YouTube Gold: Weird College Arenas

This video looks at some of the stranger arenas in college basketball. It starts off with Assembly Hall at Indiana and what used to the Carrier Dome at Syracuse.

Vanderbilt is in with Memorial Gymnasium, where the benches are under the baskets. The seating for everyone else is kind of odd too.

MInnesota’s Williams Arena, built in 1928, makes the list too. It’s an elevated floor and a bit odd.

Butler’s Hinkle Arena also opened in 1928. arena doesn’t run long ways the way the building does but rather across. Beautiful light in that place.

Villanova Pavilion is smaller than we thought but very nice.

Cal St. Bakersfield’s Icardo Center has no seating at the ends.

Florida International University has a pretty intense water theme.

University of North Texas Coliseum seems like theater in the round. Too bad they couldn’t find a way to rotate the court.

Palestra - 1927. One of the greatest arenas in baseball history. It looks like it is from another time, which it is, but even by the 1940s it must have looked like it was from another age. It’s a cathedral. Just a beautiful place. Also the direct inspiration for Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Rose Hill Gym. Fordham - 1925 3,200 beautiful arena.

Walter Pyramid. Long Beach has a literal pyramid.

Harvard’s Lavietes Pavilion seats just 1,636. Tommy Amaker coaches in a beautiful building.

Pepperdine Firestone Fieldhouse didn’t seem that great frankly. Not bad, not special.

New Mexico’s Pit is a place we’ve always wanted to go. It’s mostly underground so the sound has nowhere to go. It’s always seemed like an amazing place to watch a game.