Cintas Center
Rockin' 'Tas
Map
Location1624 Herald Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45207
Coordinates39°09′01″N 84°28′19″W / 39.150148°N 84.471881°W / 39.150148; -84.471881
OwnerXavier University
OperatorXavier University
Capacity10,224 (2017–present)
10,250 (2000–2017)
Record attendance10,817 (December 2, 2017 vs. Cincinnati)[1]
SurfaceRemovable Basketball Floor; Concrete
Scoreboard10mm Mitsubishi DiamondVison & 16.5mm LSI/SACO
Construction
Broke groundFebruary 26, 1998[2]
OpenedNovember 18, 2000
Construction cost$46 million
($81.4 million in 2023 dollars[3])
ArchitectNBBJ
Structural engineerMcNamara/Salvia, Inc.
General contractorThe Opus Group[4]
Tenants
Xavier Musketeers (NCAA) (2000–present)
Website
http://www.cintascenter.com/

The Cintas Center is a 10,250-seat multi-purpose arena and conference center at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. The arena officially opened in 2000 and was constructed through private donations as part of Xavier University's Century Campaign. It is home to the Xavier University Musketeers basketball and volleyball teams. It is named for the uniform company Cintas.

Facility

In the spring of 2009, Cintas Center was voted the 3rd "Toughest Place to Play" in a poll conducted by EA Sports.[5]

Cintas Center hosted the Atlantic 10 (A10) Women's Basketball Championship in 2007 and 1st & 2nd Round games of the 2010 and 2011 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship. Cintas Center also hosted the A10 Women's Volleyball Championship in 2010 and is a perennial site for OHSAA boys' basketball state tournament games. It has also hosted Cleveland Cavaliers preseason games since 2014.

On November 2, 2014, Xavier gave nearby Mount St. Joseph University free use of the arena for the school's women's basketball game with Hiram College. The game had been rescheduled, with NCAA approval, to allow terminally ill Mount St. Joseph player Lauren Hill to play in a college game. The game also served as a charity fundraiser for research into diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, the brain cancer from which Hill was suffering.[6] On April 13, 2015, the arena hosted a public memorial service for Hill following her death three days earlier.[7] Later that year, the two schools launched the Lauren Hill Tipoff Classic, an annual season-opening event featuring both schools' women's teams, at the arena.[8][9]

Interior of Main Arena, 2004

Within the main arena are 22 luxury boxes as well as the Joseph Club, a VIP bar overlooking the court. A practice facility, the Kohlhepp Family Auxiliary Gym, is attached to the arena and is used by the athletic teams, as well as being used as additional event space when needed. There are also state-of-the-art weight and training rooms as well as 4 large locker rooms. There is a media room that is used as a work room and for press conferences. The 2014-15 season saw a new design for the basketball floor to include the Cincinnati skyline. The arena saw a multimillion-dollar technology upgrade during the summer of 2010. A new, 10mm centerhung Mitsubishi DiamondVision video board was installed along with 16.5mm LSI/SACO scoring panels, a 360° ring and almost 600' of LED fascia ribbon board. An auxiliary scoreboard was also installed on the north wall of the arena. The luxury suites and Joseph Club were also renovated. Following the 2016 season, the basketball floor was updated to remove the skyline.

Concert Event at Cintas Center

As a concert venue Cintas Center can seat as few as 2,000 or as many as 10,000. The arena features 15,000 square feet (1,400 m2) of space. It also is used for trade shows, conventions, and corporate meetings, among other events. Cintas Center also hosts upwards of 30 graduations each year.

Xavier Commencement
Xavier Men's Basketball game vs. Temple

Xavier Men's Basketball

The main tenant of Cintas Center is the Xavier University Men's basketball team.

As of March 2019 the Musketeers have compiled a 258–41 (.863) record since moving to its on-campus home for the 2000-01 season. Xavier enjoyed a 15–0 mark at home during the 2009–10, its only perfect record for a season at Cintas Center. During the 2017-2018 season, the Musketeers set a Cintas Center record with 17 home victories. Cintas Center continues to be one of the best home-court advantages in the NCAA and was named the #3 Toughest Place to Play on EA Sports' NCAA Basketball '10.[citation needed]

Through the 2018-2019 season, Cintas Center has hosted 3,011,308 fans for Xavier home games and the Musketeers have averaged 10,071 fans (better than 98% capacity) per game during that time. The 2017-2018 season marked the highest average attendance in Cintas Center history with an average 10,475 (over 102% capacity) Musketeer fans at each home game.

