College Basketball Arenas

I needed to get a bit of sleep after a 35-hour trip with Rutgers men's basketball to Louisville, but this blog post idea was generated last night.

After announcing yesterday's game at legendary Freedom Hall (an 18,865-seat arena that the Cardinals are moving out of at the end of the season), I thought I'd throw my top five college basketball arenas list up on the web.

If we had this conversation back in 2003, the RAC at Rutgers may have had a shot of cracking the list-- but it will take quite some time to restore the "RAC-mosphere" that once existed.

Let's go from five to one... enjoy. Happy Super Sunday!

Honorable Mention: Allen Fieldhouse (Kansas)-- "Rock Chalk Jayhawk" gives me chills.

5. Peterson Events Center (Pittsburgh)-- Pitt really got this one right in every way possible. Whether it be the decision to put the students wrapped around the court or the idea to construct courtside luxury boxes, the Panthers have the best home court in the Big East. It may take years to walk up that hill to "The Pete" but it's well worth the effort.

4. Dean Smith Center (University of North Carolina)-- I've had the pleasure of calling two games in this building and the second time was even better than the first. Stepping into this gigantic building with all the powder-blue seats empty and looking into the rafters at Michael Jordan's jersey is one of the greatest basketball experiences you can have. It isn't the loudest arena out there (which hurts its standing), but the locals all know the game like the back of their hand.

3. The Pit (University of New Mexico)-- At over 18,000 seats and literally under sea-level, The Pit was the "RAC of the West" during my childhood. In the Mountain West Conference, UNM hosts some quality competition in this building and when it shakes, the steep seating arrangement makes for an intimidating crowd set-up.

2. Rupp Arena (Kentucky)-- Louisville's new arena was required to seat one person under the capacity of Rupp Arena because UK basketball fans in the state legislature wouldn't approve of it otherwise. "The Eruption Zone" in the student section (which does not have actual seats and thus requires two hours of standing) is one of the cooler ideas in college sports. UK has some of the most rabid fans in the country and let's put it this way, you better contend for the title every year.

1. Cameron Indoor Stadium (Duke)-- I don't like Duke basketball. I'm not a huge fan of Coach K. But as old and as small as Cameron Indoor is, I still envy the Blue Devils' fans every time I watch a game at this arena on television. From the old-school aspect of the announcers sitting in elevated booths to the students almost touching players on the sideline, Cameron is an amazing venue. The noise level at Duke is unmatched around the country, so it's worth a look in person (considering it seems like it'll be Mike Patrick and Dickie V every time you turn on ESPN there).

Conference tournaments are just a month away!