Basketball
College basketball has a plethora of venues where you can truly appreciate the beauty of the sport.
College basketball is truly a one-of-a-kind landscape. It’s an environment where superstar athletes like Blake Griffin and undiscovered prospects like Pascal Siakam compete on the same playing field during the most formative years of their game.
What makes the sport even more special is the storied locations where these battles take place, and the home-field advantages some of them have to offer. During the 2021-22 NCAA Division I college basketball season, more than 5,000 games were played in a school’s home arena; more than two-thirds of these games were won by the home team!
The 25 Top Arenas in College Basketball
Here are 25 of the best college basketball arenas in the United States and the teams that call them home.
01
Bramlage Coliseum; Manhattan, Kansas
Opened in 1988, Bramlage Coliseum hosts the men’s and women’s basketball teams of Kansas State. The arena has an official capacity of 11,654 and is also known as the ‘Octagon of Doom’ due to the facility’s octagonal design. Since 2011, the Wildcats men’s team has the second-most wins as an unranked team over a ranked team with 20.
02
WVU Coliseum; Morgantown, West Virginia
If you want to talk about devoted home crowds, it would be hard to find one more raucous than WVU Coliseum. The 14,000-seat facility is the home of West Virginia men’s and women’s basketball teams. The men’s basketball team has won over 75% of their home games since the stadium opened in 1970.
03
Cintas Center; Cincinnati, Ohio
Home to one of the best mid-major teams in college basketball, Cintas Center seats 10,250 and is widely known as one of the toughest home environments in the sport, ranking third in a 2009 EA Sports poll. Home to Xavier’s men’s and women’s basketball programs, the arena opened in 2000.
04
McKale Center; Tucson, Arizona
Opened in 1973, McKale Center is home to the largest arena in the Pac-12 with a seating capacity of 14,545. Named after a famed athletic figure who once coached all of the athletic teams at the University of Arizona, this arena is home to Arizona’s men’s and women’s college basketball teams.
05
Charles Koch Arena; Wichita, Kansas
Home to the Wichita State Shockers’ men’s and women’s basketball teams, Charles Koch Arena can seat 10,506 attendees. Also known as “The Roundhouse,” Koch Arena saw the Shockers’ men’s basketball team rise to prominence in the past decade, making the second round of the NCAA Tournament every year from 2012-2017.
06
University of Dayton Arena (UD Arena); Dayton, Ohio
Opened in 1969, UD Arena is one of the most important arenas in college basketball. Not only is the facility home to Dayton’s basketball teams, but it is also the lone host location of the NCAA Tournament Opening Round games, having hosted 127.
07
Xfinity Center; College Park, Maryland
The largest college basketball arena in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, Xfinity Center is home to the University of Maryland’s basketball teams. Opening in 2002, the facility has a capacity of 17,950 and a raucous student section to match.
08
Mackey Arena; West Lafayette, Indiana
Mackey Arena is home to the Purdue Boilermakers’ basketball teams. Opened in 1967, the facility was originally named Purdue Arena before being renamed to honor a longtime athletic director. At a capacity of 14,804, Mackey Arena is considered one of the loudest arenas in college basketball due to its domed aluminum roof insulating a lot of fan noise.
09
Hilton Coliseum; Ames, Iowa
Home to Iowa State’s men’s and women’s basketball teams, Hilton Coliseum is a part of a complex of venues on Iowa State’s campus that also includes its football stadium. Opening in 1971, the facility has a capacity of 14,267. The place is renowned for its “Hilton Magic,” as the Cyclones always manage to pull off unbelievable victories on its home court.
10
McCarthey Athletic Center; Spokane, Washington
Opening in 2004, McCarthey Athletic Center is home to the Gonzaga Bulldogs’ basketball programs, which has quickly risen to become one of the best programs in the country. Also known as the MAC or “The Kennel,” the arena has a capacity of 6,000. The men’s basketball program has won over 90% of its home games there since its opening.
11
Viejas Arena; San Diego, California
Opening in 1997, Viejas Arena has a capacity of 12,414. Home to San Diego State’s basketball programs, the basketball court itself is named Steve Fisher Court after former head coach Steve Fisher, the winningest coach in program history, who amassed 386 wins in more than 18 years coaching the Aztecs.
12
Williams Arena; Minneapolis, Minnesota
One of the oldest arenas in college basketball, Williams Arena opened in 1928 and has been renovated three times since. Home to the Minnesota Gophers’ basketball teams, the arena has a capacity of 14,625. Also known as “The Barn,” this facility is one of the few with a raised floor design, with team benches and first-row seating sitting below the court, giving those seated there about a knee-high level view of the action.