Season Record Pct. Games Attendance Average Sellouts
2000–01 13–1 .929 14 141,011[10] 10,072 12
2001–02 13–1 .929 14 143,129[11] 10,224 13
2002–03 14–1 .933 15 152,664[12] 10,178 14
2003–04 13–3 .813 16 158,432[13] 9,902 8
2004–05 12–4 .750 16 160,429 10,027 7
2005–06 11–4 .733 15 146,615[14] 9,774 4
2006–07 14–1 .933 15 148,650[15] 9,910 5
2007–08 16–1 .941 17 170,133[16] 10,008 9
2008–09 14–1 .933 15 151,456[17] 10,097 11
2009–10 15–0 1.000 15 151,843[18] 10,123 7
2010–11 14–1 .933 15 151,475[19] 10,098 9
2011–12 13–3 .813 16 162,474[20] 10,155 10
2012–13 11–4 .733 15 146,710[21] 9,781 1
2013–14 15–2 .882 17 168,127[22] 9,890 7
2014–15 13–3 .813 16 159,974[23] 9,998 9
2015–16 15–1 .938 16 164,501[24] 10,281 11
2016–17 12–4 .750 16 164,520[25] 10,282 12
2017-18 17-1 .944 18 188,554[26] 10,475 18
2018-19 13-5 .722 18 180,611[27] 10,034 13
2019-20 12-5 .706 17 175,281[28] 10,311 12
2020-21* 11-2 .846 13 5,766 444 0
2021-22 16-5 .762 21 189,793[29] 9,038 11
2000-19 297-53 .849 350 3,211,148 9,175 203

*Attendance limited due to Covid-19 Restrictions

Concerts, Performers & Speakers at Cintas Center

Schiff Family Conference Center and Duff Banquet Center

The Schiff Family Conference Center has 5,600 sq ft (520 m2) of meeting space spread across 5 conference rooms and 1 executive board room. One floor below is the 12,000 sq ft (1,100 m2) James & Caroline Duff Banquet Center.

See also

References

  1. ^ Xavier takes 85th Crosstown Shootout from No. 11 UC, 89-76
  2. ^ "Cintas Center Under Way". The Cincinnati Enquirer. February 27, 1998. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
  3. ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  4. ^ "Xavier University - Cintas Center - the Opus Group". Archived from the original on 2012-04-26. Retrieved 2011-11-24.
  5. ^ "EA Sports Toughest Places to Play". Archived from the original on April 23, 2009. Retrieved May 6, 2009.
  6. ^ Roenigk, Alyssa (November 3, 2014). "Hill fulfills dream, nets 4 points". ESPNW. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  7. ^ "Lauren Hill remembered at arena where she made her layup". ESPN.com. Associated Press. April 14, 2015. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  8. ^ "Giveaway Planned as Part of the LHTC to Honor Lauren Hill" (Press release). Xavier Athletic Communications. October 13, 2015. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
  9. ^ Russell, Shannon (November 14, 2015). "Inspiration abounds at Lauren Hill Tipoff Classic". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved November 16, 2015.
  10. ^ "2001 NCAA Attendance" (PDF).
  11. ^ "2002 NCAA Attendance" (PDF).
  12. ^ "2003 NCAA Attendance" (PDF).
  13. ^ "2004 NCAA Attendance" (PDF).
  14. ^ "2006 NCAA Attendance" (PDF).
  15. ^ "2007 NCAA Attendance" (PDF).
  16. ^ "2008 NCAA Attendance" (PDF).
  17. ^ "2009 NCAA Attendance" (PDF).
  18. ^ "2010 NCAA Attendance" (PDF).
  19. ^ "2011 NCAA Attendance" (PDF).
  20. ^ "2012 NCAA Attendance" (PDF).
  21. ^ "2013 NCAA Attendance" (PDF).
  22. ^ "2014 NCAA Attendance" (PDF).
  23. ^ "2015 NCAA Attendance" (PDF).
  24. ^ "2016 NCAA Attendance" (PDF).
  25. ^ "2017 NCAA Attendance" (PDF).
  26. ^ "2018 NCAA Attendance" (PDF).
  27. ^ "NCAA Attendance 2018-2019" (PDF).
  28. ^ http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_basketball_RB/2021/Attend.pdf. ((cite web)): Missing or empty |title= (help)
  29. ^ http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_basketball_RB/2023/Attend.pdf. ((cite web)): Missing or empty |title= (help)

External links

Xavier Musketeers men's basketball
Xavier Musketeers women's basketball
Basketball arenas of the Big East Conference
Xavier University
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