With March Madness less than a week away, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2021’s Best Cities for College Basketball Fans, to help get hoops lovers psyched for this magical time of year.
To find 2021’s top spots for NCAA hoops, WalletHub crunched the numbers on more than 290 cities using nine key metrics. They range from the number of teams per city and the winning percentage of each to stadium capacity and social-media engagement.
Charlotte ranks 265th overall and 52nd among large cities.
Charlotte as a College Hoops Haven (1=Best, 145=Avg.):
- 260th – Winning Percentage
- 142nd – Conference Championships
- 284th – Social-Media Engagement
- 274th – Stadium Capacity
Ranking by City Size
| Rank (1=Best) |
Large City (Score) |
Rank (1=Best) |
Midsize City (Score) |
Rank (1=Best) |
Small City (Score) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lexington, KY (55.48) |
1 | Durham, NC (58.52) |
1 | East Lansing, MI (54.29) |
| 2 | Los Angeles, CA (52.68) |
2 | Norman, OK (38.04) |
2 | Lawrence, KS (53.82) |
| 3 | Philadelphia, PA (48.39) |
3 | Ann Arbor, MI (37.86) |
3 | Storrs, CT (53.19) |
| 4 | Washington, DC (43.02) |
4 | Salt Lake City, UT (34.63) |
4 | Chapel Hill, NC (51.98) |
| 5 | Boston, MA (41.50) |
5 | South Bend, IN (33.49) |
5 | Fayette, MS (45.99) |
| 6 | New York, NY (40.35) |
6 | Provo, UT (31.38) |
6 | Kingston, RI (43.89) |
| 7 | Omaha, NE (32.55) |
7 | Syracuse, NY (30.12) |
7 | College Park, MD (43.38) |
| 8 | Houston, TX (32.33) |
8 | Providence, RI (29.02) |
8 | Bloomington, IN (42.48) |
| 9 | Tulsa, OK (31.79) |
9 | Dayton, OH (28.99) |
9 | West Point, NY (41.90) |
| 10 | Cincinnati, OH (31.78) |
10 | Knoxville, TN (28.52) |
10 | Loretto, PA (40.75) |
| 11 | Louisville, KY (30.81) |
11 | Eugene, OR (28.32) |
11 | Morgantown, WV (40.17) |
| 12 | Nashville, TN (28.62) |
12 | Columbia, SC (28.25) |
12 | Charlottesville, VA (39.52) |
| 13 | Chicago, IL (28.57) |
13 | Spokane, WA (27.98) |
13 | Fayetteville, AR (39.40) |
| 14 | Long Beach, CA (28.46) |
14 | Toledo, OH (27.27) |
14 | Lewiston, NY (37.94) |
| 15 | Memphis, TN (27.76) |
15 | Baton Rouge, LA (26.43) |
15 | Stillwater, OK (36.75) |
| 16 | San Francisco, CA (27.19) |
16 | Lafayette, LA (26.33) |
16 | Buies Creek, NC (36.21) |
| 17 | San Diego, CA (27.00) |
17 | Abilene, TX (26.21) |
17 | Murray, KY (34.92) |
| 18 | Miami, FL (26.89) |
18 | Tallahassee, FL (26.18) |
18 | Hamilton, NY (34.59) |
| 19 | Seattle, WA (26.78) |
19 | Irvine, CA (26.16) |
19 | Itta Bena, MS (34.46) |
| 20 | Pittsburgh, PA (25.42) |
20 | Boulder, CO (25.84) |
20 | Ames, IA (34.27) |
| 21 | Dallas, TX (25.41) |
21 | Tempe, AZ (25.58) |
21 | Iowa City, IA (33.50) |
| 22 | Austin, TX (25.37) |
22 | College Station, TX (25.43) |
22 | Clemson, SC (32.70) |
| 23 | Baltimore, MD (25.37) |
23 | Greensboro, NC (25.42) |
23 | Champaign, IL (31.58) |
| 24 | Milwaukee, WI (25.22) |
24 | New Haven, CT (25.20) |
24 | West Lafayette, IN (31.12) |
| 25 | Columbus, OH (25.13) |
25 | Akron, OH (24.92) |
25 | Spartanburg, SC (30.68) |
| 26 | New Orleans, LA (24.18) |
26 | Lubbock, TX (24.91) |
26 | Princeton, NJ (30.27) |
| 27 | Phoenix, AZ (23.27) |
27 | Columbia, MO (24.82) |
27 | Highland Heights, KY (30.07) |
| 28 | Jacksonville, FL (23.26) |
28 | Waco, TX (24.60) |
28 | Radford, VA (29.82) |
| 29 | St. Louis, MO (22.93) |
29 | Beaumont, TX (24.51) |
29 | Huntsville, TX (29.67) |
| 30 | Raleigh, NC (22.89) |
30 | Hartford, CT (24.12) |
30 | Boiling Springs, NC (29.19) |
| 31 | Sacramento, CA (22.85) |
31 | Newark, NJ (23.87) |
31 | Lewisburg, PA (28.77) |
| 32 | Tucson, AZ (22.75) |
32 | Orlando, FL (23.86) |
32 | Cheney, WA (28.76) |
| 33 | San Antonio, TX (22.55) |
33 | Lowell, MA (23.81) |
33 | Thibodaux, LA (28.62) |
| 34 | Corpus Christi, TX (22.44) |
34 | Clarksville, TN (23.80) |
34 | Troy, AL (28.52) |
| 35 | Atlanta, GA (22.42) |
35 | Peoria, IL (23.75) |
35 | Cullowhee, NC (28.41) |
| 36 | Arlington, TX (22.40) |
36 | Jackson, MS (23.47) |
36 | Olean, NY (28.39) |
| 37 | El Paso, TX (22.28) |
37 | Boise, ID (23.34) |
37 | Kent, OH (28.32) |
| 38 | Fresno, CA (21.81) |
38 | Denton, TX (23.28) |
38 | Ruston, LA (28.09) |
| 39 | Portland, OR (21.74) |
39 | Gainesville, FL (23.27) |
39 | Ogden, UT (28.06) |
| 40 | Las Vegas, NV (21.66) |
40 | Lincoln, NE (23.18) |
