Top 15 Weirdest College Basketball Arenas

[jsmith]

Hinkle Fieldhouse (3:00) was also a movie star, as it was used as the setting for the Indiana State finals in the 1986 Gene Hackman movie 'Hoosiers'.

[HeartlandTuber]

"Indiana University" Assembly Hall is one of the best arenas for basketball I have experienced, it is compact, with good line of sight for all seats. It is loud, though, and part of its reputation for intimidating visiting teams, aside from the fact the the fans are supportive, and it gives the highest proportion of seats to students than any other school in the Big Ten.

[robynator]

Memorial gym in Nashville rocks but the players don't sit beneath the floor as stated at 2:13 when comparing the stadium to Minnesota's arena. They sit at the ends of the court as mentioned at 1:58. That was an interested segment as I didn't realize how many arenas and stadiums were non-standard like that. I had no idea Harvard held so few people.

[harrygould]

The carrier dome is so cool when you’re there in person. That crowd is insane when it gets going. Go Cuse 🧡

[Ricsamg]

I did a basketball camp at Harvard as a teenager in the 70s. The basketball team then played in an upper floor gym in an athletic building near Harvard Square. The pavilion at that time was an empty field house used for indoor practices by the football baseball and track teams. We toured the facilities as a camper and there was a dirt/clay floor and a baseball Diamond was chalked on the floor when I was there. The hockey arena next door had just been built.

[JLT]

Love the vid.. Vanderbilt's has a gothic theater look to it. Also it seems like "Fieldhouse (style) stadium's" are making a comeback as apposed to the oval/circular shapes....

In waco the new Baylor basketball stadium will be a Fieldhouse style and personally I like that feel to it (Like Butler's University "old lady" 😂)

[bronsonbamnallen]

I love Vandys court, and The Pit in ABQ is so awesome.

[PrinceAnt]

Surprised that the RAC didn't make the list. There's a reason why Rutgers calls it the Trapezoid of Terror.

[GoldBlueDude]

Hinkle Fieldhouse was also the arena used in the movie “Hoosiers “ as the championship game.

[skt_]

the UW Huskies had a really cool arena before the renovation that had stained glass and it was made in the 1920's as well. Wish they kept the stained glass when they renovated it.

[suasive]

I grew up in Indiana and had a ton of friends who went to IU, but I only went to Assembly Hall once. That was for the 1984 Team USA Olympic tryouts. Young Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Patrick Ewing, John Stockton, Chris Mullin and Indiana's own Steve Alford (who I ended up playing for in college years later)... We had court access before and after the game and got to meet some of the players, but our actual seats were way up on the second level. I got mild vertigo walking down the aisle because the incline was so steep. It was dimly lit in the seating area, but the court was bright and everything was so easy to see. And it was LOUD!

[BobSmith-qlfb]

Vandy vs #1 Tennessee at Memorial in 2019 ended up being a heartbreaker, but is still easily one of the most fun live events I’ve ever been to. Memorial Magic is rare some seasons, but it’s real, and that building is so weird and can get so loud, and the position of the student section is so unique.

[kevb]

Outside of D1 schools, take a look at Tufts University in Medford MA. Cousens Gymnasium opened in 1932. Since then the court was rotated 90 degrees to meet college requirements for length. The locker rooms aren't at court level, rather you have to climb up a couple flights of stairs to reach them.

[crackerjack]

Seen games at Vandy and Syracuse. Absolutely loved the old arenas in this video!

[brianzhong]

Jersey Mike’s Arena at Rutgers is also pretty unique - the building is built into the ground and the seats are super close to the court and go up high on the two sides

[anonymouswombat]

7:47 “another weird one” what are you doing bro? 😂😂😂

[rossryden]

Texas Hall, where Texas Arlington used to play, was a glorified performing arts theatre with a basketball court placed on the stage.

[johnharris]

The Original Pit was the Stockton Civic Auditorium built in 1925. It was home to University of the Pacific Basketball until the Spanos Center opened on the campus in 1982. Some of the seats in the upper lodge were over the court and fans would occasionally swat away opponent's shots. The floor was famous for dead spots where the ball would not bounce and UOP Players knew where those spots were.

[chrisveech]

Seen games at Indiana, Vandy, and Butler. All three are unique and very cool.

[MartyFox]

I kept expecting to see Carver-Hawkeye Arena show up. It’s built into a natural bowl, so it looks very short from the outside. There’s only one tier of seating on the inside and a clear view of the court from the concourse around the top of the bowl — no tunnels.