Dein erstes Forum » Hokies did it in 2010 and 2011.The challen

Over a two-week span, were answering the following question for college basketballs 10 best conferences: Which venue in each conference is the toughest place to play? A number of factors, not just capacity and attendance, could affect a venues place in the order. Where does your school fall??Oh, sure, the 2015-16 season may have extended the Big Tens national title drought to the better part of two decades, but it also extended a much less ignominious, and borderline mind-blowing streak: it was the 40th straight year the league led the nation in attendance.If a difficult venue is a full venue, the Big Ten has more of both than most. Not that there arent exceptions ...14. Penn State Nittany Lions: Bryce Jordan Center, opened in 1995Speaking of exceptions, heres one that proves the rule. The Bryce Jordan Center is a perfectly nice and relatively new arena that few people actually ever enter, at least for Penn State basketball games. In a gym that seats 15,000, the Nittany Lions averaged just 6,909 per game last season. They have a dark gym, Indiana guard Yogi Ferrell said in March. And its a little quiet.Fun fact: In 2011, the Nittany Lions were barred from practicing in their own gym for two straight weeks by famous rock artists/time lords Bon Jovi (Week 1) and a career fair (Week 2). Ouch.13. Rutgers Scarlet Knights: Rutgers Athletic Center, opened in 1977 Basketball is an intimate sport, which is why a smallish arena can be its perfect setting. (See: Indoor Stadium, Cameron.) In the past, Rutgers home gym, also known as the RAC, was exactly that. In this world, the Scarlet Knights have won three (!) Big Ten games in the past two seasons. They all came at the RAC.Fun fact: One of those three wins came against back-to-back Final Four participant Wisconsin. (Frank Kaminsky was hurt, but still.)12. Northwestern Wildcats: Welsh-Ryan Arena, opened in 1952 Welsh-Ryan is small, most of the seats are bleachers and, given Chicagos crush of Big Ten alumni, most league games are split more or less 50-50 between home and visiting fans. Its easy, and fun, to pretend youre at a really well-played high school game. None of which makes it a difficult place to play.Fun fact: Northwestern hosted the first-ever NCAA tournament in 1939, in the old Patten Gymnasium. McGaw Memorial Hall -- which technically houses Welsh-Ryan Arena, plus some other stuff -- hosted the Final Four in 1956.11. Nebraska Cornhuskers: Pinnacle Bank Arena, opened in 2013 Is this a tough place to play? Its too early to say. Pinnacle is basically brand new, and its first season (2013-14) was a rousing success. Nebraska went 19-13, lost just once at home and made the NCAA tournament for the first time in forever. The Cornhuskers have regressed in the two seasons since, though, which has made it hard to appraise, tough-venue-wise.Fun fact: Pinnacle suite-goers can enjoy 10 sushi rolls, 12 pieces of nigiri and 12 pieces of sashimi for $204. And why not? Nebraska is famous for its sushi, right?10. Ohio State Buckeyes: Value City Arena, opened in 1998 Argument in favor: Ohio State has had its best, most sustained period of basketball success since it moved to Value City Arena in 1998.Argument against: Coach Thad Matta could probably win basketball games in a derelict Eastern European airplane hangar.Argument in favor: In 2010-11, in a move rare among major college programs, and in the hopes of boosting atmosphere, OSU actually listened to its fans and relocated student seats behind team benches.Argument against: Its official title is Value City Arena at The Jerome Schottenstein Center.Fun fact: OSU designed its current home with an eye toward preempting Columbus own pro-arena ambitions ... which is how a program that averaged fewer than 13,000 fans per game last season (which is a lot!) wound up in a 19,000-seat gym.9. Iowa Hawkeyes: Carver-Hawkeye Arena, opened in 1983Carver-Hawkeye has high highs and low lows. When the Hawks are rolling and a big opponent is in town, its one of the toughest buildings anywhere. Any other time -- or, say, in an early-Saturday-afternoon start, when an already-small student section has been decimated by whatever its members did at The Summit 12 hours earlier -- it can be downright dreary.Fun fact: Carvers most unique feature is that it resides almost entirely underground, in a concrete bowl carved (sorry) out of the side of a hill, which earned its designers the prestigious American Institute of Architects Honors Award in 1984.8. Minnesota Golden Gophers: Williams Arena, opened in 1928 The only reason Williams Arena isnt higher (er, lower) on this list is because it wasnt difficult to play Richard Pitinos team anywhere