40 | Nacogdoches, TX (28.04) |
| 41 | Bakersfield, CA (21.54) |
41 | Buffalo, NY (23.16) |
41 | Emmitsburg, MD (27.57) |
| 42 | Riverside, CA (20.87) |
42 | Norfolk, VA (23.13) |
42 | Pullman, WA (27.23) |
| 43 | Stockton, CA (20.72) |
43 | Hampton, VA (23.11) |
43 | Stanford, CA (27.16) |
| 44 | Tampa, FL (19.98) |
44 | Charleston, SC (22.94) |
44 | Cedar Falls, IA (27.13) |
| 45 | Detroit, MI (19.79) |
45 | Greeley, CO (22.74) |
45 | Grambling, LA (26.93) |
| 46 | Indianapolis, IN (19.69) |
46 | Jersey City, NJ (22.55) |
46 | Lynchburg, VA (26.93) |
| 47 | Colorado Springs, CO (19.04) |
47 | High Point, NC (22.47) |
47 | Prairie View, TX (26.85) |
| 48 | Kansas City, MO (18.83) |
48 | Little Rock, AR (22.34) |
48 | Davidson, NC (26.70) |
| 49 | Denver, CO (18.75) |
49 | Mobile, AL (22.07) |
49 | New Rochelle, NY (26.68) |
| 50 | Albuquerque, NM (18.54) |
50 | North Charleston, SC (22.06) |
50 | Easton, PA (26.67) |
| 51 | Minneapolis, MN (17.65) |
51 | Fort Wayne, IN (21.57) |
51 | Orangeburg, SC (26.59) |
| 52 | Charlotte, NC (17.63) |
52 | Green Bay, WI (21.31) |
52 | Starkville, MS (26.50) |
| 52 | Cleveland, OH (17.63) |
53 | Fargo, ND (21.04) |
53 | Ypsilanti, MI (26.45) |
| 54 | Honolulu, HI (16.47) |
54 | Murfreesboro, TN (21.00) |
54 | Carbondale, IL (26.41) |
| 55 | Fort Worth, TX (16.17) |
55 | Des Moines, IA (20.92) |
55 | Terre Haute, IN (26.35) |
| 56 | San Jose, CA (15.90) |
56 | Worcester, MA (20.68) |
56 | Lexington, VA (26.32) |
| 57 | Madison, WI (20.61) |
57 | Mount Pleasant, MI (26.00) |
||
| 58 | Chattanooga, TN (20.36) |
58 | Brookings, SD (25.70) |
||
| 59 | Macon, GA (20.29) |
59 | North Andover, MA (25.66) |
||
| 60 | Cambridge, MA (19.97) |
60 | Jacksonville, AL (25.62) |
||
| 61 | Springfield, MO (19.96) |
61 | Hanover, NH (25.54) |
||
| 62 | Birmingham, AL (19.10) |
62 | Williamsburg, VA (25.49) |
||
| 63 | Winston-Salem, NC (18.97) |
63 | Durham, NH (25.48) |
||
| 64 | Fort Collins, CO (18.75) |
64 | Athens, OH (25.44) |
||
| 65 | Reno, NV (18.19) |
65 | DeKalb, IL (25.40) |
||
| 66 | Las Cruces, NM (18.06) |
66 | Corvallis, OR (25.33) |
||
| 67 | Athens, GA (17.33) |
67 | Huntington, WV (25.20) |
||
| 68 | Fullerton, CA (17.21) |
68 | State College, PA (25.18) |
||
| 69 | Richmond, VA (16.85) |
69 | Ithaca, NY (25.16) |
||
| 70 | Huntsville, AL (15.45) |
70 | Logan, UT (25.10) |
||
| 71 | Santa Clara, CA (12.33) |
71 | Annapolis, MD (25.04) |
||
| 72 | Evansville, IN (11.83) |
72 | Bowling Green, KY (24.96) |
||
| 73 | Wilmington, NC (11.77) |
73 | Albany, NY (24.91) |
||
| 74 | Berkeley, CA (11.42) |
74 | Johnson City, TN (24.82) |
||
| 75 | Montgomery, AL (10.64) |
75 | Laramie, WY (24.76) |
||
| 76 | Burlington, VT (24.73) |
||||
| 77 | Morehead, KY (24.64) |
||||
| 78 | Amherst, MA (24.54) |
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| 79 | Greenville, SC (24.35) |
||||
| 80 | Farmville, VA (24.29) |
||||
| 81 | Rock Hill, SC (24.22) |
||||
| 82 | Hempstead, NY (24.21) |
||||
| 83 | Santa Barbara, CA (24.15) |
||||
| 84 | Davis, CA (23.91) |
||||
| 85 | Statesboro, GA (23.82) |
||||
| 86 | Orem, UT (23.72) |
||||
| 87 | Bowling Green, OH (23.66) |
||||
| 88 | Long Branch, NJ (23.65) |
||||
| 89 | Florence, AL (23.63) |
||||
| 89 | Charleston, IL (23.63) |
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| 91 | Trenton, NJ (23.57) |
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| 92 | Princess Anne, MD (23.55) |
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| 93 | Boone, NC (23.52) |
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| 94 | Towson, MD (23.39) |
||||
| 95 | Hammond, LA (23.32) |
||||
| 96 | Fairfax, VA (23.31) |
||||
| 97 | Richmond, KY (23.28) |
||||
| 98 | Natchitoches, LA (23.26) |
||||
| 99 | Muncie, IN (23.21) |
||||
| 100 | Rochester Hills, MI (23.20) |
||||
| 101 | Normal, IL (23.19) |
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| 102 | Fairfield, CT (23.18) |
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| 103 | Stony Brook, NY (23.13) |
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| 104 | Monroe, LA (22.97) |
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| 105 | Moraga, CA (22.94) |
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| 106 | Oxford, MS (22.81) |
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| 107 | San Marcos, TX (22.76) |
