Busting Brackets
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NCAA Basketball: Ranking the nation’s 25 best home-court advantages

By Brian Rauf

LAWRENCE, KANSAS - JANUARY 09: Lagerald Vick #24 of the Kansas Jayhawks pumps up the crowd prior to the start of the game against the TCU Horned Frogs at Allen Fieldhouse on January 09, 2019 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
LAWRENCE, KANSAS - JANUARY 09: Lagerald Vick #24 of the Kansas Jayhawks pumps up the crowd prior to the start of the game against the TCU Horned Frogs at Allen Fieldhouse on January 09, 2019 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
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PITTSBURGH, PA – JANUARY 14: Terrell Brown #21 of the Pittsburgh Panthers celebrates after an and one against the Florida State Seminoles at Petersen Events Center on January 14, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – JANUARY 14: Terrell Brown #21 of the Pittsburgh Panthers celebrates after an and one against the Florida State Seminoles at Petersen Events Center on January 14, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

21) Pitt – Peterson Events Center

There’s no doubt that the 12,508-seat Peterson Events Center would be much higher on this list had the Pitt program not fallen on hard times in recent years (forcing Jamie Dixon out for Kevin Stallings will do that to you, I guess).

But, nevertheless, this remains one of the best home-court advantages in college basketball – and it’s getting better as the buzz around the program continues to grow under head coach Jeff Capel.

The Oakland Zoo has long been recognized as one of the best student sections in the country. They helped The Pete earn a reputation as the toughest place to play in the Big East in 2006 and was ranked as the second-best game-time atmosphere by USA Today in 2013.

However, all of that came before the recent downturn of the program. This past season, the student section only sold out seven times and the arena only sold out twice. Sellouts never used to be a question at The Pete – they had since become rare.

With the program on the right track, the Peterson Events Center is getting some of its mojo back. It will return to being one of the country’s most feared arenas when that happens but, until then, the Panthers remain outside of the top 20.

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