January 25, 200818 yr Kentucky USED to be on this list, not anymore though, IMO. Just to name a few... 1. Duke 2. KU 3. The "Pete" 4. UNC 5. Syracuse
January 25, 200818 yr 1. Fog Allen - Kansas 2. Cameron Indoor - Duke 3. Whatever the call that dump in Gainsville - Florida (O'Connel center I think or "Alligator Alley" (that was the old dump, this is the new dump) 4. Iba Arena - OK State 5. Rupp Arena - Kentucky (and when it really gets going that 5 would move up to 3 easily).
January 25, 200818 yr For all of you all putting UK may I ask why? I sure all of you all see the same games I do, and see a place that usually has fans sitting on their butts all game and not doing much. I mean even in close games the place usually dont get to loud. The only times it really does is when we play a top 5 team or are on a huge run. So I don't think Rupp should qualify as one of the top 5 hardest places to play in the nation. For as many people as we have at Rupp, it should create a huge homecourt advantage, but however it does not. If Rupp really was one of the top 5 hardest places to play at, then teams like Gardner Webb and San Diego would have never beat us, because they would have been to rattled, which they definitely was not. I listed U.K. / Rupp Arena just bc of the 24,000 on most every night. I do agree that it cold be alot better but when Ruppp gets rockin' it is awesome. The fans do need to get into it a little more, I agree but to me it is still and intimidating place to opponets. JMO
January 26, 200818 yr Just some info... In terms of seating capacity, Thompson-Boling is the largest facility ever built specifically for basketball in the United States. The seating capacity was 24,535 until its 2007 renovation. The men's record crowd was 25,610 for a game against Kentucky on January 21, 1989, which is also the SEC record for a regular-season game. The Lady Vols record crowd of 24,653, set at their win over archrival UConn on January 7, 2006, is also the all-time record for an NCAA regular-season women's game. The facility hosted the 1989 Southeastern Conference men's basketball tournament. It hosted games of the NCAA men's basketball tournament in 1994 and 1999, and the 1990 NCAA Women's Final Four. I know Thompson-Boling arena is a big place but I find it hard to consider it a tough place to play year in and year out. A lot of the capacity crowds for mens games during the UK-UT games were caused by a large movement of Big Blue fans. I think if UT continues down the road its headed then it will definately have potential to become a top five tough place to play.
January 26, 200818 yr Duke #1 no brainer. I LOVE UK but I feel they blow it when it comes to home court. It REALLY bothers me the way Rupp is set up! First off they need a bigger gym because they could sell way more ticekts to every game. The thing I REALLY wish they would change is all the old boring money down low! They need to tune into a couple of Duke games and watch the passion the students have around the floor! If they opened that opportunity up around UK basketball games they would take over as #1! I am out of school and have no problem sitting a little higher to let the college kids (it is a college game) sit down around the floor and cause all kinds of trouble for opposing teams! Its never gonna happen and I have mixed opinions about it. I agree Rupp would be better if students could get closer to the floor however its hard to move fans who have had their tickets forever. For instance as I've stated on here a million times, my family's season tickets are lower arena behind other team's bench and we have had those seats ever since Rupp opened. (In case you wondered, until Pitino came, UK's bench was actually on the opposite side of the court from where it is now.) There are two arguements to this issue here. I understand the desire to have students as close to the action as possible, being able to see three games a year from my family's seats is just awesome because I am so close to the floor. Add that it is frustrating to have older adults sitting around you who don't get up and holler or yell and get loud is annoying and can bring down the atmosphere. However, in my family's instance and im sure many other people's cases, how can you claim you have any more right to seats then we do when the fact is that for 32 years we have paid for and consistently been to the games. Furthermore, my grandparents and great grandparents were season ticket holders for the entire length of Memorial Colisseum's existance as UK's home. The fact is that unless UK can get another place built where they can appease long time season ticket holders with a nice area to sit where they can still take in and enjoy the game like they did before, while still being able to have built in area that allows as many students as possible to be close to the court and juice up the atmosphere, then we probably wont see much change. I will say, something has to be said for a program and place where a team can lose to Gardner-Webb and the next home game still have 21,000+ at the game or be 7-9 and still operate at 24,000+. UK could play at a 100,000 capacity stadium and I have a pretty good feeling they could still have almost half the place sold each time.
January 26, 200818 yr I will say, something has to be said for a program and place where a team can lose to Gardner-Webb and the next home game still have 21,000+ at the game or be 7-9 and still operate at 24,000+. UK could play at a 100,000 capacity stadium and I have a pretty good feeling they could still have almost half the place sold each time. :thumb: Thare aren't but a handful of places like that in the country. U.K. fans are great. When one considers how they continued to pack in Commonwealth Stadium to watch some pretty bad Kentucky football teams play I can't see how anyone can doubt U.K. fans and their love for the Wildcats.
January 26, 200818 yr I know Thompson-Boling arena is a big place but I find it hard to consider it a tough place to play year in and year out. A lot of the capacity crowds for mens games during the UK-UT games were caused by a large movement of Big Blue fans. I think if UT continues down the road its headed then it will definately have potential to become a top five tough place to play. :thumb: UT used to curtain off the entire upper section of the arena to keep it from looking empty. They also reduced the capacity quite a bit when they added the new luxury boxes. (lost about 3000 seats I think)
January 29, 200818 yr Duke is #1 by far, but a place nobody has mentioned is Wisconsin. They are tough to play at home.
January 30, 200818 yr How can anyone say UK when they lose at home to second rate teams? I'd say Duke at home against a DII school in preseason has a better atmosphere than UK and Louisville at Rupp. All because of the fans making a difference.
January 30, 200818 yr Proof here that your the one who wont let this issue die...But however now that you mentioned it. I think Minnesota when it is actually sold out, is actually a tougher place to play that UK. The crowd is definitely into the game, and really creates a home court advantage. The same can't be same about our old UK crowd who only gets up when a top 5 team comes here, or if we are on a big run...The "Barn" is tougher... :lol::lol: Rupp has 20,000 seats in it, when the team is below .500. As for the noise level, you should have been there before Tubby came.
January 30, 200818 yr Are you just supporting what I said then? Because you just show how Syracuse on average doesn't draw as many people as UK. So that must mean there average is atleast below 23000. So the whole 33000 strong is very misleading, since that is not how many people usually show up... Man, 23,000 is a pretty strong number.
January 30, 200818 yr Did anyone ever attend games at the old Racer Arena at Murray State? I believe it was actually ranked as one of the top 10 toughest places to play a game.
January 31, 200818 yr Did anyone ever attend games at the old Racer Arena at Murray State? I believe it was actually ranked as one of the top 10 toughest places to play a game. I remember people talking about how tough it was to play there, now that you mention it.
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