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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VILLANOVA, PA – FEBRUARY 12: Villanova Wildcat fans carry the mascot up through the crowd. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images) /

6. Villanova Wildcats

On-Campus Location: The Pavilion (6,500) in Villanova, PA

Due to the fact that Villanova plays in two separate buildings, this is cheating a little bit because I am counting both. However, for the sake of this article, I will discuss the college basketball atmosphere at Villanova’s on-campus arena. The Pavilion, as it is known, seats less than 7,000 people at max capacity but that does not mean that your ears are safe. Opened in 1986, The Pavilion is an incredible place to watch a college basketball game due to the amount of people crammed in such a small space.

What possibly makes the experience of seeing a game at The Pavilion that much more special is that amount of students in the stands. Despite the limited number of people in the crowd, Villanova’s students can take up to 1,500 (23.1%) seats for a given game. Because of this, there is an exclusivity about seeing a game at The Pavilion that makes it an incredibly gameday experience. Of course, in order to seat more fans, Villanova also plays at the Wells Fargo Arena, which adds a whole different dimension to the fan experience of the program.

In addition, it certainly helps that Villanova is a college basketball powerhouse. While winning two national championships recently has increased the awareness of this, Villanova has been an elite program for far more than just the last couple of years. Over the past 10 seasons, the Wildcats hold a 133-22 (.858) record in the combined games at The Pavilion and Wells Fargo Arena.

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