Gonna add a dark horse I haven’t seen mentioned here - the West Virginia Coliseum.
It’s obviously very loud with crazy fans (when the team is good) but the sight lines are very weird. The depth perception for the basket is very different than most places and it messes with shooters.
To expand on the noise factor. The entire roof of the Coliseum is concrete and there is nothing to absorb sound anywhere. It makes the Coliseum a pretty lousy place for a concert, but a great place for basketball. The first couple times you hear the musket get fired in there you will jump out of your skin.
Appreciate the shoutout. I may get buried in the comment chain but I watched a magical game there my senior year of college. It was January 2017 and #1 Baylor played West Virginia in the Coliseum. This was the "Press Virginia" team under Bob Huggins. It was a slaughter. Baylor turned the ball over 5-6 times IN A ROW at one point. WVU ended up winning the game and I stormed the court. I bring this up to say I have been to a lot of college sporting events both at WVU and on the road. The only game I've been to that compares to the noise I heard in the Coliseum that night was a Penn State-Ohio State white out in Happy Valley. I am not exaggerating when I say I put my hands around my friends ear and screamed and he could not hear me.
The Marriott Center. There are loads of awesome arenas in the big 12.
Phog
Hilton
West Virginia coliseum
Marriott Center
Baylor’s
Texas tech
Heck, even UCF.
Pretty much every arena is packed and loud, minus a couple of the Pac 12 schools
Bruh Mormons are the largest landowner in Florida. It’s like 2%. They’ve got hands in everything, a 150+ billion stock portfolio that’s very diversified.
Not including the Trapezoid of Terror on this list is a big miss
I've got a buddy who is a UConn fan and he's said the RAC is easily the loudest and most intimidating place to play
See y’all at McKale Center. Arizona has led the Pac-12 in attendance for close to 40 years now. Holds around 14,500 and it’s typically around 99% capacity.
Yep.
A lot of people with see Rutgers as a meh basketball program recently and terrible historically. But they are right at that sweet spot right now where every game can implicate their post season, where every game matters. The fans are invested in showing up and helping pull for them to win and they do. They have solid defenses which means they can beat anyone. Don't get me wrong offense can get a crowd going, but shot clock violations followed by a simple basket can make a crowd go insane. On top of this everything is amplified if the opposing team is ranked. Rutgers has reliably been the underdog in these scenarios but good enough that an upset is always on the table.
I have been to most big 10 arenas, and Rutgers is legitimately number 2 in the conference for best game atmosphere (behind Mackey). I know a bunch of other fans will say something stupid like "for big games it is an amazing atmosphere." If you have to have a qualifier for what will make your atmosphere amazing, it isn't an amazing atmosphere. You go to any Rutgers game it will be an amazing atmosphere.
This year could go wild if Bailey and Harper can do something offensively, and Rutgers maintains solid defense.
The Smith Center for large out of conference games or important ACC games is pretty raucous and loud. It’s too big to keep the environment up consistently which creates the wine and cheese narrative.
I’m probably wrong, but Michigan feels like they fall into that Notre Dame stereotype where any fan of theirs who isn’t a student or has recently graduated is a crotchety geezer who hates fun
I think the issue is that the Michigan athletic department caters to the interests of the older alumni who pay for things at the expense of the students having a fun and inexpensive experience while they’re in school. The end product of this will of course be a bewildered fundraising apparatus wondering why the rich alumni don’t donate to the athletic department a generation from now. Given the tenor of Carolina’s recent survey about potential Smith Center updates, this sounds like a common problem.
I know it’s an outlier but I have a ton of respect for Texas Tech and their fans for how hostile that place was for when Chris Beard returned as the UT coach.
The sound coming from the TV was so different from any other game I’ve ever watched
That game was a different level and every reporter there will say as much.
It was an outlier, but, when Tech has it rolling the USA is a very daunting place to play. They were undefeated at home that season. The only (huge) issue is how quickly the fans will turn on mediocre or bad play and not show up.
I agree. Unless I'm completely blanking, I think Dayton and Gonzaga are the only two in the elite environments tier for mid-majors and they can stack up with most of the P5 schools too. MWC has some really good environments too
Viejas is legit. Huge and loud student section and fairly consistent sell outs. They don’t lose there often, even this year when the mountain west had 6 teams in the tourney SDSU was 5-1 against them at home and the only loss was OT to Boise.
Don’t get me wrong, we show up when we’re good or playing Duke/UNC/South Carolina. But the renovations they’ve done in the past 10 years absolutely neutered how rowdy LittleJohn can get.
