Welcome to our Historic Hoops series, where we offer a guide to historic places related (at least tangentially) to a televised men’s or women’s NCAA basketball matchup each week throughout the 2015-2016 season. Whether you’re a die-hard fan or simply stuck watching with your significant other, we’re here to assist your viewing experience with some historic context beyond the hardwood.

This week’s matchup: Utah at Oregon State

Time: Thursday, Feb. 4 at 11:00 p.m. EST

Channel: ESPN2

Venue: Gill Coliseum, Corvallis, Oregon

Opening Tip: This week, we’re headed way out west to the quintessential college town of Corvallis, nestled into the Willamette Valley of western Oregon.

Oregon State may not be known as a college hoops powerhouse, but the program boasts one of the greatest old-school venues in the game.

Fast Break:

I have a soft spot for a nice dark and stuffy gym, and Gill Coliseum is just that—in the best possible way.

You don’t play basketball or watch a game at Gill because you crave the limelight or because it's a fashionable place to be. You do it because you love and respect the game. This is not about showing off. It’s about getting your hands dirty.

The arena was built in the late 1940s as veterans returning from WWII were heading to college in droves and collegiate athletics was booming. Not much has changed in this building since.

Three Points:

• Approximately 168 of Oregon State University’s 400 acres make up a National Register Historic District, which shows the development of the university from the 1880s through the 1950s. Part of that 168 acres was developed along the 1909 plan of Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., son of the iconic landscape architect.
• The oldest athletic building on Oregon State’s campus is the Gladys Valley Gymnastics Center. The 1898 building has also served as an armory, playhouse, gym, music building, student center, and bowling alley.
• The Coliseum is named after former OSU basketball coach Slats Gill. During its construction, students colloquially referred to the venue as Gill Pavilion. The name stuck.

Buzzer Beater: The first game ever played at Gill Coliseum saw Oregon State men’s basketball beat Utah, 53-41 on December 16, 1949.

And-1: Indiana visits Michigan at 9:00 p.m. on ESPN on Tuesday, Feb. 2 at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor. The 1967 building was designed in part by Dan Dworsky, a linebacker on Michigan’s undefeated 1947-48 football team.