E. A. Diddle Arena

One of the finest 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. The facility celebrated its 50th year of operation during the 2012-13 school year.

Amenities

Diddle Arena received significant upgrades heading into the 2018-19 season, including two new state-of-the-art, high-definition video boards that drastically increased 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 court side seating.

Included in the 2002-03 Diddle Arena renovation was 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.

Events

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.