Home Game Advantage: The Best Arenas For College Basketball

Of all the major sports in America, basketball may be the most fan-friendly when based purely on the spectatating aspect. None of the players are covered up in equipment and helmets and visors and such. It’s just shorts and a tank-top, so you get a pretty good view of everyone playing on the court, and that’s when your seat is just okay. Sitting close to the action at a basketball game is an amazing experience, especially when it’s college basketball where the intensity and fun factor is always at a fever pitch. The atmosphere is almost always electric, especially if it’s a big matchup.

There are a ton of awesome college hoops arenas in the country, and we’re going to narrow them down to the five best using criteria like tradition, atmosphere, fan enthusiasm, just to name a few.

5. Maryland Terrapins - Xfinity Center

During their ACC years, the Terrapins used to play in a place called Cole Field House, one of the more intimate gyms in college basketball. It was hot, sweaty, and a bear of a road game for all of their opponents. No matter how good or bad the Terps were that season, they had a decided home court advantage. When they moved to the shiny, modern arena that is the Xfinity Center in 2002, there was some concern if the new facility would still be loud, would still have the same atmosphere, as Cole Field House. They didn’t have to worry. Though it’s one of the larger arenas with 18,000 seat capacity, it ​feels s​maller. It also has a 4,000 seat student section (larger than some mid-majors have students) that wraps around the entire arena and is right on top of the court. It gets crazy loud there, and over the last 10 years, the Maryland men’s and women’s basketball teams have a home winning percentage of over .850.

4. Wichita State Shockers - Charles Koch Arena

Nicknamed “The Roundhouse” because of because of its circular layout, the Shockers’ home gym is one of the best home court advantages in the country. With just over 10,000 seats, this is one of the more intimate arenas in the country. The atmosphere is always electric, and it’s almost always standing room only there. This arena has gone a long way into helping Wichita State basketball go from just another mid-major to one of the better basketball programs in the country. Yes, their run to the Final Four in 2013 put them on the college basketball map to the casual fan, but long before that, they were dominating their conference long before that, mostly due to their huge home court advantage. Over the past 10 seasons, they’ve won 90% of their home games.

3. Indiana Hoosiers - Assembly Hall

This is a true “gym” in all sense of the word. Playing a game here is as close to a high school type atmosphere as you can get in college basketball. There are no second and third decks here, this is a true gym and the Hoosiers have built a tradition of excellence playing on this court. The decibel levels get insanely high due to the acoustics, and even though this program hasn’t been as good as it’s been in the past, the home court advantage has led to them having a .833 winning percentage since Assembly Hall opened in 1971.

2. Butler Bulldogs - Hinkle Fieldhouse

Another Indiana gem, but this time the mecca of college gyms not only in Indiana, but arguably in the country. Hinkle is where they filmed the championship game in arguably the greatest movie about high school basketball ever put on celluloid, ​Hoosiers.​ Hinkle opened way back in 1928, but impressively doesn’t show its age, thanks to renovations and upkeep. The capacity is just under 10,000 seats, adding to the amazing atmosphere. Butler came out of nowhere several years ago to become everyone’s mid-major Cinderella team, but now they are a legitimate basketball program and a team that can go toe-to-toe with anyone in the country. Much of that is due to their incredible success playing at Hinkle. That’s also part of the reason why you’ll never see any of the major programs scheduling games there.

1. Duke Blue Devils - Cameron Indoor Stadium

We give credit where credit is due around here, even when it’s begrudgingly, but even a lifelong Duke hater has to put Cameron Indoor as the best arena in college basketball. Yes, the spoiled fans are annoying and the players even more so, but when it comes to decibel level, atmosphere, tradition, fan originality, nothing beats a game at Cameron Indoor. The “Cameron Crazies” have become the stuff of legend, and student sections around the country use them as the template for their own rowdy adventures at their school’s basketball games. This is the perfect combination of great team and great atmosphere, which led to a 150-game winning streak vs. non-conference opponents that was snapped by Stephen F. Austin, of all teams, earlier this season. Despite that blip, Duke is arguably the best program in the sport, and they have the best home court advantage to go along with it. It’s Duke, for the win (again) here.

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*Article originally published in December 2019, updated December 2020

*Credit to the main photo of this article belongs to Gerry Broome/Associated Press, Darron Cummings/Associated Press, Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press