Three NCAA Tournament venues that didn't measure up

3. The Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center in downtown Birmingham, Alabama, was built in 1976. When Arizona arrived to play Kansas and then Providence in the 1997 Sweet 16 and Elite Eight, it seemed like the date might’ve been wrong. Maybe it was built in 1896. The Civic Center was due for renovation, and it finally got one in 2009. Arizona made the best of the lack of local interest in some out-of-town basketball teams, bolting to the Final Four and a national title. Top-seeded Kansas drew 17,647 fans to the Friday night opener, but when Providence and Arizona arrived for the Sunday afternoon title game, only 13,721 showed up. 

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