Dayton seats 13,400+ and fills it every night. Fans in the lower bowl are a little bit old of the whine and cheese variety but the student section and upper levels are electric. Definitely top 25 all day every day and can hit a top 10 or top 5 level during a close and/or big game.
UD gets up for just about every game no matter how good your season is. I think that’s what really sets you all apart is the floor is so high. Even the old sweaters get into it. Great place to see a game
Didn’t expect us to be on here but during the 2020 season the already amazing crowd was so loud and electric. Even still the place is still jam packed and loud as hell every night
Dayton "booster" here who paid a lot in "voluntary donations" to get tickets in the lower bowl, massive agree. My section has mainly people my parents age, but damn they show up. I was a student during BG and the first years of Archie so there is no such thing as a sure win. But it creates an electric atmosphere regardless of who we're playing.
Key for those who need it like I did:
1. **Allen Fieldhouse** - University of Kansas Jayhawks
2. **Mackey Arena** - Purdue University Boilermakers
3. **Cameron Indoor Stadium** - Duke University Blue Devils
4. **Bud Walton Arena** - University of Arkansas Razorbacks
5. **Assembly Hall (Ass Hall)** - Indiana University Hoosiers
6. **Breslin Center** - Michigan State University Spartans
7. **Hilton Coliseum** - Iowa State University Cyclones
8. **Rupp Arena** - University of Kentucky Wildcats
9. **Smith Spectrum** - Utah State University Aggies
10. **The Pit** - University of New Mexico Lobos
(assuming you're asking me lol) I'm a college basketball nut and watch a ton of games across all conferences. The scottsman gives me chills every time, but it's always pretty loud in that arena from tip to the end
Shhhh. Night in and night out it is one of the more insane environments in CBB and has been for 8-9 years now. The state of Indiana lives and breathes basketball and they always sell out and routinely hit 120+ decibels
To be fair, it always sells out partially because it’s a few thousand seats less than many of the other areas on this list. Mackey was built in 1969, and while it has been expanded, I don’t think they can add a significantly large amount of seats without building a new arena
Yeah but also there's a massive line for season tickets and the paint crew sells out in like 20 minutes (if that). I think it'd sell out even if it had 18k seats
I think the quality of the opponents ought to help a lot. Look at the Pac-12 lineup and then look at the Big 12. There hasn’t been a lot for Arizona fans to get excited about in conference aside from UCLA, ASU and whatever revenge game they have that year. Kansas, Baylor, TT, TCU (especially after that tourney game), and others oughta wake people up.
Yeah I’m decoupling team quality and environment here. Assembly Hall is tough even when IU sucks (and unfortunately, I know that from experience.) Rupp is tough because UK’s had great teams a lot of years. Too many blue hairs and it’s an arena in a mall.
It makes for an awful viewing experience up there. Terrible place to watch a game.
But boy does it rock because of it. Sat at court level for one big game as a student and holy shit it was *loud*.
This is definitely a factor, Ol’ Reynolds had the top deck close to the floor, and it was like playing in a hole in the ground. If you aren’t acclimated, it’s intense. Also elevates the noise and heat.
I wouldn't put Rupp or Spectrum higher than The Pit.
Rupp doesn't have that much of a tough environment. It just usually happens to have a tough team occupying it.
In the MW hierarchy, I'd have The Pit followed by Viejas, then Spectrum.
I considered them, but it seems like they only get up for big games. A lot of the lower conference games seemed kinda sterile. Definitely top 15 though and a beautiful stadium
It's moreso a history thing. Rupp has shown in the past to be one of the more insane venues, Houston hasn't proven it consistently enough yet. Fwiw, 5-6 years ago I'd say Rupp was top 3 and Houston (obviously without the new arena) wasn't close. I can see Houston hopping into the top 10 this year with some good big 12 crowds.
Lol I feel like such a college basketball nut but I watch games basically every day during the season. I need the season to be back :)
Viejas is no joke. We play amazing at home for a reason.
Honorable mention to Grand Canyon! We went to the game there last year and it was wild. Students get up for the game. It's incredibly loud and the seating is basically on top of the court. Also, the student section is an entire side of the arena. They were having crowd surfing races and screaming the entire time.
Since the 2017 season, san diego state has consistently had only 1 to 2 losses all but 1 time. In the last 6 years we’ve had more ncaa tournament wins than home losses
In terms of toughness adjusted by quality of team then easily the RAC.
Not matter how bad Rutgers is (and there’s no small sample sized of Rutgers being bad) it’s always a tough out.
