<P> Williams Arena features an unusual raised floor design . The court surface is raised above the ground approximately two feet so that players ' benches , officials tables , etc. , are actually below the court . The same goes for fans with the first row looking at players at about knee - level . Normally , other than the officials and those players actively playing , only head coaches are allowed to be on the court itself . The raised floor is one of only a few remaining examples left and contributes significantly to the historic aura of the 80 - year - old arena . This served as the inspiration for the NCAA Men 's Division I Basketball Championship to host stadiums for their Final Four as of 2009 to have the floor about three feet off the stadium floor as part of an increased capacity to a minimum of 70,000 . The floor in Williams Arena recently underwent a replacement . PCL Construction began work on May 11 , 2009 , replacing the original playing surface from 1928 with a new floor along with new basketball goals . This was the first major upgrade to the facility since a renovation occurred in the early 1990s . Memorial Gymnasium at Vanderbilt University and Hinkle Fieldhouse at Butler University are two other existing arenas with a raised floor . Robertson Memorial Field House at Bradley University , since demolished , also used a raised floor . </P>
<P> Williams Arena features an unusual raised floor design . The court surface is raised above the ground approximately two feet so that players ' benches , officials tables , etc. , are actually below the court . The same goes for fans with the first row looking at players at about knee - level . Normally , other than the officials and those players actively playing , only head coaches are allowed to be on the court itself . The raised floor is one of only a few remaining examples left and contributes significantly to the historic aura of the 80 - year - old arena . This served as the inspiration for the NCAA Men 's Division I Basketball Championship to host stadiums for their Final Four as of 2009 to have the floor about three feet off the stadium floor as part of an increased capacity to a minimum of 70,000 . The floor in Williams Arena recently underwent a replacement . PCL Construction began work on May 11 , 2009 , replacing the original playing surface from 1928 with a new floor along with new basketball goals . This was the first major upgrade to the facility since a renovation occurred in the early 1990s . Memorial Gymnasium at Vanderbilt University and Hinkle Fieldhouse at Butler University are two other existing arenas with a raised floor . Robertson Memorial Field House at Bradley University , since demolished , also used a raised floor . </P>
why is the floor raised at williams arena
why is the floor raised at williams arena
so that players ' benches , officials tables , etc. , are actually below the court
so that players ' benches , officials tables , etc. , are actually below the court