EA sports toughest college basketball venues

[AteUp]

http://www.easports.com/ncaabasketball/toughvenues.action

EAsports had an online poll of 100,000 people about the toughest college basketball venues in the country. Unbelievably, Rupp Arena didn't make the list. I'm no UK fan, but the sheer size of the place loaded with fans has got to be intimidating for a visiting team. Here's the final 15 with voting still going on.

Arkansas
Clemson
Duke
Florida
Illinois
Kansas
Louisville
Maryland
North Carolina
Pittsburgh
Syracuse
Tennessee
Texas
UCLA
Xavier

Xavier University is the first stop in the Toughest Places to Play tour

Over 100,000 college basketball fans participated in an EA SPORTS online poll to determine the "Toughest Places to Play" in college basketball and the results are in. Fans have determined 15 finalists, whose home courts were judged to be the most difficult for opposing teams to play in, that will form an integral part of a new game mode in the EA SPORTS NCAA Basketball videogame franchise next year. Xavier University's Cintas Center has been chosen among the 15 finalists.

Xavier is now 115-17 (.871) in nine seasons at Cintas Center entering Saturday's game against UMass. XU is 57-10 (.851) against Atlantic 10 teams and 58-7 (.892) against non-conference teams since Cintas Center opened for the 2000-01 season. Xavier enters the UMass game with a 19-game home court winning streak in Atlantic 10 Conference play.

Xavier has sold out 79 games since the building opened for the 2000-01 season, including seven this season (today's UMass game, Charlotte, La Salle, Saint Louis, IPFW, Miami of Ohio and Butler). XU has averaged over 10,000 fans per game for the Xavier men's basketball games played so far in nine seasons at its 10,250-seat on-campus home.

[KYBOY]

That does supprise me as UK usually is one the highest ranked programs in attendance..Ive heard commentators mention many,many times how hard Rupp is on visiting teams..

[KYBOY]

In fact they were #1 in 06'-07'..Ive heard they have been many times before..
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Top 25 Attendance for NCAA Basketball (2006-2007)
1. Kentucky Wildcats - Averaged 23,421 at Rupp Arena (Capacity: 23,500)

[Hammer]

sadly, Rupp hasn't been too tough a place to play lately.

[MsgMills]

sadly, Rupp hasn't been too tough a place to play lately.

Now I'll 2nd that as well.....:(

[BunnyBuster]

Too many home losses!!

[ptbrauch]

10 years ago I'm sure Rupp would have been in the top 3-5. Now its only tough if you are the Wildcats. It seems like a pretty easy place if you're the visiting team.

[KY_Fried]

The Cintas Center being on the list is laughable. I'm a XU fan and have been to many games and even though it can get very crazy it's nothing like Rupp, even on a slow day.

[slickhead slayer]

The reason they aren't on there, is because its a fan poll. Those polls are truely innaccurate. The UK message boards obviously haven't seen that yet, or they would be #1. ESPN made a comment not too long ago about how some of their fan polls are worthless, because UK fans vote on them in groves. After the college football season this year, ESPN had a mock College football playoff, with 64 teams. Every week, you voted on who would win head to head. UK won the whole thing, beating Texas one week, USC another, Flor one week, and a bunch of other good teams. That shows you how worthless they are.

[AteUp]

So this poll is worthless because it's not slanted towards UK or the other polls are because they were slanted?:confused: Maybe this poll is more accurate than the others because it was prolly voted on by teenagers who aren't old enough to remember when Rupp Arena used to intimidate opponents and no visiting team could expect to get a fair called game there.:eek:;)

[westkybanded]

There was a time when Murray State would have probably made that list...

They would close the louvers on the windows of the old arena, turn the heat up as high as it would go, and let 500 more people in there than the fire marshal said could come in the doors.

It was like playing ball in the bowels of He!!, and tons of teams couldn't handle it.

[naturalelite]

I would think Duke would be a heck of a lot harder than Xavier? Hell they won like 100 straight non conference games at home didn't they? I am no Duke fan by any means but gee whiz Xavier???Are you kidding me.

