Louis Brown Athletic Center

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The Louis Brown Athletic Center, also known as the Rutgers Athletic Center (RAC), is a 9,200-seat multi-purpose arena in Piscataway, New Jersey on the University's Livingston Campus. The arena opened on November 30, 1977 with a win against rival Seton Hall. The building is shaped like a truncated tent, with the trapezoidal sides on the north and south. It is home to the Rutgers University Scarlet Knights basketball team, both men's and women's. Previously, the University used the 3,200-seat College Avenue Gym from 1931 to 1977.

The arena was known as the Rutgers Athletic Center until 1986, when it was renamed for Louis Brown, a Rutgers graduate and former member of the varsity golf team, who made a large bequest to the University in his will. The building is still largely referred to as "The RAC" (pronounced "rack"), however.

It is known as one of the most difficult arenas in all of college basketball for opposing teams to play in. During the 2002-2003 season, the Rutgers Men's Basketball team defeated Syracuse University, the eventual National Champion, at the RAC. ESPN's Jay Bilas once wrote, "The Scarlet Knights play great there, and the crowd is right on top of you and intimidating. A friend said to me at the RAC: 'If the Pistons and Pacers had their fight here, they wouldn't have dared to go up into the stands!'"["ESPN.com experts' favorite arenas"], accessed May 29, 2006

The arena was the home of the NBA's New Jersey Nets from 1977, when the team moved from Long Island's Nassau Coliseum, until 1981, when the Brendan Byrne Arena opened at the Meadowlands Sports Complex. It also hosted the 1985 and 1989 Atlantic Ten Conference men's basketball tournaments.

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