I miss when Gallagher-Iba Arena was a shoe-in for lists like this. It’s a shame Oklahoma State has decided to suck for the majority of the past 20 years.
I know I’m biased, but I’m curious to see how Foster Pavilion’s gonna work out. So far it’s atmosphere is a lot better than Ferrell, and with the team being really good I could see it being in the top 25
Hear me out, Cameron is much more highly regarded here than we probably should be. Maybe I'm just getting older but those 90's/00's Crazies were built different than our more recent crop of youngins.
It's true, it's notoriusly hard to get into Duke\* (Unless Daddy has big pockets) & for those few they're 100% focused on the academic side of things with sports ball fandom sprinkled in lol
I feel like the RAC has to have a shout, purely because even when I used to go in there when Rutgers was really bad it would still give considerably more talented teams trouble
With AFH being the obvious #1, I’ll share some that I have only personally visited that most wouldn’t expect.
Oklahoma State is the loudest road building I have ever heard hands down. Place is steep as hell too so the noise just pounds down on the court
Tennessee is another one that was louder than expected and has great fans too
Iowa State would be next
As far as games that didn’t include KU…
Duke is a different kind of loud. More noisy and higher pitched crowd noise
I wish but I have kids now so the days of making those trips are done for some time. It’s been one of the places I have wanted to go to a game to and I plan to at some point. I do know a few people that have been to the Marriott and they said it was a pretty wild atmosphere. Cant wait to play you guys…again!
Yeah and they literally raised the roof for that reason. It’s a hidden gem for sure. Ok and I’ll admit, not my favorite place to attend, but you guys do have some pretty crazy crowds…..just keep it consistent for the whole year and not KU lol!!!!
PS - one of the funniest things I’ve probably seen there or any place was one of your students was dressed in a chicken costume doing the Wabash😂. Pretty sure I have video of it somewhere
The Marriott Center for BYU is amazing. People were talking about it like Allen Fieldhouse last year in the Big 12. Obviously it’s not to the same level but it is a pretty special place.
I was somewhat puzzled by the lack of Marriott center propaganda in the comments. It’s pretty big and we fill it all the way up. I can’t say, cuz obviously Homer bias, but it really is an electric atmosphere. Caveat being only when we’re good… if we’re bad then it’s very meh
Marriot Center also gets an advantage a lot of these places don't get. Altitude. While that doesn't relate to the crowd environment, it definitely makes it more brutal than it otherwise would be.
Bud Waldron Arena-is tough night in and night out. 19k plus and is sold out consistently. Duke and Purdue (exhibition) went down just this last season in BWA this last season.
Dark horse that 100% deserves it is GCU arena, gotta be top 5.
You could see the full home advantage in display when they beat ranked San Diego State. A bit under appreciated just bc they are a mid-major and not in one of the nationally relevant conferences.
Also fun fact is GCU stands for Global Credit Union, just so happens they own naming rights to Grand Canyon’s facility.
When (if?) GCU hosts Gonzaga, I think people will finally appreciate what their home crowd is like - yes they’re a “villain” school but you can’t deny they have spirit
Illinois played at some campus gym at Penn State this year and if I was a fan of any other team I would’ve thought that was fucking awesome. I actually did anyways. I fully realize this is off-topic lol.
There was a post I looked at with my own math one time. I got something like, when UConn was at its lowest point winning some 50-55% of all games, they would still win like 80% of the time at Gampel.
Edit: I forget the percentage but the xl center record wasn’t that good
People won’t agree but CHI is about as close to an NBA arena you’ll get size wise in CBB and yet it still has the college atmosphere. Also managed to rattle Hurley and his championship team enough there to force a public statement out of him about how hostile it was lmao.
For the ACC schools, Oakland Zoo at Pete is underrated, Cassell on some occasions is lit too. Cameron gets more than it’s due, but it’s always top ten. Littlejohn, Dean Dome and Yum are also at least top 20. The PNC hasn’t been as stout lately, but we’re still trouble if the game is big enough.
For other conferences, I love the U Dayton arena, Cole Fieldhouse is tough, the O dome has some good moments, and for traditional purposes Allen Fieldhouse and Pauley. With traditional powers there’s always a hit or miss factor, but if it’s a big enough game, they rarely disappoint.
Can we please get another college basketball video game? Hope the success of the football game will lead into another CBB getting made.
I tried playing NCAA Hoops 2k8 a couple months ago the ago and the gameplay has aged so horribly compared
Gonna add a dark horse I haven’t seen mentioned here - the West Virginia Coliseum. It’s obviously very loud with crazy fans (when the team is good) but the sight lines are very weird. The depth perception for the basket is very different than most places and it messes with shooters.
