Best Big 12 basketball arenas: No. 1, 2 (and 10) separate themselves in final ranking
One of my favorite questions to Big 12 basketball players each year is asking their favorite and least favorite conference arenas.
It’s great because ... well, everyone has an opinion. Some guys like bowl setups. Others like fans close to them, while a few are concerned most with the lighting.
This all led me to a thought: Is there a consensus on the best and worst Big 12 arenas among those of us who go there each year? And do some buildings really stand out more than others?
I gathered our company resources to see what we could find. I asked our four traveling Big 12 beat writers — Gary Bedore (KU), Kellis Robinett (K-State), Drew Davison (TCU) and myself — to do a ranking of their favorite conference arenas, 1-10.
This will be subjective, no doubt. But the goal here is to rank the actual building and not the fanbase, with an eye toward which arenas our writers favor, whether that’s taking into account proximity of fans to the court, overall look or even availability of concessions.
After receiving the ballots, I added up the values for each, with first place getting 10 points, second place getting nine, and so on. Combining those totals gave us, in essence, our own a composite ranking of the league’s top arenas.
Without further ado, here’s our overall list ...
Overall Big 12 arena rankings
1. Allen Fieldhouse, Kansas (40 points)
2. Hilton Coliseum, Iowa State (29 points)
T3. Bramlage Coliseum, Kansas State (25 points)
T3. WVU Coliseum, West Virginia (25 points)
T5. United Supermarkets Arena, Texas Tech (23 points)
T5. Gallagher-Iba Arena, Oklahoma State (23 points)
7. Schollmaier Arena, TCU (22 points)
T8. Lloyd Noble Center, Oklahoma (13 points)
T8. Ferrell Center, Baylor (13 points)
10. Erwin Center, Texas (7 points)
There’s no surprise with Allen Fieldhouse at No. 1, but Hilton Coliseum rises as another top destination, ranked in the top three by all but one of our panelists.
From there, the Big 12 arenas seem to separate out in tiers. The two coliseums (Bramlage and WVU) are seen favorably, while Texas Tech’s United Supermarkets Arena, Oklahoma State’s Gallagher-Iba Arena and TCU’s Schollmaier Arena brought about the widest difference in opinions.
There’s a clear No. 10, though: Texas’s Erwin Center received three last-place votes, and doesn’t seem like it will be missed when the Longhorns replace it soon.
For full disclosure, here’s a look at each of our individual ballots, with an explanation for our picks:
Jesse Newell, Kansas City Star
1. Allen Fieldhouse, Kansas — Building feels historic but not “old,” which makes it unique among other great college basketball venues out there.
2. Schollmaier Arena, TCU — TCU’s redesign makes this a top Big 12 venue; Schollmaier feels new, isn’t too big and is one of my favorite Big 12 spots to watch a game.
3. Bramlage Coliseum, K-State — The dungeon feel makes Bramlage what it is; it feels dark and daunting when you’re in there and makes for a fun viewing experience.
4. WVU Coliseum, West Virginia — The coliseum is huge and quite a sight from the outside, where it can be seen from miles away. Inside, it has the feel of a big-time atmosphere as well.
5. United Supermarkets Arena, Texas Tech — The fans here are great, though the building, to me, is just meh. I want to like this arena more, but nothing stands out about it as particularly special.
6. Gallagher-Iba Arena, Oklahoma State — I wish I could have gone to a game at the old Gallagher-Iba before it expanded. As it stands now ... this building has a one-of-a-kind layout but is way too big, which kills the chance of creating a better atmosphere.
7. Hilton Coliseum, Iowa State — If this were a ranking of fans, Iowa State would be much higher on this list. Just for arenas, though ... I don’t love Hilton, which is a concrete mass on the outside with a dated feel once you walk in.
8. Lloyd Noble Center, Oklahoma — Lloyd Noble has very little going for it ... except for pyro. Over the years, I don’t think anyone has done pregame fireshows better than the Sooners.
9. Ferrell Center, Baylor — Inside ... it’s just ugly, and I’m surprised a renovation hasn’t happened yet following the immense success of both the men’s and women’s programs.
10. Erwin Center, Texas — This place is a disaster, and Texas knows it. Way too big and unkempt ... the Longhorns are at least working to fix this issue.
Kellis Robinett, Kansas City Star
1. Allen Fieldhouse, Kansas — The Jayhawks are the only team in the Big 12 that plays in front of sellout crowds for all its home games, but Allen Fieldhouse tops its peers even if you strip away the atmosphere. This is an old arena with personality that stands out from newer places in college basketball. It lacks modern amenities, but makes up for them with a feel that is half museum and half basketball palace.
2. United Supermarkets Arena, Texas Tech — After years of irrelevance, the Red Raiders finally have a basketball team worthy of United Supermarkets Arena. The seating arrangement keeps fans on top of the action and recent enhancements like a state-of-the-art video board and a club on the main concourse make this two-level arena perfect for having fun at a basketball game.
3. Hilton Coliseum, Iowa State — There’s really not a bad seat at Hilton Coliseum, partially because the Cyclones have one of the best lit arenas in the nation. Instead of turning off some lights to accentuate the court, every part of Iowa State’s home arena is equally bright. It gets loud inside, too.
