Quite Possibly the Worst List Ever Compiled

[WuDrWu]

I happened across this list of College Basketball Arena Rankings


I had a feeling it was====== when the Clink checked in at 4. Even more eyebrows were raised with the G.B. Hodge Center was listed 9th (home of the USC Upstate Spartans in case you aren't familiar with the G.B. Hodge Center).

But it became completely laughable when the first Valley school listed was the SIU Arena at 18.

The McLeod Center (UNI) is #29....apparently on the strength of the Interlude Dance which is, and I quote, "worth the price of admission".

Winthrop Coliseum is #30. Perhaps this is a mid major list I think to myself. Creighton, USC Upstate....could be.

Well, no. Cameron Indoor at #31 (just behind Winthrop....okay).

You could stop right there, but why when there is so much more to digest?

Ah, the 3rd Valley Arena checks in and it's.....JQH Arena at #48. Must be the locker rooms.

The Gargoyles home, Carver Arena is #58, right down the road from our next entry.....

Redbird Arena at #82.

Ah, but it's just getting started folks.

Willet Hall, home of the Longwood Lancers checks in at #98 with it's slightly smaller than Wichita Collegiate gym (and far fewer amenities it would seem as well).

Valley listing #6 is at #122 the Joseph J. Gentile Center, home of the Loyola Ramblers. Excellent choice #Gimlets.

Indiana State's Hullman Center is #128. Running out of Valley schools.

Evansville's new gem, the Ford Center is #139.

Only 2 left.......

Finally CKA checks in at #150. "Top home court advantage in mid major basketball".

Well at least we're not last!

Whew, The Knapp Center is #10 at #155. Dang that was close.

[AndShock]

wat

[Dave Stalwart]

Maybe it's a ranking of best arenas to read a book in. Or maybe its a ranking of best arenas to never experience any success

[coran13]

That...is terrible.

At least Kirby's get's a shout out.

[Shock Top]

Spare me...

[ShockerFever]

Written by Doug Gooblieb's long lost brother?

[shox1989]

I think they must have attended an early WSU game against someone like Emporia St. I know from reading the UNI review they attended the UNI-WSU game. If they attended all of the Valley games against WSU then they would get a very warped view. All of the schools have a great atmosphere when they play the Shockers. It is also one of the few times they actually fill their arenas.

Excerpt from UNI review:

For a Saturday night game against conference rival Wichita State, Panther fans filled the McLeod Center to about 90 percent. The majority of the crowd consisted of young families and alumni.

Exceprt from the Illinois St. reveiw:

The Red Alert student section was ready to go well before tipoff against a highly ranked Wichita State team, and head coach Gregg Marshall was a target of the crowds' ire. That will happen when you're the top dog playing a conference road game.

Excerpt from the Missouri St. review (not this year's game but probably one of the biggest wins in MoST history):


I attended the final game of the 2010-11 season which featured Wichita State trying to defeat Missouri State for the number one seed in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. This 11,000-seat arena which opened in 2008 set a new attendance record with 11,077 fans making noise from tip off until 30 minutes after the Bears beat the Shockers to the delight of the home fans. When the game ended, confetti dropped from the ceiling and that rated high on my "cool meter."

Have you ever seen a "white out" where all the fans where white? Well today it was a "maroon out" with almost all the fans wearing maroon as ESPN2 captured the action. It was impressive and I do not think that on this Saturday there was a better college atmosphere anywhere in the country. Part of the wonderful experience is due to the staff, from ticket takers to policemen to ushers to concession workers; they treat you like they are glad you are there. You will not find this at every venue.

[shock]

10:1 says he's a democrat. Evil Koch Brothers...

[_kai_]

[TxShox]

Of the ten MVC arenas all of them were reviewed by a different person except for SIU and Evansville, on 7 different categories. Some of these reviewers were very verbose on and went in to great detail. For Koch Arena, the reviewer only offered 1 or 2 short paragraphs for each category, but had very nice things to say. When it comes to a subjective rating, everyone has their own rating system. Some are more generous and some are more stingy. Some hand out 5 stars like there's no tomorrow while some never give 5 stars. Rating 350 arenas in this manner is not going to get you a good feel for how things actually are. To get a true feel, you need a larger sampling of reviews for each arena. Thus, Koch Arena got a stingy reviewer and the others got people who like to hand out gold stars to everyone.

Some highlights from the review:

Atmosphere: As great as the WSU fans are, other factors contribute just as much to Charles Koch's stellar atmosphere. Chief among them is how seating surrounds the court in a perfect circle – everyone is close to the action and there isn't a bad view in the house. One wonders why more arenas don't look to WSU for inspiration, as this is truly one of the most unique and aesthetically pleasing court set-ups in college basketball.

There's a palpable buzz of excitement that builds as tip-off approaches, and the student band and cheer squad do an exceptional job of keeping the crowd involved during timeouts. If you'd have told someone this was ACC basketball in its heyday, they'd not know the difference. WSU's is a stellar college atmosphere.

Result: 4 out of 5 stars.

Fans: The mighty Shocker faithful are without a doubt some of the most passionate in the country, and it shows in attending a game at Charles Koch. There's nary an empty seat in the house, and each is occupied by a fan as excitable as they are knowledgable. Of greater importance, there's a feeling of intimacy given off by the fan base – they know players' capabilities and tendencies, and when one does something extraordinary, he's rewarded with extra cheers and applause.

The WSU students' section is as active and engaged as most any in college basketball. They participate in pre-game traditions, play along with promotions during timeouts, and offer a great mix of fun and concentration in on-court play. At halftime, they even carried the WSU mascot from the bottom of their section all the way to the top without dropping him.

These are mid-major fans at their best, and that's clear immediately upon entering The Roundhouse.

Result: 4 out of 5 stars.

Extras: Additional mention goes to Charles Koch's circular design. It needs to be experienced to understand just how unique it is.

Also, the WSU athletic hall of fame is a sight to behold. It's no doubt the nicest and most well-done in the Missouri Valley conference.

Result: 2 out of 5 stars.

My take... this list is garbage.

[60Shock]

Life is too damn short to put up with or pay attention to fools.

[Flip1381]

The order of this listing is pretty awful, but I'm surprised anyone took the time to list all Div 1 schools.

[SHOCKvalue]

Perhaps a portion of the evaluation equation was in relation to arena sightlines not being obstructed by banners of achievement. If true, that would have been a big help to #4's final tally.

[WuDrWu]

I happened across this list of College Basketball Arena Rankings

The McLeod Center (UNI) is #29....apparently on the strength of the Interlude Dance which is, and I quote, "worth the price of admission".

I got to thinking about this, and I believe I was too harsh in my original assessment. With many tickets priced $0-$5, perhaps the Interlude Dance IS in fact worthy of the price of admission.

[Shock Top]

I got to thinking about this, and I believe I was too harsh in my original assessment. With many tickets priced $0-$5, perhaps the Interlude Dance IS in fact worthy of the price of admission.

What's funny is, I was talking with several of their fans in STL and they said "they wished they would quit doing it".

Looks like you're $5 won't be getting you very much, Doc.