To expand on the noise factor. The entire roof of the Coliseum is concrete and there is nothing to absorb sound anywhere. It makes the Coliseum a pretty lousy place for a concert, but a great place for basketball. The first couple times you hear the musket get fired in there you will jump out of your skin.
It was designed to direct all of that noise at the floor. I saw Dylan play there. It might have annoyed him, but I had fun.
Appreciate the shoutout. I may get buried in the comment chain but I watched a magical game there my senior year of college. It was January 2017 and #1 Baylor played West Virginia in the Coliseum. This was the "Press Virginia" team under Bob Huggins. It was a slaughter. Baylor turned the ball over 5-6 times IN A ROW at one point. WVU ended up winning the game and I stormed the court. I bring this up to say I have been to a lot of college sporting events both at WVU and on the road. The only game I've been to that compares to the noise I heard in the Coliseum that night was a Penn State-Ohio State white out in Happy Valley. I am not exaggerating when I say I put my hands around my friends ear and screamed and he could not hear me.
Also, and I don't remember the name of it, BYU's Arena would be a fucking nightmare to visit as a player.
The Marriott Center. There are loads of awesome arenas in the big 12. Phog Hilton West Virginia coliseum Marriott Center Baylor’s Texas tech Heck, even UCF. Pretty much every arena is packed and loud, minus a couple of the Pac 12 schools
>The Marriott Center. You Mormons and your hotel empire.
Bruh Mormons are the largest landowner in Florida. It’s like 2%. They’ve got hands in everything, a 150+ billion stock portfolio that’s very diversified.
Not including the Trapezoid of Terror on this list is a big miss I've got a buddy who is a UConn fan and he's said the RAC is easily the loudest and most intimidating place to play
See y’all at McKale Center. Arizona has led the Pac-12 in attendance for close to 40 years now. Holds around 14,500 and it’s typically around 99% capacity.
Trapezoid of terror
Hell yea
https://x.com/forbeswakehoops/status/1740772033557103048?s=46
Yep. A lot of people with see Rutgers as a meh basketball program recently and terrible historically. But they are right at that sweet spot right now where every game can implicate their post season, where every game matters. The fans are invested in showing up and helping pull for them to win and they do. They have solid defenses which means they can beat anyone. Don't get me wrong offense can get a crowd going, but shot clock violations followed by a simple basket can make a crowd go insane. On top of this everything is amplified if the opposing team is ranked. Rutgers has reliably been the underdog in these scenarios but good enough that an upset is always on the table. I have been to most big 10 arenas, and Rutgers is legitimately number 2 in the conference for best game atmosphere (behind Mackey). I know a bunch of other fans will say something stupid like "for big games it is an amazing atmosphere." If you have to have a qualifier for what will make your atmosphere amazing, it isn't an amazing atmosphere. You go to any Rutgers game it will be an amazing atmosphere. This year could go wild if Bailey and Harper can do something offensively, and Rutgers maintains solid defense.
My flairs treat having raucous home crowds at basketball games like it’s boorish and improper
The Smith Center for large out of conference games or important ACC games is pretty raucous and loud. It’s too big to keep the environment up consistently which creates the wine and cheese narrative.
Eh. The Dean Dome gets out of bed for the big games. Boston College on some random Tuesday though? Yeah bring a book.
BC can be *very* dangerous on a random Tuesday in the Conte forum. Or they could lose by 20+ 50/50 chance, regardless of opponent
Comte Forum for hockey is a *sick* atmosphere
Gotta fear conte morgue, teams die in the silence
I’m probably wrong, but Michigan feels like they fall into that Notre Dame stereotype where any fan of theirs who isn’t a student or has recently graduated is a crotchety geezer who hates fun
I think the issue is that the Michigan athletic department caters to the interests of the older alumni who pay for things at the expense of the students having a fun and inexpensive experience while they’re in school. The end product of this will of course be a bewildered fundraising apparatus wondering why the rich alumni don’t donate to the athletic department a generation from now. Given the tenor of Carolina’s recent survey about potential Smith Center updates, this sounds like a common problem.
I know it’s an outlier but I have a ton of respect for Texas Tech and their fans for how hostile that place was for when Chris Beard returned as the UT coach. The sound coming from the TV was so different from any other game I’ve ever watched
That game was a different level and every reporter there will say as much. It was an outlier, but, when Tech has it rolling the USA is a very daunting place to play. They were undefeated at home that season. The only (huge) issue is how quickly the fans will turn on mediocre or bad play and not show up.