||||
| 108 | Valparaiso, IN (22.54) |
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| 109 | Pine Bluff, AR (22.49) |
||||
| 110 | Newark, DE (22.36) |
||||
| 111 | Conway, SC (22.28) |
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| 112 | Elon, NC (21.74) |
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| 113 | Cookeville, TN (21.43) |
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| 114 | Tuscaloosa, AL (21.34) |
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| 115 | Lake Charles, LA (21.30) |
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| 116 | Clinton, SC (21.25) |
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| 117 | Cedar City, UT (21.14) |
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| 118 | Oxford, OH (20.79) |
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| 119 | Cape Girardeau, MO (20.73) |
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| 120 | Auburn, AL (20.52) |
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| 121 | DeLand, FL (20.31) |
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| 122 | Harrisonburg, VA (20.27) |
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| 123 | Moscow, ID (20.16) |
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| 124 | Bozeman, MT (20.10) |
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| 125 | Edinburg, TX (20.07) |
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| 126 | Martin, TN (20.05) |
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| 127 | Edwardsville, IL (20.04) |
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| 128 | Missoula, MT (19.67) |
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| 129 | Jonesboro, AR (19.62) |
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| 130 | Greenville, NC (19.52) |
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| 131 | San Luis Obispo, CA (19.40) |
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| 132 | Blacksburg, VA (19.37) |
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| 133 | Macomb, IL (19.36) |
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| 134 | Flagstaff, AZ (19.34) |
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| 135 | Youngstown, OH (19.33) |
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| 136 | Hattiesburg, MS (19.33) |
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| 137 | Fort Myers, FL (19.29) |
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| 138 | Kalamazoo, MI (19.27) |
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| 139 | Grand Forks, ND (19.19) |
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| 140 | Asheville, NC (19.19) |
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| 141 | Boca Raton, FL (19.17) |
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| 142 | Binghamton, NY (18.85) |
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| 143 | Orono, ME (18.69) |
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| 144 | Hackensack, NJ (18.65) |
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| 145 | Vermillion, SD (18.62) |
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| 146 | Manhattan, KS (18.60) |
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| 147 | Conway, AR (18.58) |
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| 148 | Poughkeepsie, NY (17.49) |
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| 149 | Kennesaw, GA (17.01) |
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| 150 | Malibu, CA (16.82) |
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| 151 | New Brunswick, NJ (16.45) |
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| 152 | Evanston, IL (15.82) |
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| 153 | Bethlehem, PA (15.75) |
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| 154 | Dover, DE (14.89) |
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| 155 | Daytona Beach, FL (13.87) |
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| 156 | New Britain, CT (10.65) |
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| 157 | Pocatello, ID (10.30) |
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| 158 | St. George, UT (8.73) |
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| 159 | Stephenville, TX (8.09) |