[slickhead slayer]

So this poll is worthless because it's not slanted towards UK or the other polls are because they were slanted?:confused: Maybe this poll is more accurate than the others because it was prolly voted on by teenagers who aren't old enough to remember when Rupp Arena used to intimidate opponents and no visiting team could expect to get a fair called game there.:eek:;)

I know that any poll that is posted on UK websites, is worthless. I have seen it a bazillion times myself. They vote for UK no matter how ridiculous the poll is, like the one I mentioned where they won the college football playoff system. I don't have a problem with many of the teams on there, but some our just laugahble. Having Xavier as #1 just shows the University of Xavier students voted more than anyone else.
Come on, Xavier more intimidating that Carolina, Duke, Syracuse, Kansas, etc, etc? No way.

[AteUp]

I would think Duke would be a heck of a lot harder than Xavier? Hell they won like 100 straight non conference games in at home didn't they? I am no Duke fan by any means but gee whiz Xavier???Are you kidding me.

It's just the top 15 right now in alphabetical order. Feel free to go to the site and cast your vote for Louisville BTW.;)

[AteUp]

Xavier isn't in first I don't believe, they're just the first team to get profiled. I can't imagine a tougher place to play than Duke. That's the perfect college basketball venue IMO.

[naturalelite]

It's just the top 15 right now in alphabetical order. Feel free to go to the site and cast your vote for Louisville BTW.;)
Yeah I will get right on that. After I call Nancy Pelosi an confess my love for her... NOT

[AteUp]

Yeah I will get right on that. After I call Nancy Pelosi an confess my love for her... NOT

Hey,,,treerat called,,,he wants his big blue letters back.:eek:

[naturalelite]

Hey,,,treerat called,,,he wants his big blue letters back.:eek:

ROFLMAO Now that was funny!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[KYhunter79]

Hey,,,treerat called,,,he wants his big blue letters back.:eek:

Hey,,,leave him alone,,,,

[buckfever]

IMO, it's impossible to talk about what's the toughest gym to play in. They rated Clemson's arena as being tough, but Duke had won there 8 straight times before getting waxed the other night. The reality is that no arena is going to be that tough to play in if the home team ain't very good.

The one bonus for Cameron Indoor is that Duke puts its students in the very best seats all around the floor, and they're right on top of the action. Kids are for the most part going to be more vocal than a bunch of 60 yr old alums wearing sweater vests in their school's colors.

I've been to the Dean Dome, Rupp, and Freedom Hall, and for the most part, they all seemed to be pretty generic - big and full. Although all 3 schools have great fan support and always fill the seats, the only thing that separates them from other big stadiums is that the teams playing have an "intimidation" factor of playing for a traditional powerhouse. It ain't the stadium as much as it is that the teams playing in 'em are storied programs. This is especially true of UK and UNC.

Hey,,,treerat called,,,he wants his big blue letters back.:eek:

As Natty said, that is funny, but you also thought Slick's comments about how my Duke sweatshirt made my gayer than him was funny. That was a stupid joke, so I'm not sure what to make of your sense of humor. :cool:

[slickhead slayer]

Xavier isn't in first I don't believe, they're just the first team to get profiled. I can't imagine a tougher place to play than Duke. That's the perfect college basketball venue IMO.

I agree, 8,000 screaming h-mos is very intimidating.:rolleyes:

[slow-bow]

I'm more shocked that Illinois is on this so-called list. I can't imagine their venue ever being intimidating to any visiting squad since the days of Kendall Gill...at best. That one stumps me more than any other.

[hoosierdaddy]

This survey is whacked, no UK , IU , Michigan Sate , or Wisconsin.

Granted IU's down at the moment:mad:

[Tim T]

I'm more shocked that Illinois is on this so-called list. I can't imagine their venue ever being intimidating to any visiting squad since the days of Kendall Gill...at best. That one stumps me more than any other.


I would guess that Illinois was a pretty tough place to play in the 2004-05 season when they had a team that made it to the national title game.

[Tim T]

In fact they were #1 in 06'-07'..Ive heard they have been many times before..
---------------------------------------
Top 25 Attendance for NCAA Basketball (2006-2007)
1. Kentucky Wildcats - Averaged 23,421 at Rupp Arena (Capacity: 23,500)

I thought Syracuse usually leads the nation in attendance with UK second and U of L third. Of course the Carrier Dome holds like 30,000 people so that helps.

[ky_bull]

http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/article/112691

[KYBOY]

I thought Syracuse usually leads the nation in attendance with UK second and U of L third. Of course the Carrier Dome holds like 30,000 people so that helps.
I think that poll I took that from was on % of attendance every night, not on the total number..Uk averaged close to a full house all season..