Do you want us to do it based on EAs poor metrics or actual tough places to play?
Depends, who’s the basketball equivalent of Texas A&M Football?
I don't really know. USC? Memphis? I don't think anybody really fits the bill.
I'm obviously biased but Dayton has to be right up there with Gonzaga as the toughest mid-majors
I agree. Unless I'm completely blanking, I think Dayton and Gonzaga are the only two in the elite environments tier for mid-majors and they can stack up with most of the P5 schools too. MWC has some really good environments too
VCU is no joke either
Definitely - how is SDSU's stadium? Since they are usually a mid-major power I imagine they're high up there but idk
Viejas is legit. Huge and loud student section and fairly consistent sell outs. They don’t lose there often, even this year when the mountain west had 6 teams in the tourney SDSU was 5-1 against them at home and the only loss was OT to Boise.
I've been to a lot of these and Bud Walton feels...unsafe for an opponent That's a compliment btw
RAC is up there
RAC is awful... ... for visting teams
Thank you
Ours would definitely not be on there. Unless it was a knitting competition.
Wide aisles are great for yarn storage.
Yawn storage
Or unless Caitlyn Clark plays
I miss the times when LittleJohn was near the top of toughest places to play. NCAA Basketball 10 had us at 2
That UNC Clemson game at LittleJohn this past season was electric. I’m sure if Brownell continues fielding good teams it’ll stay that way.
Don’t get me wrong, we show up when we’re good or playing Duke/UNC/South Carolina. But the renovations they’ve done in the past 10 years absolutely neutered how rowdy LittleJohn can get.
I still dread games at LittleJohn. Y'all's crowd is fucking awesome
The Dunk
The atmosphere plus roof leaks make it a top 5 for me
The drunkest student section in college sports is definitely a top contender.
The crazy thing about the Dunk is that the roof is sentient and knows when to start leaking to stop the opposing team's momentum.
Nah we just have one of the priest in the rafters waiting for the call to make it rain.
Ed Cooley would concur.
Dayton seats 13,400+ and fills it every night. Fans in the lower bowl are a little bit old of the whine and cheese variety but the student section and upper levels are electric. Definitely top 25 all day every day and can hit a top 10 or top 5 level during a close and/or big game.
UD gets up for just about every game no matter how good your season is. I think that’s what really sets you all apart is the floor is so high. Even the old sweaters get into it. Great place to see a game
Lived in Dayton for a couple years and went to a couple UD games. Wish I went to more, that place was a hell of a time.
Didn’t expect us to be on here but during the 2020 season the already amazing crowd was so loud and electric. Even still the place is still jam packed and loud as hell every night
Dayton "booster" here who paid a lot in "voluntary donations" to get tickets in the lower bowl, massive agree. My section has mainly people my parents age, but damn they show up. I was a student during BG and the first years of Archie so there is no such thing as a sure win. But it creates an electric atmosphere regardless of who we're playing.
1. Allen fieldhouse 2. Mackey arena 3. Cameron indoor 4. Bud Walton 5. Ass Hall 6. Breslin 7. Hilton 8. Rupp 9. Smith spectrum 10. The pit
>5. Ass Hall I respect this petty
I mean the ceiling was falling down a couple years ago 😭😭
Loved calling it disassembly hall
Don't forget when a chunk of ceiling fell a few hours before a game and they had to postpone because of it.
I always laugh at the Indiana Big 10 pettiness, so childish
We are what we are.
Key for those who need it like I did: 1. **Allen Fieldhouse** - University of Kansas Jayhawks 2. **Mackey Arena** - Purdue University Boilermakers 3. **Cameron Indoor Stadium** - Duke University Blue Devils 4. **Bud Walton Arena** - University of Arkansas Razorbacks 5. **Assembly Hall (Ass Hall)** - Indiana University Hoosiers 6. **Breslin Center** - Michigan State University Spartans 7. **Hilton Coliseum** - Iowa State University Cyclones 8. **Rupp Arena** - University of Kentucky Wildcats 9. **Smith Spectrum** - Utah State University Aggies 10. **The Pit** - University of New Mexico Lobos
Nice work with the Smith Spectrum. How did you know?
(assuming you're asking me lol) I'm a college basketball nut and watch a ton of games across all conferences. The scottsman gives me chills every time, but it's always pretty loud in that arena from tip to the end
“Better orchestration than the tabernacle choir “
Ah so that's why OP ranked MacKey at #2.
