Home of NCAA Champs ranked second best in the nation for basketball fans

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - A national study has ranked Lawrence as the second-best city in America for college basketball fans, which may be no surprise to fans of the Jayhawks, the 2022 NCAA Champions.

With March Madness just a week away, personal finance website WalletHub.com announced on Tuesday, March 7, that it released its report on 2023′s Best Cities for College Basketball Fans - and it may be no surprise that the home of the 2022 NCAA Champions is high on the list.

To find the top spots for NCAA hoops, WalletHub said it crunched the numbers on more than 290 cities using metrics that range from the number of teams per city and the winning percentage of each to stadium capacity and social media engagement.

Lawrence, home of the University of Kansas Jayhawks, ranked second in the nation with a total score of 55.23. As of 2022, KU - the only NCAA team in Lawrence - has won more than 87% of its games. The Jayhawks’ homecourt is Allen Fieldhouse which can host 16,300 fans. The team’s Twitter account has 938,800 followers and its Facebook has just over 397,500 followers.

Manhattan, home of the Kansas State University Wildcats, ranked 94th in the nation with a total score of 25.85. As of 2022, K-State had a winning percentage of nearly 72%. The Wildcats’ homecourt is Bramlage Coliseum which can host 12,528 fans. The team’s Twitter account has 40,700 followers and its Facebook has 12,000 followers.

Kansas City ranked 236 overall with a total score of 19.22. Kansas City is home to the University of Missouri - Kansas City as well as a site for the Big 12 Tournament. The Kansas City Roos have a winning record of 75%. The Roos play in Municipal Auditorium which can host 10,700 fans. The team’s Twitter account has 5,655 followers and its Facebook has 1,000 followers.

Wichita, home of the Shockers, was ranked 286th overall with a total score of 14.8. As of 2022, the Shockers have a winning percentage of 65.5%. The team’s homecourt is Charles Koch Arena which can host 10,506 fans. The team’s Twitter account has 18,200 followers and its Facebook has 5,600 followers.

The report also found that Lawrence was home to the third-best performing team - the Jayhawks. The city also tied with Chapel Hill, N.C., Bloomington, Ind., Morgantown, W.V., and East Lansing, Mich., for the most engaged fans.

The report indicated that Wichita was found to have tied Bloomington, Ind., Auburn, Ala., Chapel Hill, N.C., and Lexington, Ken., for the highest minimum season ticket price for a college basketball game.

The report found the best cities for college basketball fans include:

1. Durham, N.C.
2. Lawrence, Kan.
3. Storrs, Conn.
4. Lexington, Ken.
5. Los Angeles, Cali.

According to the report, the worst cities for NCAA basketball fans include:

1. New Britain, Conn.
2. Easton, Mass.
3. Daytona Beach, Fla.
4. Pocatello, Idaho
5. Berkeley, Cali.

For more information or to see where other cities fall, click HERE.

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