NCAA Basketball: Top 5 largest arenas in College Basketball

From the home crowd whaling every defensive go-around, to unhinged fans waving their hands and making artificial noise with props given out by the arena, home-court advantage in college basketball is substantial, and it could play a large part in being the difference between a teams win and a loss. 

With the 2024-2025 college basketball season rapidly approaching, let’s look at the top five biggest college basketball arenas in the sport we know and love. 

No. 1 - Carrier Dome, Syracuse University 

The Carrier Dome is hands down one of the most prestigious spots in college basketball. The historical happenings that have gone down in Cuse have propelled the Orange to entertain one of the most loyal fanbases in all of college hoops. With that being said, the Carrier Dome holds 34,616 seats and ranks as the biggest arena in all of college basketball, however, it was built at such a large size because the Syracuse football team also plays there. 

No. 2 - Rupp Arena, University of Kentucky 

As many of you may have suspected, there will be some “blue bloods” in the top-five as they, as a whole, hold the title of having the craziest fanatics in the sport. The first “blue blood” on the list belongs to the University of Kentucky. Rupp Arena is located in downtown Lexington making it a tad bit harder for students to transport there. However, given the title of craziness that Kentucky fans rightfully deserve, it almost never becomes an issue when trying to pack the seats in Rupp.

Rupp Arena is one of the most iconic scenes in all of sports and with that being said, it needs an overflowing amount of seats to host all the UK supporters that need a spot to watch their Cats. The building holds 23,000 seats and ranks as the second-largest arena in college basketball. 

No. 3 - KFC Yum! Center, University of Louisville

Following behind Rupp Arena is the KFC Yum! Center, home of the Louisville Cardinals. The Yum! Center, like the Carrier Dome and Rupp Arena, has housed some historical teams throughout the years and packed in numerous large crowds. Louisville’s recent struggles on the hardwood propelled a major drop in attendance, but when the Cards are firing, so are the ticket sales. The Yum! Center manages 22,090 seats, making it the third largest arena in college basketball. 

No. 4 - Dean Smith Center, University of North Carolina

The fourth arena on our list belongs to another blue blood in North Carolina. Headlined by six national titles and 21 Final Four appearances, the Tar Heels solidified themselves as one of the most prestigious basketball universities in the world, and with that comes the need for more seats. The Dean Smith Center is home to 21,750 seats, ranking it as the fourth largest arena in college ball. 

No. 5 - Thompson-Boling Arena, University of Tennessee

Last but not least is Thompson-Boling Arena, the home of the Tennessee Volunteers. With limited men’s basketball history, the building was built originally to house the women’s basketball team, who undoubtedly has had more success within its program funded by late head coach Pat Summit.

Now, the building holds 21,678 seats ranking it as the fifth largest.