Shhhh. Night in and night out it is one of the more insane environments in CBB and has been for 8-9 years now. The state of Indiana lives and breathes basketball and they always sell out and routinely hit 120+ decibels
To be fair, it always sells out partially because it’s a few thousand seats less than many of the other areas on this list. Mackey was built in 1969, and while it has been expanded, I don’t think they can add a significantly large amount of seats without building a new arena
Yeah but also there's a massive line for season tickets and the paint crew sells out in like 20 minutes (if that). I think it'd sell out even if it had 18k seats
This is true. I remember the only season I waited in that long ass line for paint crew tickets was 2020. You can probably guess how that turned out.
It only got worse the better we've gotten too. Can't wait till I'm a season ticket holder and don't have to worry about it lol
He was trying not to be a homer as Mackey is clearly #1. Everyone knows this.
😭😭 I wish we had Allen fieldhouse
I appreciate the love despite the beatdown in the tournament.
No ill will towards Aggies. They might just be my favorite mountain west team after that game lol
I'm glad you didn't just ignore the west completely, and the Pit is a great shout, but McKale and McCarthey would like a word.
Next year the Big 12 schools will get a taste of it. Cant wait to see how crazy it gets. Should be an awesome time with lots of big games at McKale.
I mean mckale is great, but the geriatric nature of old alumni buying up all the season tickets brings the noise down alot
Yeah but ZonaZoo makes up for it. When it's on, it's on. Plus those geriatrics do get up and get loud at times. Especially for big games.
I think the quality of the opponents ought to help a lot. Look at the Pac-12 lineup and then look at the Big 12. There hasn’t been a lot for Arizona fans to get excited about in conference aside from UCLA, ASU and whatever revenge game they have that year. Kansas, Baylor, TT, TCU (especially after that tourney game), and others oughta wake people up.
You can pretty much base whether or not someone knows ball or not by whether or not the Pit is on their list
The spectrum too. It's such a good environment
(Rupp actually isn’t that difficult of an environment)
Indiana is 558-115 in assembly hall, UK is 529-64 in Rupp, we ain’t too different pal.
Yeah I’m decoupling team quality and environment here. Assembly Hall is tough even when IU sucks (and unfortunately, I know that from experience.) Rupp is tough because UK’s had great teams a lot of years. Too many blue hairs and it’s an arena in a mall.
Unless you go to Assembly Hall, you have no idea how close the upper deck is to the floor. It is much more intimidating than television suggests.
It makes for an awful viewing experience up there. Terrible place to watch a game. But boy does it rock because of it. Sat at court level for one big game as a student and holy shit it was *loud*.
It frankly should be illegal, yeah
This is definitely a factor, Ol’ Reynolds had the top deck close to the floor, and it was like playing in a hole in the ground. If you aren’t acclimated, it’s intense. Also elevates the noise and heat.
Reynolds was terrifying.
LOL ASS HALL
I'd swap The Pit for the Trapezoid of Terror, but The Pit would then be 11
Nah nah the RAC always has some voodoo magic but it's not close to the pit night in and night out imo
I wouldn't put Rupp or Spectrum higher than The Pit. Rupp doesn't have that much of a tough environment. It just usually happens to have a tough team occupying it. In the MW hierarchy, I'd have The Pit followed by Viejas, then Spectrum.
Fertitta Center (houston) should be up there.
I considered them, but it seems like they only get up for big games. A lot of the lower conference games seemed kinda sterile. Definitely top 15 though and a beautiful stadium
Idk how you drop them for that but include Kentucky then but I guess that’s your call.
It's moreso a history thing. Rupp has shown in the past to be one of the more insane venues, Houston hasn't proven it consistently enough yet. Fwiw, 5-6 years ago I'd say Rupp was top 3 and Houston (obviously without the new arena) wasn't close. I can see Houston hopping into the top 10 this year with some good big 12 crowds. Lol I feel like such a college basketball nut but I watch games basically every day during the season. I need the season to be back :)
McCarthey Center should absolutely be in the top 10
Viejas is no joke. We play amazing at home for a reason. Honorable mention to Grand Canyon! We went to the game there last year and it was wild. Students get up for the game. It's incredibly loud and the seating is basically on top of the court. Also, the student section is an entire side of the arena. They were having crowd surfing races and screaming the entire time.
