Value City Arena
Value City Arena is a basketball arena in Columbus, Ohio, home of the Ohio State Buckeyes (Big Ten, NCAA Division I). It opened in 1998, making it 28 years old in 2026 and seats 18,809 for basketball. That makes it the 9th-largest arena in D-I and the biggest in the Big Ten.
The closest NBA arena is Rocket Arena in Cleveland, about 127 miles away.
Arena facts
- Location
- Columbus, Ohio
- Home of
- Ohio State Buckeyes
- School
- Ohio State University
- Conference
- Big Ten
- Opened
- 1998
- Capacity
- 18,809
- Also home to
- Ohio State women's basketball
Ohio State men's ice hockey - Size rank in D-I
- 9th of 360
Famous games at Value City Arena
- Nov. 9, 1998: The arena's first men's basketball game was an exhibition, a 107-75 Ohio State win over the One World All-Stars before 12,280 fans.
- 2005: The building hosted the NCAA men's hockey Frozen Four, a rare non-basketball highlight in its history.
- Feb. 25, 2007: Mike Conley's runner with four seconds left gave No. 2 Ohio State a 49-48 win over No. 1 Wisconsin and an outright Big Ten title.
- Jan. 7, 2018: Keita Bates-Diop scored 32 as unranked Ohio State stunned No. 1 Michigan State 80-64.
- Nov. 30, 2021: Ohio State erased a 13-point halftime deficit to hand No. 1 Duke its first loss, 71-66, before a sellout crowd.
Game night
Tradition. The Buckeye Nuthouse, part of Block O, sits behind the team benches and behind the basket opponents shoot at in the second half.
Seating & views at Value City Arena
The arena inside the Schottenstein Center seats 18,809 for Ohio State basketball, with a 100-level lower bowl, a club level and a 300-level upper deck. It's a multipurpose building that feels big for college hoops, and the ice sheet under the floor can make the lower level chilly. The top 300-level seats behind the baskets are very high, and some south-corner seats are partly blocked by the press box. Students sit behind the team benches on the 100 level.
Parking & tailgating at Value City Arena
The Schottenstein Center sits on Ohio State's west campus with more than 5,000 surface spaces on site or within a 10-minute walk, run by CampusParc. Lots next to the arena fill early, and late arrivals may be sent to other campus lots. Payment is card only with no re-entry, and CampusParc sells prepaid event parking through ParkMobile for many arena events. There's no real basketball tailgating scene; Lane Avenue's restaurants are the usual pregame stop.
Plan your trip to Value City Arena
Arenas near Value City Arena10
- 1D-INutter Center — Wright State Raiders 56 mi
- 2D-IConvocation Center — Ohio Bobcats 66 mi
- 3D-IUniversity of Dayton Arena — Dayton Flyers 66 mi
- 4D-IFifth Third Arena — Cincinnati Bearcats 99 mi
- 5D-ICintas Center — Xavier Musketeers 99 mi
- 6D-IMillett Hall — Miami RedHawks 99 mi
- 7D-IStroh Center — Bowling Green Falcons 102 mi
- 8D-ITruist Arena — Northern Kentucky Norse 102 mi
- 9D-IJames A. Rhodes Arena — Akron Zips 107 mi
- 10D-ICam Henderson Center — Marshall Thundering Herd 114 mi
Questions about Value City Arena
Where do the Ohio State Buckeyes play home games?
The Ohio State Buckeyes play at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
How many people does Value City Arena hold?
Value City Arena seats 18,809 for basketball.
When did Value City Arena open?
Value City Arena opened in 1998.
What other arenas are near Value City Arena?
Nutter Center in Fairborn is about 56 miles away. See the full list of nearby arenas on this page.
Facts are for the 2026–27 season. Distances are straight-line miles between city centers. Capacity figures vary by source. See something wrong? Let us know. Is this your arena? Get the “Listed on Hoops Arenas” badge for your website.