Nicknamed the "Pimple on the Prairie", "Dome of Doom", and the "Double A," the Arena-Auditorium is the highest NCAA Division I college basketball court in the nation, built at an elevation of 7,220 ft (2,201 m). The facility hosted the 1986 and 1991 Western Athletic Conference men's basketball tournaments.[1] It also hosted the West Regional of the 2006 NCAAWrestling Tournament.[2] The largest crowd to watch a basketball game at the Arena-Auditorium was on March 2, 2002 when Wyoming played Utah in men's basketball. Wyoming won that game by a final score of 57–56 in front of 16,089 people.[3]
In 2007 the Cowgirls hosted 5 Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) games at the Double A, plus the March 31st WNIT championship game in which Wyoming beat the Wisconsin Badgers 72–56.[4] For the title game against Wisconsin, the women's basketball team sold out the Double A in less than 14 hours following their semi-final victory against Kansas State.[citation needed] The 15,462 in attendance was largest crowd ever for a women's basketball game played at the University of Wyoming, as well as the second biggest crowd ever at the Double A[5] and second biggest in WNIT tournament history.[6]
Then-Senator Barack Obama spoke to a capacity crowd at the Double A on March 7, 2008. The speech was as a part of the future President's campaign to win the Wyoming Democratic Party caucus, which he did win the following day.
