The Dean E. Smith Student Activities Center (commonly known as the Dean Smith Center, Smith Center, or the Dean Dome) is a multi-purpose arena in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, used primarily as the home for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Tar Heels men's basketball team. The university began to inquire about building a standalone arena for the men's basketball team beginning in the mid-1970s, but due to an ongoing university wide investigation, the fundraiser halted until its conclusion. In June 1980, the fundraising began with a goal of at least $30 million and a target completion date for the building of December 1984. It was initially planned to be called the Student Activities Center; however, after its announcement it began to be referred to as The Dean Dome and it was speculated it would be named for then coach Dean Smith. The fundraising concluded in August 1984 with over $33 million raised, but construction would not be finished until 1986. The day before the opening game on January 18, 1986, against the Duke Blue Devils, the building was officially announced to be named the Dean E. Smith Student Activities Center, while a formal dedication happen later in September. In 2018, the hardwood floor of the Smith Center was named for then coach Roy Williams.
The Dean Dome's crowd has been criticized for being lackluster in the past. As early as 1987, a writer for The Daily Tar Heel stated the Smith Center and the university's on-campus football stadium, Kenan Memorial Stadium "usually [resembled] tombs more than athletic arenas." A year later, another Daily Tar Heel writer attended a high school basketball game in the Smith Center and noted that with only 80% of the lower level filled, the fans in attendance made more noise than the Carolina fans made in their home game against NC State that season. Following a victory by Florida State, Seminole Sam Cassell was quoted as calling the fans in attendance "like a cheese and wine crowd." Years following the game, Cassell elaborated on his comments stating that the older alumni-who primarily sat close to the court-weren't loud and stated that the students then sitting in the upper levels were making noise, but their effect was limited as they were higher up. Since Cassell made the comments, the words have commonly been incorrectly remembered and people tend to refer to the Smith Center crowd as a "wine and cheese" crowd. In contrast, Carmichael Auditorium was known for its noise level; before one game, the Virginia Cavaliers couldn't hear their names announced during player introductions because of the din.
Typically the issue with crowd noise and involvement stems from the seating above mentioned seating arrangement issues where the lower-level seats are predominately taken up by alumni that donated to help build the arena. The student sections in the lower level often vary depending on the year, but are mainly located in the upper level, far from the court. Following the introduction of the student risers behind one basket in 2000, the crowd was louder, but due to the lack of students behind the other basket, the effect is limiting. In 2004, after the then top-ranked Connecticut Huskies were defeated by Carolina at the Dean Dome, then Huskies coach Jim Calhoun said, "I hear about the wine and cheese crowd and I don't know where the hell they are but they were not here today." After the Tar Heels defeated then top-ranked Ohio State in 2006, Buckeyes coach Thad Matta stated, "I think I've never been in a building that was as loud as that building was at times." However, the crowd still is known to be quiet and following a road loss to the Indiana Hoosiers in 2016, then coach Williams stated "Gosh. I'd like to play in front of a crowd like that in the Smith Center every night other than the frickin' Duke game."
