House groups received 59.9% of their video games final season in faculty basketball, in keeping with KenPom. That was up from 57.5% over the earlier two seasons. Profitable on the street in faculty basketball is hard, and that is accounted for within the NCAA’s NET rankings system, which rewards any victory over a group within the prime 75 of the NET with the coveted “Quad 1” standing.
However deciphering the exact energy of a group’s home-court benefit in faculty basketball is troublesome as a result of there are a number of elements to contemplate past simply attendance and residential successful proportion. How shut are the scholars to the opposing bench? In some circumstances, altitude generally is a issue. Whereas some venues can show extremely raucous for sure marquee matchups, the intimidation elements tapers dramatically for unheralded opponents.
When Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander requested which arenas boast one of the best home-court environments to roughly 100 coaches throughout final 12 months’s Candid Coaches sequence, 22 totally different colleges appeared on at the very least three ballots. The survey showcased the range of thought round this matter. Whereas packages equivalent to Kansas and Duke led the way in which, some much less predictable colleges equivalent to Wichita State and Texas Tech additionally fared nicely within the coaches’ rankings.
For this week’s Dribble Handoff, our writers are weighing in on the subject. Which faculty basketball venue brings one of the best peak home-court benefit within the sport? Listed here are our responses:
Kansas
The one correct solution to begin this listing is with Allen Fieldhouse, the historic residence of the Kansas Jayhawks. There isn’t any extra particular place in faculty basketball, and it is my private favourite.
Have you ever been there? If not — and in the event you can — it’s best to attempt to get there sometime as a result of it actually ought to be a bucket-list kind place for all hoop heads. The constructing is called after Phog Allen, in any other case often known as the “Father of Basketball Teaching.” The courtroom is called after Dr. James Naismith, the inventor of the sport.
Onerous to beat that combo.
Allen Fieldhouse has been the house of the Jayhawks since 1955. It seems cool. It sounds superb. And it is undeniably the most effective, if not the greatest, home-court benefits within the sport — particularly since Invoice Self changed Roy Williams 20 seasons in the past. Since then, the Jayhawks are 307-17 inside Allen Fieldhouse. In different phrases, Self has averaged fewer than one loss at residence per season. And he’ll enter 12 months 21 at KU with the identical variety of Massive 12 regular-season titles (17) as losses inside Allen Fieldhouse (17).
It has been constant excellence for 20 years. Self is the largest motive for the success. However the magic within the constructing issues. — Gary Parrish
The wonderful thing about faculty basketball is {that a} story like this might embody 20 gyms and it nonetheless would not fairly refill a listing of actually probably the most intimidating and intoxicating environments within the sport. Purdue, for instance, is certainly a top-10 barn in faculty hoops — nevertheless it’s not listed right here at the moment. I am going to go along with the Kennel. I took this video on my journey there in 2021, and the video most likely will get throughout 1/a centesimal of what it felt prefer to be in that constructing that evening.
College students in ridiculous costumes, in a single day tenting to get one of the best seats, big-time hype movies, coordinated cheers and crowd motion. They do it proper up there in Spokane.
One enormous factor Gonzaga’s residence enviornment has going for it’s the dimension. McCarthey Athletic Heart holds roughly 6,000 folks, which is simply cozy sufficient to really feel like an intimate setting but in addition giant sufficient to really feel like big-time faculty hoops. It is one of many loudest arenas I’ve ever been in, and the scholar part state of affairs is emphatic. Gonzaga is a powerhouse of a program tucked away within the Pacific Northwest, and because of two-plus many years of NCAA Event appearances, it additionally succeeds in getting virtually each program of word to fly up there and play on its residence turf.
How onerous is it to beat Gonzaga at Gonzaga? Mark Few’s program has 23 residence losses previously 24 seasons. — Matt Norlander
How imposing can a spot with a Razorback at heart courtroom and an enviornment full of chants of “Woo Pig Sooie!” actually be? If that is your query about my number of Arkansas right here, then buddy, I might wager there is a 112% probability you have not skilled this place for your self. For disgrace. Bud Walton Area on the College of Arkansas is likely one of the most imposing environments in faculty basketball. Sure, there is a literal feral pig serving because the mascot, and sure, the “Woo Pig Sooie!” chant — the hog name, it is recognized — is a clumsy squeal which may rival Lloyd Christmas’ all-time shriek. Nevertheless, add within the feral pig with ferocious followers who stay and breathe to squeal at their favourite group in an enviornment that reverberates in heated moments, and it is simple to see why coach Eric Musselman and Arkansas have one of the crucial deadly home-court benefits not simply within the SEC, however all of faculty sports activities. — Kyle Boone
Texas Tech
My colleagues coated the must-hit selections right here, so I am going to lean into one of the best “peak” home-court benefit and go Texas Tech. You may not count on a venue with the unlucky identify of United Supermarkets Area to pose a lot of a nuisance to guests. However a visit to play the Purple Raiders is something however a stroll down the produce aisle, particularly in case your identify is Chris Beard. When the previous Texas Tech coach returned because the coach of Texas within the 2021-22 season, the scene amounted to a riot because the Purple Raider devoted confirmed the fierce aspect of West Texas to a person they perceived as a traitor.
Beard was flanked by legislation enforcement all through the day, and his group was no match for the seething, booing, cruel Purple Raider devoted. Following a 77-64 win for the Purple Raiders, then-coach Mark Adams stated the followers “had been perhaps higher than our gamers.” Texas Tech followers don’t replicate that depth with each residence recreation, however their fever pitch is crippling for guests. When the Purple Raiders are good and their fanbase is impressed, the world’s 15,300-seat capability turns right into a hornet’s nest.
There’s been no higher show of home-court benefit in American sports activities in recent times than what we noticed throughout Beard’s return. If new coach Grant McCasland can faucet into that zeal, it might present a shock to the a number of new Massive 12 members set to cycle by way of the league’s venues over the following few seasons. — David Cobb
Duke
Is there a extra apparent alternative than Cameron Indoor Stadium? Taking part in at Duke because the street group needs to be one of the crucial intimidating atmospheres in all of sports activities. The sitting capability of the world is simply over 9,000, which, in comparison with different venues within the ACC, is considerably smaller. For instance, North Carolina‘s gymnasium (The Dean Smith Heart) holds virtually 22,000 folks. The smaller venue and the restricted capability are what make it distinctive, nevertheless. Followers have an opportunity to be inside the fingertips of opposing gamers due to their skill to take a seat proper on the sting of press row and behind different media on the baseline.
Duke college students camp out in “Krzyzewskiville” named after legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski, so they do not miss out on the motion. In Coach Okay’s closing recreation in opposition to North Carolina in 2022, followers camped out for weeks in an effort to safe their spot. Duke is 832-154 (.844) all-time on the enviornment and went 474-59 (.889) at residence below Coach Okay. Because the 2004-05 season, Duke is 179-12 at residence; the one program that is had extra success at residence throughout that stretch is Kansas. Watching a recreation at Duke is a bucket listing merchandise for any faculty basketball fan no matter rooting curiosity — except perhaps you root for North Carolina. Even then, seeing that rivalry recreation up shut in a loud and hostile setting is definitely worth the journey. — Cameron Salerno