in 2015-16. Despite that 8-23 (2-16 Big Ten) disaster, though, The Barn hosted an average of 11,000 Gopher die-hards per game; their raucous dedication was rewarded with a cathartic Feb. 18 upset of Maryland. It helps that The Barn is one of the nations most historic sports venues, one so well-designed that it remains as fashionable now as at any point in the past 90 years.Fun fact: The Minnesota Field House was built in 1928, the same year as Butlers famed Hinkle Fieldhouse. From 1928 until 1950, Hinkle was the biggest college hoops arena in the country; after a 1950 renovation (and a name change), Williams Arena became the largest -- a title it held until 1971. Good run.7. Illinois Fighting Illini: State Farm Center, opened in 1963 During the brief Bill Self era, and well into Bruce Webers (initially) successful tenure, State Farm Center Assembly Hall (it was renamed in 2013) was one of the most imposing buildings in college basketball. Illinois student section, the Orange Krush, can be as genuinely funny as any in the country, though the on-court inspiration has been lacking of late.Fun fact: It looks like?a repurposed vessel from a faraway alien planet.6. Michigan Wolverines: Crisler Center, opened in 1967In 2007, for example, a first-time visitor to Ann Arbor, en route to Crisler, could drive by Michigan Stadium in all its glory only to find the basketball arena a drastic comparative letdown. Those days are over. Not only are the John Beilein-era Wolverines better, and the attendance and enthusiasm much higher than in the years preceding him, but a recent renovation has made the building one of the Big Tens more impressive fixtures. Putting students so close to the floor is a plus.Fun fact: Its referred to as The House that Cazzie Built, in honor of Cazzie Russell, a two-time All-American and the No. 1 pick in the 1966 NBA draft. Russell is the first (and only) Wolverine to have his number retired to the Crisler rafters. Other honored jerseys include legendary NBA coach Rudy Tomjanovich and former All-Star Glen Rice.5. Maryland Terrapins: Xfinity Center, opened in 2002 First of all, the Xfinity Center does not seem 14 years old. By the time you hit the parking lot, the idea that the building opened the same year Gary Williams led Juan Dixon and Co. to a national title seems factually impossible. Yet its true. Also true: Terps fans are every bit as crazy in this building as they were in the beloved old Cole Field House, a characteristic accentuated by the students courtside omnipresence. Granted, they dont have to deal with DMV traffic, but still. They arrive early, they get loud, and they stay that way.Fun fact: The WiFi is pretty bad. (To be fair, so is the Verizon Centers.)4. Purdue Boilermakers: Mackey Arena, opened in 1967 Mackey Arena has seen some significant quality-of-life upgrades in recent years, but the guts of the building remain mostly unchanged. This is a good thing. Mackey is, as weve noted in the past, a concrete dungeon of noise, one of the most underrated, acoustically punishing and generally inhospitable facilities in college basketball. The students hanging over the elevated baseline stands, more or less eye-level with the shooters angle at the basket, are a problem, sure. But mostly, its just. So. Loud.Fun fact:?Purdue great Brian Cardinal is installing a replica Mackey Arena floor at a public court in Valparaiso, Indiana, an initially awkward-seeming spot. Valpo has its own hoops thing going, which is explained by its status as the hometown of fellow Purdue alum Robbie Hummel. Either way, as public courts go, this is awesome.3. Wisconsin Badgers: Kohl Center, opened in 1998Since the Kohl Centers inaugural season, the Wisconsin Badgers have won 259 of their 298 home games in the facility. Considering the Badgers lost five of those home games during last seasons atypical 9-9 start -- when Bo Ryan retired, Greg Gard took over, UW closed the season with a 13-4 burst and a Sweet 16 finish -- its safe to say the Kohl Centers uncongeniality for opponents is an ongoing concern.Fun fact: The building itself is named after Herb Kohl, former U.S. senator and retail magnate, who donated $25 million toward its construction, the largest donation in the history of the Wisconsin university system. Some fans used to (or still?) call the building Herb Garden, which is chill.2. Michigan State Spartans: Breslin Student Events Center, opened in 1989 Look, its Michigan State. Its the Breslin Center. Do you really need further proof? Fine: Coach Tom Izzos home record, across 21 seasons as the Spartans head coach, is 294-38. That may not be Bill Self-level, Ive-won-more-league-titles-than-Ive-lost-home-games-crazy, but its close. And the fans, fed by success