NCAA Basketball


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The Apollo of Temple

1776 North Broad St

Philadelphia, PA 19121

Opened: November 11, 1997

Closed: March 31, 2000

Originally known as The Apollo of Temple and now called the Liacouras Center, is a 10,000 seat multi-purpose venue which opened in 1997. The arena was renamed in 2000 for Temple University President, Peter J. Liacouras. It is part of a $107 million, four-building complex along North Broad Street on the Temple University campus in North Philadelphia. The Liacouras Center is the largest indoor, public assembly venue in Philadelphia north of City Hall.

During the 1980s, Temple basketball coach John Chaney sought to raise the profile of the men's basketball program through aggressively scheduling top-tier, out of conference opponents. Some programs, however, scoffed at the idea of playing at Temple's 3,900 seat on-campus arena, McGonigle Hall. Temple's President at the time, Peter J. Liacouras, supported the idea of a larger basketball facility in hopes of building Temple's national presence. Temple considered several locations and a site was purchased in 1988 for $7.3 million. The state of Pennsylvania awarded Temple $31.1 million in October 1992, despite disagreements between Chaney and then City Council president John Street.

The project was approved in 1995, with a January 25, 1996 groundbreaking. Two nationally recognized architectural firms designed the building: Vitetta Group of Philadelphia, and Thompson Ventulett Stainback & Associates of Atlanta. The 340,000 sq ft (32,000 m2) venue opened in the 1997-98 season. The first game played was a 76-61 Temple win over #18 Fresno State.

The venue was originally named The Apollo of Temple. The name changed to the Liacouras Center just prior to Liacouras' retirement on February 13, 2000.

The Liacouras Center is managed by Global Spectrum, a subsidiary of Comcast-Spectacor. The Liacouras Center is Philadelphia's largest indoor venue north of City Hall and hosts home games for all of Temple men's basketball, along with some women's games. As of the end of the 2016-17 season, the Owls have amassed a 206-69 record in the building. The Esther Boyer Theater at the Liacouras Center is a small theater setup of 1,000 to 5,000 seats for more intimate presentations. The complex also houses the Independence Blue Cross Recreation Center (IBC), which includes a gym, basketball court, racquetball courts, and more. The IBC opened in the spring semester of 1998. The fourth building in the complex is a 1,200 space parking garage.

Last 10 Games
Date	Opponents	Result

Feb 24, 1999	Fordham @ Temple	49 - 71
Feb 20, 1999	George Washington @ Temple	56 - 72
Feb 16, 1999	Virginia Tech @ Temple	48 - 78
Feb 4, 1999	Dayton @ Temple	54 - 67
Jan 23, 1999	UMass @ Temple	57 - 65
Jan 16, 1999	Rhode Island @ Temple	63 - 76
Jan 14, 1999	St. Josephs @ Temple	47 - 62
Jan 6, 1999	St. Bonaventure @ Temple	54 - 70
Dec 14, 1998	Florida State @ Temple	66 - 75
Dec 9, 1998	Wisconsin @ Temple	63 - 56