Top 11 Places to Play College Ball

By Christy Flom on January 14, 2015

There are many factors that go into making a venue great. For concerts it could be stage visibility, whereas for hockey games great venues may entail alcoholic beverages or heated seats.

While college basketball venues are often deemed “great” in part to their accompanying student sections, there are some arenas where the size, appearance, history and coolness factor outweigh the sheer noise of fans.

Without further adieu here are the top 11 college basketball venues in America, because the top 10 is always a cliché.

Syracuse University Carrier Dome (image via http://www.feodosia.net)

11. Carrier Dome, Syracuse University: As the biggest arena in college basketball, Syracuse by default must be on this list. Playing in a stadium of that size would be intimidating for any opponent. Fans may not have the best experience crammed out of sight in a football stadium for home basketball games, but watching one’s team win is always a good time, no matter where it is.

University of Kentucky Rupp Arena (image via http://staciel.hubpages.com)

10. Rupp Arena, University of Kentucky: Rupp Arena may not always be the center of attention but the sell out crowds and big stadium make for a great basketball venue. While designed specifically for basketball, Rupp arena hosts mainstream concerts and events, along with hockey games that draw in thousands of fans.

Vanderbilt University Memorial Gym (image via http://commons.wikimedia.org)

9. Memorial Gym, Vanderbilt University: The unusual set up of this venue contains seats below the court. In many Sweet Sixteen venues, the players and benches are seated below a raised court, but these are built for prime television viewing. A home arena with fans able to rest their heads on the court is far and few these days and definitely noteworthy.

University of Kansas Allen Field House (image via http://www.kualumni.org)

8. Allen Field House, University of Kansas: The University of Kansas plays basketball in a large arena, jammed with fans at every home game. It has been dubbed one of the loudest stadiums to play in and Kansas fans never hold back at home games. This is definitely an arena worth watching college basketball in, rather than on television.

Michigan State University Breslin Center (image via http://whitemanswife.files.wordpress.com)

7. The Breslin Center, Michigan State University: As a Michigan fan, this goes against every grain in my body, but Tom Izzo and the Spartans have transformed the already-loud arena into a deafening atmosphere that is exciting and fun for all teams to play in.

With the student section wrapping all the way around the court, the alumni may have originally been a little ticked off at losing their seats but the effect has made the Breslin Center one of the loudest venues in college basketball.

University of Indiana Assembly Hall (image via http://ncaabballchamps.blogspot.com/)

6. Assembly Hall, University of Indiana: Assembly Hall may not be a huge building, but the tradition and honor that the hall holds is far more valuable. With the countless number of great coaches and players who have stepped foot onto the court at the University of Indiana, the program has a history enriched with tradition that students uphold proudly at each and every game.

University of Oregon Matthew Knight Arena (image via http://usatsneakhype.files.wordpress.com)

5. Matthew Knight Arena, University of Oregon: Mixed with their blinding Nike jerseys, the design of Oregon’s court is a must-see venue. Viewed from a bird’s eye view, the court depicts a forest of trees surrounding the edges. No matter how many times one looks at the Duck’s court, it will never grow old.

Oregon was the first school to implement such drastic designs on a basketball court and it makes for a fun court for opposing teams to play on.

Duke University Cameron Indoor Stadium (image via https://duketower.wordpress.com)

4. Cameron Indoor Stadium, Duke University: Duke’s basketball stadium is as notorious as Duke’s basketball team, which based on their years of winning seasons is pretty notorious. Now one of the smaller stadiums in college basketball, the tradition that follows Duke athletics is unwavering.

Duke athletics went so far as to call it the “crown jewel of college basketball’s classic venues,” on their website. With a fiery student section, the Cameron Indoor Stadium has been known to be one of the toughest courts for opposing teams to compete on.

University of North Carolina Dean Smith Center (image via http://commons.wikimedia.org)

3. Dean Smith Center, University of North Carolina: It’s hard to mention Duke without naming North Carolina, one of their toughest rivals. Both of these venues have long histories of winning and tradition runs deep in both venues. In this valued arena of the Tar Heels, North Carolina has had top national attendance rankings every year except for one since its opening.

The arena can house more than 21,000 fans. For Duke University and the University of North Carolina, students have been known to camp out for tickets and games in eagerness to watch and cheer on their teams.

Madison Square Garden (image via http://en.wikipedia.org)

2. Madison Square Garden: While home to many sporting and entertainment events, playing at this venue is just as fun for fans as it is for the players. The enormous stadium is known world-wide and can hold more than 18,000 people. This will be where St. John’s Red Storm and the Big East Championship games will be played this season.

U.S.S. Carl Vinson Naval Carrier (image via https://cbsdetroit.files.wordpress.com)

1. U.S.S. Carl Vinson Naval Carrier: Imagine playing basketball on a ship, but not just any ship: one loaded with explosives and weapons right below one’s feet. This was the experience North Carolina and Michigan State basketball teams had the opportunity to experience in 2011 on Veteran’s Day to tip off their seasons.

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