We've completed nine weeks of Arena Wars.
Readers, you have spoken.
| Rank the arenas |
| After reading Gary Parrish's rankings, think you know better? Rather than simply vote for the one arena which you think is best, we want your full rundown from No. 1 to No. 9. So place your rankings in this thread and we'll tally the results and reveal the community consensus Wed., Aug. 12. |
And finally, last week, Cameron Indoor Stadium over the Dean Smith Center.
My only complaint: The Pit over The Palestra.
Shame on you people. But what's done is done, and that is done.
Now it's time to take all nine winners (even if I don't agree with all nine winners) and rank them. We had planned to throw them in one big poll and see which college basketball arena emerged with the most votes, but that's too easy. Plus Rupp Arena would run away the thing.
Why Rupp?
Because Kentucky plays in Rupp Arena, which means Kentucky fans would skew the results because, frankly, they just care about this kind of stuff more than the rest of you. As I've pointed out before, any online poll that includes somebody or something connected to Kentucky basketball will be won by somebody or something connected to Kentucky basketball. It never fails.
Swear to God, if you asked for the best coach in NCAA history and made the choices John Wooden, Bob Knight, Mike Krzyzewski and John Calipari, Calipari would win by at least 18 percent of the vote. Likewise, if you asked for the best Beatles album and made the choices Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Revolver, Abbey Road and Rupp Arena, Rupp Arena would win easily, and -- case you didn't know -- there's not even a Beatles album called Rupp Arena.
But that doesn't matter.
Kentucky fans would vote Rupp Arena the best Beatles album.
They'd do it convincingly and with great pride.
I know Rupp Arena is not the country's greatest arena, but I also know that there's no way any arena except Rupp would take this thing in a straight up vote. So if Rupp is going to win Arena Wars, we're going to make Kentucky fans work a little. It's the college basketball offseason after all, you have some extra time on your hands. Without further ado, let's get started.
(Editor's note: The following is how Gary Parrish ranks the weekly winners of Arena Wars. But he implores you to remember that this is not his ranking of college basketball arenas in general, just his ranking of the college basketball arenas that readers picked as winners during nine weeks of Arena Wars. Yes, there is a difference.)
| 1. Cameron Indoor Stadium -- home of the Duke Blue Devils | |||
Did you know? According to most accounts, the origin of Krzyzewskiville dates to 1986, when a group of friends set up a tent outside Cameron Indoor on a Thursday in anticipation of a Saturday game against North Carolina. Other students followed and by gametime there were at least 75 tents lined up outside. The Blue Devils rewarded the campers with an 85-72 victory over the Tar Heels. Read Cameron Indoor Stadium vs. Dean Smith Center |
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| 2. Allen Fieldhouse -- home of the Kansas Jayhawks | |||
Did you know? Because of a federal mandate restricting steel consumption following World War II and during the Korean War, the university wasn't in a position of strength to get an arena built in the late 1940s, early '50s. So to get final funding and begin construction, officials lobbied that the arena could be used as an armory, adding rooms for gun and weapons storage. Read Allen Fieldhouse vs. Gallagher-Iba Arena |
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| 3. Pauley Pavilion -- home of the UCLA Bruins | |||
Did you know? A $185+ million expansion and renovation is scheduled to begin in February 2010 to be completed in the Fall of 2012. UCLA's longest winning streak in Pauley Pavilion has been 98 games (1970-76). Read McArthur Court vs. Pauley Pavilion |
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| 4. Assembly Hall -- home of the Indiana Hoosiers | |||
Did you know? The court is named after Branch McCracken, the coach who led the school to its first two national championships in 1940 and 1953. Read Assembly Hall vs. Assembly Hall |
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| 5. Rupp Arena -- home of the Kentucky Wildcats | |||
Did you know? Rupp is the largest arena in the United States built specifically for basketball. It's the only off-campus basketball arena in use in the SEC. Read Freedom Hall vs. Rupp Arena |
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| 6. Memorial Gymnasium -- home of the Vanderbilt Commodores | |||
Did you know? Memorial Gym is the only NCAA Division I arena in which team benches are located on the baselines rather than on the sidelines. Read Memorial Gymnasium vs. Williams Arena |
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| 7. Breslin Center -- home of the Michigan State Spartans | |||
Did you know? The arena is named for Jack Breslin, MSU alumnus, former athlete and administrator, who first began pushing for the arena as far back as 1969. Breslin was the captain and most valuable player of the 1945 football team. Read Breslin Center vs. Kohl Center |
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| 8. Carrier Dome -- home of the Syracuse Orange | |||
Did you know? The Carrier Dome is the largest domed stadium on any college campus and the largest domed stadium in the northeastern United States. It is also the nation's largest on-campus basketball arena. Read Carrier Dome vs. Gampel Pavilion |
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| 9. University Arena (The Pit) -- home of the New Mexico Lobos | |||
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. Read The Palestra vs. The Pit |
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