Hinkle Fieldhouse (3:00) was also a movie star, as it was used as the setting for the Indiana State finals in the 1986 Gene Hackman movie 'Hoosiers'.

"Indiana University" Assembly Hall is one of the best arenas for basketball I have experienced, it is compact, with good line of sight for all seats. It is loud, though, and part of its reputation for intimidating visiting teams, aside from the fact the the fans are supportive, and it gives the highest proportion of seats to students than any other school in the Big Ten.

Texas Hall, where Texas Arlington used to play, was a glorified performing arts theatre with a basketball court placed on the stage.

The carrier dome is so cool when you’re there in person. That crowd is insane when it gets going. Go Cuse 🧡

I love Vandys court, and The Pit in ABQ is so awesome.

Love the vid.. Vanderbilt's has a gothic theater look to it. Also it seems like "Fieldhouse (style) stadium's" are making a comeback as apposed to the oval/circular shapes.... In waco the new Baylor basketball stadium will be a Fieldhouse style and personally I like that feel to it (Like Butler's University "old lady" 😂)

I did a basketball camp at Harvard as a teenager in the 70s. The basketball team then played in an upper floor gym in an athletic building near Harvard Square. The pavilion at that time was an empty field house used for indoor practices by the football baseball and track teams. We toured the facilities as a camper and there was a dirt/clay floor and a baseball Diamond was chalked on the floor when I was there. The hockey arena next door had just been built.

Memorial gym in Nashville rocks but the players don't sit beneath the floor as stated at 2:13 when comparing the stadium to Minnesota's arena. They sit at the ends of the court as mentioned at 1:58. That was an interested segment as I didn't realize how many arenas and stadiums were non-standard like that. I had no idea Harvard held so few people.

Surprised that the RAC didn't make the list. There's a reason why Rutgers calls it the Trapezoid of Terror.

the UW Huskies had a really cool arena before the renovation that had stained glass and it was made in the 1920's as well. Wish they kept the stained glass when they renovated it.

Cool vid, interesting arenas & courts that I didn't know of! A personal fav of mine not mentioned in the video: UConn's Gampel Pavilion. It looks like Space Mountain, smack dab in the middle of Storrs campus, which in itself is in the middle of farm country. When it first opened in 1990 it must've looked so futuristic compared to everything around it, and still does to this day.

Vandy vs #1 Tennessee at Memorial in 2019 ended up being a heartbreaker, but is still easily one of the most fun live events I’ve ever been to. Memorial Magic is rare some seasons, but it’s real, and that building is so weird and can get so loud, and the position of the student section is so unique.

Hinkle Fieldhouse was also the arena used in the movie “Hoosiers “ as the championship game.

Seen games at Vandy and Syracuse. Absolutely loved the old arenas in this video!

I kept expecting to see Carver-Hawkeye Arena show up. It’s built into a natural bowl, so it looks very short from the outside. There’s only one tier of seating on the inside and a clear view of the court from the concourse around the top of the bowl - no tunnels.

I grew up in Indiana and had a ton of friends who went to IU, but I only went to Assembly Hall once. That was for the 1984 Team USA Olympic tryouts. Young Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Patrick Ewing, John Stockton, Chris Mullin and Indiana's own Steve Alford (who I ended up playing for in college years later)... We had court access before and after the game and got to meet some of the players, but our actual seats were way up on the second level. I got mild vertigo walking down the aisle because the incline was so steep. It was dimly lit in the seating area, but the court was bright and everything was so easy to see. And it was LOUD!

Outside of D1 schools, take a look at Tufts University in Medford MA. Cousens Gymnasium opened in 1932. Since then the court was rotated 90 degrees to meet college requirements for length. The locker rooms aren't at court level, rather you have to climb up a couple flights of stairs to reach them.

Pre-renovation, NC State’s Reynolds Coliseum (no longer the men’s team’s primary home court) had somewhat small seating areas on either side, but the seating at the ends went on forever.

