Construction After $26.6 million and several years of planning and construction, Assembly Hall opened in 1971. The opening of the arena coincided with the debut of coach
Bob Knight, who guided the Hoosiers for 29 seasons before his dismissal by then-IU president
Myles Brand in September 2000. Assembly Hall has been criticized by some fans for its unique design. Because the facility was designed without consideration for the video replay board added in 2005 that currently hangs above center-court, some of the top rows of the lower level are obstructed from the replay board by the overhanging balcony. The entire court itself, however, is still viewable. In December 2013, 24 monitors were added to the areas that had previously been obstructed. Work was completed by Strauser Construction and Cassady Electric. In the fall of 2018, J.C. Ripberger Construction Corp completed the new Roberts Family Team Center which includes, the new Andy Mohr Locker Room, the Oladipo Zeller Legacy Lounge, the Tim Garl Athletic Training Room and the Basketball Coaches annex. Project was completed just prior to 2018
Hoosier Hysteria.
Upgrades and improvements New bleacher seats were installed in 1995.
Bob Knight feared that when he left Indiana, commercials would begin being played in the hall. Knight said, "You'll see a new Assembly Hall this year I'm sure. There will probably be ads in it for everything from dog biscuits to Pepsi Cola, I would imagine. We've always tried to keep it really free from commercialism. It's kind of a sacred place where students come to play and students come to cheer." In 2005, the school built a new scoreboard costing nearly $2 million, to mixed reviews. Cook Hall, a new practice facility, was built near Assembly Hall in 2010.
2015 renovation and renaming On December 19, 2013, Indiana University announced that a $40 million donation from Cynthia "Cindy" Simon Skjodt, daughter of late shopping mall magnate and
Indiana Pacers owner
Mel Simon, would be used to renovate Assembly Hall. Indiana University renamed Assembly Hall the Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall upon the completion of the renovations and improvements, which were completed in October 2016.
Safety issues On February 18, 2014, an long beam over a foot wide fell and damaged the seats at Assembly Hall. The scheduled game for that day against the University of Iowa was postponed due to safety concerns in spite of multiple available arenas in Indiana. On January 28, 2023, a bracket over a foot long fell onto the court at Assembly Hall during halftime against the Ohio State Buckeyes. ==Atmosphere and success==