ESPN commentator Dick Vitale, on assignment at the Florida-Kentucky game in 2006, said that the Rowdy Reptiles make the O'Dome one of the toughest places to play in college basketball.

On December 23, 2006, a then-record crowd of 12,621 watched the fifth-ranked Gators men's basketball team defeat the third-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes, 86–60.

The Florida Gym was built in 1949, and it was considered a difficult venue for opponents because the seating was very close to the court and, when full, the noise level was "deafening".

[15] The University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa had also decided to build a large indoor arena at about the same time, so the schools agreed to commission a common architectural design to stretch limited state funding.

[6] The problems were fixed after several months, and the sister facilities were completed within a few weeks of each other in late 1980 – the Sun Dome in November and the O'Connell Center in December.

"[17] Playing in their new arena under Sloan, the Gators consistently improved and eventually made their first NCAA tournament in 1987, setting the stage for greater success under subsequent coaches in the years to come.

[13] Maintenance costs for the inflation system rose over the years, and as part of a $10 million renovation in 1998, the roof was replaced with a more conventional hard shell dome.

[15] After the 1998 redesign of the roof, the facility underwent a smaller renovation in 2006, when the university updated some of the fold-able seating and replaced the four scoreboards located above Gates 1 through 4 in each corner of the arena.

The UAA also bought the court used to win their second title from the Georgia Dome in 2007, and displayed it in the O'Connell Center during their championship celebration event, and later sold it in pieces to raise funds for scholarships.

[18] In March 2016, the O'Connell Center began its most extensive renovation to date with a $64.5 million project that reconstructed the main arena with significant changes to its layout and design.