Jersey Mike’s Arena at Rutgers is also pretty unique - the building is built into the ground and the seats are super close to the court and go up high on the two sides

The Original Pit was the Stockton Civic Auditorium built in 1925. It was home to University of the Pacific Basketball until the Spanos Center opened on the campus in 1982. Some of the seats in the upper lodge were over the court and fans would occasionally swat away opponent's shots. The floor was famous for dead spots where the ball would not bounce and UOP Players knew where those spots were.

Seen games at Indiana, Vandy, and Butler. All three are unique and very cool.

The University of San Francisco's Sobrato Center has an interesting two-tiered seating arrangement that I find unique. Weber State's Dee Events Center, similar to North Texas's arena, has an oval shape to it, making it quite unique.

The PIT in New Mexico is awesome, N.C State beat Phi Slamma Jamma for the National Championship there in 1983

Vandy has always been my favorite college stadium. It’s so unique. And the hoops are reallly odd

7:47 “another weird one” what are you doing bro? 😂😂😂

Nice job. Where would Duke's Cameron fit in here? Also I think WKU's Diddle Arena was one of the first Basketball arena's based on the ceiling/roof being like the spoked wheel of a bicycle.

Hey IGS! Would love to collab on some content with ya! Let me know if you would be interested 🙏🏼

Great to see The Palestra and the Rose Hill Gymnasium. If this video was made twenty years ago it would have included the home of the Long Island University Blackbirds, the former Brooklyn Paramount Theater (Opened in 1928 with 4,084 seats) in downtown Brooklyn. It was transformed into classroom and gymnasium space in 1962 (with a smaller seating capacity) and was the home of LIU basketball until 2005. It is slated to become a concert venue but reconstruction has hit a snag.

Awesome video. I am an Indiana University graduate so I have always loved our weird Assembly Hall. Some of these arenas are so cool.

When New Mexico is really good - a game in “The Pit” is one of the best college basketball environments anywhere.

Great video, one question, could you make a video about the NHL Weird arenas or MLS?

Viejas Arena, built into the Aztec Bowl is pretty interesting as well. They built it in the middle of the former football stadium and left much of the football stadium in place.

Huh, I've always known Assembly Hall looks a bit odd on TV when compared to other circular/oval arenas, but now I know why! I've never seen a full-size internal shot of the place. I like the design, you can tell the acoustics are designed to focus the noise toward the court.

If you do part two do some more mid majors. They always end up with unique arenas. Look up Prather coliseum. Northwestern State plays there in the Southland Conference. I got my masters degree there. The arena is reeeaaalllly long. Like 3 courts long. So they have seats that are way down at the end like 200 feet from the baseline of the court.

LIU in Brooklyn also has a weird gym. It is an old theater.

State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois (home of the Illinois Fighting Illini men's and women's basketball teams) looks like a giant mushroom from the outside. The Big Ten has plenty of interesting gymnasiums for basketball.

There’s some small school gems out there too. Pacific Union in Angwin, CA is worth checking out.

Most know the Butler arena was the scene in the "state final" game of Hoosiers, but it does have a great traditional look though. I rather like it

You should check out the Armory Gymnasium at Montana State Northern. Its a hut type building with the court going the "wrong" way and not seating on the ends.

I like to imagine the coach for the teams playing in Williams Arena being like "ok are you all ready to practice falling off the court"

Most of these are iconic arenas and I think they’re all cool tbh

The Palestra, aka "The Cathedral of College Basketball" Since its inception, the Palestra has hosted more games, more visiting teams, and more NCAA tournaments than any other facility in college basketball.

Good video lol I watched it using the subtitles, definitely some interesting buildings and I would assume stadiums out there as well.

