This NC city ranks as nation’s best for basketball fans. Nearby town wasn’t far behind
North Carolina is home to the nation’s best place for college basketball fans — and a nearby town isn’t far behind in the rankings, a new report finds.
Durham is No. 1 and Chapel Hill ranks No. 8 on a list of cities with top-notch teams, coaches and arenas, according to results published Tuesday, March 7.
So in a state steeped in college hoops rivalries, how did Durham reign supreme?
To create the rankings, the personal finance website WalletHub said it compared nearly 300 U.S. cities, all home to Division I sports programs. Using data from the federal government, sports websites and other sources, each place was scored in several categories, including the number of basketball teams, total wins, coach recognition, ticket prices, arena size and online engagement.
Durham — home to the Duke Blue Devils and the N.C. Central Eagles — received the highest score after it earned top marks for the number of Division I championship wins from its teams. The city’s teams also stood out for their social media engagement, a measure of the number of Twitter followers and “likes” on Facebook per capita.
But Durham didn’t fare as well when it came to arena size, landing at No. 211. It also ranked No. 110 for ticket prices — with costs that can start at $125 per game, according to figures WalletHub shared with McClatchy News.
In addition to Durham, other cities that ranked in the top five across the nation have well-known college basketball programs. They include:
- Lawrence, Kansas, at No. 2
- Storrs, Connecticut, at No. 3
- Lexington, Kentucky, at No. 4
- Los Angeles, California, at No. 5
The lowest-ranking city on the list was New Britain, Connecticut, home to Central Connecticut State University.
The scores were released just as several North Carolina schools prepared to participate in the ACC men’s basketball tournament in Greensboro.
Here’s how the state’s other college towns fared in the WalletHub rankings: Buies Creek at No. 34; Boiling Springs at No. 43; Cullowhee at No. 69; Davidson at No. 104; Boone at No. 120; Greensboro at No. 135; Charlotte at No. 146; High Point at No. 195; Raleigh at No. 197; Elon at No. 207; Asheville at No. 222; Greenville at No. 247; Winston-Salem at No. 249 and Wilmington at No. 276.
