Which NCAA Basketball teams are the most difficult to face in their home arena? Ranking the best home-court advantages in the country.
One of the best things about NCAA basketball is the fan engagement. No other sport has thousands of people all chanting in unison, screaming, heckling, and dancing all throughout the entirety of a 40-minute game.
Oh, they’re also inches from the playing surface, too.
As much as that pageantry is the same, each stadium and atmosphere is also vastly different. Some develop an intimidating atmosphere because of the student section, others do it with the design of the arena, and even more do it with the sheer number of fans that can fit in the building.
But home-court advantage isn’t decided by just any one thing, making it extremely tough to measure. A program can have great fans and a raucous atmosphere yet still not win as much as they should on their home floor. Others will win a majority of their games despite having what can only be described as a “casual” atmosphere (looking at you, UCLA).
So, yes, while programs like Duke and Kansas are notorious for being two of the most difficult places to play, there’s more that goes into that than fans simply being louder than everywhere else.
This is a list about more than just putting up gaudy attendance numbers, having a great atmosphere, or even simply winning a lot of your home games. It’s the combination of the three-plus some intangible factors that makes for a great home-court advantage. These are the 25 schools that have the biggest advantages every time they take the floor inside their respective home arena.