The Colonial Center with a seating capacity of nearly 18,000 for basketball and 19,000 for other events, is the crown jewel of USC, Columbia and the entire state of South Carolina. Not only is The Colonial Center the largest arena in the state, it opened as the 10th- largest on-campus basketball facility in the nation and the fourth-largest in the Southeastern Conference.
The building has an intimate double-deck design that put every seat close to the action on the court. More than 5,000 additional seats are packed into The Colonial Center, providing the ultimate homecourt advantage. The cantilever of the upper deck over the lower deck extends further than any other arena of its size with great sight lines.
The design of the arena is unique, as the seating configuration is very tight for basketball while expandable for other events. To achieve this, the 212-foot floor is completely exposed by pushing back just one end of stands. This allows for long floor events such as rodeos, a three-ring circus, hockey and motocross.