 333-31 (91.5%)5. United Spirit Arena (Texas Tech: 1999-present) 56-6 (90.3%)6. Jon M. Huntsman (Utah: 1975-present) 311-39 (88.9%)7. Frank Erwin Center (Texas: 1977-present) 333-52 (86.5%)8. Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum (Auburn: 1979-present) 280-47 (85.6%)9. Golden Panther Arena (Fla. International: 1985-present) 224-43 (83.4%)10. Bryce Jordan Center (Penn State: 1996-present) 84-17 (83.2%)11. E.A. Diddle Arena (Western Kentucky: 1973-present) 331-68 (82.9%)12. Yanitelli Center (St. Peter