Viejas is awesome. SDSU, GCU, USU, Zags, BYU, Arizona, New Mexico, and Oregon are the best in the west. No particular order
Utah State is crazy when they break out the gloves
Since the 2017 season, san diego state has consistently had only 1 to 2 losses all but 1 time. In the last 6 years we’ve had more ncaa tournament wins than home losses
Same.
https://preview.redd.it/pc4b8jb5ss8d1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=81050ef43719c99580de8beb97ae6e50ffd8be40
Fun fact: SDS was one of the teams that beat KU at home when Bill Self had more Big XII titles than home losses.
As an illinois fan…..the answer is unfortunately Mackey. It’s consistently the loudest sports environment I’ve ever experienced.
It legitimately hurts my ears. Ears ring until the next morning, it’s insane
JMA Wireless dome is number one no basis here!
lol agreed. Although to me it’ll always be the Carrier Dome
Last couple years have been calling it the Judah Mintz wireless dome 😂
JMA wireless will never be *my* carrier. Fear the curtain.
Allen Fieldhouse, Cameron Indoor Stadium and Hilton have to be on any list
I see what you did there
I'm just saying if you're making a top 15 even and those three aren't one it, you're wrong.
Hilton was/is a tough place to play even when ISU is bad. Duke and KU are almost never bad.
The RAC when RU is halfway decent turns into a zoo
If you’re making a top 10 you better have the Pit on there, that’s all Ill say
In terms of toughness adjusted by quality of team then easily the RAC. Not matter how bad Rutgers is (and there’s no small sample sized of Rutgers being bad) it’s always a tough out.
Cintas is in there
I miss when Gallagher-Iba Arena was a shoe-in for lists like this. It’s a shame Oklahoma State has decided to suck for the majority of the past 20 years.
I don’t think it’s the toughest but Xavier doesn’t lose in Cintas. Just ask Cincinnati.
I was really impressed with Cintas, the army man parachute toss was electric
The MW has some very tough places to play
Seriously. Major east coast bias in this thread.
I know I’m biased, but I’m curious to see how Foster Pavilion’s gonna work out. So far it’s atmosphere is a lot better than Ferrell, and with the team being really good I could see it being in the top 25
Wake Forrest viciously attacked our superstar, so I’d put them at the top /s
The Dome when full is near deafening. Especially when they start selling into the football seats.
It’s also super hot due to the lack of A/C /s
 Don't need A/C when it's cold as shit for 96% of the basketball season!
You’re telling me the *Carrier* dome doesn’t have A/C??
It does as of like a year ago but didn’t when it was called the Carrier Dome
I just remember announcers not shutting up about how the dome was hot with no A/C during football games
Definitely wasn't fun as a fan on those 90 degree days with no breeze and stale air
The irony… “We’ll pay to name the building after us but there’s no way in hell we’re going to give you some AC units”
Now that it's the JMA Wireless Dome they're probably working to make sure it doesn't have any Wi-Fi.
Dome at peak decibel count is like none other
Hear me out, Cameron is much more highly regarded here than we probably should be. Maybe I'm just getting older but those 90's/00's Crazies were built different than our more recent crop of youngins.
You arent bringing in the type of kids that care that much
It's true, it's notoriusly hard to get into Duke\* (Unless Daddy has big pockets) & for those few they're 100% focused on the academic side of things with sports ball fandom sprinkled in lol
a packed xfinity center at maryland is top 10 keyword packed
Most of the big 10 doesn’t know what the fan base was capable of. They really only know the Mark life sucked out of us era.
The Pit.
Hilton.
I feel like the RAC has to have a shout, purely because even when I used to go in there when Rutgers was really bad it would still give considerably more talented teams trouble
With AFH being the obvious #1, I’ll share some that I have only personally visited that most wouldn’t expect. Oklahoma State is the loudest road building I have ever heard hands down. Place is steep as hell too so the noise just pounds down on the court Tennessee is another one that was louder than expected and has great fans too Iowa State would be next As far as games that didn’t include KU… Duke is a different kind of loud. More noisy and higher pitched crowd noise
Sooo… are you coming to Provo this year?
I wish but I have kids now so the days of making those trips are done for some time. It’s been one of the places I have wanted to go to a game to and I plan to at some point. I do know a few people that have been to the Marriott and they said it was a pretty wild atmosphere. Cant wait to play you guys…again!
It's honestly a shame that GIA does not get as full as it once did. That place at capacity is insane.
Yeah and they literally raised the roof for that reason. It’s a hidden gem for sure. Ok and I’ll admit, not my favorite place to attend, but you guys do have some pretty crazy crowds…..just keep it consistent for the whole year and not KU lol!!!! PS - one of the funniest things I’ve probably seen there or any place was one of your students was dressed in a chicken costume doing the Wabash😂. Pretty sure I have video of it somewhere
Consistency? That's not what our student section is about 😁
Marriott Center
GIA two decades ago 😢
I saw KU v UK at Rupp in 2023. Unimpressed. It felt like a municipal auditorium. The rest of the town was awesome, though!
We need a college hoops game Arkansas is loud af
The Pit and the Spectrum
The Pit is where ranked teams go to die.
Love Edgar Allen Poe
The Marriott Center for BYU is amazing. People were talking about it like Allen Fieldhouse last year in the Big 12. Obviously it’s not to the same level but it is a pretty special place.
I was somewhat puzzled by the lack of Marriott center propaganda in the comments. It’s pretty big and we fill it all the way up. I can’t say, cuz obviously Homer bias, but it really is an electric atmosphere. Caveat being only when we’re good… if we’re bad then it’s very meh
I was seriously impressed with Marriott Center. Absolutely kicked out ass there and every game I watched was loud.
Marriot Center also gets an advantage a lot of these places don't get. Altitude. While that doesn't relate to the crowd environment, it definitely makes it more brutal than it otherwise would be.
I always got annoyed when people used to say that GU played in no tough environments in the WCC…like the Marriott Center was right there, guys.
Very underrated and should definitely be top 10
Not Rup Arena
MSG for Uconn home games
McCarthey Athletic Center
Bud Waldron Arena-is tough night in and night out. 19k plus and is sold out consistently. Duke and Purdue (exhibition) went down just this last season in BWA this last season.
Dark horse that 100% deserves it is GCU arena, gotta be top 5. You could see the full home advantage in display when they beat ranked San Diego State. A bit under appreciated just bc they are a mid-major and not in one of the nationally relevant conferences. Also fun fact is GCU stands for Global Credit Union, just so happens they own naming rights to Grand Canyon’s facility.
When (if?) GCU hosts Gonzaga, I think people will finally appreciate what their home crowd is like - yes they’re a “villain” school but you can’t deny they have spirit
Yeah, GCU needs more TV games to be appreciated like this.
When Louisville isn’t coached by Kenny Payne, the Chicken Bucket is poppin
Illinois played at some campus gym at Penn State this year and if I was a fan of any other team I would’ve thought that was fucking awesome. I actually did anyways. I fully realize this is off-topic lol.
Rec Hall is awesome. But it only holds like 6k people. I love that they play there every now and then though.
FWIW, Notre Dame didn’t lose a home game when students were in session for two straight seasons from 2010-2012
My unbiased opinion says fertitta center
Bud Walton....Go HOGS
New Arena Unlocked: BARNHILL
In the last two years, there is only one answer - Gampel.
Surprised no one else mentioned it. Huskies feel unbeatable there
That has a lot to do with UConn just being on another level than everyone else the past two years. I’m sure the environment was great though.
There was a post I looked at with my own math one time. I got something like, when UConn was at its lowest point winning some 50-55% of all games, they would still win like 80% of the time at Gampel. Edit: I forget the percentage but the xl center record wasn’t that good
Or MSG during a UConn game.
People won’t agree but CHI is about as close to an NBA arena you’ll get size wise in CBB and yet it still has the college atmosphere. Also managed to rattle Hurley and his championship team enough there to force a public statement out of him about how hostile it was lmao.
Went to UConn/Creighton at CHI in 2023. Place was electric.
For the ACC schools, Oakland Zoo at Pete is underrated, Cassell on some occasions is lit too. Cameron gets more than it’s due, but it’s always top ten. Littlejohn, Dean Dome and Yum are also at least top 20. The PNC hasn’t been as stout lately, but we’re still trouble if the game is big enough. For other conferences, I love the U Dayton arena, Cole Fieldhouse is tough, the O dome has some good moments, and for traditional purposes Allen Fieldhouse and Pauley. With traditional powers there’s always a hit or miss factor, but if it’s a big enough game, they rarely disappoint.
PNC is also trouble if the other team has on a Duke uniform. They are allergic to winning there.
Last year the ACCN did player interviews and cameron and cassell were the most common response from players
All I gotta say is $1 beer night
Don’t have a full ranking but The Jungle has got to be up there. Auburn’s home atmosphere in the recent past has been electric
We need another 5-7 years of that intensity level to start being considered as a tough place amongst the others mentioned IMO
According to a lot of ACC players interviewed last year, Cassell is up there.
University of Dayton please and thanks
Kansas? ASU with the wacky student section?
Mackey Arena.
Coleman Coliseum….. if this was a gymnastics video game