Where Did Andy Katz Rank Purdue's Mackey Arena Among College Basketball's Cathedrals?
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It gets mentioned every year: Mackey Arena is one of the best venues in college basketball. But is it the best environment in the sport? NCAA.com's Andy Katz isn't quite ready to say that, though he does have Purdue's home court near the top of the list.
Katz recently released his top 10 list of the most "vaunted venues" in college basketball. Purdue's Mackey Arena came in at No. 3, behind Kansas' Allen Fieldhouse (No. 1) and Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium (No. 2).
"The design of the roof just makes it so loud," Katz wrote of Mackey Arena. "There is one entrance in and out, making the closed end maybe the most intimidating space in the sport."
Maybe Katz doesn't believe Mackey Arena is the most vaunted venue in college basketball, but it is the highest-ranked Big Ten arena. The only other basketball venue to make the list was Michigan State's Breslin Center, which came in at No. 7.
So, as an added bonus, not only was Mackey Arena near the top of Katz's list, Indiana's Assembly Hall didn't make the cut. There are probably plenty of Purdue fans who are extremely delighted to see that.
Katz's complete top 10 looked like this:
- Allen Fieldhouse (Kansas)
- Cameron Indoor Stadium (Duke)
- Mackey Arena (Purdue)
- Madison Square Garden (St. John's)
- Hilton Coliseum (Iowa State)
- Bud Walton Arena (Arkansas)
- Breslin Center (Michigan state)
- The Pit (New Mexico)
- McKale Center (Arizona)
- United Supermarkets Arena (Texas Tech)
Purdue's success in Mackey Arena
One of the reasons Mackey Arena receives the hype as one of college basketball's best venues is because of the success the Boilermakers have enjoyed over the years. Since the start of the 2021-22 campaign, Purdue has been dominant on its home floor.
Purdue owns a 60-5 record at Mackey Arena, the third-best mark nationally. The Boilers are 35-5 in Big Ten games and own a 25-0 record in non-conference contests. Additionally, they have won 26 games by 20 points or more.
That's a pretty impressive stretch.
On their way to the Final Four during the 2023-24 season, Purdue posted a perfect 16-0 mark on Keady Court. The Boilers finished that season with a 34-5 record and reached the National Championship Game.
Purdue returns to Mackey Arena on Tuesday, Nov. 4 to open up the regular season against Evansville.
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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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