NCAA Basketball


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Seasons	Conferences	Arenas	All Tournaments	NCAA Tournament	Admin

Buffalo Memorial Auditorium

140 Main St

Buffalo, NY 14203

Opened: October 14, 1940

Closed: September 11, 1996

Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, colloquially known as The Aud, was a multi-purpose indoor arena in downtown Buffalo, New York. Opened on October 14, 1940, it was home to the Canisius Golden Griffins (NCAA), the Buffalo Bisons (AHL), the Buffalo Bisons (NBL), the Buffalo Braves (NBA), the Buffalo Sabres (NHL), the Toronto-Buffalo Royals (WTT), the Buffalo Stallions (MSL), the Buffalo Bandits (MILL), the Buffalo Blizzard (NPSL) and the Buffalo Stampede (RHI). It also hosted events such as college basketball, concerts, professional wrestling and boxing. The venue was closed in 1996 after the construction of Marine Midland Arena, and remained vacant until being demolished in 2009.

Before the National Basketball Association and National Hockey League came to Buffalo, college basketball was Memorial Auditorium's most popular sporting event. On December 11, 1940, the Auditorium hosted its first college basketball game when Canisius College played the University of Oregon. Interest in college basketball grew after World War II, and the first college basketball sellout crowd occurred in the 1946-1947 season when 11,029 spectators saw Canisius lose to Notre Dame. Ten days later, a record 11,891 watched Canisius defeat Niagara, 52-44.

While the teams were typically from Western New York, including Canisius, Niagara University, St. Bonaventure University, the University at Buffalo and Buffalo State College, other teams such as Cornell University took part. Over time, the rivalry among the "Little Three" colleges—Niagara, Canisius, and St. Bonaventure - came to dominate the Auditorium's college basketball schedule. Throughout the 1950s, the three schools were all national powers, and their games at Memorial Auditorium drew strong local and national interest.

The Aud hosted first round games of the 1954 NCAA Basketball Tournament.
The Auditorium hosted the men's Division I ECAC Upstate Region Tournament organized by the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) in 1975.
In 1991, a visit from Buffalo native Christian Laettner and the national champion Duke University Blue Devils against Canisius drew an Aud collegiate-record crowd of 16,279.
A 1996 Buffalo News article named Memorial Auditorium's all-time all-visitors team: Ed Macauley (Saint Louis University), Tom Gola (La Salle University), Tom Heinsohn (College of the Holy Cross), Jerry West (West Virginia University), Willie Somerset (Duquesne University), Dave Bing (Syracuse University), Sonny Dove (St. John's University) and Bob Lanier (St. Bonaventure University).

Last 10 Games
Date	Opponents	Result

Mar 23, 1995	Washington State @ Canisius	80 - 89
Mar 15, 1995	Seton Hall @ Canisius	71 - 83
Dec 4, 1993	Buffalo @ Canisius	58 - 73
Dec 4, 1993	Niagara @ Gonzaga	63 - 61
Dec 3, 1993	Niagara @ Buffalo	64 - 69
Dec 3, 1993	Gonzaga @ Canisius	66 - 81
Feb 29, 1992	St. Peters @ Canisius	82 - 72
Dec 7, 1991	Duke @ Canisius	96 - 60
Mar 1, 1988	Xavier @ Niagara	93 - 80
Feb 25, 1988	Vermont @ Niagara	69 - 85