Arena Wars: The Palestra vs. The Pit

Each week we pit two arenas and fans against each. Could be arenas of rival teams, arenas with similar characteristics or arenas that are simply historically significant. Then it's put up to vote and you decide which arena has the greatest home-court advantage.

We finally step away from the major conferences this week to give kudos to two of the most historical, original arenas in all of the nation -- Penn's Palestra and New Mexico's University Arena (aka The Pit).

The smallest and oldest arena we'll feature during this series, The Palestra packs a big punch. Though it seats only 8,700, the intimate setting puts fans on top of the action. Since its opening in 1927, the Quakers have posted a home record of 781-349. While Penn is its primary tenant, La Salle, Saint Joseph's, Temple and Villanova are no strangers to the venerable cathedral.

From the outside, University Arena is rather unassuming, giving off the impression of a bowling alley more than a stage for college basketball. But that's because the court and seating is literally built into a hole in the ground, hence the nickname The Pit. The Lobos' all-time record in The Pit, which opened in 1966, stands at 614-144.

If you've visited either of this week's featured arenas, chip in with your experiences in the message board below.

The Palestra -- home of the Penn Quakers

(courtesy University of Pennsylvania)   As you walk past Franklin Field, the former home of the Philadelphia Eagles and current home of Penn football, you see a building budding up from behind the tennis courts to your right. At first it looks like some type of church, and you walk closer you realize it is a church, the Cathedral of Basketball. You walk up to the Palestra and walk in the front doors into the modest lobby. Every voice and basketball bounce echoes off every wall throughout the building, even a whisper can be heard from the upper deck when it is empty. You walk around and see the pictures of Wilt Chamberlain (Overbrook High), Bill Bradley (Princeton), Paul Arizin (Villanova), Chuck Daly drawing up plays for the Quakers and even Kobe Bryant in his Lower Merion jersey. You realize what this brick building means to amateur basketball in Philadelphia. Fast facts Opened 1927 Location Philadelphia, Pa. Capacity 8,722 For 82 years, the Palestra has stood as an example of everything that is right about college basketball. No Jumbotron, only a few seats with backs, and fans so close they can feel Scottie Reynolds sweat on them the same way and in the same place fans in the 1950s could feel Guy Rodgers do the same. Obviously people are partial to Rupp Arena or Allen Fieldhouse since Kentucky and Kansas has achieved so much national success over the years, but unlike them, the Palestra represents a city, not merely one school. Six Division I college programs and countless high school and grade school teams from around the Philly metro area have the opportunity to play games there every year. Last season, two of the programs made the Palestra their home court (St. Joseph’s and Penn). Everything involving the Big 5 (or City Six) revolves around this simple, yet extraordinary building. Unfortunately, in the shuffle of national news, the Palestra gets lost behind the Cameron Indoors of the world, which, without the Palestra, would not be what they are today. Did you know? The Palestra has hosted more NCAA men's basketball games, more visiting teams and more NCAA tournaments than any other arena. It was also the site of the first NCAA championship game in 1939. I have had the chance to visit many of the arenas on your list, and nothing compares with the history and the uniqueness of the Palestra, one of the greatest sport venues in America. -- Homerjs13

University Arena (The Pit) -- home of the New Mexico Lobos

(courtesy University of New Mexico)   "The Pit" in Albuquerque, N.M., is one of college basketball's most famous and recognizable places. Over 11.5 million fans have made the pilgrimage from all over New Mexico to this hole in the ground to see their beloved Lobos play. Lobos basketball is the most popular sporting event in the northern two-thirds of the state (the southern third leans toward the hated New Mexico State Aggies). All cultures, including Native Americans of various tribes and Spanish-Americans, come from as far as 300 miles away to experience the almost religious event. Those not able to make the trek listen in live to KKOB’s play-by-play of the Lobos game, which is regularly the state’s highest-rated radio program. A state that has ranked in the bottom 10 in population for most of the past 40 years has consistently had one of the best-attended sporting arenas in the country. At the end of 2008 season, the exact figure stood at 11,513,572. Fast facts Opened 1966 Location Albuquerque, N.M. Capacity 18,018 The Lobos have averaged an astounding 15,559 fans the past 43 seasons, an amazing 95 percent of available capacity. The UNM men and women have both finished in the top 25 in each of the past 10 seasons in terms of attendance. The men's team ranked in the top 10 nationally in total attendance every season from the opening of The Pit in 1966 through the 2000-01 season. UNM has finished in the top 25 for 43 consecutive years, or every season the Lobos have played in The Pit. No other school in the country can make that claim. The Lobos have finished second in the nation in attendance five times, third on four occasions and fourth six times. Although not planned, the lighting in The Pit sucks. It is dim and the court sort of glows in comparison, but it gives the arena a strange feel similar to a heavyweight boxing match. The program enjoys an undeniable home-court advantage at The Pit, which causes many prospective opponents to refuse to play a home-and-home series with the Lobos. The altitude (nearly a mile high) can also be intimidating to sea-level visitors. A “crazy” crowd can produce 125 decibels, which is right at the threshold of pain, and is one of the loudest places to play anywhere on the planet. Each person attending makes the shape of a wolf’s head with their hands and they howl and “woof” like wolves between screaming their heads off and yelling even less civilized messages for the opposing team and the refs. Calling Lobos crowds would be disrespectful; they are downright merciless. The Lobos faithful will show up come snow or come shine, whether they are watching a struggling team or one like the 2005 Mountain West champion squad led by senior Danny Granger, now an NBA All-Star with the Indiana Pacer. The Pit is built in a 37-foot hole on Albuquerque's southeast mesa. First the roof was constructed, then the hole was dug and the Arena built. That all happened in 1966. The unique Boehning roof (338 by 300 feet) was built first by contractors and then 55,000 cubic yards of earth was excavated to create The Pit. It was expanded in 1975 to seat 18,018, which is needed at most home games. The original name for The Pit was, predictably, University Arena, but before The Pit was built, it was to be called “La case de los Lobos” which means "the house of the wolves” in Spanish. The Pit worked. Did you know? The 1983 national championship game in which coach Jim Valvano's North Carolina State Wolfpack upset the Houston Cougars 54-52 on a last-second dunk by Lorenzo Charles was held at University Arena. The Pit will undergo a massive upgrade and expansion in 2009, which will include $60 million of improvements that will revitalize it throughout. The court was renamed the Bob King Court in 1992 after a man who took the Lobos to national prominence in the 1960s. On game day, every marquee on every billboard reads, “GO LOBOS.” Having had the pleasure to visit the likes of both Rupp Arena and Cameron Indoor Stadium, I can say that those venues have nothing on The Pit when the Lobos are playing a power house (or New Mexico State). Go Lobos. -- unolobo