While you mention the floor at Oregon, and while Matthew Knight Arena probably isn’t weird enough to make the list (a combination of subtle asymmetry and edifice complex), I need to mention old MacArthur Court. Originally built in 1925 to 6,000, and kind of expanded the way Vanderbilt’s Memorial expanded… straight up, because that’s the only way it could go. The main difference was the floor, which not only wasn’t elevated, but there was practically NO room along the sidelines. When I would sit in the front row of the student section, I’d literally have to pull my feet back so it didn’t touch the sideline. The view from the top level was the closest you would ever come to a chalkboard view of the floor… everyone was almost literally on top of you. It got comparisons to Boston Garden… but it was a true pit. It still stands, the floor being used for rev purposes while the school determines (or waits for Phil Knight to determine) what to do with it. Speaking of pits, you didn’t mention why New Mexico’s arena is the way it is… it’s literally dug into a hillside. A literal pit. And it’s in that arena (during a womens tournament game, no less) that my ears ever came closest to total pain from the crowd noise. Another “too bad it renovated” mention… when Leavey Center at Santa Clara University was still Toso Pavilion, it had an air-supported fabric roof with 5,000 capacity… and landscaping within the arena. Bark and shrubs. Kind of hilarious.

Really cool video! Interesting arenas is just another reason why college basketball is fun!

"And groove even smoother than moves by Villanova You're still a soldier, I'm like Sly Stone in Cobra" - Nas

This is a very enjoyable video. Thanks for posting.

I'm liking your videos. They're always fun and informative. Keep it up!

Indiana University! (and yes, Assembly Hall is the weirdest, but also the GREATEST college basketball arena in the country!)😊

Fun Fact about the Pit, it was where Phi Slamma Jamma succumbed to the NC State Wolfpack in the '83 title game on Lo Charles' game-winning dunk! Say what you will, but Jimmy V is still running around that court!

I have always thought it was odd that at Cameron indoor stadium ( where Duke plays) the basketball backboards are hanging from the ceiling and not like all other basketball backboards in other arenas.

Nice to see the JMA on here! Strange but it’s the dome!

The Carrier Dome while named after the air conditioning company which has is its HQ there never had air conditioning and would get quite hot especially in September games. They recently refurbished it and changed the name to JMA Wireless Dome.

University of Texas at Arlington old stadium omg one half was normal the other half was a theater seating. Their new digs are badass one of the best college basketball stadiums

I know this is about arenas currently in use but one very interesting tidbit is that the University of Texas-Arlington Mavericks used to play on the stage of an actual auditorium! One of the weirdest stadiums I've ever seen and I'm almost sad they moved to College Park in the early 2010s.

Im not for sure but when assembly hall was first built it was supposed to be a auditorium but they changed it to the basketball court. Also no hate but its Indiana University not University’s of Indiana. Cool video thoe!

Vanderbilt HAD to be on the list and lo and behold it was.

I've been inside of FDUs Arena it's very Strange in NEC its a Walkway in a Rectangle outside plus a indoor Track I've seen it before

Back in the 30s many high schools had their basketball courts in their auditoriums.

I went to IU and can confirm that Assembly Hall is messed up if you don't have good seats. From the upper rows of the lower level, you can't see the scoreboard because the second level overhangs the lower level. I once had a seat in the upper level where I couldn't see one of the baskets.

Been to four of the Syracuse games that broke the record. The one vs Villanova I legit couldn’t hear my friend sitting next to me it was so loud

It's Indiana University not university of indiana

dayton should be on here the court and seats are all like under ground you walk in and your at the top

I would really like to see a game at the pit. Seems like it would be such a cool experience.

That FIU court is really cool looking but oh man I bet it’s is extremely difficult for reds and players on that out of bounds line

When Hinkle Fieldhouse first opened, the court did match the orientation of the building. However, the building has big windows on each end. Sunlight coming through the windows could get in players' eyes and impact the shooting. So, fairly early on, they rotated the court 90 degrees and altered the seating bowl.

