The Conference Tournament Home Arena Tier List

(Of the ones I've been to)

To some conferences, tournament venues are iconic. For example, anyone who has watched Big East basketball knows that Madison Square Garden is the forever venue for their tournament. However, for many smaller conferences, there is no select site. In conferences such as the NEC and America East, games are hosted by the higher seed. When it comes to atmosphere, though, does one format rule over the other? Does the fact these smaller conferences have only one bid, compared to multiple from the Big East, have any sort of effect? I have been to 25 college basketball arenas and of those, 20 have hosted a conference tournament game, whether it be as the home of a higher-seeded or as the site for a whole tournament. But which arena of these, in my opinion, would be the best to see a game at come conference tournament time? Let’s find out.

First off, let’s get to the five arenas that have never hosted a conference tournament game:

Brown - Pizzitola Sports Center - The Ivy League has only held a conference tournament since 2017, and after the Palestra hosted the first two years, they began to cycle through the other gyms in the league. Brown is slated to host in 2024.

Columbia - Levien Gymnasium - Columbia is scheduled to host in 2027.

Manhattan - Draddy Gymnasium - In four seasons, the MAAC has hosted conference tournament games at campus sites of higher seeds, but Manhattan has always been the lower seed in those games.

St. John’s - Carnesecca Arena - Madison Square Garden being their other main arena kept Carnesecca from ever having the chance.

UConn - Gampel Pavilion - Similarly, UConn’s other main venue is the XL Center in Hartford, which hosted one of the first three Big East tournaments before it moved to MSG full-time, as well as two American Athletic Conference tournaments while UConn played in that conference.

I will be assigning tiers from D to A for the remaining venues based on the experience I had when attending and overall basketball culture at those schools.

D Tier

Central Connecticut - William H Detrick Gymnasium - I’m sorry, CCSU, but as a Connecticut resident I know firsthand that there is not much support for the team. It is hard to imagine an atmosphere even if hosting a conference tournament game.

Fairfield - Webster Bank Arena - Fun fact: this winter, Webster Bank Arena was home to the Bridgeport Islanders, Westchester Knicks, Sacred Heart hockey, and Fairfield basketball. The venue is just too large for Fairfield. The new on-campus arena opening next season will bring a lot more liveliness.

New Hampshire - Lundholm Gym - Getting a good crowd is never easy with such an old arena, especially when hockey is a much more popular sport at the school.

Sacred Heart - William H. Pitt Center - This arena has its perks but is just too small and outdated.

St. Francis Brooklyn - Generoso Pope Athletic Conference - Another small and very outdated arena. If the Terriers do find themselves in a situation where they host the finals to go to their first ever NCAA Tournament, this could probably jump up.

Saint Peter’s - Run Baby Run Arena - I appreciate the brand new name. The university is also revamping the arena, which should help. However, as it stands, it is very outdated and was sparse in attendance when I went.

C Tier

Boston University - Case Gym - Having a gym on the top floor where it is always hot could make for a super snug and intense atmosphere. However, as a hockey school, the fan attendance may not be that high. 

Fairleigh Dickinson - Rothman Center - For an arena with a track around it, the atmosphere at Rothman is surprisingly intimate.

Hartford - Chase Arena - A fanbase ripped of its D1 team, Hartford’s arena is grandiose with large wooden ceilings. They actually are hosting Albany in the America East quarterfinals as this article goes out.

Howard - Burr Gymnasium - Burr is definitely unique in the oval shaped seating it provides. Despite Howard having a large fanbase, it is hard to imagine any current MEAC member game providing a great atmosphere. However, if they are ever in a league again with their heated rivals, Hampton, I would put an experience like that all the way in A Tier.

Lehigh - Stabler Arena - Like Webster Bank Arena at Fairfield, this arena is used for a lot more than just Lehigh. However, unlike at Fairfield, this is their only arena. If filled up, the environment would be bumped up for sure, but unless they played Lafayette in the Patriot finals, it is hard to see this happening.

NJIT - Wellness and Events Center - This is a pretty new and modern looking arena that could provide an intimate environment. However, with no established rivalries, any conference tournament game would most likely leave the arena still somewhat empty.

B Tier

Army - Christl Arena - This is the first of a couple arenas in this tier that is elevated by the fanbase. While the non-conference game I attended was not high in attendance, the fans were very present. If they ever met Navy at home, the place would break.

Bryant - Chace Athletic Center - Once again, the fanbase saves this venue. This arena actually placed pretty low in my overall rankings before the season, but with how great Bryant has been, when they host Wagner on Tuesday it will be undoubtedly packed as they try to punch their ticket to their first NCAA Tournament.

Fordham - Rose Hill Gym  - Of the arenas on this list, Rose Hill is nearly unrivaled in history. It is small enough that there would be enough Fordham fans to fill it in a conference tournament scenario. Honestly, the exposed brick just speaks to me.

Iona - Hynes Athletic Center - Hynes had a major renovation three years ago and I was lucky enough to see it the first season afterward. It is an intimate but modern environment. If I was at a game with so much passion before the Pitino era, I can’t even imagine what it would look like now.

Quinnipiac - People’s United Center - Before the game I went to against Presbyterian, I had been to a few conference games for Quinnipiac with roaring crowds. Quinnipiac has just never been elite in basketball but I know that if they were in a position to host a conference tournament game, the fans would show out.

Wagner - Spiro Sports Center - Wagner was so close to hosting over Bryant this season. I went to their home opener against Hartford and the place was electric. I would have loved to see the atmosphere in a conference tournament setting.

A Tier

Providence - Dunkin Donuts Center - Wait, if UConn and St. John’s aren’t on the list, why is Providence? Well the Dunk actually hosted the first Big East Tournament all the way back in 1980. Aside from Gampel, this is the best arena I have been to. Nothing beats the environment of Big East basketball (at least, not thus far in my journeys). You know a venue is amazing when you wonder if the building can withstand the chaos halfway through the game. Sometimes it can’t! Providence’s game against Xavier this season was delayed for almost a half hour because the roof was leaking water onto the court.

Yale - Payne Whitney Gymnasium - I get that a lot of people don’t like the Ivy’s format of only inviting the top four seeds to the conference tournament. However, what this does is make those games absolutely electric. Unfortunately, as the tournament cycles through all the schools, Payne Whitney won’t be hosting again for a while, but scenes from 2019 when they won on their home court show an obviously passionate fanbase at a historic venue.

Summary

Let me know what you think of my list. Have I underrated certain arenas, or given others way too much credit? Which ones have you been to that I haven’t, and which ones do you most want to attend?