13
The Pit; Albuquerque, New Mexico
Opening in 1966, The Pit is home to the University of New Mexico’s basketball teams. It got the name because the playing floor is 37 feet below the street level, with a capacity of 15,411. The Pit is renowned for being one of the loudest places to play in college basketball, with sound levels reaching up to 125 decibels, about as loud as a jackhammer.
14
Petersen Events Center; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
With a capacity of 12,508, Petersen Events Center is named after a local philanthropist who donated $10 million to its construction. The facility opened in 2022 and is home to the University of Pittsburgh’s basketball teams. The student section is known as “The Oakland Zoo” after the Oakland neighborhood in the arena is located in.
15
Harry A. Gampel Pavilion; Storrs, CT
Harry A. Gampel Pavilion is home to one of the most balanced basketball programs in the UConn Huskies’ men’s and women’s basketball teams. UConn is the only program this century to have both basketball programs win multiple national championships; the women’s program won 10, and the men’s program won three. The facility opened in 1990 and seats 10,167.
16
Bud Walton Arena; Fayetteville, Arkansas
Named after the co-founder of Walmart, Bud Walton Arena opened in 1993. The facility is home to the University of Arkansas’s basketball teams, with the men’s team winning a national championship in the arena’s first year. With a capacity of 19,368, the arena is the ninth-largest college basketball arena in Division I, a higher seating capacity than some NBA venues.
17
Breslin Center; East Lansing, Michigan
The Jack Breslin Student Events Center is home to the Michigan State Spartans’ basketball teams. Opened in 1989, the facility can seat 16,280 and is home to one of the greatest college basketball coaches of all time in Tom Izzo, who currently ranks 73rd out of all college basketball coaches with 666 all-time wins as a head coach.
18
JMA Wireless Dome; Syracuse, New York
JMA Wireless Dome is the home of the Syracuse Orange basketball teams. Syracuse also hosts its football games there, making this facility one of the few to handle both. With a capacity of 35,446 for basketball games, JMA Wireless Dome is easily the largest arena in college basketball, with the closest facility being over 13,000 seats short.
19
Dean Smith Center; Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Opened in 1986, the Dean E. Smith Student Activities Center is home to the University of North Carolina’s men’s basketball team, one of the most successful teams in college basketball history. A multitude of former players and coaches for the Tar Heels went on to achieve major success in the NBA, most notably Michael Jordan. The facility has a capacity of 21,750, making it the third-largest Division I college basketball arena.
20
Assembly Hall; Bloomington, Indiana
Home to the Indiana Hoosiers’ basketball programs, Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall opened in 1971, which was the first year of legendary head coach Bob Knight’s tenure there. Due to a rich history, Indiana men’s team has a tough home crowd, with the team having the most wins as an unranked team over ranked teams in the past 12 years.
21
The Palestra; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Also known as the “Cathedral of College Basketball” or “the birthplace of college basketball,” the Palestra is home to the University of Pennsylvania’s basketball programs. Opened in 1927, the facility has a capacity of 8,725 and has hosted more basketball games than any other college basketball facility in the world.
22
Hinkle Fieldhouse; Indianapolis, Indiana
Another historic college basketball facility, Hinkle Fieldhouse opened in 1928 and is home to the Butler Bulldogs’ basketball programs. Known sometimes as “Indiana’s Basketball Cathedral,” Hinkle Fieldhouse has a capacity of 9,100. The facility is also recognized as a National Historic Landmark due to its popularization of the game of basketball.
23
Rupp Arena; Lexington, Kentucky
Home to one of the premier college basketball programs in the country, Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center is home to the University of Kentucky Wildcats’ men’s basketball. Opened in 1976, the arena has a capacity of 20,545. The Wildcats combine a raucous home crowd with supreme talent, winning the most home games in Division I since the 2010-11 season with 188 wins.
24
Allen Fieldhouse; Lawrence, Kansas
Allen Fieldhouse is home to the Kansas Jayhawks’ basketball programs. Opened in 1955, the facility has a capacity of 16,300. Named after a legendary head coach, Allen Fieldhouse holds the Guinness World Record for the loudest roar, with the facility reaching a noise level of 130.7 decibels during a February 2017 contest against conference-rival West Virginia.
25
Cameron Indoor Stadium; Durham, North Carolina
The home of the Duke Blue Devils’ basketball programs, Cameron Indoor Stadium watched its tenants rise to the top of college basketball royalty since its opening in 1940. With a capacity of 9,314, this facility is small when you compare it to the other “blue blood” Division I college basketball programs. However, what it lacks in seating capacity, it makes up for in intensity, with the men’s team racking 150 consecutive non-conference home wins in a streak that stretched from 2000 to 2016.
Conclusion
From storied venues to venues where athletes like Nadine Selaawi shined, college basketball has a plethora of venues where you can truly appreciate the beauty of the sport, and the game strategies these athletes have mastered.