Oregon's McArthur Court is proof there's a certain charm that comes with age.
The venerable arena that opened in 1927 will host its final men's basketball game on Saturday night when the Ducks play Arizona State.
''It'll be a real emotional game for the fans,'' first-year coach Dana Altman said. ''Our guys, they understood the significance of the weekend.''
The Ducks lost 76-57 to Arizona in their Pac-10 opener on Thursday night. That was supposed to be the first game at the new Matthew Knight Arena, but it was decided in August that it would be best to delay the gala opening because the students would still be on winter break and Oregon's football team might be in a bowl game.
As it turned out, the second-ranked Ducks are playing in the BCS national championship game against No. 1 Auburn on Jan. 10 in Glendale, Ariz. Oregon basketball's new home, named after the late son of booster Phil Knight, hosts its first men's game on Jan. 13 when the Ducks play USC.
Mac Court, as it is affectionately known, is the second-oldest on-campus arena in Division I, two years younger than Fordham's Rose Hill Gym.
The building was named after Clifton N. McArthur, the university's first student body president who went on to serve Oregon in the House of Representatives. It was paid for by a student fee of $15.
The first men's game was played on Jan. 14, 1927, when Oregon defeated Willamette 38-10. The building was later home to the Oregon's famed ''Tall Firs'' team, which beat Ohio State 46-33 to win the first NCAA basketball championship in 1939.
The old gym has undergone several renovations over the years and its capacity has fluctuated between 6,000 and 10,000. The springy maple court came from the 1990 Goodwill Games in Seattle.
It has hosted more than just sporting events: Presidential candidate Robert Kennedy campaigned for the 1968 Oregon primary there, shortly before he was assassinated in California. Bill Clinton appeared there in 1992 before he became president.
Elvis Presley and the Grateful Dead performed there.
When empty, Mac Court shows its age. Some of the seats in the top tier don't have a clear view of the court. Bathrooms are scarce, and the hallways have the long-lingering scent of popcorn and hot dogs.
But when full, ''The Pit'' transforms into one of the more intimidating courts in the Pac-10. The student section, with its raucous Pit Crew, seems almost unfairly close to the action.
The whole building shakes when the Pit Crew hops and stomps, and the backboards of the baskets have been known to shake when the student section leaps together.
Cheers can be heard on the street outside.
After Saturday's game, Mac Court won't close forever. The women's team, which has played there since the late 1970s, plays its final two games there next week. The building will continue to host the volleyball team and various club sports.
''We'd really love to win, not only for ourselves, but for the fans and the people that have been coming here through the years and all the memories they have of Mac Court,'' forward Jeremy Jacob said of Saturday's final men's game. ''So we really don't want to leave them with a loss. We really want to leave with a win.''
Phil Knight, the co-founder of Nike and Oregon's most famous benefactor, and his wife Penny donated $100 million to the athletic department's Legacy Fund, which helped jump-start the arena project. Their son Matthew died in a 2004 scuba diving accident in El Salvador, where he was working for an orphanage.
The $227 million arena, which features a distinctive court designed to look as if it's shadowed by a forest, will seat 12,500.
