CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Heading into March Madness, credit and finance protection company WalletHub found Charlottesville to be the 34th best city for college basketball fans in the United States.
“College basketball fans across the U.S. are gearing up for the most exciting time of year – March Madness. College basketball is a big deal in the U.S., and depending on where you live, it may have even more appeal than the professional level,” according to release from WalletHub announcing the results of its study. “Each city has its own unique basketball history and charm. Graduates also tend to favor their alma mater, while others may have an understandable loyalty to their hometown.”
WalletHub Analyst Chip Lupo told Cville Right Now there are a number of factors.
“The scoring considers range from the number of teams per city and the winning percentage of each to stadium capacity and social-media engagement.”
He said the survey also includes listings according to city size as Charlottesville is 34th overall, but is up to 23rd when ranked among the small cities.
“Some of these cities and towns that maybe don’t have the benefit of an NBA professional franchise, give them a fair shot,” Lupo said about breaking down the cities into sizes.
That said, Lupo said Charlottesville may benefit from not having a professional franchise because UVA basketball is the pro franchise in town.
It also helps the Hoos have had some success over the years.
“You do have that national championship back in 2019 which more than balances out that terrible, terrible 1-16 loss the year before to UMBC, so you do have some success there” Lupo said.
“Conference championships, I mean from the mid-70s when they first burst on the scene with the Wally Walker years, with Terry Holland, and of course you had Ralph Sampson.”
Success brings out the fans which is part of the reason No. 2 on the list overall is Durham with the Duke Blue Devils.
Lupo knows Los Angeles being tops on the list might surprise some, “But Los Angeles has history in its favor if you remember those legendary UCLA teams through the ’60s and ’70s, so they have that going for them.”
“You do have the rabid fans out there that are still longing for that day that maybe they might one day be able to recapture that,” Lupo said.
In the ACC, Chapel Hill is 8th on their list after 2nd-ranked Durham, Boston is 10th although Boston College is only in the mix of colleges contributing to that ranking, Clemson is 27th, Syracuse 30th, Louisville 51st, South Bend 67th, Pittsburgh 84th, Stanford 88th, Miami 132nd, Raleigh 136th, Tallahassee 177th, Dallas 198th, Winston-Salem 209th, Blacksburg 211th, Atlanta 212th. and Berkeley 295th.