and led by a cacophonous lower-level student section, ensure a difficult stay for any visiting team.Fun fact: The Breslin Center floor is the same one upon which the Spartans, led by Mateen Cleaves et al., won the 2000 national title.1. Indiana Hoosiers: Assembly Hall, opened in 1971 Were this a list of the best basketball venues in Indiana, Hinkle Fieldhouse would win. (Though there would be a few mid-century, 7,000-seat high school arenas in the running.) Toughest, though? Thats Assembly Hall. Its bonkers-loud, even when the team is just so-so. The sideline stands rise impossibly, and imposingly, into the rafters. And you can forgive the student sections incongruous split between the baseline, corners and upper deck for two reasons:The deep-pocketed who occupy the prime sideline seats are as locked-in and rowdy as most 20-year-olds.The 17,472-seat gym typically packs in 7,800 students a night. No setting in college basketball has more. 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Arsenal failed to take full advantage of its main rivals stumbles on Saturday as substitute Gerard Deulofeu levelled with a hard shot from a tight angle in the 84th minute to give Everton a deserved point. Ahead of a crucial fortnight that will see them play against Napoli in the Champions League, Manchester City and Chelsea, Arsenal leads by five points ahead of Liverpool and Chelsea. CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- North Carolina keeps coming up with big wins on the road -- and that has the No. 22 Tar Heels in strong position to win their Atlantic Coast Conference division again.Entering Saturdays trip to Virginia, the Tar Heels have won three road games this season -- two against ranked Florida State and Miami teams -- and havent lost a game on an opponents home field since 2014. That eight-game run in true road games is tied for fourth-longest in the country.Even quarterback Mitch Trubisky doesnt have a clear way to explain it.I think its really more of an in-the-moment thing, because you cant prepare for the environment down at Miami or at Florida State or at Virginia until youre actually there in the week, he said Monday. And I think when youre in that moment, either you respond to it and you rise to the occasion or you dont.The Tar Heels (5-2, 3-1 ACC) have done that so far. They won big at Illinois in Week 2, edged then-No. 12 Florida State in Tallahassee on a last-play 54-yard field goal on Oct. 1 and then won at then-No. 16 Miami 20-13 over the weekend.UNC hasnt lost on an opponents home field since falling at Miami in November 2014, though the Tar Heels lost to Georgia in Atlanta to open this season in front of a largely pro-Bulldogs crowd.Still, the eight-game streak in true road games is tied for fourth in the country with No. 4 Clemson and No. 16 Oklahoma, trailing No. 2 Ohio State (20), top-ranked Alabama (10) and Iowa (nine).Its also UNCs longest as a member of the ACC, founded in 1953.Coach Larry Fedora, who repeatedly talks about the importance of treating every game the same, pointed to the way his team has handled practices leading up to road trips.The prepparations been very consistent, Fedora said.dddddddddddd They understand what it takes to be successful. ... We knew we were going to have to be good on the road, if we were going to accomplish the goals that we wanted to. It was something that we talked about in the very first team meeting. And so I think theyre doing that to this point.The Tar Heels are now sitting atop a crowded and messy-once-again Coastal Division race with head-to-head tiebreakers against contenders Pittsburgh and Miami. Their Oct. 8 home loss to Virginia Tech (4-2, 2-1) played in a heavy downpour from Hurricane Matthew means the Tar Heels will need the Hokies to lose again to put them back in control of their own destiny in the division.UNC is trying to become the Coastals first repeat winner since the Hokies did it in 2010 and 2011.The challenge did get tougher in the Miami win. The team said Monday that top deep threat Mack Hollins is lost for the season to a broken right collarbone, which required surgery Sunday. Hollins led the country last year by averaging 24.8 yards per catch, and his 20 career TD catches rank third in school history.Perhaps more importantly, he was a three-time special teams captain playing on punt and kickoff returns.Well miss what he brings to us on offense, Fedora said. But probably more than anything, his leadership. And hopefully well be able to keep him still involved and help him continue to lead this football team.---Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap and the APs college football site at http://collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '