Featuring plenty more variance than their NBA counterparts, dozens of college basketball arenas across the country are filled with unique charm and decades of history.
Though the basketball world undoubtedly has its full attention turned towards the NBA Finals as the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks battle for the title, it won’t be long until action picks up once again on the college hardwood.
While I’ve followed the NBA on a yearly basis since I was in seventh grade, the same can’t really be said for college sports. Growing up in the Chicago area that was dominated by pro sports teams and raised by parents who didn’t have allegiance to a particular school, there was no inherent interest in the competition – which seemed overwhelming to me with the sheer volume of schools.
Of course, this would all change after I enrolled at the University of Missouri, developing a fandom and connection with the school that will persist throughout my life. Beyond being my alma mater, I attended numerous football and basketball games while living in Columbia, and it certainly helped ignite my engrossment of the game.
As a sports fan who maintains a deep fascination with exploring different stadiums and arenas, college basketball presents an enchanting case – with literal hundreds of courts that vary greatly in size, grandiosity and experience.
While a fan could easily mistake Kentucky’s Rupp Arena or North Carolina’s Dean Smith Center for an NBA arena thanks to their massive seating capacities, a handful of other D-1 arenas are dwarfed by a handful of high school gyms in Indiana.
Though a handful of schools simply play in their city’s NBA arena, the vast majority of college teams have a unique court of their own to call home – oftentimes with decades of history behind both the university and the sport itself living within its walls.
As someone who has only attended games at a small handful of college basketball arenas, I’d have a hard time saying no to any new experience at a college hoops game. Still, there are three arenas that stand above the rest when I think of experiences I’d love to have as a lifelong sports fan.
1. Cameron Indoor Stadium – Duke University, Durham, NC
A revered experience that is often viewed as on-par with that of Lambeau Field, Fenway Park and Madison Square Garden, seeing a Duke basketball game at Cameron Indoor Stadium would absolutely be a special thing to take in – regardless of any deserved Duke hatred.
Originally opening in 1940, Cameron Indoor Stadium is known nationwide for its small capacity, extremely tight seating arrangements and a raucous student section located as close to the floor as humanly possible.
While the decades of history of some of the sport’s all-time greats having played on the same court is enough allure for most fans, the quirks of Cameron Indoor Stadium help provide everything else for fans who aren’t as taken back by the marvels of the past.
Perhaps the most notable of these traits are the basketball hoops descending from the ceiling as opposed to being anchored to the ground via stanchion – providing an old-school look that likely reminds many players and fans alike of playing in a high school gym.
Although a conference game would undoubtedly be the best experience at Cameron Indoor, I’d gladly take in any regular season game at one of the sport’s most historic barns.
2. Palestra – University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Though this arena may not have the perennial contender Duke as its tenant, the Palestra is arguably the most historic structure in all of college basketball – with an interior that looks like a trip back in a time machine.
Serving as the home court of the Ivy League’s Penn Quakers, the Palestra opened its doors for the first time in 1927, a whole 19 years before the birth of the NBA.
Affectionately nicknamed “The cathedral of college basketball,” the Palestra features a single seating bowl with a capacity of just over 8,700 fans – keeping fans close to the action regardless of how many there happen to be in attendance.
Though they are often covered during games, it’s impossible to ignore or forget about the Palestra’s large windows in the seating area, which give an unmistakable nostalgic charm that seems simply impossible to find in a modern arena.
You may not see the most entertaining game here, but you are guaranteed to take in a piece of irreplaceable college basketball history.
3. The Pit, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
Standing out as one of the stadiums/arenas that I immediately wanted to go to the second I saw a game being played there on TV, The Pit markets itself as one of the more novel experiences in college basketball – and it’s hard to argue against the logic.
Opening in 1966 as the home of the New Mexico Lobos, The Pit’s uniqueness is apparent from the jump, with the arena’s entrances serving as the highest point of the building.
With seating only descending once fans make it into the arena, the aptly-named Pit’s playing surface lies a whole 37 feet below street level – providing for deafening acoustics when a capacity crowd of 15,411 fans packs the building.
Although the court itself may be a good dip below street level, it’s still a whopping 5,100 feet above sea level – giving visiting athletes another tough thing to prepare for when making a trip the Mountain West metropolis.
The Pit has long been viewed as a hidden treasure in American sports, even receiving a lofty honor from Sports Illustrated in the magazine’s ranking of the best sporting venues of the 20th century, even edging out the Rose Bowl and Daytona Speedway.
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