Photo by Eddie Ortiz
With March Madness just around the corner, personal-finance company WalletHub has released its updated report on 2026’s Best Cities for College Basketball Fans, to get hoops enthusiasts excited for the season.
To determine the top cities for NCAA basketball in 2026, WalletHub analyzed data from more than 290 cities using nine key metrics, ranging from the number of teams per city and the winning percentage of each to stadium capacity and social-media engagement.
| Best Cities for College Hoops Fans | Worst Cities for College Hoops Fans |
| 1. Los Angeles, CA | 287. Dover, DE |
| 2. Durham, NC | 288. Athens, GA |
| 3. Lexington, KY | 289. Wichita, KS |
| 4. Philadelphia, PA | 290. Green Bay, WI |
| 5. Lawrence, KS | 291. Daytona Beach, FL |
| 6. East Lansing, MI | 292. Huntsville, AL |
| 7. Storrs, CT | 293. Austin, TX |
| 8. Chapel Hill, NC | 294. Berkeley, CA |
| 9. New York, NY | 295. Sacramento, CA |
| 10. Boston, MA | 296. West Haven, CT |
Best vs. Worst
- The Saint Mary’s Gaels have the highest current winning percentage among college basketball teams, which is 10.2 times higher than the winning percentage of the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils, the team with the lowest.
- Montgomery, Alabama has the least expensive season tickets, which is 30 times less than a season of hoops in Spokane, Washington.
- Thanks to John Wooden and UCLA, Los Angeles is home to the country’s most national championship banners, while Philadelphia has the most regular season titles.
To read the full report and to see where your city ranks, please visit:
http://wallethub.com/edu/best-
–
“Los Angeles is the best city for college basketball fans, and it has four different Division 1 NCAA teams, the UCLA Bruins, CSU Northridge Matadors, Loyola Marymount Lions and USC Trojans. L.A. has the largest number of NCAA championship wins since 1938, at 11 total, all of which belong to the UCLA Bruins. Los Angeles also has had four Hall of Fame coaches, which is more than any other city.”
– Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst
More From WalletHub