E.A. Diddle Arena
One of the premier on-campus facilities in the country, WKU’s E.A. Diddle Arena serves as the competition home of WKU Hilltopper Basketball, WKU Lady Topper Basketball, and WKU Hilltopper Volleyball.
The building, named for legendary Hilltopper coach E.A. Diddle, was officially dedicated in December 1963 and underwent a $32 million renovation in 2002.
Included in the 2002-03 Diddle Arena renovation were a new playing floor, all-new seating, two video boards and 16 luxury suites. But those were just the changes made to the playing arena. An addition was added to the back side of the facility which houses training and weight rooms, as well as a 30,000-square foot auxiliary gym complex containing two regulation basketball courts with a firewall divider. New locker rooms and office facilities were also added for multiple sports and the athletics administration.
The facility celebrated its 50th year of operation during the 2012-13 school year.
Diddle Arena received significant upgrades heading into the 2018-19 season, including two new state-of-the-art, high-definition videoboards that drastically increase the size and clarity of the viewing area. Updates also included a complete renovation of the sound system inside Diddle Arena to further enhance the in-game fan experience and a redesign of the playing court. The project was funded through a strategic fundraising campaign led by the Hilltopper Athletic Foundation. The capacity was also officially raised to 7,523 to account for new lounge seating on the upper concourse and additional courtside seating.
In the fall of 2021, work began on a new club that allowed Hilltopper Fans to connect and socialize prior to tip-off. The center court club which opened in time for the 2022-23 season, located on the lower concourse is an exclusive club for Hilltopper fans to congregate prior to and during home men’s basketball games, providing one of the premier fan experiences in all of CUSA. The club includes multiple TVs for fans to view action as well as Hilltopper memorabilia and the original center court logo formerly used in the main arena.
Prior to the 2022 Volleyball Season a Teraflex volleyball playing surface was installed, providing a safe playing surface for the Hilltoppers and their opponents and an attractive surface for fans. The Taraflex flooring, which is assembled in sections, is similar to that used by a majority of Power Five programs and the one used for the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Final Four. WKU is one of only a few programs outside of the Power Five to use a Taraflex flooring system.
The utility and versatility of the arena has been amply demonstrated throughout the years. It has been the site of NCAA Regional Tournaments in both men’s and women’s basketball, the Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s Girls Sweet 16 Basketball Tournament and an NBA exhibition game.
The facility has also hosted several Sun Belt Conference basketball tournaments and was the site of the 2003, 2009 and 2012 SBC Volleyball Championship, the 2017 and 2022 Conference USA Volleyball Championship and the 2019 NCAA Volleyball Tournament First and Second Rounds. Diddle Arena has staged numerous concerts, hosted WKU’s annual spring and winter commencements and has even welcomed the President of the United States during a 1988 visit by Ronald Reagan.
The arena is also the consistent home to the KHSAA 4th Region Boys and Girls Basketball Tournaments every March.
In addition to being the home for Hilltopper Basketball, Lady Topper Basketball, and Hilltopper Volleyball, the second level concourse is home to the University’s ROTC Program which consists of over 100 WKU Students and each year upon graduation about 19 earn commissions as Army Officers.
