College Basketball Analyst Ranks Top-10 Big Ten Venues
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Which Big Ten school has the best arena in college basketball? For Big Ten Network contributor and college basketball analyst Andy Katz, there's no comparison to Purdue's Mackey Arena.
As we approach the start of the 2024-25 college basketball season, Katz revealed his top-10 arenas in the conference. This year, the hoops analyst has a slightly larger field to pick from, with the Big Ten expanding from 14 to 18 teams.
At the top was Purdue's Mackey Arena, a venue considered to be one of the best in the country. It doesn't hurt that the Boilermakers have won four of the last eight Big Ten regular season titles and have sold out more than 70 consecutive games.
What other Big Ten venues made the list? Here's the rundown of Katz's top-10:
- Mackey Arena (Purdue Boilermakers)
- Pauley Pavilion (UCLA Bruns)
- Breslin Center (Michigan State Spartans)
- Jersey Mike's Arena (Rutgers Scarlet Knights)
- Welsh-Ryan Arena (Northwestern Wildcats)
- State Farm Center (Illinois Fighting Illini)
- Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (Indiana Hoosiers)
- Kohl Center (Wisconsin Badgers)
- Williams Arena (Minnesota Golden Gophers)
- Alaska Airlines Arena (Washington Huskies)
Perhaps the biggest surprise? That Indiana's Assembly Hall is so low on the list. The Hoosiers are known for having one of the most iconic venues in the country, so coming in at No. 7 is a bit of a surprise.
It's also a bit intriguing that Katz didn't mention Maryland's XFINITY Center. That's another atmosphere that is considered one of the college basketball's best.
Bottom line? There are a lot of great venues in the Big Ten. But Purdue stands out among the rest.
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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