Princeton Dome is an insane place for college bball… so is the RAC at rutgers

The weirdest one Ive been to is the old San Antonio Spurs stadium. It was so weird, only half of it was used and they used like giant curtains to cover it. Haven't been to any of the weird college ones.

Williams Arena for the Gophers has an arched roof like a barn, not airplane hangar. Hence the nickname, "The Barn." The student section dresses as farm animals for games.

Nova plays most of their home games at Wells Fargo center

Greensboro Coliseum is interesting as it’s the largest purpose built basketball arena in the country but the college that plays there averages like 1500 people per game.

Carver-Hawkeye arena in Iowa City is very interesting. Look it up if you’ve never seen it.

played in Syracuse's Carrier Dome back in HS for the section championship, was a nice stadium, but the Turf was terrible back then

There is a high school in Michigan that has a basketball arena in a dome. It’s at lumen Christi catholic high school in Jackson and it’s called the Jerry Cox Memorial Fieldhouse

It was the Carrier Dome, not the Carrie Dome. It is also NOW named JMA Wireless Dome

I’m very very curious what your take is on Allen Fieldhouse if it’s not in this vid🤦🏻‍♂️

You missed the State Farm Center at Assembly Hall in Champaign IL. It looks like an alien spaceship and has the largest freestanding concrete dome roof. It also holds 16,000+ very loud Fighting Illini fans!!!

About an hr east of Hinkle Fieldhouse is a Highschool gym in Indiana that is just around 700 seats smaller than Hinkle

Next time you do the top 10 weirdest college basketball arenas you need to add the WVU coliseum it looks so weird from the outside ive never seen another arena look like it. I cant even explain how it looks cause it looks so weird, definitely weirder than any of these

Same narrator from Night Time Spooks or am I just blending voices. Either way, great stuff. And go Ducks!

The Palestra is a philly Landmark. 👍🏼 Also, never knew where Pepperdine was. 😂

well done yo! #iubb #indiana

CSULB !!! I remember when they built the pyramid , it was the end of all day concerts on the grass. Those were some fun afternoons...now I'm craving BBQ.

i can't believe my alma mater UNT is on this list... The Coliseum/Super Pit sure is an interesting stadium to say the least... solid build though. Go Mean Green!!!

'The Pit' 🕳️ looks RAD! 😈

The Long Island University court inside the old Brooklyn Paramount Theater is also unusual. 🙂

Pretty cool video!

Happy to see CSUB make the cut

Fun fact: Indiana's Assembly Hall was originally touted as a music venue for A-list musical acts when it opened in 1971. Growing up in Bloomington, I remember attending performances by Santana, Pure Prairie League, John Denver, Eagles, Steve Miller Band, and an off Broadway production of Jesus Christ Superstar. However, it's acoustics really suck, and most big acts stopped coming in favor of Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, one hour away.

My dad always said that IU’s arena was designed by a Purdue engineer!

For Syracuse, it's now called The JMA Wireless Dome

Watched HS games at Villanova. It’s tiny but one of the best atmospheres around for basketball.

I have never understood Vanderbilt putting the team benches at each end of the court, when they have so much excess room on the side lines. I mean you could set up street vendors on the side lines and still have room lol!

Always wondered about vandys arena since the floor looks so weird on tv

I think the weirder the stadium the more electric or nostalgic it is

Xavier University has a pretty odd arena. When I went to a game there from the outside I thought it was a big bx store

If you’ve ever been to Syracuse, you’d realize why they put the dome where they did lol

If you're going to highlight Ivy League schools, I'd say Princeton is much weirder than Harvard and Penn. One thing you forgot to mention about Long Beach State is that unlike many arenas that have retractable seating, their seating actually folds upwards when not in use.

Was looking for the RAC/ Jersey Mike's Arena on here. The Trapezoid of Terror. It's not that strange?

I'm a Utah State fan, but I clicked this video for The Pit. I would have been shocked if that wasn't here.