Is there a saying that a college basketball game is only as good as the venue it’s played in? No? Well there should be, because the Pac-12 has some great ones. The Pac-12 crew decided to rank them all based on three categories (history, aesthetics, and home-court advantage), and the results are below:
1. Pauley Pavilion (UCLA): Aesthetics Average Score – 3.5, History – 1.75, Advantage – 6.5. Pauley opened up in 1965 and has been rocking ever since. Legendary coach John Wooden needed a bigger place to house his back-to-back NCAA Championship Bruins than the 2,000 seat Men’s Gym, so the team moved into the nearly 13,000 seat Pauley Pavilion. With players like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Reggie Miller, and Bill Walton (to name a few of plenty) to pass through Los Angeles, it’s no secret as to why Pauley houses some of the best fans in the conference, spurred on by The Den, the school’s student section. Pauley underwent a renovation during the entire 2011-12 season, meaning Friday’s season opener against Indiana State was the first game played in the fancy new digs.
2. McKale Memorial Center (Arizona): Aesthetics – 7, History – 3, Advantage – 2. Right up there with Pauley, when people around the nation think of the meccas of Pac-12 hoops, they think of Lute Olson, Steve Kerr, and the McKale Center. Before rocking the place for two straight hours, this is a fan base that is comfortable tailgating in mid-January before a game, in shirts and shorts, no less. Then, all hyped up from the desert sun, the Zona Zoo gets to cheer on a basketball team that is pretty damn good every season. McKale ranks just behind the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City in terms of capacity.
3. Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmunson Pavilion (Washington): Aesthetics – 5, History – 3.25, Advantage – 4. This one may seem as a surprise at first, but taking into consideration that AA is the oldest venue in the conference (opened in 1927) and is home to one of the top student sections in the league (The Dawg Pack), it makes sense. With the students right on top of the action and the old-school, tight feeling to the place, it almost seems as if it’s Cameron Indoor lite. And for as cool as it looks on the inside, the outside, made completely of brick, looks even better. Nestled into the bay of Montlake, Hec Ed is one of the most scenic venues in the conference, and the look on both the outside and inside makes it an easy choice for number two.
4. Maples Pavilion (Stanford): Aesthetics – 4.75, History – 4.25, Advantage – 6.25. The 6th Man may not be as loud or raucous as they were when the Cardinal made 11 straight NCAA Tournaments, but the close, intimate feel that Maples provides has it ranked in the upper third of the conference. Maples may be the size of some Atlantic 10 gyms, but for me, that just adds to the aura of it. Already unique, Maples used to be downright crazy before the renovation in 2004. Up until then, the floor had a very springy feel to it, making players feel that they landed on a different level then what their body sensed when the student body jumped up and down.
5. Walter A. Haas, Jr. Pavilion (California): Aesthetics – 8.25, History – 4, Advantage – 4.75. It’s safe to say that when Haas is packed and the Golden Bears are winning, this place can be one of the most intimidating in the conference. The pavilion is also one of the oldest, opening in 1933 and renovated in 1999. It’s home to arguably the best student section in the Pac-12, The Bench, whose creative pranks not only help the team but get national attention as well. The best part about Haas is that there are no bad seats in the place, and the seats incline steeply so there is no bad view (the last row is only about 90 feet from the floor).
6. Coors Events Center (Colorado): Aesthetics – 7.5, History – 9.5, Advantage – 1.75 . The 11,604 seat arena in Boulder might not be the nicest looking of places, but there is no questioning its homecourt advantage. Whether it is the altitude, the C-Unit student section, or just a very good basketball team, the Buffaloes have racked up a record of 45-7 at the CECC in the past three seasons. The advantage evened out the average of 7.5 we ranked Coors on aesthetics, with the home-court advantage average coming in at a 1.75. Coors Brewing Company paid $5 million to the university in 1990 for the naming rights.
7. Matthew Knight Arena (Oregon): Aesthetics – 2, History 12, Advantage – 7.5. Matthew Knight is pretty much the exact opposite of Coors, as the brand-new, shiny MKA got an average of two in the aesthetics category, but received a score of 12 in history. When the Pit Crew is full and loud, this can be one of the best places to watch a game on the west coast. The arena is big (seats over 12,000), and the seats rise quickly in all sections. And while the tree-lined court may be an eyesore on television, it looks much better in person.
8. Gill Coliseum (Oregon State): Aesthetics – 9.5, History – 4.75, Advantage – 8.75. Gill looks about right in this slot, but the coliseum looks much better lately after windows and a fresh paint job on the outside have made it look much more inviting. The inside is slowly but surely falling apart, but the oldness gives it a certain vintage feel that is perfect for college hoops. Attendance has been an issue as the Beavers are still working on digging out of the hole dug by Jay John, but the place rocks for big conference games. One of the coolest features is a mural of past Beaver legends on the south wall. The mural includes guys like Ralph Miller, Gary Payton, A.C. Green, and Brent Barry.
9. Wallis Beasley Performing Arts Coliseum (Washington State): Aesthetics – 9.75, History – 7.75, Advantage – 6. The highlight of Beasley is without a doubt the ZZU CRU, who after enduring three long months of football in the cold gets to head inside and root on the hoops squad. The addition of a nice scoreboard makes Beasley look like a legitimate stadium. With Pullman being such a big college town, the coliseum attracts events like NBA exhibitions and NCAA Tournaments, and entertainers and artists like Bob Hope, Jay Leno, Stevie Wonder, and Elton John. The current capacity is 11,671.
10. Jon M. Huntsman Center (Utah): Aesthetics – 10.25, History – 6.5, Advantage – 9.25. With its silver dome interior and curved seats to face center court, the Huntsman Center is arguably the worst looking venue in the Pac-12. It’s also the biggest, with a capacity of 15,000 and an all-time attendance record of 15,755 for the 1993 Holy War. Before EnergySolutions Arena was built in 1991 downtown, the Huntsman Center was the premier sports venue in Salt Lake City. When Utah basketball returns to the heights it reached under Rick Majerus, the Huntsman will definitely jump up in our rankings due to the massive home-court advantage potential.
11. Galen Center (USC): Aesthetics – 3.25, History – 11, Advantage – 11.75. With beautiful views of downtown Los Angeles and a palm tree-lined exterior, aesthetics is definitely not the problem here. However, the low fan support and minimal history to the building is why it’s down at #11. The Galen Center opened in 2006 and has a capacity of 10,258. It’s located across the street for the SC campus in the Exposition Park area of LA.
12. Wells Fargo Arena (Arizona State): Aesthetics – 7.25, History – 9.75, Advantage – 10.5. Last, and certainly least, is Arizona State’s Wells Fargo Arena. Wells’ lower bowl is too open to keep any noise in the court area, not that there is much noise to begin with. Even though there are many open courtside seats, Arizona State students (The Herbivores, get it?) are relegated to corner seats behind the basket. Wells seems more fit to be an NBA arena, not one for a struggling college basketball team.