The Samuel M. Thomas Assembly Center is an 8,098-seat multi-purpose arena

Arena

An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...

 in Ruston, Louisiana

Ruston, Louisiana

Ruston is a city in and the parish seat of Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 20,546 at the 2000 census. Ruston is near the eastern border of the Ark-La-Tex and is the home of Louisiana Tech University. Its economy caters to its college population...

. The arena, named for its benefactor and businessman Samuel M. Thomas, is home to the Division I NCAA Louisiana Tech University

Louisiana Tech University

Louisiana Tech University, often referred to as Louisiana Tech, LA Tech, or Tech, is a coeducational public research university located in Ruston, Louisiana. Louisiana Tech is designated as a Tier 1 school in the national universities category by the 2012 U.S. News & World Report college rankings...

 Bulldogs

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs basketball

The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs basketball program represents intercollegiate men's basketball at Louisiana Tech University. The school competes in the Western Athletic Conference in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and play home games at the Thomas Assembly Center in Ruston,...

 (men) and Lady Techsters

Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters basketball

The Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters basketball team represents Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana. The team currently competes in the NCAA Division I as a member of the Western Athletic Conference. The current head coach of the Lady Techsters is Teresa Weatherspoon...

 (women) basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 teams.

The arena opened in November of 1982 just west of Joe Aillet Stadium

Joe Aillet Stadium

Joe Aillet Stadium is a stadium in Ruston, Louisiana, USA. It is primarily used for football, and is the home field of the Louisiana Tech University Bulldogs...

, and replaced the then-thirty year old Memorial Gymnasium on the corner of Tech Drive and Railroad Avenue. The men's basketball team hosted the Southland Conference

Southland Conference

The Southland Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the south central United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I for all sports; for football, it participates in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision...

 tournament in the TAC in 1985 and 1987, and three NIT games, in 1986 and two games in 2002. The women's team has hosted the first, second and regional rounds of the NCAA Women's Basketball tournament nineteen times, most recently in 2003.

The TAC also serves as the home of the Louisiana Tech Woman's Volleyball since the program's inception in 1987.

NBA greats such as Karl Malone, P.J. Brown, Randy White and Paul Millsap have all called the Thomas Assembly Center home during their collegiate careers. http://www.latechsports.com/facilities/latc-tac.html