4. Gallagher-Iba Arena, Oklahoma State — Here’s guessing the Cowboys wish they would have kept the old capacity at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Raising the roof was a mistake that gives OSU home games a cavernous feel. But it’s still a great place to watch games when it’s full, especially because of its vertical design.
5. Bramlage Coliseum, Kansas State — The best thing about Bramlage Coliseum is the location of the Wildcats’ student section. The loudest fans in the arena watch games from mid-court seats, creating a unique environment for any visiting player. The octagon design isn’t much to look at, though. It’s essentially a concrete bunker.
6. WVU Coliseum, West Virginia — You can see this place from miles away because of its arching roof. It has to be one of the nation’s biggest arenas in terms of pure size. That is both a plus and a minus for WVU Coliseum, as the arena doesn’t feel very loud inside. This arena gets a boost from its grab-and-go style concession areas that eliminate long lines and offer more food options than traditional arenas.
7. Erwin Center, Texas — This building was built for concerts, not basketball. On the rare occasions when the Longhorns are able to fit nearly 17,000 fans inside their arena, there are few places better to watch a game than the Erwin Center. But that happens so infrequently that outsiders poke fun at the huge number of empty seats at UT home games. A new, smaller arena will do the Longhorns some good.
8. Lloyd Noble Center, Oklahoma — The Sooners have the best assortment of restaurant options inside their arena, as fans can pick between Chick-Fil-A, Pizza Hut, Sooner Street Tacos and Sooner Smokehouse. But once you move away from the concourse and watch basketball there’s nothing all that special about Lloyd Noble Center.
9. Schollmaier Arena, TCU — Schollmaier Arena is much nicer than it was when the Horned Frogs first joined the Big 12, but its roundhouse design dulls the atmosphere and the hideous court design makes it feel more like a hockey rink than a basketball arena. One perk: It is smack dab in the middle of campus.
10. Ferrell Center, Baylor — There is a reason why the Bears are looking to replace Ferrell Center. It’s outdated and too big for the vast majority of Baylor games. Even when it’s full, the circular design creates unnecessary distce between the court and Bears fans. A newer, more cozy arena will be a welcome change for basketball fans in Waco.
Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star
1. Allen Fieldhouse, Kansas — Would be perfect if it was air-conditioned. Looks like a classy museum from the outside but has modern amenities inside.
2. Gallagher-Iba Arena, Oklahoma State — Old-school arena opened in 1938 and was renovated to double its size to 13,600 in 2000. It’s similar to Allen Fieldhouse in terms of noise level when the Cowboys pack the arena.
3. Hilton Coliseum, Iowa State — Almost 50 years old (opened in 1971) it also has eye-pleasing old-school architecture on the outside. Modern cushioned seats inside. Huge area around arena for parking.
4. Schollmaier Arena, TCU — Remodeled arena seats just under 7,000, which seems like a perfect size. The actual playing surface is ugly and hard to see the ball on TV.
5. WVU Coliseum, West Virginia — Sometimes can be hard to get into the arena because of traffic congestion in the area, which looks like a flying saucer from the outside.
6. Ferrell Center, Baylor — The 10,300 seat arena has a unique gold dome. Sometimes it seems awfully dark in the building.
7. Lloyd Noble Center, Oklahoma — The spacious parking lot, which offers plenty of parking for all in one location close to the building is nice for fans. It opened in 1975 but doesn’t seem that old. Known as a concert venue as well.
8. Bramlage Coliseum, Kansas State — Also located in a spot where parking is abundant and fan friendly. A no frills arena, especially compared to KSU’s football facility, it could use some upgrades regarding concessions.
9. United Supermarkets Arena, Texas Tech — Seats 15,100 fans, making it almost as big as Allen Fieldhouse. Great setup for concessions. Spanish Renaissance exterior matches the other buildings on campus.
10. Erwin Center, Texas — The Longhorns are building a new arena, which should help the program immensely. It opened in 1977 and has hosted many concerts, including Paul McCartney and Garth Brooks. It is within walking distance of downtown Austin.
Drew Davison, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
1. Allen Fieldhouse, Kansas — One of the great sports venues in the country. This is the clear cut No. 1.
2. Hilton Coliseum, Iowa State — The student section essentially being on top of the court makes this one of the better atmospheres.
3. Bramlage Coliseum, Kansas State — I’ll never understand why there’s an aisle right at center court, but it’s a good college hoops venue.
4. WVU Coliseum, West Virginia — Even if the game isn’t great, you can’t go wrong watching the Dave Crockett-esque Mountaineer mascot fire up the crowd.
5. United Supermarkets Arena, Texas Tech — This has become one of the better venues with Chris Beard in charge.
6. Ferrell Center, Baylor — The gold dome makes it easy to spot and Scott Drew’s teams have made it a respectable venue.
7. Schollmaier Arena, TCU — There isn’t a bad seat in the house and it’s got potential with the student section being so close to the action.
8. Lloyd Noble Center, Oklahoma — Hey, you might see Toby Keith sitting courtside.
9. Gallagher-Iba Arena, Oklahoma State — Sorry, but this doesn’t live up to its previous reputation as the “Madison Square Garden of the Plains.”
10. Erwin Center, Texas — There’s a reason Texas is spending $338 million on the new Moody Center.
