Five things you need to know about … the Pioneer Cellular Event Center

The Pioneer Cellular Event Center will host the Northwestern/Southwestern rivalry games tonight.  These will be the first college games held in the facility that will be the new home for SWOSU basketball.

• The first games on the court were played earlier this week.  The West Central High School Basketball Tournament was held here with the Corn Bible Academy and Hydro-Eakly girls officially breaking in the facility. H-E defeated CBA, 55-16, in that first game.

• It will be the first new home for Southwestern basketball teams in more than 50 years. The current – now former – home, Rankin Williams Fieldhouse, was opened in 1957.

• The Center is 93,000 square feet with a seating capacity in close to 4,000, which is a 67 percent increase over that of the previous facility.

• The building is designed to do almost anything from conferences to concerts and has the capability to be divided into breakout rooms and a stadium seat film room.  Just about anything, according to SWOSU Athletic Director, except an indoor rodeo.

• Admission is free tonight for the first collegiate games to be played in the facility and seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis.  SWOSU fans in the Weatherford area shouldn’t let cost be a reason to miss out on these inaugural games.