NCAA Basketball: 30 best arena atmospheres in college hoops

CHAPEL HILL, NC - FEBRUARY 20: North Carolina Tar Heels fans storm the court after a win over the Duke Blue Devils during their game at the Dean Smith Center on February 20, 2014 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina won 74-66. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

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PITTSBURGH, PA – DECEMBER 11: Pittsburgh Panthers fans cheer. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

20. Pittsburgh Panthers

Location: Peterson Events Center (12,508) in Pittsburgh, PA

Even though Pittsburgh basketball has fallen on some hard times as of late, this should not distract from the raucous crowd that always fills the Peterson Events Center. In the mid-2000’s Big East era of Pittsburgh basketball, there were very few places harder to win at than “The Pete.” In addition to having an incredible team at the time, the student section known as the “Oakland Zoo” was about as crazy as it gets in NCAA basketball.

Considering the vast stretch of students in this section that spans the length of the floor at courtside, opponents cannot escape the screaming stampede of students awaiting every home game. Easily one of the loudest facilities in the sport, “The Pete” would be up even higher on this list if it was not for the recent struggles of the program.

Nonetheless, Pitt’s 144-42 (.774) home record over the 10 years is nothing to be ashamed of, especially when considering the program has played in the Big East and the ACC during that time period. The Panthers hold a 15-18 home record against AP top-25 teams in the last decade.

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