The utility and versatility of the arena throughout the years has included the facility being the site of NCAA Regional Tournaments in both men's (1980) and women's basketball, the Kentucky High School Athletic Association's Girls' Sweet Sixteen basketball tournament from 2001 to 2015, and an NBA exhibition game. (The KHSAA tournament moved to BB&T Arena at Northern Kentucky University in 2016.) The facility has also hosted several Sun Belt Conference basketball tournaments, and was the site of the 2003 and 2009 SBC Volleyball Championship. Diddle Arena has staged numerous concerts, hosted WKU's annual spring and winter commencements, and has even welcomed the President of the United States during a 1988 visit by Ronald Reagan. The arena has hosted professional basketball, including Hall of Famers Dan Issel and Artis Gilmore, as the Kentucky Colonels played two games there before the 1976 ABA-NBA merger. 10,453 fans saw the Carolina Cougars defeat the Kentucky Colonels 94–82 on November 26, 1973 and 7,611 saw the Colonels defeat the San Diego Conquistadors 109–100 on November 30, 1974.