Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall ( ), is a 17,222-seat arena on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. It is the home of the Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball and women's basketball teams. It opened in 1971, replacing the "New" IU Fieldhouse. The court is named after Branch McCracken, the men's basketball coach who led the school to its first two NCAA National Championships in 1940 and 1953.
After $26.6 million dollars and several years of planning and construction, Assembly Hall opened in 1971.
The opening of the arena coincided with the debut of coach Bob Knight, who guided the Hoosiers for 29 seasons before his dismissal by then-IU president Myles Brand in September 2000.
Assembly Hall has been criticized by some fans for its unique design. Because the facility was designed without consideration for the video replay board added in 2005 that currently hangs above center-court, some of the top rows of the lower level are obstructed from the replay board by the overhanging balcony. The entire court itself, however, is still viewable. In December 2013, 24 monitors were added to the areas that had previously been obstructed. Work was completed by Strauser Construction and Cassady Electric.
In the fall of 2018, J.C. Ripberger Construction Corp completed the new Roberts Family Team Center which includes, the new Andy Mohr Locker Room, the Oladipo Zeller Legacy Lounge, the Tim Garl Athletic Training Room and the Basketball Coaches annex. Project was completed just prior to 2018 Hoosier Hysteria.
New bleacher seats were installed in 1995.
Bob Knight feared that when he left Indiana, commercials would begin being played in the hall. Knight said, "You'll see a new Assembly Hall this year I'm sure. There will probably be ads in it for everything from dog biscuits to Pepsi Cola, I would imagine. We've always tried to keep it really free from commercialism. It's kind of a sacred place where students come to play and students come to cheer." In 2005, the school built a new scoreboard costing nearly $2 million, to mixed reviews.
Cook Hall, a new practice facility, was built near Assembly Hall in 2010.
On December 19, 2013, Indiana University announced that a $40 million donation from Cynthia "Cindy" Simon Skjodt, daughter of late shopping mall magnate and Indiana Pacers owner Mel Simon, would be used to renovate Assembly Hall. Indiana University renamed Assembly Hall the Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall upon the completion of the renovations and improvements, which were completed in October 2016.
On February 18, 2014, an long beam over a foot wide fell and damaged the seats at Assembly Hall. The scheduled game for that day against the University of Iowa was postponed due to safety concerns in spite of multiple available arenas in Indiana.
On January 28, 2023, a bracket over a foot long fell onto the court at Assembly Hall during halftime against the Ohio State Buckeyes.
A 2012 poll of four ESPN pundits ranked it third in terms of best home-court advantages in the country. Since opening for the 1971âÂÂ72 season, over six million fans have attended men's basketball games at Assembly Hall. The men's team has been historically successful there, posting home winning streaks of 50 and 35 games.
During the 2015-2016 basketball season, both the men's and women's teams went undefeated at Assembly Hall, posting a combined 33âÂÂ0 record at home.
OVERALL: 607-142 (.810)
On June 22, 2007, Indiana University trustees approved the demolition of Assembly Hall and the construction of a new basketball arena "when appropriate". Populous was hired to assess the benefits of renovating or replacing Assembly Hall. The trustees decided against renovating the arena for $115 million because construction of a new arena would cost $130 million. This idea was scrapped due to the university changing course and opting to renovate Assembly Hall.