Which Washington city is the best for college basketball fans?
Mar 15, 2025, 6:00 AM
Franck Kepnang #11 of the Washington Huskies fouls Kwame Evans Jr. #10 of the Oregon Ducks during the second half at Alaska Airlines Arena on March 09, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
The debate will go on forever? Which Washington city is the best for college basketball fans?
March Madness is fast approaching with Selection Sunday on March 16th. 68 teams will play in the 2025 NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournament.
But the home cities of some of those teams might be just a little better for the fan experience, if you believe a survey, that just came out.
It’s a new ranking of the “Best Cities for College Basketball Fans.”
Analyst Chip Lupo said WalletHub compared more than 290 US cities on nine key metrics.
“Number of teams per city, winning percentage, stadium capacity, social media engagement,” were among other factors.
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College basketball fans gave us their thoughts
It’s a long list of cities, but KIRO Newsradio wanted to find out which college town in Washington ranked the highest on the list.
Sorry Huskies, it was not the University of Washington.
Seattle, at 107 on the list, got dinged for its higher college basketball ticket prices, smaller venue, and higher turnover in coaches, over the past decade. “That kind of gauges if there’s stability within a program,” Lupo explained. The Huskies have a relatively new coach in Danny Sprinkle who was hired last March.
What about the Spokane and Gonzaga Bulldogs? The Zags have a reputation for making the playoffs.
“Number of conference regular season championships, 28- wow! OK,” Lupo said as he poured through the WalletHub data.
Still, Spokane was not the highest-rated basketball college town in Washington State. The Bulldogs’ home city ranked 176th on the national list.
“What hurts Gonzaga is the minimum season ticket price for a college basketball game is about $1200.”
Lupo admits that the ticket prices are high because the team is so popular.
So who comes out on top?
Nevertheless, according to WalletHub, the best city for college basketball fans in Washington State is Pullman, home to the Washington State University Cougars.
“They are the heart of Pullman, Washington. Pullman, Washington IS Washington State University. I mean, without it, (the city) would basically be a crossroads.”
Or perhaps a lentil field.
Pullman also scored points for having decent ticket prices, two Hall of Fame coaches, and great fan engagement.
Cheney, home to the Eastern Washington University Eagles, is ranked 79th. WalletHub notes that Cheney has good stadium capacity, and the Eagles have had two hall of fame coaches.
As for the overall national list, Los Angeles was ranked the best city for college basketball fans. Philadelphia, which has several college teams, was second.
Stores, Connecticut – home to the powerhouse U-Conn Men’s and Women’s teams – ranked third.
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Heather Bosch is an award-winning for KIRO Newsradio.
Follow @http://www.twitter.com/heatherbosch
