3) Kentucky – Rupp Arena
Rupp Arena is the second-largest arena in the country behind only Syracuse with an official capacity of 23,500, though they’ve named to fit 24,000 in the arena before. Routinely packed to the brim, Kentucky has won roughly 90 percent of all of their games that have been played at Rupp Arena since it was opened in 1976.
However, head coach John Calipari has turned Rupp into a fortress. Since taking over in 2009, Kentucky has only lost nine home games in the 150 they’ve played under Calipari for a .940 winning percentage, which is absolutely insane. They’ve had a perfect home record five times in that span.
Part of that has to do with the kind of talent Calipari has been able to lure to Lexington, sure, but the Wildcats still have a winning percentage at home that is over 30 percent higher than their winning percentage everywhere else. Fan presence and the atmosphere created by them helps with that as much as anything.
Rupp Arena absolutely deserves their spot in the top three and is one of the signature arenas in the sport, but still trail two home-court advantages that have legendary mystique.